Fauna and Flora in the Guérande marshes
Adventure into a wild and raw nature where incredible species of birds, plants and flowers evolve to the rhythm of water, wind and seasons. A universe where Man adapts to his territory and where all live in harmony.
Flowers and plants salt marshes
Statice, fennel, obione... Marsh vegetation impresses with its variety and color on the embankments bordering the waterways. You can even spot the strangest and best-known halophilous plant: the glasswort, spawned by salt mud to the delight of gourmets.
Salt marshes abound with astonishing flora of varied and often protected species: here, for example, you'll find the Tolypelle saline, a rare and globally endangered small alga. You can also see the Peucedan officinale, a perennial plant belonging to the fennel family and home to a very rare species of moth, the Peucedan Noctuelle.
Glasswort queen of the marshes
This plant, which grows in the salt water of marshes, is renowned for its diuretic and gastronomic qualities.
The young shoots can be prepared in vinegar, like pickles, or eaten cooked in the manner of green beans.
The birds in the salt marshes
The Guérande salt marshes are home to an exceptional wildlife, where flora and fauna thrive. Their shallow water depth allows light to penetrate to the bottom of the basins, warming the clay and thus encouraging the development of plankton, the indispensable basis of the marsh food chain.
This rich food supply, combined with the mild climate, makes the Guérandais site a prime wintering and breeding ground for animals and birds in particular, such as the blackbird, white spoonbill, godwit, cinnamon, snipe, tern, marsh harrier, white stilt, grey avocet, duck, sandpiper and barnacle goose.
Since 1995, the Guérande salt marshes have been included on the RAMSAR list, and have been a classified site since 1996. It is a fragile natural site classified Natura 2000 aiming at the protection of the fauna.
The grey heron majestic marsh bird
In Guérande, it's not uncommon to come across many species of small, but also large birds such as the majestic grey heron, for which the marshes provide the ideal habitat.
The grey heron can be recognized by its large size, long wings, long neck, gray-tinged plumage, long yellow legs, black crest, dagger-shaped beak and, in flight, its distinctive silhouette. This large gray bird is recognizable from afar thanks to its stoic resting position, in which it can remain motionless for hours: standing on one leg, head tucked between the shoulders.
The heron is a monogamous arboreal or paludicolous colonial species, at the time of breeding. The male can be distinguished from the female by its brighter hues. Its diet consists mainly of fish and amphibians, but also small rodents, insects and reptiles.
In Europe, the heron is totally protected and it's not uncommon to come across it in wetlands, where it finds its food. It therefore likes to take refuge in marshes, streams and ponds where the water, whether fresh or salt, is not deep. The Guérande salt marshes are one of its favorite havens.
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Visit the salt marshes and discover their inhabitants
Discover a true sanctuary of nature in its simplest form and the flora and fauna with Terre de Sel. The various guides will take you on a tour of the marshes and introduce you to the species of animals, birds and plants.
Look up and admire herons, ducks, hoopoes, ash, snipe and other incredible marsh birds. It's a great opportunity to make memories and take photos to capture, for life, the atmosphere of this very special world.
All the news of the Le Guérandais cooperative
To find out more about the extraordinary heritage of the salt marshes, its events and the strength of the Le Guérandais cooperative, take a look at our dedicated articles!
