Furfande on mountain bike

Also known as alpine toadflax, the Linaria alpina likes hostile and poor environments. It is found in high mountain screes or gravel pits. It is perennial and blooms from June to September.

View from the Col de Furfande on the Arvieux valley. In the back we see the mountain passes of Izoard, Arpelin and Lasseron. On the right, the peak of Côste Belle hides in the clouds. In the foreground, to the right, the Crête de la Plate plays hide and seek.

The first written proof of use of these pastures dates back to the 15th century. At the time, the place was a dependency of the Boscodon abbey. Residents of Escoyères stored their hay and brought them down on the backs of mules. In 1628, the well developed village of Arvieux sought lands to expand its production. The pasture is bought and residents of both villages share the summer pastures. The cottages have a ground floor in stone and a wooden first floor without a balcony for drying purposes.

Also known as the Black Slug, this large slug is present in multiple areas but especially in the mountains. It measures between 10 and 15 cm but can reach 20 cm exceptionally. The different individuals have very different colourations. You can see slugs which are black, red-orange and rarely gray or white ones.

The larch forest is a typical habitat of the Southern Alps. It is maintained by regular consumption of undergrowth by sheeps. Without this maintenance, it would have slowly and permanently been replaced by pines. This tree is periodically attacked by a butterfly: the larch budmoth. Every 6 years, it transforms green landscapes in autumnal sceneries. Rest assured, after consumption of the bases of the needles, the larches recover their soft colours, this year or the next.