Le Méale

This is the Provençal word for shepherd. The trail got its name because of its many traces of pastoral activity along the way. Among other things, you can see the remains of ancient shelters known as muandes. These were used as stopovers between the farm and the mountain pastures during the transhumance up to the summer pastures at the start of the summer and during the transhumance to lower pastures in the autumn..

Pastoralism is an extensive management technique. Known as the "Vachaïre", it emerged alongside cattle rearing and milk production. It entailed setting up a community-based herd management system, with the animals grazing every day. And it was the shepherd, "Lou Pastre" in Provençal, who was entrusted with managing the flocks.

In this small butterfly, the male's upper wings are dark grey, somewhat bluer at the base of the wings, while the female is brown. It is most often seen at higher altitudes, in July and August, in grasslands and meadows. The Arctic blue is a species of northern regions (Scandinavia, Greenland, Siberia, North America) which, in more temperate parts, lives only in the mountains.