The hay meadows

Ÿou are now crossing the Plan de la Croix. These flat areas are rare in the mountains and have always been used by the mountain people to harvest hay. These hay meadows are a remarkable habitat for a number of birds that breed only in these areas where large flowers and tall grasses grow. Attune your ears and you may hear the typical singing of the quail, whose mnemotechnical onomatopœia could be “wet-my-lips”. Traditional agricultural practices allow the presence of a large number of flora species, unlike areas of intensive agriculture. The excessive soil improver that enriches the grasslands with nutrients reduces the number of species present. There is now a contest for the best flowering meadows which aims to reward these traditional practices: the meadows of Plan de la Croix have been the winners of this contest.