Forest of Fontainebleau
Encyclopedia
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. It is located primarily in the arrondissement of Fontainebleau
Arrondissement of Fontainebleau
The arrondissement of Fontainebleau is an arrondissement of France, located in the Seine-et-Marne département, in the Île-de-France région...
in the southwestern part of the department of Seine-et-Marne
Seine-et-Marne
Seine-et-Marne is a French department, named after the Seine and Marne rivers, and located in the Île-de-France region.- History:Seine-et-Marne is one of the original 83 departments, created on March 4, 1790 during the French Revolution in application of the law of December 22, 1789...
. Most of it also lies in the canton of Fontainebleau, although parts of it extend into adjoining cantons
Cantons of France
The cantons of France are territorial subdivisions of the French Republic's 342 arrondissements and 101 departments.Apart from their role as organizational units in certain aspects of the administration of public services and justice, the chief purpose of the cantons today is to serve as...
, and even as far west as the town of Milly-la-Forêt
Milly-la-Forêt
Milly-la-Forêt is a commune in the Essonne department in Île-de-France in northern France.-Geology:The Forest of Fontainebleau in the western end of which Milly-la-Forêt lies, is composed of the Oligocene Fontainebleau sands, which are a marine deposit, laid down in an intertidal...
in the neighboring department, Essonne
Essonne
Essonne is a French department in the region of Île-de-France. It is named after the Essonne River.It was formed on 1 January 1968 when Seine-et-Oise was split into smaller departments.- History :...
. Several communes
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
lie within the forest, notably the towns of Fontainebleau
Fontainebleau
Fontainebleau is a commune in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southeast of the centre of Paris. Fontainebleau is a sub-prefecture of the Seine-et-Marne department, and it is the seat of the arrondissement of Fontainebleau...
and Avon
Avon, Seine-et-Marne
Avon is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France.-Geography:Avon and Fontainebleau, together with three other smaller communes, form an urban area of 36,713 inhabitants...
. The forest has an area of 280 km² (108.1 sq mi).
Fauna and flora
The most common trees in the forest are: oakOak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
(44 %), Scots pine
Scots Pine
Pinus sylvestris, commonly known as the Scots Pine, is a species of pine native to Europe and Asia, ranging from Scotland, Ireland and Portugal in the west, east to eastern Siberia, south to the Caucasus Mountains, and as far north as well inside the Arctic Circle in Scandinavia...
(40 %), and European beech
European Beech
Fagus sylvatica, the European Beech or Common Beech, is a deciduous tree belonging to the beech family Fagaceae.-Natural range:...
(10 %). Three thousand species of mushroom
Mushroom
A mushroom is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or on its food source. The standard for the name "mushroom" is the cultivated white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus; hence the word "mushroom" is most often applied to those fungi that...
s have been discovered. The forest is also home to approximately seven thousand animal species, five thousand of which are insects.
Flowers
- Tor-grassTor-grassTor-grass is a plant in the grass family, with a widespread distribution in temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. It typically grows in calcareous grassland, and reaches 70–120 cm tall. The flowerhead is open, with 10 to 15 erect spikelets.The caterpillars of some Lepidoptera use it...
(Brachypodium pinnatum) - Service tree of FontainebleauService Tree of FontainebleauSorbus latifolia is a species of whitebeam that is endemic to the area around Fontainebleau, south of Paris in France, where it has been known since the early eighteenth century.-Physical description:It is a medium-sized deciduous tree that grows to between ten and twenty metres tall, with a trunk...
(Sorbus latifolia), which is under national protection - Snowy mespilus (Amelanchier ovalisAmelanchier ovalisAmelanchier ovalis, commonly known as Snowy Mespilus, is serviceberry shrub. Its pome fruits are edible and can be eaten raw or cooked.-External links:**...
), under national protection - Common juniper (Juniperus communisJuniperus communisJuniperus communis, the Common Juniper, is a species in the genus Juniperus, in the family Cupressaceae. It has the largest range of any woody plant, throughout the cool temperate Northern Hemisphere from the Arctic south in mountains to around 30°N latitude in North America, Europe and Asia.-...
) - Orchids
- Violet limodore (Limodorum abortivumLimodorum abortivumLimodorum abortivum, commonly known as Violet Limodore, is a species of myco-heterotrophic, achlorophyllous orchid and is native to central and eastern Europe, western Asia and the Mediterranean area. According to The Plant List , there are three currently recognised members of the Genus...
) - Red helleborineRed HelleborineRed Helleborine is an orchid found in Europe, north Africa and parts of Asia. Although reasonably common in parts of its range, this helleborine has always been one of the rarest orchids in Britain.-Distribution and habitat:...
(Cephalanthera rubra), under national protection
- Violet limodore (Limodorum abortivum
- Meadow rue (Thalictrum minusThalictrumThalictrum is a genus of 120-200 species of herbaceous perennial flowering plants in the buttercup family native mostly to temperate regions....
