Le col de Freissinières

16 points of interest

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  Archaeologie

  Mines

  A few remains of the exploitation of the ancient mine are disseminated around the sector of Fangeas. These mines go back to the Middle Ages, a period during which we exploited silver-lead and copper.  It was a small exploitation, no doubt associated with the mines at Fournel. The metal mined was used to mint feudal currency. The mine works are now filled in and flooded, which has enabled us to find well preserved remains: scaffolding, turned wooden bowls, the sole of a shoe. Archeologists have been excavating the mine for the last ten years they started by siphoning off the flood water from the tunnels. The mines are not accessible to the public and we have deliberately not communicated their exact location. For more information about this heritage, contact the mining museum at l'Argentière la Bessée.

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  Fauna

  Marsh tit

  This discreet tit is often confused with the mountain wollow tit. Distinguishing them is not easy. The bib of the marsh tit is smaller than that of the wollow tit; its wings are solid brown whereas they are slightly lighter for the wollow tit. Its crown is shinier. It is sedentary and visits the cooler deciduous forests, groves and garden providing there are trees with holes for nesting. It rarely goes higher than the mountain stage except for the most exposed sectors. With the arrival of spring, it does not come out of the old ash tree much. The best idea is to listen: the song and the call of the tit are very loud and tonic. Even then, it is not easy as it changes the song as if teasing the amateur ornithologist.

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  Fauna

  Black Grouse

  You will need to get up early if you want to see the Black Grouse in the summer. In France, the Black Grouse, or capercaillie as it is also known, can only be found in the Alps. The emblematic Black Grouse completes its biological cycle at the upper limit of the larch forest with springtime parades where the males coo and tackle each other, summer nesting supervised by the females and a winter lodging dug out of the snow. In winter, the Black Grouse is particularly sensitive to disturbance, such as an off-piste skier or snow-shoer passing by, as it cannot compensate for the energy lost should it need to flee its igloo in a hurry.

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  Fauna

  Alpine Accentor

  An inveterate mountain-dweller, the alpine accentor is a sturdy passerine bird with a plump belly. A few black lines appear in its ashy feathers. It is characterised by the ginger flames on its sides. Found typically in the alpine prairies, it scampers across the short grass and crows on the bare stone. It comes to peck at the crumbs around the mountain refuge. When winter comes, it migrates towards the valleys. Its migration can even lead it as far as the rocks on the coast. When the snow melts, it is a formidable predator of small invertebrates numbed by the cold along the névé. It also gleans seeds, berries and small plants, explores the ledges, rummages in the cavities, and totters about, unsuspicious of its archenemy the hawk.

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  Fauna

  Chamois

  Emblematic animal of the Alps, the chamois, or "rock goat" have short black hooked horns. As with the ibex, they are easier to observe using binoculars. The females and the "éterlou" (young male under one year old) like to stay in a large herd whereas the males are more solitary and join the females for the mating season. In winter, the chamois hope for calm as they need to keep their reserves of fat to survive.

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  Flora

  Alpine Columbine

  In the undergrowth of the larch forest, beside the footpath that follows up the Biaysse, large blue flowers catch the eye. The Alpine Columbine is an infrequent species. Its splendour is equalled only by its rarity. It has few sky-blue flowers, which make it easy to distinguish from the garden columbine that has smaller, more numerous purple-blue flowers. Columbine flowers are the only ones to have five spurs, the ends of the five petals are like a cornet guarded by five sepals shaped like a lance.

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  Fauna

  The alpine ibex

  In 1995, several ibex were introduced into the Champsaur. Since then, their population has steadily progressed to the valleys of the massif. The females regularly give birth in the bars dominating the sunny side of the Prés Baridons, and the males come from the Champsaur to visit them via the Fressinières pass. Their coat mingles with the colour of the cliffs on which they tend to perch, which make them difficult to see without the help of binoculars or a telescope.

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  Flora

  Turk's cap lily

  More common than the alpine columbine, the Turk's cap lily's purple punctuated pink flowers blossom in the same undergrowth. When they are fully grown, the flowers bow to the ground with their six petals curving upwards, revealing six orange stamen. They will straighten with the growth of the fruit, an oblong capsule that opens lengthwise by three tears.

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  Flora

  Yellow gentian

  Well-known for the invigorating, digestive, depurative properties of its roots, the yellow gentian is easy to recognise due to its opposite leaves that form a cup in which snuggle the fine yellow flowers. On the other hand, the white hellebore, that looks similar, has leaves that spiral up the length of the stem and never form a cup. Tradition claims that the height of the yellow gentian is a forecast of the depth of the snow the following winter.

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  Fauna

  Common frog

  This is the most common frog in the Alps. It is sturdy, round-faced with a lovely temporal, chocolate-coloured mask that highlights its golden eyes. It is the only frog to occupy the wetlands above 1000 metres in altitude. The shallow, Lauzeron lake, is home to adults and tadpoles. The speed of their growth is determined by the altitude and climatic conditions. Here, conditions are harsh and they spend a year in water before they become young frogs, whereas 3 to 4 months are sufficient for this metamorphosis in the plains once the summer arrives.

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  Fauna

  Large marsh grasshopper

  In the wetlands that boarder the trail, little 'clicks' give this large “blood” grasshopper (criquet ensanglanté in French) away. Blood? Do not panic, like all grasshoppers, it is a vegetarian. This term simply describes the purple patches on the olive green and black body of the female. They only lay their eggs in waterlogged ground, as their eggs are very sensitive to dryness. This grasshopper, whose population is regressing in Europe, is therefore a good indicator of the quality and purity of the wetlands.

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  Fauna

  Marmot

  Close to a footpath, they will sometimes pose nonchalantly for a photo. The marmot's main strategy in face with of its predators (golden eagle, fox) is to take refuge in its burrow. They live in families made up of a couple of dominant adults and subordinates from successive litters. Grooming, games and fights ensure the cohesion of the group and the respect for the hierarchy. All participate in the delimitation of the territory by urinated or defecating at the boundaries or by rubbing their cheeks against the rocks in order to leave their scent.

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  Flora

  Mountain houseleek

  Houseleeks are stary flowers that open up above a miniature artichoke gripping onto a rock. To distinguish them from one another, look at the colours: brght pink for the cobweb houseleek whose artichoke is striped with white threads, dull pink for the common houseleek with its long, thick stem and antique pink for the mountain houseleek that is entirely covered with fluff made up of short, glandular hairs that smell like resin.

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  Fauna

  Snowfinch

  Just below the Fressinières pass, a group of quick-flying squawking birds come close to the footpath. Light coloured feathers, white, black-tipped wings, white tail with a black line in the middle. There is no doubt. It is a snowfinch. All year round, they stay at a high altitude, fearless of the cold! In winter, they spot the summits where the snow has been blown away and the bare vertical rock faces. If there is a heavy snowfall, they will head down the valley looking for seeds and berries.

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  Flora

  Glacier buttercup

  This small plant is in competition with lichens as it holds the record for highest altitude for a flowering plant in Europe! How has it adapted? It has a dwarf habit, the calyx and corolla remain after blossoming in order to protect the seeds, it has few fleshy leaves that can stand freezing and a capacity not to blossom the years where there is heavy or long-lasting snow.

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  Flora

  Round-leaved penny cress

  The round-leaved penny cress has chosen to settle in the scree below the Fresssinières pass, and uses its numerous shoots to survive in such an unstable and inhospitable environment. The attractive flowers that grow in balls brighten up the stone with a touch of lilac-pink. At the base, small, fleshy almost round leaves form rosettes.

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