This trip includes driving through the gorge de la Jonte where it is possible to visit the Maison des Vautours (see here).
The Causses are high plateaux, created when the collision between the African and European tectonic plates pushed the ancient seabed upward to its present height of 800-1200 m. Formed of limestone, water drains rapidly through the karst, feeding the rivers in the bordering gorges, but leaving the causse itself water-depleted.
Causse cliffs
The habitats found on the Causse Mejean are steppe-like, with grasslands of European Feather Grass combined with limestone outcrops and boulders.
European Feather Grass (Stipa pennata)
Limestone rocks
Such limestone habitats support some very special species, including many orchids. It is estimated that approximately 30 species can be found on the Causse Méjean. In addition, many upland species can be found here, including the large Acanthus-leaved Carline-Thistle (Carlina acanthifolia) and Alpine Aster.
Greater butterfly-orchid (Platanthera chlorantha)
Pyramidal orchid (Anacamptis pyramidalis) with Esper’s Marbled White (Melanargia russiae)
Alpine Aster (Aster alpinus)
The floral diversity here has in-turn promoted an extraordinary butterfly diversity, with approximately 150 species to be found throughout the Cévennes region. These include upland specialists such as Esper’s Marbled White and the Large Blue.
Esper’s Marbled White (Melanargia russiae)
Large Blue (Phengaris arion)
The rocky expanse of the Causses also provides an important breeding site for many avian summer visitors, such as Northern Wheatears, Rufous-tailed Rock-Thrushes (Monticola saxatilis) and also Red-backed Shrikes.
Northern Wheatears (Oenanthe oenanthe)
Red-backed shrike (Lanius collurio)
Typical for this family of birds, these shrikes are well-known for impaling their prey on thorns in a ‘larder’, such as on the hawthorn that this individual is sitting on.
The Causse Méjean bears such a resemblance to the steppes of central Asia that it was chosen as the site for a breeding program for the endangered Przewalski’s Horse. Since 1995, the Takh Association have worked to establish a breeding population of Przewalski’s horses living naturally on the Causse so that the horses can learn the skills necessary for reintroduction to their historic range. To date, 22 individuals have been reintroduced to the steppes of Mongolia in three pre-formed family groups, which helps to reduce the stress of translocation and promote their survivability in the wild.
Przewalski’s horses (Equus ferus przewalskii)
