Lozon Pond Reserve

Description

The Loson pond, a regional nature reserve and Special Area of Conservation (SAC), occupies a basin of glacial origin.

The lake basin, which has no natural tributaries, is fed by groundwater from springs upstream of the pond and by surface water from the Ru Chavacour, an ancient stream that irrigates a vast area of the municipality of Verrayes.

The southern exposure and dry, sunny climate favour the presence of species of particular geobotanical interest, which migrated in ancient times from eastern Europe and the Mediterranean basin, such as thyme (Thymus vulgaris), which finds its only alpine station here.

The free surface of the pond is almost entirely covered by a floating peat raft, approximately 1.5 m thick, the formation of which dates back to the warm-wet Atlantic period (7,000 - 5,000 years ago).

More than 90 marsh species have been recorded here, organised in typical phytosociological associations, which follow one another perfectly from the periphery to the centre of the pond. As many as 20 species of sedges are present, including Carex appropinquata, Carex diandra, Carex lasiocarpa, several varieties of utricularia (Utricularia australis, Utricularia minor) and an important sundew station (Drosera rotundifolia).

Surrounding the pond is an abundance of orchids, both those typical of wetland environments, such as the marsh helleborine (Epipactis palustris) and the orchid incarnata (Dactylorhiza incarnata), as well as those peculiar to pastures, such as the pinkish mannadenia (Gymnadenia conopsea) and the military orchid (Orchis militaris).

The pond is rich in zooplankton, invertebrates and amphibians, such as the common toad (Bufo bufo) and the red frog (Rana temporaria). The vegetation provides shelter for the whinchat (Saxicola rubetra) and the red-backed shrike (Lanius collurio), while the mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) occasionally stops in open waters.