Lac du Siguret

This vintage farm implement was horse-drawn. The farmer sat on the iron seat. Its teeth form a kind of rake and its purpose was to pile up the hay in rows (known as windrows).

This stretch of water is a vestige from the last ice age 6,000 years ago. At category 2 lake, it is home to pike, carp and trout. The site was listed in 2012 as a Sensitive Natural Area of the Hautes-Alpes. An inventory study was commissioned by the municipality of Saint-André d'Embrun in collaboration with the regional conservatory for natural areas, CEN PACA, and its results showed significant diversity, with 350 species of plants, 110 species of insects and 52 species of birds.

This ruin used to be a house. A window can still be seen on the side. Today, it has been covered by vegetation and some parts are virtually invisible. Other ruins can be seen along the route of the trail. Dry-stone walls are present. Some of them, around the edges of the fields, are enclosure walls. While others are retaining walls. These are called restanques in Provence. They were built in sloping areas to create crop terraces, holding back the earth.

This species is also called the stained glass moth. The upper side of its wings is green, with very dark outlines. Its antennae are unusual, in the shape of a brush. In the Department of Hautes-Alpes, the species is primarily found in the mountain pine forests. It tends to be active at dusk. During the breeding season (April-June), the female releases sex pheromones when the temperature rises above 13°C. Her eggs are spherical in shape and are 2 to 3 mm in diameter.

Reed beds are officially recognised in France as natural zones of ecological interest in terms of fauna and flora. They are a true reservoir of biodiversity for avifauna (birdlife). This unique environment is protected. They are areas on the edges of pools and marches where reeds constitute the primary vegetation. Reed beds harbour the nests and broods or numerous marsh-dwelling birds and they are effective water purifiers, limiting water pollution. In addition, the species can withstand temperatures down to -20°C.

This endangered species can reach 1 metre in height. Its enormous clusters of yellow and brown flowers can be seen during its flowering period, April to June. If the plant has been grazed or mown, there may be a second very late flowering on the remaining plant in September. In the Alps, there a various habitats favourable to the species, which colonises wide open areas in particular.