Going to the Chalets de Varan via the Plateau d'Assy

4 points of interest

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  Fauna

  Getting on well with the wild animals

  According to a 2020 WWF report, the earth has lost 68% of its wild fauna (vertebrate animals, i.e. birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians and fish) in less than 50 years. To help you get on well with wild animals during your hike, here are a few tips to follow:- Safeguard your food and take away your rubbish. Keep a low profile: noise, sudden movements or getting too close cause animals to flee, leading to stress, illness, sometimes even vital energy consumption and the abandonment of a brood or nest, or failure to reproduce. Avoid any behaviour that could be construed as a threat from predators: it's their territory, they live there, while we’re just visitors here, seeking respite and enjoyment.

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  Don’t leave the rubbish on its own!

  Tissues, plastic wrappings, apple cores, plastic bags, cigarette butts... All this litter is still being found on the footpaths. Not only does this cause visual pollution but it is also having a major impact on biodiversity. Wildlife can eat it, and micro-organisms can be affected by the chemical compounds it contains, all during the many years that rubbish takes to decompose. While apple cores are certainly biodegradable (they take 5 months to biodegrade), they are still an unfamiliar food source for wild animals, causing disease and imbalances in their diets. If we want to stop polluting our countryside with our rubbish, let's adopt certain habits: - take as little packaging with you as possible - all waste (even biodegradable waste) should be taken away with you in your bag - pick up any rubbish you come across

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  Fauna

  Apollo butterfly

  An Alpine species, found in damp locations between 1300 and 2800m, the Mountain Apollo is in its butterfly stage between May and August/September. The Apollo caterpillar is black and has red spots on the side as it develops. It remains in the caterpillar stage for two years. A protected and red-listed insect, its decline in Europe is essentially due to two factors: global warming is leading to a reduction of the winter snow cover that seems necessary for the survival of young caterpillars, and their habitats are also being affected by environmental closures (reforestation).

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  Peak

  Toponymy: the names of summits

  The Aiguilles de Warens, commonly known as the Aiguilles de Varan, belong to the beautiful rocky massif of Les Fiz, located on the right bank of the Sallanches valley. The first of these summits is the Aiguille Grise, at 2544m, which boasts a magnificent cavity as a result of landslides in 1992 and 2000. Then there is the higher, more slender Aiguille Rouge at 2636 m. These peaks are towered over by the tête du Colonney at 2692 m.

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