The Diois Mountains (, ) are a massif of the
French Prealps
The French Prealps ( ); are a group of subalpine mountain ranges of medium elevation located immediately west of the French Alps. They roughly stretch from Lake Geneva southwest to the rivers Isère and Drôme; east to a line running from Chamo ...
located in the
department of
Drôme
Drôme (; Occitan: ''Droma''; Arpitan: ''Drôma'') is the southernmost department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France. Named after the river Drôme, it had a population of 516,762 as of 2019. and the extreme south of the department of
Isère
Isère ( , ; ; , ) is a landlocked Departments of France, department in the southeastern French Regions of France, region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Named after the river Isère (river), Isère, it had a population of 1,271,166 in 2019. .
Geography
Location
This mountainous territory is located to the south of the
Diois region, the
Drôme river and the natural and historical region of
Dauphiné
The Dauphiné ( , , ; or ; or ), formerly known in English as Dauphiny, is a former province in southeastern France, whose area roughly corresponded to that of the present departments of Isère, Drôme and Hautes-Alpes. The Dauphiné was ...
.
It is surrounded by the
Vercors massif
The Vercors massif (; ) is a mountain range in eastern France consisting of rugged plateaus and mountains straddling the ''département in France, départements'' of Isère and Drôme in the French Prealps. It lies west of the Dauphiné Alps, ...
to the north of the Drôme, the
Dévoluy massif
Dévoluy is a Communes of France, commune in the Hautes-Alpes Departments of France, department in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region in southeastern France. It is the result of the merger, on 1 January 2013, of the four commu ...
and the
Bochaine mountains to the east of
Buëch
The Buëch (; ) is a river in southeastern France, a right tributary of the Durance. It is long. Its drainage basin
A drainage basin is an area of land in which all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth ...
and the
Baronnies massif to the south of
Aigues.
Main summits
Geology
Similar to the Baronnies massif, the Diois region is characterized by mid-altitude limestone mountains, a rock type also abundantly found in the Vercors. In the valleys,
sandy
Sandy may refer to:
People and fictional characters
*Sandy (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or nickname
* Sandy (surname), a list of people
* Sandy (Iranian music band), Iranian singer, comp ...
-
marl
Marl is an earthy material rich in carbonate minerals, Clay minerals, clays, and silt. When Lithification, hardened into rock, this becomes marlstone. It is formed in marine or freshwater environments, often through the activities of algae.
M ...
soils are predominant. Most of the summits in the area range in altitude from 1,000 to 1,700 meters. The small valleys, sometimes carved into
gorges by watercourses, are oriented in various directions, creating a highly compartmentalized terrain.
The elevation increases progressively eastwards.
Biodiversity
The biodiversity of the Diois region reflects both Mediterranean and mountainous influences.
Flora
The Diois is predominantly covered by forests consisting of
downy oak,
Scots pine
''Pinus sylvestris'', the Scots pine (UK), Scotch pine (US), Baltic pine, or European red pine is a species of tree in the pine family Pinaceae that is native to Eurasia. It can readily be identified by its combination of fairly short, blue-gr ...
,
Austrian pine
''Pinus nigra'', the Austrian pine or black pine, is a moderately variable species of pine, occurring across Southern Europe from the Iberian Peninsula and Lower Austria to the eastern Mediterranean, on the Anatolian peninsula of Turkey, Corsica ...
,
common beech,
silver fir
Silver fir is a common name for several trees and may refer to:
*''Abies alba'', native to Europe
*''Abies amabilis'', native to western North America
*''Abies pindrow
''Abies pindrow'', the pindrow fir, West Himalayan fir, or silver fir, is ...
,
common box,
common juniper, and ''
laburnum
''Laburnum'', sometimes called golden chain or golden rain, is a genus of two species of small trees in the subfamily Faboideae of the pea family Fabaceae. The species are '' Laburnum anagyroides''—common laburnum and '' Laburnum alpinum''— ...
''.
In more open areas,
common thyme,
common lavender and ''
genista cinerea'' can be found.
Fauna
The Diois is home to an abundance of wildlife, including the
Alpine chamois, European roe deer, red deer, and Eurasian wild boar. The grey wolf naturally returned to the area in the late 1990s and has since established several known packs.
The forests are inhabited by common genets,
pine martens, and
beech martens. Along rivers and streams, signs of
Eurasian beavers and
European otters can be observed, with occasional sightings of these animals.
The highest parts of the massif are inhabited by
black grouse
The black grouse (''Lyrurus tetrix''), also known as northern black grouse, Eurasian black grouse, blackgame or blackcock, is a large Aves, bird in the grouse family. It is a Bird migration, sedentary species, spanning across the Palearctic in m ...
,
Tengmalm's owls, and
Eurasian pygmy owls, alongside more common species like
ring ouzels,
citril finches, and
red crossbills. The dry slopes of Jocou and certain summits in the Diois still host a few pairs of
rock partridges.
Local populations of
ocellated lizards and
yellow-bellied toads are also notable in the Diois.
References
{{Western Alps
Western Alps
French Alps
Geography of Drôme
Geography of Isère
Geography of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes