ETANG ET BOISEMENTS DE JOREAU

It is 15 kilometers from Saumur and 1.5 kilometers from the south bank of the Loire, that you can admire the pond and the woodlands of Joreau. This preserved site is at the limit of the communes of Gennes and Chênehutte-Trèves-Cunault and the fourth natural reserve of Maine et Loire. It is in this 92 hectares haven that you will find very rare dragonflies but also a rich biological palette preserved by the Pays de la Loire The history of this site : The pond was created in the 18th century by the monks of the Priory of Cunault who wanted to develop a fish farming activity. This artificial pond, then known as the pond of Cunault or the pond of Gennes, later became the property of the castle of Joreau, as well as the surrounding woodlands. Between 1979 and 1981, the pond and the woodlands were bought back by the commune of Gennes from two private owners. Today, the quality of this place is recognized as evidenced by its full classification as a Natural Zone of Ecological, Faunistic and Floristic Interest (Znieff), its identification as a major ecological zone of the Loire-Anjou-Touraine Regional Nature Park and its integration into the departmental plan of Sensitive Natural Spaces (ENS) of Maine et Loire. A walk around the pond to discover the biodiversity: You are going to make in family, between friends, in couple or alone experiences nature. Breathe in, breathe out the smells on this site are numerous and varied: water, earth, moss, humus, dried leaves... Take a pair of binoculars, a small backpack with water, put on your walking shoes and let's go along the path that runs along the pond for a sensory walk Or for the more courageous, venture a little further along the 14.5 kilometers of marked hiking trails. In this wooded environment dotted with ponds, the diversity of natural environments is honored. Acidic heaths with broom and broom heather rub shoulders with pine forests, deciduous coppices and oak forests. Walking along the footpath, you will be able to observe a great variety of plants with leafy branches. Along the banks, the pond reveals a variety of aquatic plants such as the bladderwort, recognizable by its yellow flowers above the surface of the water at the beginning of summer, the swimming flute, small floating oval leaves with white three-petalled flowers, the water plantain, which can grow up to one meter high with its oval, lanceolate and pointed leaves... Did you know that? On the reserve, 323 species of plants and 52 species of mushrooms have been identified, some of which are threatened at the departmental level Look around and try to spot the odonate dragonfly with its two pairs of wings and its 4 spots or bats like the European Barbastelle with its long and dark coat, the Greater and Lesser Rhinolophus completely wrapped in its wings at rest. Moreover, this rare dragonfly is the subject of an animation "Lili the dragonfly" especially conceived for schoolchildren within the framework of the program of education to the territory of the Regional Natural reserve Loire-Anjou-Touraine. The pond attracts nearly 107 species of birds including : - the water rail, easily distinguished by its long and thin reddish bill, - the starry bittern with its yellowish brown plumage on the upper parts, with golden spots speckled and streaked with black, - the pintail, - the northern shoveler with its large grey beak, very enlarged at the end, its bottle-green head and its yellow irises, - the peony bullfinch, a stocky bird with a big head and a lot of color, - the Purple Heron with its purplish-brown plumage, slate-gray wings, reddish-brown breast, black abdomen, and purple-red flanks and scapulars, - ... Listen to the remarkable and powerful songs of the crickets. Their energetic music can be heard from dozens of meters away, somewhere in the night or in the daytime. It sounds amazing, as if they were equipped with amplifiers or performing in a theater optimized for sound diffusion? They blend in well with the songs of amphibians, including the Natterjack Toad, which sings at the beginning of the mating season. The males are the first to gather in shallow water and make their sound songs heard. They sing in chorus for part of the night. They launch trills in successive waves that sound like a kestrel. The chorus is very powerful as it can be heard more than 2 km away on a calm night to attract their partners. Sit in a small, quiet corner and sit there for a while in the silence to enjoy a moment of calm and peace. Some may prefer a cool patch of grass to feel the fresh grass under their fingers and others may enjoy one of the picnic areas Other practices on the site: For the sportsmen, you can use the health course or on the path to make the tour with bicycle. For fishermen, the pond offers a beautiful diversity of white fish (bleak, roach, rotengle, bream), carnivorous fish (pike perch, perch, pike) and has a beautiful population of common carp and intermediate size mirrors. In this pond, fishing is practiced in "no-kill" all fish caught must be returned to the water.