Isards in the Eyne valley
An ordinary weekend, walking in the Pyrenees. Completely ordinary but still magic. On Saturday, we climbed the Eyne valley, sauntering through the flower beds, our footsteps bathed in colour. Then we saw the marmotte suburb on the hillside opposite us, their holes linked by a marmotte-sized highway, although only a couple of them were braving the heat. Above, at the pass and on the frontier ridge (2800m) there were long ethereal views down to the plains on both sides. But the real highlight was the isards.
We have just crossed the Pyrenees, from Eyne in the Pyrénées-Orientales in France to the sanctuary of Núria in Catalonia in Spain, and back again. 2200m of climbing over two days, in beautiful weather. Nothing dramatic happened, although in Núria on Saturday evening the watery sausages – believe me, it is possible for sausages to be wet – should have caused a riot.
On the frontier ridge between Eyne and Núria
On the return journey, on Sunday, we had just settled down to eat lunch by the river Eyne when we saw an isard on the slope opposite. And then another, and another. A dozen in all. Old and young. One, clearly a dominant male, with a yellow collar. Gambolling, leaping… and fighting. Close by, ignoring us. More interested in a rival herd, than in us, they were defending a strategic point, though at first we couldn’t make out why. Then I remembered the woman with a donkey who told us that she had just brought a sack of salt up for the cows. We hadn’t seen where she had left the sack, but it must have been that precious taste that the isards were fighting over. We watched the spectacle for more than half an hour.
An ordinary weekend, but still magic.
Thanks to Laurence, Evelyene for the photos; and to Claude for photographing and identifying the flowers.
Botany of the Eyne valley and the frontier ridge (Pyrénées-Orientales) 31 July and 1 August 2010
Aperçu botanique de la vallée d’Eyne et des crêtes, 31 juillet et 1 août 2010
by Claude Premillieu
* Fleurs que l’on a vues dans la Vallée d’Eyne mais dont la photo ici n’a pas été prise dans la Vallée d’Eyne. Flowers which we saw in the Eyne valley – though the photo was taken elsewhere.
Lower part of the valley (1600-2000m) – Partie basse de la vallée (1600-2000m)
Géranium des prés (Geranium pratense, L.) Meadow Crane’s-bill
Lis martagon (Lilium martagon, L.) Martagon or Turk’s cap lily
Renouée des Alpes (Polygonum alpinum, Allioni) Alpine polygonum, Alaska wild rhubarb
Adénostyle à feuilles d'alliaire (Adenostyles alliariae, Gouan subsp. Pyrenaïca)
Raiponce en épi (Phyteuma spicatum, L.) Spiked rampion*
Épilobe en épi - (Laurier de St Antoine) - ou Épilobe à feuilles étroites (Epilobium angustifolium, L., Epilobium spicatum, Lamarck) Fireweed, Rosebay willowherb
Géranium des forêts (Geranium sylvaticum, L.) Wood cranesbill, Woodland geranium
Endressie des Pyrénées (Endressia pyrenaica)
Millepertuis des montagnes (Hypericum montanum, L.) St John’s-wort
Euphorbe Petit-Cyprès (Euphorbia cyparissias, L.) Cypress Spurge
Impératoire Ostruthium (Imperatoria ostruthium, L. ou Peucedanum ostruthium, L.)
