The Loire at Berthenay

The Loire sands at Berthenay are a treasure trove of botanical interest. Here are some photos from an outing I went on with the Association de Botanique et de mycologie de Sainte Maure de Touraine in September last year.

Algae growing on a damp patch.

Strapwort Corrigiola litoralis (Fr. Corrigiole des grèves).

. This tiny plant specialises in gravel banks that are flooded in winter.

Dodder Cuscuta epithymum, a parasitic plant which attacks, amongst others, members of the Solanaceae Potato/Tomato family. Here it is entwining itself around and inserting its probes into a plant on the river sands. It was targetting Thorn-apple Datura stromonium particularly, which is an introduced solanum originally native to the Americas, but which has now found its way all over the world. My friend Paul tells me that during the Second World War, when tobacco was rationed, his father and others who were heavy smokers resorted to smoking Datura. He doesn't know if his father experienced any of the well publicised psychoactive effects of imbibing Datura.
Update: see the comments below for a discussion of the identity of the two plants in this photo.

A superbly camouflaged Wolf Spider Pardosa cf amenatata on the gravel river bank.

Chufa Sedge Cyperus esculentus (Fr. Cypère dorée).  

It is a close relative of papyrus and can be used to make paper in the same way apparently. Its tubers are eaten in Spain and Africa and may have potential as a biofuel, but in most places it is considered an invasive weed.

An unusual entrance to an attic in Berthenay, next to a small open courtyard with a covered well.

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Charlie Hebdo Matters: For those of you still struggling to understand why there was such a widespread and visible reaction in France to the Charlie Hebdo killings, here are two articles in English by French people. They really give you an insight into the background of French secularism, the magazine itself and how French people feel about it all.

On Charlie Hebdo: A letter to my British friends by Olivier Tonneau, an openly leftist writer and university lecturer. The article is long but extremely well articulated and talks about the history of Muslim immigration to France as well as recent events.

Understanding Charlie Hebdo Cartoons is a website where readers can submit a Charlie Hebdo cartoon and one of the site writers will analyse it. It's measured and highly informative with lots of little snippets on events in the past which Anglos may not be aware of. If you are one of those who think the cartoons are frequently racist, this may convince you otherwise. If you don't get the jokes this is the site for you. They don't claim the cartoons aren't crass though, so be warned.

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A la cuisine hier: Lentil Walnut Lettuce Wraps, a delicious vegetarian alternative to traditional tacos.