Pyrenees Trip June 2024 - Part 13 Mont Louis and Pla de Barres, France

On our way to Mont Louis which is near the campsite we were staying at for a few days we stopped at a scenic layby for lunch. There was a slope with wildflowers on it and in the gravel near my feet I discovered my first ever Bagworm! These moth larvae cover themselves in bits of stick or bark or other bits of vegetation as protection and camouflage and just protrude like the one below when they want to move somewhere.

I was really impressed by the matching bits of stick and how well it had stuck those bits on. They belong to the Psychidae family but I can't ID better than that!

Another first for me in this spot was a Solomon's Seal (Polygonatum odoratum). I have never seen one growing wild before.

Mont Louis is a citadel with a small village within, built by Vauban between 1649 and 1681. Vauban was a French military engineer who was responsible for many of the fortresses around the border of France. Most of Vauban's sites are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Looking back towards the village part of the citadel.

This part of the citadel is still in use by the French military and can only be accessed by guided visits.

You can walk all the way around the fortifications and it really is a large site. That's my brother, he manages to get in most of my photos whether I like it or not! 😀

Our campsite was at a place called Pla de Barres, up a bit higher than Mont Louis. We stayed there years ago and loved it. The campsite is fairly basic but has changed hands since we were there and now has a new reception building and basic outdoor restaurant, but hasn't lost its charm. 

It's located beside the River Tet and the area is known as Petit Canada because of the pine trees, grasslands and rocky river. There are many paths here and you can walk into Mont Louis along one of the tracks. 

Last time here we were lucky to see a flock of Crossbills, but not this time, sadly! Here we are wandering around, me in search of butterflies!

Small Pearl-Bordered Fritillary (Boloria selene).

The River Tet.

The native Rhododendron of the Pyrenees, Rhododendron ferrugineum.

I remember finding similar ringlet butterflies our last time here but they are hard to ID as there are loads of species and they are nearly all brown with orange patches and black and white eyes. I have hopefully identified these correctly as Bright-Eyed Ringlets (Erebia oeme). "Frequently rests deep in long grass" helped with IDing as this is exactly what many of them were doing!

This scene is right close to the campsite which is on the right of the river. It is so peaceful and lovely there, one of the loveliest campsites, even though it was much busier this June than our previous visit early one September.

The following day was the highlight of our trip - full of butterflies and wildflowers. I have so many photos I shall have to divide it into two posts!