The Suffolk Argus
Anne's Jardin Sauvage (wild garden) byJamesMann During one of our early holidays in this area in 1996 we visited the old town of Arlessur-T ech. Looking in an Estate Agents window we saw advertised a piece of land with two caravans for 45,000 Francs.
On our many visits to St Ferreal Ermitage (see page 19th June 2000 Argus) we often talked of how great it would be to own a bit of land in that area. In October 1999 when visiting Arles-sur-Tech for a Vide Grenier we saw the caravan land still advertised for sale. We talked about it over Christmas and decided that although we could not afford it we would like to see it so we arranged a visit with M. Roca the Estate Agent and on 13th January he took us up into the hills across from Ceret and eventually along a track to Correch de Puig Redon, a hill on which the land is situated. Imagine our surprise when seeing, less than a kilometre away across the valley, yes the St Ferreal Ermitage. The land, an area of 41 acres 18 centiares (about an acre) slopes down from the track at the top to a ravine at the bottom at an average angle of 30 degrees. It consists of a tiny flat area at the top, on which the two caravans are sited, then about one third a Mimosa forest, a beautiful display of yellow flowers in January/February. The next third wild flowering plants of over 20 varieties, a great area for butterflies all spring and summer,
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Autumn
and then the bottom third a more shaded area of Green and Cork Oaks, the shade being very welcome as the slope faces due south. We asked M. Roca where the exact boundaries were; he gave a Gallic shrug and a wave of the arms to possible boundaries and indicated that the French did not consider this very important. He explained that it was classed as agricultural land as it had originally been a vineyard. On careful inspection we could see that it had at one time been terraced by aid of dry stone walls long fallen into decay. We suspect that the last wine was produced here at about the time Napoleon was regretting leaving that sunny island off the coast of Italy to meet that chap Wellington at Waterloo and it gave the appearance of having been deserted and neglected since the phylloxera vine disease ravaged the vineyards at the end of the 19th century. Nevertheless we were informed chat it was subject to the rights of SAFER (Sociere d'Amenagement Foncier et d'Establissement Rural). This is a section of The Ministry of Agriculture who have the right, when a small piece of agricultural land comes up for sale and an offer has been made, to buy it at that offer price. The idea of this is to overcome the French problem ofland being split up into smaller and smaller plots by Division among the children on the parents' death. SAFER buys up land and when it owns a number of adjoining plots it reregisters them as one and are able to sell them to a person as a viable plot for production. We were so pleased with the plot, particularly its location, char we smashed all our piggy banks, organised a loan and on 18thJanuary we offered 30,000 Francs and on 3rd February agreed to the price of 32500 Francs. According to the rules it was duly offered to SAFER. They came back on 27th April to say they did not wish to
blackthorn, Speckled Woods causing momentary excitement as they flew up from perches on the canopy. Back at the car park and refreshed by ices, it was decided that the remainder of the afternoon would be spent searching for Black Hairsrreak at its Knighton's Copse and Organ's Hill colonies in the sourheasterly quarter of the Salcey complex. We moved off down an open ride, an area of regenerating clear fell to one side, mature woodland to the other. Our attention was initially drawn to a number of Common Blues enlivening the rather arid terrain of the clear fell and to male Wood Whites engaged in their relencless search for mates. However, as blackthorn began to dominate the flora of the woodland edge, the pace slowed as necks were craned skywards and eyes were trained upon the tops of the scrub. Following another ride towards Organ's Hill, the group lingered around a particularly sheltered and sunlit blackthorn stand backed by oak and ash. Although rhe canopy seemed to shimmer slightly under the intensity of the mid afternoon sun, its oucline was not to be broken by the characteristic flight of a hairstreak. Returning to our vehicles, we reflected with satisfaction upon a final count of forty plus Wood Whites. Somewhat paradoxically, numbers of this delicate rarity had far exceeded those of the normally ubiquitous browns and other whites recorded over the course of the day. Thanks are due to Alan Johnson for organising the field trip, and to Andy Patmore of Forest Enterprise for describing the natural history and management of Salcey Forest. Species List; Large Skipper, Orange Tip, Brimstone, Wood White, Large White, Common Blue, Speckled Wood, Meadow Brown, Ringler and Red Admiral.
2001
Wood white
by BerylJohnson
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fp Brimstone (egg-laying on Purging Buckthorn)
by DouglasHammersley
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