The Astragalus’Footpath

 STEP 1 :
Farmers use to cultivate corn and oats and they bred sheep on this hillsides.
However, these lands have been abandoned for economic reasons.
On the initiative of the regional Nature conservancy,
a system of ovine grazing has been restored in 2002 in Giverny
to protect the typical species of the calcareous hillside grasslands.

STEP 2 :
The slopes allow here terraced vegetation as you can see :
grassland at the bottom, and them limestone land and short grassland,
where you can find little blue butterflies (The Chalk Hill Blue)
and on the plateau, there is a forest.
This is a mountain like vegetation.

STEP 3 :
Farmers use to remove stones for vineyards
and piled them up out of their land.
Here the vegetation is very different because of the proximity of fields.
The soil is artificially enriched and you can see ivy or black eldertrees.
This tree was sacred because elderberries have medicinal properties.
they can be use to make a jam, elder wine or syrup.