In our forest live :Castanea sativa

• Châtaignier (french), chestnut tree (english), kasztan (polish)

How to recognize it ?Bark is smooth and grey when young, and

becomes brown-blach, thick and cracked when old,

Buds are breown-red, eg-shapedAlternate, big, feathered, pubescent leaves, with

vein on the lower faceMale flowers are long yellow catkins ; chestnut

shells are spiked.This tree is so common in our region that the Conseil Régional ( Region council) decided to take the leaf of chestnut tree for symbol. The

sweet chestnuts are eaten at the season, grilled or boiled ; in the XIXth century it was a current way if eat for people. Nowadays family feel the

pleasure to walk in the forests and gather them.

castanea sativa, chataignier, chestnut tree : leaf.

quercus rubra, chêne rouge d’Amérique, red oak.How can you recognize it ?

It has a grey, smooth bark , alternate leaves, quite large (12-20 cm), with 7-9 lobes, finished by acute tips.

fagus sylvatica, hêtre, beech.How can you recognize it ?

Bark is very smooth and silver coloured buds are slender and sharp , brown and bright.

Leaves : alernate,

larix decidua, (latin ), mélèze (french), larch (english)An uncommon resinous tree which has needles like every conifer but loses its

leaves during automn and winter, and gets coloured of red and orange in automn.

Dryopteris filix mas, fougère mâle, fern.It likes acid soils. Un ancient and quite magical recipe gives the advice to put these

leaves under the bed’s mattress of children who have problems of bedwetting in order to stop it.

spores of fern

Bruyère calluneLives in soils

Flowers : pink to purple, white, a bit green, little

3 BIRDS OF LIMOUSIN

Pic épeichette.

Dendrocops minor. Lesser Spotted woodpecker

This bird likes keeping in the top of big trees such as oaksand fir trees. He eats insects and larvas and is 15

cm tall.

Rougegorge familier . Erithacus rubecula. European Robin.

He likes forests of both leaf and conifers with a lots of trees, and is common in gardens. He eats insects and spiders and small fruits in autumn and winter. 14 cm tall

LA CHOUETTE HULOTTE. Strix Aluco. Tawny Owl.Likes les lierres épais and big forests. Eats mice, rats, voles, earth worms, beetles and

little birds in the night. 43 cm tall.