Le Mourre Nègre, southern side

The cliff that dominates the Règue valley is made of limestone. It outcrops westward almost continuously, on nearly 15km until Vaugines, through Cucuron. Geologists have called this geological formation the Molasse de Cucuron. This rock is very rich in sand grains, gravel and fossil remains (scallops, oysters, corals ...). Fossils evidence the presence of a warm sea right here, about 10 million years ago.

Many pebbles cover the ground. Some are black, green, red. They share the same composition with some rocks in the Alps. They were transported to Cabrières by powerful streams: the ancestor of the Durance, 10 million years ago!Some pebbles have small holes. This is the result from the activity of marine molluscs, the Angelwings (Piddocks), which dig a hole in the rock to live in it. These bivalves live today in coastal areas.

On the roadside, the bank is hollowed out by a hole with reddened walls at the top and varnished in the lower part. This is a lime kiln which has no doubt been used for local purposes. We don't know how old it is. Several days were needed to dig this type of kiln, build a corbel arch just like the bories, and place the limestone blocks. Cooking it, around 1000 °C, required constant monitoring for about 4 days.

On the right, a track lets you follow a little escarpment which highlights the rift in the passage and marks the northern border of a line of hills. The limestone that make up these hills is as old as those of the Luberon ridges. In between, the marly rocks are more recent. These information help in the outlining of the geometry of the Luberon: an asymmetrical arch-shaped bend (anticlinal). The heart of the massive, much more gentle, has been hollowed out by erosion and forms a valley.

In these grazing areas, you can come across a patou between January and April. This big white dog is an impressive keeper. His task is not the easiest: he has to protect his flock against wolves. The patou takes his role very seriously, so no threats or shouts, keep your dogs on a leash and do not dare cross his flock! Go around it and walk quietly, the patou will sniff you and go back quietly to his task.

Ici, sur le sentier abrupt en versant sud du Coteau des Gamates, il n’est pas rare de croiser un trailer, dans un sens comme dans l’autre ! Ce cheminement est un passage renommé du fameux Trail du Grand Luberon (TGL), une épreuve sportive durable et responsable dont le Parc du Luberon est partenaire, et qui est organisée depuis 2006 au départ de Cabrières-d’Aigues par CAVAL Pertuis, le club du Centaures Athletic de la Vallée d’Aigues et du Luberon. Cet évènement est reconnu dans le milieu du trail pour son ambiance conviviale, festive et ses parcours permettant de découvrir le Grand Luberon côté nord et sud.

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.

Le Gomphocère fauve-queue est à la fois une espèce commune… et très rare ! Ce petit criquet, qui passe facilement inaperçu, est en effet assez présent sur les crêtes du Grand Luberon. Pourtant, ses populations, disséminées dans quelques massifs calcaires entre la Provence et le nord de l’Espagne, restent très localisées. Cette dispersion dans une aire mondiale restreinte fragilise son avenir, ce qui lui vaut d’être inscrit sur la liste rouge régionale, avec le statut "En danger" d’extinction.

Mourre Negro, black muzzle in Provence, culminates at 1,125m and overlooks the mountains of the Grand and Petit Luberon. The summit reveals a splendid panorama at 360°.. On the north side, behind the basin of Apt and plateaus of the mountains of Vaucluse, Mont Ventoux, the Lure mountain and, in the background, the snowy peaks of the Ecrins massif can be seen. On the south side, beyond the plain of the Durance, we can observe Ste-Baume, the Sainte-Victoire, Etang de Berre, Camargue, Alpilles,...

These grasslands of great biological wealth are the result of the combined effects of the altitude, wind exposure and a traditional use by shepherds. Apart from common species, the lawns are home to rare plant species (more than fifty). This plant life diversity provides shelter and abundant food for many herbivorous insects (over 265 species). So, many birds mainly appreciate these apical lawns.

The Short-toed Snake Eagle is a migratory raptor that lives in the region from March to October. Brown but with a white plumage, it is recognizable by its yellow eyes and its big round head. Its speciality? Its diet is mainly composed of reptiles: snakes, lizards or vipers (which it is not immune against the poison). It can hunt for more than 10km from its zone and prefers open and sunny areas like the apical lawns or scrublands.

In the oak grove, many wood-boring insects (that feed on wood) thrive. Essentially beetles of the Cerambycidae or longhorn family are found. It is the larvae of these insects that eat wood and can stay up to 3 years in the warmth of the wood before metamorphosing to reach adulthood.

Un arbre creux ou un gros arbre mort est un écosystème à lui tout seul, servant de gîte, de support ou de garde-manger à tout un cortège d’espèces animales (pics, chouettes, chauve-souris, coléoptères) ou végétales (mousses, lichens, champignons) qui en ont besoin dans leur cycle de vie. Certaines d’entre elles sont devenues très rares et menacées car les arbres âgés, les bois morts dépérissants ou creux, ne sont pas suffisamment conservés dans les zones gérées par l’Homme.