Tuesday 18 October 2022

Walking From Ronde du Chene

Ronde du Chene is a hunting lodge in the middle of the Forest of La Guerche. I joined French friends for a 9 kilometre walk there on Thursday 6 October. We walked through mixed deciduous forests, down narrow paths cut into the limestone, up past my favourite section of the forest which sadly is being logged and all the beautiful old beech trees have been selectively felled, then on to the lovely little hamlet of Bas Montant and back up the hill and through the pine forest.

Warty Amanite Amanita strobiliformis, Indre et Loire, France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.
Warted Amanita Amanita strobiliformis (Fr. Amanite solitaire), a generally rare mushroom, was abundant along the sunken limestone paths. Note the characteristic Amanita spp volva on the left, a sort of 'eggshell' that the mushroom pops out of.

Beech logs, Indre et Loire, France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.
Beech logs.

Sloes on Blackthorn Prunus spinosa, Indre et Loire, France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.
Sloes on Blackthorn Prunus spinosa (Fr. Prunellier sauvage).

Walking groups meet in the forest, Indre et Loire, France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.
Our group meet another group of walkers doing the circuit in the opposite direction. They came from Vouneuil sur Vienne.

Electric fence, Indre et Loire, France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.
Blue electric fence strands have gone up everywhere in the Forest of La Guerche since I was last there.

Hiker eating dried banana, Indre et Loire, France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.
Jean-Jacques is not smoking a cigar, he's eating a whole dried banana.

Sycamore growing in wall, Indre et Loire, France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.
Some sort of sycamore, growing an a garden wall in the hamlet of Bas Montant.

Possibly Great Wood Mushroom Agaricus langei, Indre et Loire, France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.
Possibly Great Wood Mushroom Agaricus langei (Fr. Agaric rougissante).

Manmade pig wallow in forest, Indre et Loire, France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.
Manmade wallow for wild boar. I assume to encourage them away from the nearby étang (dam) which had very low water.

Bracket fungus and false chanterelles, Indre et Loire, France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.
A bracket fungus and some false chanterelles Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca (Fr. fausse chanterelle).

Orange Oak Bolete Leccinum aurantiacum, Indre et Loire, France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.
Orange Oak Bolete Leccinum aurantiacum (Fr. Bolet orangé).

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