The Prapacot and Combafort mountain pastures: snowshoeing in Combloux

3 points of interest

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  Fauna

  Why don't conifer trees lose their needles in winter?

  Two families of trees exist: broad-leaved and coniferous. Broad-leaved trees have deciduous leaves, which turn yellow and fall off in autumn. Conifers (or softwoods) have evergreen foliage and keep their needles throughout the year. These are made up of a layer of wax and a hard epidermis, offering protection against frost and drought. In autumn, deciduous trees lose their leaves, but so do conifers.... in a less obvious way. A conifer tree is covered with several generations of needles! The exception is the larch, which is one of the only conifers in Europe (along with the bald cypress) to shed its needles completely!

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  Fauna

  Amphibians in winter

  Amphibians are sensitive to frost and avoid the cold as much as lizardly possible. In autumn, they look for places protected from frost, either in the ground or in the water. If they choose water, they have to make sure to be able to find a source of oxygen to breathe even when they are under ice, which does happen sometimes! Did you know that while frogs jump, toads take a leisurely stroll to their winter shelters? Several natural zones of ecological, faunistic and floristic interest (ZNIEFF), particularly wetlands and low marshes, have been classified in the municipality for their outstanding characteristics.

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  Small patrimony

  Status of a species: protected or threatened?

  The Red List, compiled by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), provides a worldwide overview of the state of biodiversity. The red list assesses the risk of extinction of threatened species using criteria based on its population size and spread, as well as animal and plant population trends. However, there is a difference between this classification and the legal protection of the species. A protected species is not necessarily rare, like the red squirrel, for example, which is fairly common in French forests. This status means that it cannot be hunted or captured, just like hedgehogs, bats, lynxes, etc. Furthermore, some protected species can still be hunted, for example the black grouse. To find out the protection status of a species, visit the INPN (National Inventory of Natural Heritage) website.