Tuesday

The Virton – Saint-Mard station, located on the Athus-Meuse axis (line 165), includes several areas of wasteland against the active part, the largest of which, to the east, covers nearly 2 hectares. The vegetation of these wastelands is diverse; it includes threatened species in Wallonia, such as the shore corriola (Corrigiola litoralis), the woolly thistle (Cirsium eriophorum), and the hollow-stemmed holosteum (Holosteum umbellatum). This railway site also has herpetological interest, with the presence of six species of reptiles: the grass snake (Natrix natrix), the smooth snake (Coronella austriaca), the slow worm (Anguis fragilis), the wall lizard (Podarcis muralis), the sand lizard (Lacerta agilis), and the viviparous lizard (Zootoca vivipara). The very flowering wastelands rich in entomophile plants host various day butterflies including two priority species and wild bees, including osmias with helices. The more or less bare areas attract xerothermophilic orthopterans, such as the blue-winged grasshopper (Oedipoda caerulescens) and the saddened bush-cricket (Platycleis albopunctata). However, the work carried out in winter 2009-2010 altered a significant area of the wastelands and reduced the populations of several species of plants and insects.

Public Access: - Inadequate maintenance of the edges of the tracks.
Type: Site of Major Biological Interest (SMBI)

La biodiversité en Wallonie