Malpertus

3 points of interest

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  Architecture

  Malpertus

  The ruined hamlet of Malpertus is a splendid and moving site, with its feel of a paradise lost which one would like to restore to its former glory. The views onto the Dourbie valley are stunning. The short grass makes it easy to see far, and spot friends or enemies early. Weapons were hidden here in World War Two, stored in a rock shelter at the Roc du Salidou, just behind the buildings. The hamlet’s last inhabitant left this site, inaccessible except on muleback, in the 1960s. Today it is home to diverse small fauna: birds, insects, lizards, common frogs, etc.

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  Fauna

  The Dourbie

  In the upper reaches of the river, a diverse and fascinating wildlife has developed despite the strong current. The clear running waters condition the presence and future of the brown trout. It cohabits with minnows, otters… You may see a white-throated dipper on a rock, or else a grey heron or wagtail on the bank. But it is in the clear waters and under rocks that a whole little aquatic world exists: molluscs, crustaceans, insect larvae, etc. They pile up quite harmoniously, dozens per square metre. Some stick to the rocks; others drift, lurk or float. It all depends on the equipment nature has provided them with: bristles, suckers, hooks, sheaths weighted with gravel...

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  Flora

  The common alder

  A wise tree lives in the sunshine with its feet in the waters of the Dourbie: the common alder. You can identify it even in winter by looking for its strobili on the ground or on its branches - female inflorescences shaped like small pinecones. The alder’s tangled roots are solidly anchored in low riverbanks, thus ensuring their protection. By symbiosis between alders and a bacteria called frankia living in their root, nitrogen is fixed in the ground at about 60 to 200 kg per hectare per year! This is a bonanza for poor soils, which are quickly enriched.