Le Mourre Nègre, northern side

The Eurasian eagle owl is one of the largest species of owl (with a wingspan of 1,80m). As great as an eagle, it is still well represented in the territory of the Luberon Park (about sixty couples). It builds its nest in steep cliffs, similar to those that overhang the footpath, where it breeds and rears its young from January to June To cope with the disappearance of the rabbit, it has adjusted its eating behavior to feast on rodents, birds, hedgehogs, reptiles, fishes ...

Auribeau is a small authentic rural village whose inhabitants are mostly farmers. Nestled in the countryside on the foothills of the Grand Luberon, Auribeau is located at the east end of Claparèdes plateau. The Aiguebrun, a right bank tributary of the Durance, starts in the town. This site was always occupied since there are lots of remains of ancient Bories, and paths dug on the sides of rocks leading to shelter villages during the great invasions.

The chamois, Rupicabra rupicabra, has reappeared since the 70s in rare rocky areas of the Grand Luberon. The population is estimated at nearly a hundred in the territory of Regional Nature Park of Le Luberon! Contrary to popular belief, it was not introduced but it recovered a nowadays safe area which once belonged to it a few centuries or even millennia ago. It is not uncommon to see in the winter rutting males chasing one another on the steep cliffs!

Perched on a hill and overlooked by the ruins of the old Castel (castle in Provence), Castellet is bordered by the Calavon on one side and the Grand Luberon on the other. There are cereals and fruit trees (table cherries), production of table grapes and AOC Luberon wines. The production of aromatic plants (lavendin and sage) makes also the traditional distillery of Castellet work!

Historically, charcoal burners transformed wood into charcoal directly on the ground of the forest. During the 19th century, metal enclosures of various shapes appeared and replaced the traditional charcoal kilns that required special expertise. In addition to being removable, the kilns allowed faster burning, thus increasing productivity. In Luberon, a few circles of blackened earth remain, and so do rusty metal sheets bearing witness to this activity.

The surrounding hills are home to a beautiful ancient forest, a true reservoir of biodiversity. Old trees are used as a support or pantry for a great number of species of fauna and flora (lichens, insects,...). The preservation of this forest in a massif affected by programs of wood cutting contributes to sustainable forest management and continuity of mature forests in respect of the Regional Nature Park of Le Luberon.

The Honey Buzzard is a migratory bird of prey present for its reproduction on our territory in summer. It feeds mainly on hymenoptera (wasps, bumblebees, wild bees,...) which it hunts on open areas close to its place of forest nesting. It can dig up to 40cm to extract its favorite foods: larvae! Beware of stings and that is the reason why the skin surrounding its beak and eyes is protected by small, stiff feathers looking like scales.

In May and June, you will encounter sheep grazing. Thanks to them, the exceptional biodiversity of the peaks is maintained. Without grazing, you wouldn't be able to see as many insects, birds and spring flowers. Sheeps prefer, because they choose them, rare plants and limit the closing of the lawns by the forest. Farmers are supported in their work by the Park, the ONF (National Forest Offices) and pastoralists.

La ligne de crêtes du Grand Luberon, massive et arrondie, s’étire sur 200 à 300 m de large. Elle est recouverte d’une végétation basse très particulière, rarissime, qui présente un grand intérêt à la fois écologique, paysager et esthétique. Ses couleurs varient au fil des saisons, et son panorama est spectaculaire. Ce véritable "petit alpage" à vocation pastorale joue aussi un rôle essentiel de pare-feu naturel, en protégeant les versants boisés du massif du Luberon.

The Luberon is visible from everywhere and very present in the landscape. From the peaks, wide panoramas are also available to us: Our eyes travel across the southern massifs (Alpilles, Sainte-Baume...) and northern massif (Mont Ventoux). But this landscape is also characterized by the very intimate micro atmospheres like the wooded valleys below and the surrounding rocky valleys. At our feet, the mark of man is discreet and increasingly present beyond the Durance.

