These European larch are an exception among their kind. They shed their needles in autumn, which turn yellow, red and brown before dropping. It is the only conifer in Europe to do this.
It is sometimes called the mountain oak, because of the exceptional wood it produces. Slow-growing, it is the most durable and strongest of the coniferous woods.
Rot-proof, it is used for boat design, roofing frames, shingles and railway sleepers.
This European larch is an exception among its kind. It sheds its needles in autumn, which turn yellow, red and brown before dropping. It is the only conifer in Europe to do this.
It is sometimes called the mountain oak, because of the exceptional wood it produces. Slow-growing, it is the most durable and strongest of the coniferous woods.
Rot-proof, it is used for boat design, roofing frames, shingles and railway sleepers.
In J.R.R. Tolkien's “The Hobbit,” the Misty Mountains represent a formidable and treacherous barrier that the protagonist, Bilbo Baggins, and his companions must traverse on their journey to the Lonely Mountain.
Thus, the Misty Mountains represent Bilbo's maturation as a character and an adventurer: when he enters them, he's still immature (literally being carried on someone else's back!), but when he leaves, he's confident enough to navigate his own way around.
Some areas are especially subject to the influence of the wind, and in particular strong prevailing winds, i.e. those blowing most often from a privileged direction.
Unlike animals, plants cannot escape these winds. From the moment they germinate until they die out, they are constantly subject to the effects of this ecological factor.
The Ruisseau du Raisin is a tributary of the Ruisseau du Chardonnet, which in turn is a tributary of the Rivière La Clarée, which gives its name to this splendid valley down below.
The Haute Vallée de la Clarée is a wild and magnificent setting above the village of Névache, in the Cerces massif (Hautes-Alpes). It's particularly beautiful in autumn, when the larch forests take on shimmering colors.
This stoat popped out from under a rock I'd chosen as the foreground for a landscape photo in the Vallée de la Clarée, and we were both equally surprised. She quickly returned to the shelter.
By the time I got out my second camera, with a telephoto lens, she pleasantly surprised me by coming out, no doubt to see what olibrius had surprised her as she went hunting. I only had time to take 3 photos, including this one, where she graced me with a beautiful pose.
Stoats spend four to five hours a day hunting. They move by leaps and bounds, often skirting rivers, low walls or hedges. It also has a habit of standing up on its hind legs to see farther.
I only found out later that this camera was configured for JPEG and not RAW, and I hadn't had time to set a faster shutter speed. The photo is blurry, but I managed to get a shot of an stoat, so it's not too bad.
They are generally mountain waters. They originate from rheocrene springs (apparent, sloping, flowing springs) and glaciers, but more generally from wild water running down slopes.
The profile of a torrent is constantly changing. More or less powerful floods constantly modify the currents and their erosive action on the river bed and banks. This phenomenon is amplified by irregular flow rates and laminar, turbulent flows.
The phrase “One does not simply walk into Mordor” originates from a scene in Peter Jackson’s 2001 film adaption of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.
In the scene, the Council of Elrond reveals that an evil ring must be destroyed by being thrown into the fires of Mount Doom, a volcano deep in the territory of Mordor. Boromir promptly points out the difficultly of the task by saying, “One does not simply walk into Mordor.”
Here, between the Queyrellin and Châtelard ridges, the path leads into a very old glacial valley with a distinctive U-shape.
Here, the Moutet stream flows into the Clarée, which continues down the valley towards Névache, towards the Durance.
The Durance is a much weaker torrent than its tributaries the Clarée and the Guisane, which are nonetheless very small in comparison. If the name Durance predominates over those of these two torrents, it is probably because the Durance valley is an important and ancient communication route, whereas the Clarée and Guisane valleys are dead ends.
Alpine chalets are small dwellings usually found far from the main roads.
They are often (but not always) reached by 4×4 in summer, and on foot, snowshoes or skis in winter.
In the past, these chalets served as summer residences for the farmers and peasants of the Alpine valleys. During the coldest months of the year, the animals stayed in the cowsheds, but in the summer months, they and their carers moved to the higher alpine pastures. They were milked in the meadows, and the cheese was made on the spot.
The tradition lives on, but it's rare for traditional ways of doing things to be preserved in their entirety.
This gentian is endemic to the Dauphiné region of France. It is very similar to Gentiana verna but differs in that its leaves are lanceolate, acute and relatively long.
They are generally mountain waters. They originate from rheocrene springs (apparent, sloping, flowing springs) and glaciers, but more generally from wild water running down slopes.
The profile of a torrent is constantly changing. More or less powerful floods constantly modify the currents and their erosive action on the river bed and banks. This phenomenon is amplified by irregular flow rates and laminar, turbulent flows.
The Chardonnet stream is a tributary of the Clarée River.
Not far from here, a steep path crosses the scree of the Queyrellin ridge between Côte Martine and Les Rifs and leads down to a series of chalets and a small chapel, back in the Clarée valley.
The Chardonnet stream is a tributary of the Clarée River.
Not far from here, a steep path crosses the scree of the Queyrellin ridge between Côte Martine and Les Rifs and leads down to a series of chalets and a small chapel, back in the Clarée valley.
The Clarée valley in the Hautes-Alpes, near Montgenèvre and Briançon and close to the Franco-Italian border, is a listed natural site offering exceptional landscapes, unspoilt nature and heritage.
Larches are deciduous conifers in the genus Larix, of the family Pinaceae.
Growing from 20 to 45 metres tall, they are native to the cooler regions of the northern hemisphere, where they are found in lowland forests in the high latitudes, and high in mountains further south.
Although they are conifers, larches are deciduous trees that lose their needles in the autumn.
Larches are deciduous conifers in the genus Larix, of the family Pinaceae.
Growing from 20 to 45 metres tall, they are native to the cooler regions of the northern hemisphere, where they are found in lowland forests in the high latitudes, and high in mountains further south.
Although they are conifers, larches are deciduous trees that lose their needles in the autumn.