The Contant Mill

Wetlands are fragile and threatened environments, boasting a high degree of biodiversity that is often exceptional. They provide us with many benefits. They are essential for managing water resources, filtering and decomposing certain pollutants, regulating the flow of rivers and groundwater, storing water and reducing the effects of flooding. They also act as a buffer against climate change, by trapping carbon. Their preservation is therefore a real priority.

Gathering wild plants in the wild is authorised in some cases, but it should be done in a sensible way: - In small quantities: this encourages regrowth, so that there will be enough left for the animals and other hikers. - Do not pick in the same place: diversify the picking sites - Cut the plants instead of uprooting them And why not just admire the mountain flowers? It's surely going to be a memorable experience! Picking is often prohibited in sensitive natural areas (nature reserves or parks). Check the regulations at the entrance to the site.

White butterfly with delicate black veins, this is the Aporia crataegi, also known as the “black-veined white”. Its single annual generation of butterflies flies from April-May to July-August. This photograph shows a coupling of this butterfly, once very common in France. This butterfly is threatened and has been in massive decline for several years. - The growth of intensive agriculture has led to the gradual disappearance of its breeding habitats. - The use of pesticides has been very harmful. - Hedgerows have been uprooted, eliminating the plants on which the caterpillars feed. The black-veined white is still relatively common in mountainous areas, particularly at altitudes above 800 metres where extensive agriculture is more widespread.

Alveolar echinococcosis is a parasite ( known as tapeworm) whose natural hosts are canines. Contrary to popular belief, this parasite is found in the small intestine of foxes, and therefore in their faeces rather than in their urine. Humans can become infected after inadvertently consuming tapeworm eggs. Severe lesions appear 5 to 15 years after ingestion. If you regularly harvest wild plants in forested areas, keep your eyes and nostrils open. Advice : - Look out for fox and dog droppings, which can often be found on footpaths. - Harvest plants higher up (the risk is greater with dandelions and wild garlic, for example). - Cook your food. The risk is only present when eating raw wild plants. - Wash the plants and your hands several times after picking and working in the soil. Source: cueilleurs-sauvages.ch/echinococcose-risques-et-prevention-lors-de-la-cueillette-des-plantes-sauvages/