Espace Pierres Folles
Encyclopedia
The Espace Pierres Folles (2 hectares) is a museum with geological exhibit and botanical garden
located at 116 chemin du Pinay, St Jean des Vignes, Soissons
, Aisne
, Picardie
, France
. It is open daily in the warmer months; an admission fee is charged.
The museum was established in 1987 on the former site of a cement
works. Its ground floor presents the Earth's formation, emergence of life and its evolution over time, and fossil
s of the region; it also contains several aquarium
s. The second floor presents the relationship between soil and vegetation, including viticulture
with the origin of the diversity of Beaujolais wine, as well as the regional use of stone for construction and cement manufacture. The top floor contains temporary exhibits.
The geological trail was established in 1988, and consists of four sites reflecting the region's geology
, particularly of fossil
s and strata from 195-245 million years ago. The trail contains informative displays designed by students of the College des Quatre Vents.
The botanical garden was inaugurated in April 1995 and is a member of Jardins Botaniques de France et des Pays Francophones. It covers 8400 m² and as of 2007 contained 529 plant species
, including 567 taxa
of herbaceous plant
s and 8 taxa of conifers, focusing on local flora, particularly those of the clay
and limestone
soil of southern Beaujolais
, but also including Mediterranean plants and a few non-native trees such as Atlas cedar
and walnut
. The garden consists of three flowerbeds, landscaped plantings, a sandy area for heathers
, and a rock garden
. Each species is labeled with its botanical family, scientific name, and common name.
Botanical garden
A botanical garden The terms botanic and botanical, and garden or gardens are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word botanic is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is a well-tended area displaying a wide range of plants labelled with their botanical names...
located at 116 chemin du Pinay, St Jean des Vignes, Soissons
Soissons
Soissons is a commune in the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France, located on the Aisne River, about northeast of Paris. It is one of the most ancient towns of France, and is probably the ancient capital of the Suessiones...
, Aisne
Aisne
Aisne is a department in the northern part of France named after the Aisne River.- History :Aisne is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from parts of the former provinces of Île-de-France, Picardie, and Champagne.Most of the old...
, Picardie
Picardie
Picardy is one of the 27 regions of France. It is located in the northern part of France.-History:The historical province of Picardy stretched from north of Noyon to Calais, via the whole of the Somme department and the north of the Aisne department...
, 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 open daily in the warmer months; an admission fee is charged.
The museum was established in 1987 on the former site of a cement
Cement
In the most general sense of the word, a cement is a binder, a substance that sets and hardens independently, and can bind other materials together. The word "cement" traces to the Romans, who used the term opus caementicium to describe masonry resembling modern concrete that was made from crushed...
works. Its ground floor presents the Earth's formation, emergence of life and its evolution over time, and fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
s of the region; it also contains several aquarium
Aquarium
An aquarium is a vivarium consisting of at least one transparent side in which water-dwelling plants or animals are kept. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, marine mammals, turtles, and aquatic plants...
s. The second floor presents the relationship between soil and vegetation, including viticulture
Viticulture
Viticulture is the science, production and study of grapes which deals with the series of events that occur in the vineyard. When the grapes are used for winemaking, it is also known as viniculture...
with the origin of the diversity of Beaujolais wine, as well as the regional use of stone for construction and cement manufacture. The top floor contains temporary exhibits.
The geological trail was established in 1988, and consists of four sites reflecting the region's geology
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
, particularly of fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
s and strata from 195-245 million years ago. The trail contains informative displays designed by students of the College des Quatre Vents.
The botanical garden was inaugurated in April 1995 and is a member of Jardins Botaniques de France et des Pays Francophones. It covers 8400 m² and as of 2007 contained 529 plant species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
, including 567 taxa
Taxon
|thumb|270px|[[African elephants]] form a widely-accepted taxon, the [[genus]] LoxodontaA taxon is a group of organisms, which a taxonomist adjudges to be a unit. Usually a taxon is given a name and a rank, although neither is a requirement...
of herbaceous plant
Herbaceous plant
A herbaceous plant is a plant that has leaves and stems that die down at the end of the growing season to the soil level. They have no persistent woody stem above ground...
s and 8 taxa of conifers, focusing on local flora, particularly those of the clay
Clay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
and limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
soil of southern Beaujolais
Beaujolais
Beaujolais is a French Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée wine generally made of the Gamay grape which has a thin skin and is low in tannins. Like most AOC wines they are not labeled varietally. Whites from the region, which make up only 1% of its production, are made mostly with Chardonnay grapes...
, but also including Mediterranean plants and a few non-native trees such as Atlas cedar
Atlas Cedar
Cedrus atlantica, the Atlas Cedar, is a cedar native to the Atlas Mountains of Algeria and Morocco . A majority of the modern sources treat it as a distinct species Cedrus atlantica, but some sources consider it a subspecies of Lebanon Cedar Cedrus atlantica, the Atlas Cedar, is a cedar native to...
and walnut
Walnut
Juglans is a plant genus of the family Juglandaceae, the seeds of which are known as walnuts. They are deciduous trees, 10–40 meters tall , with pinnate leaves 200–900 millimetres long , with 5–25 leaflets; the shoots have chambered pith, a character shared with the wingnuts , but not the hickories...
. The garden consists of three flowerbeds, landscaped plantings, a sandy area for heathers
Calluna
Calluna vulgaris is the sole species in the genus Calluna in the family Ericaceae. It is a low-growing perennial shrub growing to tall, or rarely to and taller, and is found widely in Europe and Asia Minor on acidic soils in open sunny situations and in moderate shade...
, and a rock garden
Rock Garden
The Rock Garden or Rock Garden of Chandigarh is a Sculpture garden in Chandigarh, India, also known as Nek Chand's Rock Garden after its founder Nek Chand, a government official who started the garden secretly in his spare time in 1957. Today it is spread over an area of forty-acres , it is...
. Each species is labeled with its botanical family, scientific name, and common name.