The Luberon was not built in a day, far from it! Its birth is connected to the birth of the Pyrénées, about 40 million years ago. This is also the case of Provencal Alpilles, Ste-Victoire, Ste-Baume massifs, etc. all oriented east-west. With the formation of the Alps, it has lived for 20 million years, several episodes of deformation leading to its current structure: a wide asymmetrical arch-shaped bend (anticlinal) overlapping the south.

High and medium voltage lines create a real danger for birds’ due to collisions and electrocutions. For large soaring birds (eagles, vultures, storks), these infrastructures represent one of the main causes of human-induced mortality. Solutions exist: The burying of power lines, the installation of beacons improving the visibility of the cables, the renewal of the most dangerous pylons, the creation of perches on them or their better isolation.

The pine processionary caterpillar is the larva of a moth ( Thaumetopoea the pityocampa) only living during the period of reproduction! It is not only dangerous for humans and animals, but also for nature since it can cause serious damage to forests. With their hair and “spiky” look, these caterpillars are easily recognizable because they are always moving one after another.

In the Provençal “jas” designates large dry stone (or not) sheepfolds which provide shelter to both animals and people. The word comes from the Latin "jacium": the house, the place where people sleep. In ancient Occitan, it rapidly designated the "park where herds of goats and sheep were sleeping in mountain pastures". Today, the shed houses shepherds during their summer presence in the Luberon ridges for “alpine pasture” in June and July.

This saying should be highlighted: the function of a trail is to connect one place to another. However, they are also part of our heritage... and living heritage! The section of the trail that you follow testifies to the torrential rains that increase the erosion of the foundation of the route. Over time, the prohibited traffic of a few motorcycles and the lack of regular maintenance favored the creation of ruts, and a parallel track was created by the simple use of walkers.

Le site castral de Saint-Pierre d’Auribeau est implanté sur un piton rocheux. Ce castrum, attesté dès 1004, est dit inhabité en 1333. La topographie d’ensemble correspond à un éperon barré. À l’extrémité orientale sont conservés les éléments monumentaux, fortifications et église, tandis que vers l’ouest s’étendaient en éventail les habitats villageois, protégés semble-t-il par un fossé. De plan carré, la tour est conservée sur près de 8 m d’élévation. La moitié supérieure ainsi que la porte d’accès aménagée à l’étage ont été l’objet d’amples restaurations récentes.

La chapelle Saint-Pierre était autrefois l’église du village d’Auribeau, implantée sur le flanc de la butte, à proximité du village qui fut déserté au XIVe s. La nef, composée de deux travées, se termine par une abside en hémicycle couverte en cul-de-four. Le matériau utilisé est de belle qualité. La façade, le chœur et les chaînes d’angle sont en moyen appareil. Sur la façade, à droite de l’entrée principale, une inscription rappelle sa dédicace, le 30 mai : "III KL IVNII DED I/CACIO"… L’église Saint-Pierre d’Auribeau est mentionnée dès 1158 parmi les biens dont le pape Adrien IV confirmait la possession à l’évêque d’Apt. Entre la fortification et l’église, des fouilles archéologiques ont mis en lumière la présence d’un cimetière.

Dans le virage du sentier, de grandes lianes accrochées aux chênes donnent à cette chênaie un air de forêt primaire. Il s’agit de la Clématite des haies, ou Vigne blanche (Clematis vitalba). Comme son nom l’indique, cette renonculacée affectionne particulièrement les haies, mais elle pousse aussi dans les broussailles et les clairières fraîches. Parfois rampante, mais principalement grimpante, elle peut atteindre jusqu’à 15 m de long. Peu d’espèces animales la consomment, car sa sève fraîche provoque des ulcérations.

Calades are cobbledstone paths or sloping paved streets that are found in Provence. The root "cal" refers to the stone and "cala" means "down" in Provencal. By extension, “calader” means pave. The surface consists of stones laid on the edge (on the narrowest part), mainly pebbles from the Rhone or Durance. Some roads and streets were paved to help people and animals walk more comfortable, and also to limit erosion.