), under national protection - Peach-leaved bellflower (Campanula persicifoliaCampanula persicifoliaCampanula persicifolia or Peach-leaved Bellflower is a plant species of the genus Campanula. It can be almost one meter high. Its flowers are cup-shaped and can be either lilac-blue or white. Its foliage is narrow and glossy with a bright green appearance.It is common in the Alps and other...
) - Wild madder (Rubia peregrinaRubiáaRubiá is a municipality in the Spanish province of Ourense. It has a population of 1734 and an area of 101 km²....
) - Burnet rose (Rosa pimpinellifoliaRosa pimpinellifoliaRosa pimpinellifolia is a species of rose native to western, central and southern Europe and northwest Africa...
) - CranesbillCranesbillGeranium is a genus of 422 species of flowering annual, biennial, and perennial plants that are commonly known as the cranesbills. It is found throughout the temperate regions of the world and the mountains of the tropics, but mostly in the eastern part of the Mediterranean region. The long,...
(Geranium sanguineum) - Vincetoxicum (Vincetoxicum hirundinariaVincetoxicum hirundinariaVincetoxicum hirundinaria is a long-lived herbaceous perennial of the genus Vincetoxicum in the family Apocynaceae. It is native to cliffs and slopes, especially in calcareous soils, of continental Eurasia . There are introduced populations in North America .-References:...
) - Red feather clover (Trifolium rubensCloverClover , or trefoil, is a genus of about 300 species of plants in the leguminous pea family Fabaceae. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution; the highest diversity is found in the temperate Northern Hemisphere, but many species also occur in South America and Africa, including at high altitudes...
), under national protection
Birds
- Great spotted woodpeckerGreat Spotted WoodpeckerThe Great Spotted Woodpecker , Dendrocopos major, is a bird species of the woodpecker family . It is distributed throughout Europe and northern Asia, and usually resident year-round except in the colder parts of its range...
(Dendrocopos major) - Lesser spotted woodpeckerLesser Spotted WoodpeckerThe Lesser Spotted Woodpecker is a member of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is assigned to the genus Dendrocopos ....
(Dendrocopos minor) - Great titGreat TitThe Great Tit is a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. It is a widespread and common species throughout Europe, the Middle East, Central and Northern Asia, and parts of North Africa in any sort of woodland. It is generally resident, and most Great Tits do not migrate except in extremely...
(Parus major) - Blue titBlue TitThe Blue Tit is a 10.5 to 12 cm long passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. It is a widespread and common resident breeder throughout temperate and subarctic Europe and western Asia in deciduous or mixed woodlands...
(Parus caeruleus) - ChiffchaffChiffchaffThe Common Chiffchaff, or simply the Chiffchaff, is a common and widespread leaf-warbler which breeds in open woodlands throughout northern and temperate Europe and Asia....
(Phylloscopus collybita) - Willow warbler Willow WarblerThe Willow Warbler is a very common and widespread leaf warbler which breeds throughout northern and temperate Europe and Asia, from Ireland east to the Anadyr River basin in eastern Siberia...
(Phylloscopus trochilus) - Bonelli's warbler (Phylloscopus bonelli)
- BlackcapBlackcapThe Blackcap is a common and widespread sylviid warbler which breeds throughout temperate Europe, western Asia and northwestern Africa, and winters from northwestern Europe south to tropical Africa...
(Sylvia atricapilla)
In fiction
- The forest is the main scene of action of the trilogy, Les FourmisLes FourmisLes Fourmis is a 1991 science fiction novel by French writer Bernard Werber. It was released in English as Empire of the Ants. The book sold more than two million copies and has been translated into more than 30 languages...
by Bernard WerberBernard WerberBernard Werber is a French science fiction writer active since the 1990s.-Novels:His style of writing mixes different literary genres, notably the saga, the science fiction of the inter-war years, and tracts of philosophy.In most of his novels, Bernard Werber uses the same form of construction,...
. - Act I (the prologue in the Italian version) of Verdi'sGiuseppe VerdiGiuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi was an Italian Romantic composer, mainly of opera. He was one of the most influential composers of the 19th century...
opera, "Don CarlosDon CarlosDon Carlos is a five-act grand opera composed by Giuseppe Verdi to a French language libretto by Camille du Locle and Joseph Méry, based on the dramatic play Don Carlos, Infant von Spanien by Friedrich Schiller...
", is set in the forest of Fontainebleau. - The map "Castle Rock" in the game "Alliance of Valiant Arms" takes place in the Fontainebleau Forest.
External links
- Fontainebleau, forêt d'émotions Official webpage from Office National des ForêtsOffice national des forêtsThe National Forests Office , or ONF, is a public establishment of the National Government of France charged with the management of national forests....
(in French)