Autumn - Admire the Spectacle of Nature
Forest
Nothing but Leaves
The forest in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur represents 9.4% of the French forest. With 1.5 million hectares, the region is the second most wooded in France after New Aquitaine. The influence of the Mediterranean and mountain climates brings a great variety to the Provençal forest. Among the dominant species are cedar and conifers such as Scots pine in the mountains, Aleppo pine and black pine in the more Mediterranean areas. The European larch is also a coniferous tree, but its particularity is that it is the only one of its kind whose needles turn golden yellow, then red, before falling and forming a carpet on the ground. The deciduous trees are the stars of the season: the pubescent oak, the holm oak, the beech and the chestnut are dressed in magnificent colours ranging from yellow to brown to coppery red. It's the perfect time for a stroll under the foliage!
Enchanting Places
Provence is full of forest areas. Here are some that will not leave you indifferent!
In the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence:
- the state forest of Haut-Verdon and its larches, near Colmars
- the state forest of Mallemoisson, near Digne-les-Bains
In the Var:
- the Aiguines beech forest, in the Verdon Regional Nature Park
- the forest of the Maures massif, a unique and magical forest place, populated by chestnut trees, cork oaks and maritime pines!
- the Estérel park in the Estérel massif
- the Pugets forest
In the Vaucluse:
- the departmental forest of Sivergues
- the Cedar forest of the Petit Luberon
- the Estérel park in the Estérel massif
In the Bouches-du-Rhône:
- the forest estate of the Alpilles Park
- the Vautubière mountain, between Rians and Jouques
- the Sainte-Baume massif
In the Alpes-Maritimes:
- the Mercantour Park
- the Sainte-Baume massif
Treat Yourself
Initiate yourself to sylvotherapy: this ancestral practice consists of improving your well-being through contact with trees, rebalancing your body at the mental, emotional and physical levels.
To find out more, read: Ces arbres qui nous veulent du bien, by Laurence Monce, published by Dunod, 2018 :
In this book, sylvotherapist Laurence Monce invites you to follow her on a forest walk that will change the way you look at trees, and make you discover their incredible health benefits. With a beautiful talent for storytelling, Laurence Monce shares with you all the secrets that have been entrusted to her and introduces you to these trees that want to do you good.
Mushrooms
Nothing but Mushrooms
Autumn is the start of the mushroom season. They are everywhere, provided you keep your eyes open, for they are hiding in meadows, woods and clearings, and even in coppices. After the hot weather, rain and moderate temperatures create the ideal conditions for their appearance. Ceps, chanterelles, trumpets of death, milk caps, amanites of the Caesars, Ventoux greyberries, bloodroot, sheep's feet... the soils of Provence are full of these precious plants! To find them, be aware that they like warm and humid places, that ceps prefer shady areas rich in moss, and that they grow in large numbers under pines, beeches and oaks.
Enchanting Places
Where to find the best mushroom spots? This is a vast question that remains unanswered if you ask an experienced mushroom picker. Because everyone has their own jealously guarded secret spots. Here are some places where mushrooms grow every year. It's up to you to find your own spots during a walk alone, with family or friends! The pleasure lies in this quest!
In the Luberon:
mushrooms are concentrated on the Albion plateau and towards Roussillon.
The woods of Uchaux are a small paradise for picking!
In the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence:
- the communal forests of Fugeret and Méailles
- the state forest of Glandève
In the Var:
- the forest of the Maures massif
In the Bouches-du-Rhône:
- the forest estate of the Alpilles Park
- the Vautubière mountain, between Rians and Jouques
- the Sainte-Victoire massif
In the Alpes-Maritimes:
- the Mercantour Park
If you suddenly discover a passion for mushrooms and want to refine your research, consult the site chasseursdechampignons.com. It offers interactive and paying maps to discover the best mushroom spots.
Warning:
- The autumn mushroom harvest corresponds to the opening of the hunting season. Be very careful when you go out.
- If you have any doubts about a mushroom you have picked, only rely on a specialist: contact a pharmacist or a mycological association, which exist in every department.
Treat Yourself
A course: the Aix-en-Provence mycological association offers courses to learn all about mushrooms.
Association mycologique d'Aix-en-Provence, parc Saint-Mitre, villa Clair-Matin, 166, avenue Jean-Monnet, in Aix. Information on 06 10 35 69 28 or 06 22 25 13 75 and on the site amaix.e-monsite.com.
A book: Champignons de Provence, by Didier Borgarino and Christian Hurtado, Edisud, 2006.
