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Whit
Sunday
(Pentecost
sunday) |
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Translation from Dutch into English. |
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Today we leave our cars at the gravelled car park and start our walk into the peaceful, sunny countryside right at our gîte.
'TIME': As we so often do in our hasty, daily routine, we have one last look at our watch: it is a quarter to ten. Lunch will be served at 'Les Six Hêtres' at noon.
In the woods we walk along the motorway towards the forest of Sourbrodt. A small murmuring stream guides our way, sometimes flowing to our right and sometimes to our left. While walking upstream all our attention is drawn to the diversity of plants Karel Dewaele points out to us.
Listen: The finches are crying for rain and we quickly check if we all have our umbrellas, but for the moment the only raindrops we see are on plants and trees. Along the way we see beautiful examples of wavy hair-grass (Deschampsia flexuosa) and learn more about spicknel and lousewort. The willow grass (Persicaria amphibia) is not flowering yet (June - October).
We cross the "Voie de fer", a now surfaced road formerly used to transport iron ore to the Walloon blast-furnaces. We climb a few more meters before heading towards "Neur Lowé". A distracted roe looks the other way allowing us to admire it closely!
An ice-cream seller could find a cheap way to flavour his vanilla ice-cream here: we suck the bottom part of sweet vernal grass (Anthoxanthum odoratum), which tastes of vanilla but also gives a nice smell to hay.
In a more swampy area we see marsh violets (Viola palustris) in full flower. |
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Jean-Marie 'High Fens' (1987) |
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(Whitsun)
Listen:
The
fire
crest,
the
soprano
of
the
choir,
sings
its
most
beautiful
song.
The
sun
is
shining
and
the
finches
are
singing
their
local
tune.
We
take
off
our
raincoats
and
tie
them
around
our
waists.
It
is
getting
warmer
and
on
an
anthill
a
large
colony
of
black-backed
meadow
ants
(Formica
pratensis)
are
accumulating
the
sunlight
on
their
dark
bodies.
They
are
storing
the
heath
to
hatch
out
a
nest
of
eggs
later
on.
The
presence
of
lichen
indicates
a
healthy
forest.
The
spruces
have
bright
green
tips,
another
sign
of
health.
Bird’s-eye
view:
The
sun
high
above
is
warming
the
group
of
Wielewaal
members
who
are
zigzagging
across
the
High
Fens
plateau
like
a
colony
of
ants.
It
is
great
to
feel
at
one
with
nature.
We
cannot
describe
the
shapes
we
see
with
simple
geometric
words.
We
use
words
like
“…-shaped”
or
“…like”.
We
stop
to
admire
the
kidney-shaped
flowers
of
the
marsh
violet
(Viola
palustris).
We
now
reach
the
edge
of
the
forest
and
enter
an
area
of
peat
moor
nearly
completely
swallowed
up
by
the
forest.
It
is
now
only
a
small
remainder
of
the
former
extensive
peat
moor
called
the
High
Fens...
THE
WET
SPONGE:
The
Wielewaal
members
are
walking
on
water
as
basilisks.
Jan
De
Potter,
our
guide,
shepherds
us
through
the
boggiest
parts
on
the
edge
of
the
peat
moor
of 'Neur
Lowé'.
We
can
feel
the
peat
giving
way
under
our
feet,
firmly
keeping
one
eye
on
the
person
in
front
of
us
and
the
other
on
the
closest
strip
of
firm
ground.
We
must
just
keep
on
moving
without
making
any
sudden
movements
in
order
not
to
damage
the
green
layer,
because
eel
tastes
much
better
on a
plate
than
in
our
boots!
Berries:
We
are
now
looking
for
last
year’s
path
right
through
the
peat
moor.
In
the
middle
of
the
peat
moor
we
find
the
three
kinds
of
berries
our
guide
told
us
about
yesterday.
-
First
the
'blueberry'
(Vaccinium
myrtillus)
with
its
floppy
yellow-green
leaves
and
green
angular
stems,
-
then
the
'cowberry'
(Vaccinium
vitis-idaea)
with
its
leathery,
evergreen
leaves
and
woody
stems,
-
and
finally
the
'bilberry'
(Vaccinium
uliginosum)
with
its
greenish
blue
leaves
and
round,
woody
stems.
