This ZNIEFF covers the grasslands to the south of Couzon-sur-Coulange between Couzon-sur-Coulange and Vaux-sous-Aubigny, in the south of the Haute-Marne department. They occupy the gently sloping, well-exposed slopes of two limestone hills. Their extent and richness make them one of the most interesting grasslands in the south of the département.
For nature lovers :
Vegetation:
Many plant species of southern or central European origin can be found here, nearly a dozen of which are on the red list of plants in Champagne-Ardenne, with annuals favoured by sheep grazing that is still practised fairly recently (scabrous clover, alfalfa, red alsine), harvest plants that are in sharp decline everywhere (passerine, and plant species specific to calcareous grasslands, such as Apennine helianthemum, two parasitic plants, the little dodder and the thyme broomrape, two orchids, Ophrys jurana and Limodorum abortivum, a grass, abundant here, Festuca burgundiana, and so on.
The fauna :
The fauna is equally rich. The entomofauna is rich and diverse, with the same biogeographical tonality as some of the flora and six rare species on the Champagne-Ardenne red list of insects, including butterflies (sanguisorbe peacock butterfly, flambé butterfly, machaon butterfly, etc.), grasshoppers (Ephippiger ephippiger, Platycleis albopunctata) and locusts (Stenobothrus stigmaticus). The green lizard is well represented and close to its northern limit of distribution here: protected in France (since 1993) and in Europe (Appendix II of the Bern Convention), it is included on the regional red list as a vulnerable species. The site is suitable for nesting, feeding or resting for many birds, in particular several birds of prey and various passerines. This area is well preserved, despite being heavily overgrown and the presence of pine trees in the northern part. The southern part is less overgrown and a small part has been converted to fallow land.
Pelouse sèche de la Vigne Blanche
