Les Landes facts for kids
Les Landes is a special area of wild, open land found on the coast in the north-west of Jersey. It's like a big, natural park by the sea! Since 1996, it has been named a Site of Special Interest (SSI). This means it's a very important place because of its unique nature, history, and rocks. Les Landes is the biggest area of its kind in Jersey, covering about 160 hectares. That's like 224 football fields!
Contents
Why Les Landes is Special
Les Landes is a Site of Special Interest (SSI) because it has many amazing things. It's important for its beautiful landscape, the different kinds of wildlife that live there, its old archaeological sites, and its interesting geological features (the rocks and landforms).
Plants and Animals at Les Landes
Most of Les Landes is covered in tough plants like heather (such as Erica and Calluna) and gorse. These plants are very good at growing in windy, open areas. You can also find other plants like Molinia caerulea (a type of grass) and bracken ferns here.
Some parts of Les Landes have ponds and wetland areas. These wet spots are perfect homes for animals like the common toad.
Birds of Les Landes
Les Landes is a great place for birdwatching! Many different kinds of birds live or visit here. Some of the birds you might see include:
- The Eurasian skylark, known for its beautiful song while flying high.
- The European stonechat and Dartford warbler, which like to hide in the gorse.
- The meadow pipit and common linnet.
- Larger birds like the common raven and western jackdaw.
- Birds of prey such as the western marsh harrier, hen harrier, merlin, peregrine falcon, and the short-eared owl.
- Other interesting birds like the northern wheatear, Eurasian wryneck, and ring ouzel.
Other Animals Living Here
Besides birds, many other animals call Les Landes home. You might spot:
- European rabbits hopping around.
- The western green lizard and the slowworm (which looks like a snake but is actually a legless lizard!).
- Small mammals like the bank vole.
- Cool insects such as the small emperor moth, the bloody-nosed beetle, and the shiny green tiger beetle.
Ancient History at Les Landes
Les Landes is also important for its ancient history, with sites that show people lived here a very long time ago.
La Cotte à la Chèvre
This is an old cave site where people lived during the Middle Paleolithic period (the Stone Age). Scientists have found old tools made of flint and even a hand axe here. These finds help us understand how early humans lived.
Le Pinacle
Le Pinacle is a tall, natural rock stack that stands out by the coast. It's a very special place where many ancient objects have been found. These objects date back to the Neolithic (New Stone Age), Chalcolithic (Copper Age), Bronze Age, and Iron Age. There are even ruins of an old Gallo-Roman temple, showing that people used this spot for important activities over thousands of years!
