Col Lacroix

The name of this hamlet stems from the fact that it is the starting point of the climb to the Col de la Croix. Formerly populated and active, the hamlet suffered multiple damages throughout history. Various avalanches that devastated the place, the one in 1885 being the most damaging, destroying 12 houses. In 1944, it was German troops that set the town on fire. The flood of 1957 left only two buildings that still exist today: the cottage and the Saint Laurent chapel.

Hanging on top of a tree or a twig, the Eurasian blue tit eats small insects, larvae, caterpillars, spiders and invertebrates. Once the branch is cleaned, the Eurasian blue tit moves on to the next one. Occasionally, it can eat fruits and seeds. The female nests in holes of trees or walls. It broods 7 to 13 eggs for 15 days while the male feeds. The chicks will be entirely dependent on their parents their first month of life.

View on the upper valley of the Guil from the slope.

In his will, Napoleon I left half of his estate in Alsace, Bourgogne, Ile de France, Champagne, Forez and Dauphiné, in restitution for the invasions suffered. 34 years later, Napoleon III has a committee interpret the will of his uncle which distributes the funds. 26 departments including the Hautes-Alpes are granted the sum of 50,000 francs. This sum was initially intended to help the deaf and blind of the department but few requests were made. The money is eventually used to build six shelters on the main passes of the department.

In the Middle Ages, the upper Guil passes allowed numerous exchanges between the Queyras and Italy. The inhabitants of Queyras practised transhumance in the fall to Italy and took the opportunity to sell cheese and meat. In the 13th century, a French-Italian market existed in Abriès. Many Italian merchants came to trade there. In the 16th century, persecuted throughout the Italian Piedmont valleys, hundreds of Waldensians (Followers of the christian movement founded by Peter Waldo) travel these mountain passes to find refuge in the Queyras before having to migrate again a century later. They played an important role in the establishment of Protestantism in the Queyras.

Originally from the Alps and the Carpathians, the larch is the only conifer to lose its needles in winter and to bear this red colour in the fall. By falling, the needles enrich the soil and encourage the arrival of new species. With its powerful roots and flexibility of its branches and trunk, it settles in the deforested areas without fearing avalanches. The Praroussin forest embraces many individuals over 500 years old.

Cette chouette habite les vieilles forêts de montagne, généralement au-dessus de 1000 m. Elle utilise les anciens trous de pics ou les cavités des vieux arbres pour nicher, d'où l'importance de sauvegarder des boisements mixtes anciens. C'est le plus petit rapace d'Europe : avec ses 15 cm et ses 80 g, elle passe généralement inaperçue... sauf pour l'oreille avertie !