Presenting more than 300 species photographed in their natural environment, this book helps to identify most of the mushrooms that can be found in Provence and in the regions around the Mediterranean. Simple orientation keys, numerous drawings, descriptions by family and by species, remarks on edibility and toxicity integrate the most recent knowledge. You will also find some advice for the preparation, cooking and conservation of edible species.
A site: guidedeschampignons.com
This very instructive site offers you a sheet for each mushroom, with a description, scientific anecdotes and photos.
Chestnuts
Nothing but Chestnuts
The chestnut is a fruit emblematic of the south of France which is highly appreciated for its flavour. It is harvested from September to the beginning of November. A ground littered with leaves indicates that it is time to pick the fruit. Be careful to distinguish between the chestnut, a rather small, triangular and flattened fruit, in a bogue, bristling with numerous spines, which opens in 4 to release its fruit, and the marron, which is larger, rounder and smoother, whose bogue has soft, short spines and opens in 3. Not to be confused with the horse chestnut, which is poisonous! Chestnuts have long been a staple of the daily diet in Provence. This energetic food replaced cereals. It is eaten roasted under the ashes or in a pan with holes, boiled or roasted in the oven. It is also used to make flour, jam, cream and even beer! So, grab your baskets!
Enchanting Places
In the Var:
- the Maures massif: it is famous for its chestnut groves: 2,000 hectares spread over the communes of Collobrières, the chestnut capital, La Garde-Freinet, Gonfaron, Les Mayons and Pignans.
- in Camps-la-Source
In the Alpes-Maritimes:
- the Tinée valley, the Mercantour park has beautiful chestnut groves
- the Vésubie valley
- the Roya valley
In the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence:
- in the Annot massif and on the Albion plateau
- in Fugeret, which has the highest chestnut grove in France
- in Revest-du-Bion.
Treat Yourself
A book: Tout savoir sur les châtaignes et les châtaigniers dans les Alpes-Maritimes, by Nicole Alunni, Baie des Anges, 2008.
Very well documented on the subject, this book deals, after a brief history, with the origins of the name of the chestnut tree, its diseases, the conservation of chestnuts and their uses, as well as the importance of the chestnut grove in the landscape and its distribution. Then he details, valley by valley, the specificities of chestnuts and chestnut groves from the Var valley to the Roya valley, passing through the Tinée, Vésubie, Paillon and Bévéra.
A visit to a chestnut grove: In Collobrières, meet a passionate chestnut grower: harvesting, maintenance of the orchard, grafting, transformation, flowering, the chestnut grove will no longer hold any secrets for you. A gourmet walk will be offered with tasting of chestnut cream, honeys, jams, etc.
Châtaigneraie Godissard, chemin de Marianne, in Collobrières. Tel: 06 73 49 70 18.
Information: mpmtourisme.com/producer/chataigneraie-godissard
The Bellowing of the Stag
Animals
In early autumn, deer and hinds gather in large clearings to mate. It's mating season and the sound of hoarse cries can be heard in the forests. This is because the deer are entering their rutting season. For a month, they bray to mark their territory, keep rivals away and attract females. They start at nightfall and can bray until the morning. They will fight to establish their dominance, under the gaze of the hinds. The antlers and horns clash and make a deafening noise. The fights are very physical, so much so that the bucks can lose up to twenty kilos during this period. The competition can last several nights. The hinds choose which males they will mate with. It is an amazing spectacle, very impressive to listen to and to see.
Enchanting Places
Each year, this event takes place from mid-September.
In the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence: with a guide, Pierre Peyret, who will accompany you on this beautiful adventure. He shares his passion and gives you all the information about the deer, their habits, as well as precious advice on how to share this magical moment in complete discretion so as not to disturb the animals. For complete immersion in the incredible forest: contact 06 08 00 76 30 or go to the websites lescheminsdepierre.fr and ventouxprovence.fr.
In the Alpes-Maritimes: in the Mercantour National Park, in Colmars-les-Alpes, with a monitor and a mountain guide.
Information and registration: Colmars-les-Alpes Tourist Office: 04 92 83 41 92.
Treat Yourself
A bilingual book and a CD: La Nuit du cerf, by Vincent Munier, published by Kobalann, 2014.
This book brings together images captured in the heart of the forest by Vincent Munier at the time of the stag's mating call. It is accompanied by a CD of nature sounds. Text in French and English.
A visit: at Lagarde-d'Apt, on the Albion plateau, the Domaine des Esfourniaux has huge enclosures where stags, hinds, fallow deer and roe deer live in semi-liberty. Not to be missed. Parc à cervidés, Les Esfourniaux, in Lagarde-d'Apt.
Information on 04 90 75 01 04.
