Three Bishops’ Cross trail

3 points of interest

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  History

  The dovecote at Les Mazes

  The round building in the middle of the field, on your right as you leave the hamlet, is a dovecote. It is mentioned in 1680. Carrier pigeons were bred there. They were an excellent means of communication in the turbulent 18th century. The efficiency of these uncatchable messengers was such that, as of 1927, the use of carrier pigeons was controlled by the French state. All carrier pigeons were counted, ringed and registered, and all releases were regulated by decree!
  Pigeons have an extraordinary sense of orientation and are resilient against long journeys. They will find their way back home with precision, even from several hundreds of kilometres away.
  
  NB. You are on private land. If you decide to approach the dovecote, please make sure the sheep barrier is closed.

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  Flora

  The Causse flora

  The Grands Causses plateaux host about 2,000 plant species, almost 40% of France’s flora (which totals 4,762 species). This wealth was knowledgeably collected by René Pical, an eminent botanist at the Pharmacy faculty in Montpellier. Born in 1916, Pical lived in Lanuéjols, and over his lifetime drew up the famous Herbier du causse Noir (Causse Noir Herbarium), the second-oldest herbarium in France.
  In this sea of grass, you can find the blue of aphyllanthes, Cupid’s dart or perennial flax; the grey-green of thyme and honeysuckle; the gold and silver of hawkweed or St John’s wort; the purple of sloes; the silver of quaking grasses, and so many others, such as the summer pheasant’s eye with its bright-red petals grouped around a marvellous little black heart… To see them, you have to go hiking in May, June or July. 

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  Agriculture

  Livestock and other farming on the Causse

  Clapas everywhere you look!
  To be able to cultivate and increase the surface area of grass in pastureland, locals removed and moved huge quantities of stones, collecting them in piles: so-called clapas.
  A flock of over 700 sheep covers this sector every day. The type of feed that dairy sheep eat (pasture, meadow, hay, etc.) and their lactation cycle strongly influence the fat content of their milk. In January, the fat content is 54%; as lambing approaches, it is 94%!
  All the sheep’s milk here is collected and transported daily to the Roquefort cheese cellars.