On the ridges of Rochebrune

4 points of interest

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  Dogs in protected areas

  Naturally, we'd love to see our dogs roaming freely in the wild. However, the impact of this unrestrained roaming has an adverse impact on wildlife. The dogs’ presence, their smell, their faeces all negatively impact the environment. Dogs can transmit germs, cause stress to wildlife and destroy ground nests. As a general rule, if your dog is authorised, it must be kept on a leash in natural areas. In Haute-Savoie, only the Contamines-Montjoie and Roc de Chère nature reserves on Lake Annecy allow dogs on leashes. In the mountain pastures, your dog represents a threat and a cause of stress for the herd and the guard dogs.
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  Fauna

  Tick bites

  A tick is a blood-loving parasitic mite measuring between one and six millimetres. Ticks are the world's #1 carrier of disease in animals (piroplasmosis) and the #2 carrier of disease in humans ( second only to mosquitoes) with Lyme disease. A tick only becomes a carrier of the disease once it has first bitten an infected animal. Not all ticks are infected; only 10-20% carry the virus. The bite is not painful, as the tick will inject a local anaesthetic. What to do when you're out and about from April to October? 1- Protect your arms and legs and your extremities with long clothing. 2- After an outing, inspect your body thoroughly, especially your armpits, skin folds and scalp. If you spot a tick, remove it quickly with a tick remover, kill it and disinfect the bite only afterwards. 3- If you are bitten, you will need to monitor the bite spot for six weeks, looking out for the emergence of a red ring around the site of the bite. Talk to a doctor.
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  Fauna

  As handsome as Apollo

  This is a diurnal butterfly (Rhopalocera). It is found in the mountains, in open environments with a fair amount of vegetation. Its caterpillar has a taste for certain succulent plants, while in the fully-grown stage it feasts on the nectar of thistles and other knapweeds. It is beautiful... like a deity, but please be satisfied with just looking at it, as it is an endangered species, protected internationally and in France!
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  Flora

  Orchids gone wild!

  CThe mention of the word "orchids" often sparks a great deal of curiosity, as our French imagination conjures up images of cultivated tropical flowers. However, orchids are found almost everywhere in the world, and constitute the largest family in the plant kingdom, with over 30,000 species. There are 160 species of wild orchid in France. Orchids have adapted to all kinds of environments: Scrubland and maquis: orphys, serapias. Dry grasslands: orphys, orchis. Flood-meadows and marshes: Anacamptis palustris. Forests: helleborine, cephalanthera. Alpine pastures: gymnadenia, globe orchid, pseudorchis albida. If you are lucky enough to come across these wild flowers, please don’t pick them as they are rare. A photo will last forever, but picking it means killing it, weakening the species and preventing other hikers from enjoying it.