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Then the group gathers together to cross the road diagonally and heads towards Beaulou or Beleu, on a surfaced road. On this stretch we see wavy bittercress (Cardamine flexuosa) with its pretty little flowers accompanied by lady’s smock. |
Listen:
A
wood-warbler!
We
concentrate
on
all
the
noises
in
the
forest
and
hear
the
metallic
tweet
tweet
of a
crossbill.
We
take
the
fourth
road
on
the
left
to
the
South
and
walk
along
the
'Setay'
peat
moor.
It
is a
long
and
straight
road
with
beautiful
open
views
onto
the
left
part
of
the
peat
moor.
Spectacular
views:
we
get
a
brief
glimpse
of a
fieldfare
and
we
can
extensively
watch
a
tree
pipit
parachuting
from
one
tree
to
another.
An
orange
tip
flutters
to a
silverlace
vine
where
the
female
normally
lays
its
eggs.
It
then
lands
on a
lady’s
smock,
spreading
its
wings
beautifully.
Its
bright
orange
wings
seem
even
brighter
in
the
sunlight.
Using
the
old
pioneer
maps
we
get
lost
in
the
wooded
landscape.
In a
straight
diagonal
corridor
roes
flee
nervously
into
the
woods.
'TIME':
As
we
are
all
feeling
hungry,
we
take
the
shortest
route
to
'Les
Six
Hêtres'.
We
have
our
picnic
under
the
foliage
of
one
young
and
five
old
(and
wise)
beeches,
just
as
the
shepherds
used
to
do.
We
then
make
ourselves
comfortable
in
full
sun
to
dry
our
clothes
and
skin.
Our
boots
are
dying
for
a
bit
of
fresh
air
and
are
smoking
like
chimneys
due
to
the
heath
of
the
warm
spring
sun!
With
our
feet
sinking
into
a
carpet
of
wavy
hair-grass,
we
lean
back
and
enjoy
the
beautiful
sky.
The
nicely
packed
picnic
has
completely
disappeared
into
our
stomachs.
We
are
entirely
satisfied.
'Time
is
up':
The
eldest
of
the
group
are
already
ready
to
go
when
we,
having
lost
all
track
of
time,
open
our
eyes.
We
stroll
towards
the
‘Fraineu’
peat
moor,
where
we
discover
a
magnificent
panorama.
The
walk
continues
along
the
peat
moor
towards
‘La
cabane
de
Négus’,
the
former
home
of a
school
teacher
who
had
given
up
on
society
and
lived
as a
recluse
between
the
peat
moor
and
the
woods.
Now
and
then
we
see
a
buzzard
flying
over
its
rich
territory
below.
We
take
winding
roads
along
the
'Tros
Marets'
towards
the
main
road
and
end
up
above
'Trois
Hêtres',
which
was
quite
difficult
to
find.
We
then
cross
a
field
covered
in
clover,
a
real
feast
for
the
roes.
'The
ravages
of
time':
We
pass
'the
Dideberg
Cross'
(La
Croix
Dideberg)
and
head
towards
an
old
oak
the
locals
call
'tchâne
as
tchânes'.
The
slowly
dying
solitary
oak
is
patiently
waiting
till
a
younger
one
is
strong
enough
to
take
over
its
role
of
'oak
of
oaks'.
Between
the
old
juniper
bushes
we
also
find
bushes
planted
by
man.
The
berries
are
in
high
demand
because
of
their
aroma.
A
bit
further
on
we
also
find
goldenrod
and
flowering
lilies
of
the
valley.
Along
the
wild
apple
trees
we
head
toward
the
waterfall
and
follow
the
'Bayehon'
for
a
little
while.
We
then
take
a
turn
to
the
left
and
head
to
our
gîte
along
the
'Rau
de
Ghaster'
and
the
ski
run.
'Resting-place':
Sunday
night,
Monday
rapidly
approaching....,
after
a
meal
of
Flemish
stew
(or
perhaps
German
or
Walloon
stew)
with
chips
and
a
delicious
sauce,
we
go
to
roost.
Lady’s
smock
'The
orange
tip
fluttered
to a
silverlace
vine'.
(Diary
JM
1987
Kortrijk)
Plant
album
NATUURPUNT
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