The Vermenon ZNIEFF is located at the bottom of the combe of the same name, facing north-west in the Villars-Santenoge area. A very wet tufa marsh, typical of the Langres plateau and entirely surrounded by forest, occupies the upper part of the area, from the springs to the dike of an old pond; locally, a small tufa field forms Chara basins and characteristic entablatures; a marshy wasteland resulting from an attempt to cultivate the area downstream was removed from the ZNIEFF following drainage and ploughing in 1996.
For nature specialists:
Vegetation:
The Vermenon marsh has a wide variety of habitats, with a predominance of schoenai in its various forms: very abundant marsh swertie (a rare pre-alpine species that is very localised in the plains, protected at regional level and included on the Champagne-Ardenne red list of plants) in the wet areas with running water, discontinuous rocky ledge schoenaie, low schoenaie with ferruginous choin (protected in France and included on the regional red list), pioneer broad-leaved cottongrass (protected in France and on the regional red list), beaked sedge sedge in the channels, extensive development of the strict sedge magnocariaca in mosaic with the sometimes very dense phragmitaie, narrow-segmented buttercup moss (regional protection), discontinuous low willow with a clear edge of monkshood (protected in Champagne-Ardenne) and primary forest hem.
In all, around ten plant species are protected at national or regional level and 11 are on the red list of plants in Champagne-Ardenne, including a fern, ophioglossa vulgaris, and five orchids, including the neglected orchid, which is at the eastern limit of its distribution, present only in three stations in the Haute-Marne region and rapidly declining throughout the Champagne region, Traunsteiner's orchid, a north-pre-Alpine species, strictly mountainous in character, rare in France and essentially localised, for the Langres plateau, in cold, damp valleys, etc.
Fauna:
The entomofauna is very rich and varied, with 25 different species, ten of which are rare or in decline: the agrion de Mercure, a dragonfly that has been protected in France since 1993, is on the international lists of the Bern Convention and the Habitats Directive and is on the red list of insects in France (in danger of total extinction in the northern half of France), the ringed and bidentate cordulégastres, mountain species that are rare on the plains, crickets such as Latreille's conocephalus and the mountain chorthippus and a butterfly, the ino butterfly, all of which are on the regional red lists.
The site attracts many birds in search of food or suitable nesting environments, particularly birds of prey (kites, goshawks, buzzards) and certain passerines (redstart, red-backed shrike, swallow, etc.). This highly scenic marsh is one of the most remarkable on the Langres plateau.
Undeveloped site
Access reserved for an informed and respectful public
Marais de la combe Vermenon
