Fossei Mine Woods

Located in the Herve region and classified as Natura 2000, the Fossei Mine Woods is exceptional for its flora and somewhat less so for its fauna. The area of the site with the greatest interest from a botanical point of view is undoubtedly the oak and ash forest that runs alongside the Gueule. Indeed, the undergrowth flora is diverse and presents a multitude of remarkable species, some of which are particularly rare such as winter horsetail (Equisetum hyemale), wolf's bane (Aconitum lycoctonum vulparia), wood gage (Gagea lutea), water avens (Geum rivale), lesser periwinkle (Vinca minor), false buttercup anemone (Anemone ranunculoides), blue rampion (Phyteuma nigrum)… In the mesophilic woods on slopes, there are patches of lesser periwinkle (Vinca minor) and the very rare calamine penny-cress (Thlaspi caerulescens subsp. calaminare). The mesophilic calcicole woodlands, dominated by beech and oak, harbor in their underbrush the four-leaved Paris (Paris quadrifolia), sweet woodruff (Galium odoratum), or even the two-leaved false Solomon's seal (Maianthemum bifolium). The pasture adjacent to the woods also presents significant biological interest at the level of the two meso-thermophilic mounds (Succisa pratensis, Stachys officinalis, Potentilla erecta, Galium saxatile, Calluna vulgaris, Anthoxanthum odoratum, Cynosorus cristatus, Molinia caerulea…) From a faunistic perspective, the notable presence of the green-veined white (Pontia daplidice), a migratory butterfly that hasn’t been observed in Belgium since 1980, is particularly noteworthy! We should also mention the colony of gray herons that have settled on the site and the frequent passage of the common kingfisher along the Gueule. Finally, we will also note the presence of the common frog (Rana temporaria), the common copper (Lycaena phlaeas), the badger, the fox, the squirrel, and the hare.

Public Access: The site serves as a space for walking and recreation for local residents.
Type: Site of Great Biological Interest (SGIB)

La biodiversité en Wallonie