Gîtes Mille Fleurs
Repos, nature, au coeur des volcans d'Auvergne!
Nature
The plateau of the Artense
The Mille Fleurs cottages are located on the plateau of the Artense, an area of 455 km2 within the Puy-de-Dome and Cantal districts, ranging between 600 and 1000 meters of haltitude. The plateau is granitic; its surface was modelled by quaternary glaciers that came from the hills of the Sancy. Walking around, you will find large evidences of their impact on the landscape. Water is abundant in the landscape of the Artense. You will find there are a multitude of ponds of all sizes and bogs, wich are the sources of a very special biodiversity. The large number of peatlands in the area are one of the main reasons that led to the creation of a Natura 2000 area in April 2014.
Vegetation
On the plateau of the Artense, the surface of meadows and pastures is less important than in the neighboring areas: forests cover a large share of the area. In these forests, you will mainly find beech and fir trees, as well as a few oaks. Prairies are in many cases clearings. Between the forests and prairies, you will find a lot of ferns and heathers. The various peatlands that can be found there are very interesting from a biological view. They are home to many protected species such as the Ligularia of Siberia or the Luronium natans.
Wildlife
Because of the large forests, the fauna is very diverse. You will be able to observe a large number of wild animals such as deer, stag, wild boars, and birds of pray (eagles and buzzards). Two examples of protected species found there are the Otter and the kite lucane .
Agriculture
The Artense is a typical rural area. Because of its past relative isolation, the area has remained predominantly agricultural. Agriculture had not been able to provide great riches to the population because of the poverty of the soil and of the effects of the passage of quaternary glaciers. In order to make the land cultivatable , the peasants have spent many years cleaning the fields by the extraction of stones. Walking around, you will find many walls of these stones have been made in the past. Unable to process the cerealsthese were dispatched to the neighboring markets, for example on the market of Besse. The poor soil was also the reason for which the forests were hardly deforested: too much effort was necessary in order to render the land cultivatable and the yield was low. In the past, agriculture was mainly sheep and goats, these species better suited to poor soil. It was only later that the peasants raised cattle, a choice made possible thanks to technology.
Volcanoes in the Auvergne
The plateau of the Artense has a granitic bedrock due to the past activities of volcanoes. To the north-east of the plateau of the Artense you will find the massif de Sancy, which is the highest point of the Auvergne (1886 meters). Despite its mountainous appearance, the Puy de Sancy is in fact a volcano: the highest of France. More vulcanoes having more typical forms can be found to the north of the Artense. You can notably see real craters. The age of volcanoes in the Auvergne vary very much. Some volcanoes in the Chaine des Puys are less than 7000 years old, while others, for example in the massif de Sancy, are almost 25 million years. On site, a large number of hitchhiking routes on the volcanoes are available. You could also visit the European volcano park Vulcania.
