From Le Signal to Les Prés

It owes its name to the rust-coloured underside of its leaves! This plant belongs to the Ericaceae family, which includes bilberries and heathers. It blooms from the end of June, attracting many pollinating insects. It is a fan of chilly locations: it tends to grow on the north-facing slopes where sun exposure is shortest. The reason for this is that it doesn't shed its leaves in winter, so it needs a thick blanket of snow to keep it from freezing!

This butterfly is a Rhopalocera, i.e. a common butterfly. It can be found in the mountains, in open environments with a certain amount of vegetation, its caterpillar tending to prefer orpins or houseleeks, while as an adult it feasts on the nectar of thistles and other knapweeds. It's beautiful... like a deity, but please just look at it, because it's an endangered species, protected both in France and worldwide!

From here, you can see Mont-Blanc, the highest peak in Europe (4810 m), absolutely towering over the whole massif! Admire the view of the other peaks: the Aiguille de Bionassay (4052 m), the Dômes de Miage (3633 m) and the Aiguille Nord de Tré la Tête (3892 m), the highest point in the nature reserve. From this point, you can marvel at one of the parts of the reserve, which features various protected natural environments, situated in an area with over 2800m of variating altitude starting at the forest level.

The new Les Prés Refuge was built at an altitude of 1935m at the foot of the Aiguille de la Cicle (2552m), ideally situated in the heart of the nature reserve and right next to the hiking trails. This former mountain pasture farmhouse was restored in 2020 at the initiative of the Compagnie des Guides de Saint-Gervais-Contamines. This refuge is one of the few to be manned for more than 7 months of the year, including winter.

Have you seen Zorro with his black blindfold?! The male Northern Wheatear is a sparrow-sized passerine bird. However, this 25g lightweight is a long-distance migrant. Although it comes to nest in the mountains in summer, in search of insects such as flies, locusts and other grasshoppers, which are abundant in the alpine meadows, it spends the winter much further south, in the savannahs of tropical Africa, from Mauritania to Tanzania!

Situated at the foot of the Aiguilles de la Pennaz (2668 m) as part of the Mont-Blanc tour, this refuge has a strong heritage of family tradition. Three generations have welcomed hikers here. This former farmhouse is surrounded by mountain pastures that are still cultivated by mountain farmers. Just look at the height of the roof and little will be left to imagination; during winter, the only thing sticking out of the snow is the chimney! This refuge is open from June to September

How can you tell which breeds of mountain cow can be found here? The Abondance breed originates from the village of the same name in the Chablais region of Haute-Savoie. It can be recognised by its distinctive mahogany coat and white head and belly. The 'Herens' cow comes from Valais in Switzerland. They are bulkier, with a single-coloured coat that is often black, sometimes dark red or chestnut. Its provocative, aggressive behaviour is used in the traditional "battle of the queens" in the 3 countries around Mont Blanc. But rest assured, no animals are harmed in such contests!

Alpine pastures are a landscape that have been shaped by humans since prehistoric times, during the Neolithic period, when livestock farming was first practised. Had it not been for the grazing of domestic animals at this altitude, the area would have been occupied by a few species of bush accompanied by few animal species. The mountain pasture is a rare example where human activity generates a biodiversity of animal and plant species that is more prolific than what would be produced by the natural evolution of the environment. Many species of plants, birds, invertebrates, mammals, etc. can be found here.

As its name suggests, the ring ouzel is similar in size to the blackbird and belongs to the same genus according to the classification of living organisms. It is a mountain species, found only in the Alps. It nests in the "combat zone", i.e. the transition zone between the subalpine (forest) and alpine (grassland) levels, where there are fewer trees that are reminiscent of bonsai trees with their stunted silhouettes. The Ring Ouzel can be recognised by the white flap on its chest.