Berce des Pyrénées (Heracleum pyrenaïcum, Lamark) Hogweed
Vérâtre blanc (Veratrum album, L.) False helleborine (also known as White hellebore, European white hellebore, White veratrum)
Tanaisie (Tanacetum vulgare, L.) Tansy
Alpine meadows (2000-2300m) – Alpages (2000-2300m)
Dauphinelle des montagnes (Delphinium montanum, De Candolle) Pyrenean larkspur
Aconit napel (Aconitum napellus, L.) Monkshood, Aconite, Wolf’s bane
Alchémilles (des Alpes et vulgaire ou ressemblantes) Lady’s mantle
Séneçon des Pyrénées (Senecio pyrenaïcus, L.) Groundsel*
Raiponce hémisphérique – bleue ou blanche (Phyteuma hemisphaericum, L.) Globe-headed rampion
Raiponce orbiculaire (Phyteuma orbiculare, L.) Round-headed rampion
Globulaire naine (Globularia nana, Lamarck ou Globularia repens, Lamarck) Globe daisy
Achillée des Pyrénées (Achillea ptarmica, L. subsp. Pyrenaïca, Rouy) Sneezewort, Sneezeweed, Fair-maid-of-France, Goose tongue, Sneezewort yarrow, Pellitory
Joubarbe à toiles d'araignée (Sempervivum arachnoïdeum, L.) Cobweb houseleek
Joubarbe des montagnes (Sempervivum montanum, L.) Mountain houseleek*
Lotier des Alpes (Lotus alpinus, Schleicher) Alpine Birdsfoot-trefoil*
Pensée tricolore (Viola tricolor, L.) Heartsease, wild pansy
Campanule Fausse Ficaire (Campanula ficarioïdes, Timbal-Lagrave) Bellflower
Gaillet vrai (Galium verum, L.) Lady’s bedstraw
Gentiane de Burser (Gentiana burseri, Lapeyrouse) Yellow gentian
Panicaut de Bourgat - Chardon bleu des Pyrénées (Eryngium bourgati) Pyrenean blue thistle
Saxifrage paniculée (Saxifraga paniculata, Miller) White mountain saxifrage
Rhododendron (Rhododendron ferrugineum, L.) Rhododendron*
Linaigrette à feuilles étroites (Eriophorum angustifolium, Honckeny) Cottongrass*
Saxifrage étoilée (Saxifraga stellaris, L.) Starry saxifrage
Saxifrage aquatique (Saxifraga aquatica, Lapeyrouse) Pyrenean water saxifrage
Cardamine à feuilles de réséda (Cardamine resedifolia, L.) Mignonette-leaved bittercress
Gentiane champêtre (Gentiana campestris, L.) Field gentian
Trèfle bai (Trifolium badium, Schreber) Brown clover
Pédiculaire des Pyrénées (Pedicularis pyrenaïca, Gay) Pyrenean lousewort*
On the slope up to the pass (2300-2683m) and on the ridge (2700-2827m) – La montée au col (2300-2683m) et les crêtes (2700-2827m)
Linaire des Alpes (Linaria alpina L.) Alpine toadflax
Silène saxifrage (Silene saxifrage, L.) Saxifrage
Chardon Fausse-Carline (Carduus carlinoïdes, Gouan) False carline thistle
Séneçon à feuilles blanches (Senecio leucophyllus, De Candolle)
Thym à nervures saillantes, Serpolet nain (Thymus nervosus, Gay) Dwarf thyme
Lychnis des Alpes (Lychnis alpina, L.) Alpine catchfly
Myosotis des Pyrénées (Myosotis pyrenaïca, Pourret) Pyrenean forget-me-not
Crépis nain (Crepis pygmaea, L.) Pygmy hawk’s-beard
Epervière à tiges courtes (Hieracium breviscapum, De Candolle) Hawkweed
Leucanthème des Alpes (Leucanthemum alpinum, L.) Daisy
Véronique des Alpes (Veronica alpina, L.) Alpine speedwell
Céraiste des Alpes (Cerastium alpinum, L.) Alpine mouse-ear
Véronique ligneuse (Veronica fruticulosa, L.) Speedwell
Genépi (Artemisia umbelliformis, Lamarck) Wormwood
Calament des Alpes (Calamintha alpina, Lamarck)
Galéopsis des Pyrénées (Galeopsis pyrenaïca, Bartlett)
Campanule dressée (Campanula recta, Dulac) Rampion bellflower
Linaire striée (Linaria striata, De Candolle) Toadflax
Campanule de Scheuchzer (Campanula Scheuchzeri, Villars) Scheuchzer’s Bellflower
Epilobe à feuilles de mouron (Epilobium anagallidifolium, Lamarck)
Potentille des neiges (Potentilla nivalis, Lapeyrouse) Alpine willowherb
Pavot parfumé (Papaver suaveolens, Lapeyrouse) Pyrenean poppy
Il me semble avoir vu à côté d’un Pavot parfumé un Pavot des Alpes Rhétiques à fleurs blanches ou jaune pâle (Papaver rhaeticum, Leresche) Rhaetian poppy, mais je n’ai pas pris de photo.
I think I saw a Rhaetian poppy (Papaver rhaeticum, Leresche) next to the Pyrenean poppy but I didn’t take a photo.
Oxytropis des champs (Oxytropis compestris, De Candolle) Field locoweed
Ibéris spatulé (Iberis spathulata, J.P. Bergeret) Candytuft
Renoncule à feuilles de Parnassie (Ranunculus parnassifolius, L.) Parnassus-leaved Buttercup
Aperçu très succinct bien sûr ! Je n’ai pas pris de photos de certaines fleurs que je connais depuis longtemps, et de beaucoup d’autres que je ne connais pas.
This is, of course only a short summary. I didn’t take photos of some flowers which I have known for a long while, nor of lots of others which I don’t know at all.
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So it takes two days one way from Eyne to Nuria?
No, only one day