The Rochers des Mourres

Here, between Forcalquier and the Lure mountain, water has always been a scarce resource. As a drier land than the neighbouring ones, man has had to work twice as hard to meet their needs and those of animals and crops. In this way, wells, cisterns, underground tanks, aqueducts or fountains mark the land. They are self-evident arrangements made by man to get this precious water flowing.

This is the nickname given by Jean Giono to the Lure mountain. It lets all four seasons wander through. Cool valleys and sunny lawns for exceptional hiking on sunny days and snow activities (skiing, snowshoeing, sledging (UK) / sledding (US)...) in winter. The Lure mountain offers many things to do all year round.

In Forcalquier, they can't be missed! Small walls, pens, retaining walls for terrace fields, or weird huts (bories). They are everywhere! The construction of these small dry stone structures began when man had to clear his land of stones in order to cultivate it. So what to do with this excess of stones? From there came the idea to pile them up in order to build pens, tame slopes or make shelters for men and tools.

Mesurant jusqu'à 75 cm de long, le Lézard ocellé est le plus grand lézard d'Europe. Il apprécie les endroits secs et ensoleillés, comme  les terrains rocheux dégagés, et s’abrite dans les tas de pierres et les arbres creux. Il se caractérise essentiellement par ses quelques tâches de couleur bleue (ocelles) qui parsèment ses flancs de part et d'autre. Son régime alimentaire se compose de fruits, de petits mammifères ainsi que d'insectes. Il s'agit d'une espèce protégée et vulnérable, protégeons-la !

On this arid soil, you can see a discreet broom (shrub) against the ground: Villars broom (Genista pulchella subsp. villarsii). Its meagre look is an adjustment to sunny and dry environments: It sweats very little! Sharing space with some species which are also frugal, the Villars broom is the structuring element of a natural environment, rare and protected by Europe: from "heath to Villars broom".

The Marsh fritillary (Euphydryas aurinia subsp. provincialis) is a butterfly named in French after its orange chequered pattern on its wings. As for the Devil's-bit scabious, it is one of the host plants for the caterpillar form of the Marsh fritillary. Although it is present in most of the country, the Marsh fritillary is usually rare and localized. In Provence, the subspecies "provincialis" is relatively common in places like Mourres and can be seen around April-May. This butterfly is protected in France.

What a strange landscape! With an unusual appearance, you can get a glimpse of heads, giant mushrooms, arches and bridges ... These are Les Mourres! A classified site resulting from the erosion of Miocene calcareous marl, here, fauna has managed to adapt to drought.

The Rochers des Mourres look like mushrooms with a friable clayey-limestone base and a hard and even limestone cap. These structures were formed by the stabilisation and the encrusting of calcareous sediments through aquatic grass and green algae on lakefronts, 25 million years ago. They have been growing vertically, following the fluctuations of the water level. The shaping of these sculptures so beautiful of Mourres are due to erosion.

True local star, the grass-leaved scabious (Lomelosia graminifolia) is a plant found in the mountains of southern Europe. One can easily recognize its linear leaves such as grasses (its name has not been usurped!), by its beautiful blue flower heads blooming in late spring and summer, then by its fruits agglomerated into as many silver "cups ".

Le site des Mourres abrite une faune et une flore particulières et adaptées à des conditions d’environnement difficiles. Classé en Espace naturel sensible départemental en 2007, la commune s’est engagée avec le Département et l’accompagnement du Conservatoire Espaces Naturels, du Centre Permanent d'Initiatives pour l'Environnement des Alpes de Haute-Provence, le Parc naturel régional du Luberon et la participation de riverains, dans l’élaboration d’un programme d’aménagements et d'un plan de gestion, afin de protéger ce patrimoine naturel, d'accompagner la fréquentation et de mettre en valeur les spécificités géologiques, floristiques et faunistiques du site.

Le 17 novembre 2015, lors de la 38e Conférence générale de l’Organisation des Nations Unies pour les Sciences, la Culture et l’Education (UNESCO), les 195 États membres ont ratifié la mise en place d'un nouveau label : géoparc mondial UNESCO, afin de montrer l’importance accordée à la gestion globale de sites et de paysages géologiques exceptionnels. Il existe actuellement 229 Géoparcs mondiaux UNESCO répartis dans 50 pays dont 97 en Europe. Sept Géoparcs mondiaux UNESCO sont en France dont 2 en région Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur (Luberon et Haute-Provence). Les rochers des Mourres font partie de la soixantaine de géosites identifiés sur le territoire du Géoparc du Luberon, animé et piloté par le PNR Luberon.

The ruiniform landscape (presenting the appearance of ruins) with unusual and unique shapes, allows everyone's imagination to drift leisurely. This intimate site, perfect for strolling, also opens up, for viewing pleasure, to a clear view, stumbling far away on the ridge of the Alps and the Lure mountain.

These rocks, formed like heads, mushrooms, arches or bridges, have often inspired local writers by their strange appearance. Eugène Plauchud wrote, in Provençal, that they were men of stone. For Camille Arnaud, writing in French, they were the campsite of the Emir of the Moors. More recently, Georges Lautner shot there one of his films based on Pierre Magnan's novel, "La Maison assassinée"».

Often blooming from March, the Rock candytuft (Iberis saxatilis) is a subshrub (or dwarf shrub) recognizable by its white flower heads with its outer petals much larger than the others. Its species name ("saxatilis") represents it well because it is found clinging to the limestone rocks. Besides, it is the host plant of the caterpillar of a rare butterfly: : the Portuguese dappled white (Iberochloe tagis). This little butterfly with green and white marbled wings flies from February to June.

Strolling through these paths, you can come across a look-alike of the common wall Lizard, tumbling down a bush.. Also brown, the Spanish psammodromus strangely resembles its cousin but when you look closer, it has four dark streaks with black spots on its back. Extremely fast, it likes to hide under dead leaves or sand and screeches when its caught.