Mammals
Small mammals abound: moles, voles, hedgehogs, red foxes, weasels, genets, coypu, otters and hares make the grasses rustle. Pipistrelles, small bats, fly precisely overhead at night. The wolf, more present in the past, is slowly reappearing. Deer, roe deer, mouflon, chamois and ibex have been reintroduced by humans, while the Camarguais, a small white horse considered one of the world's oldest breeds, lives in total freedom in the coastal marshes. Wild boar have proliferated and become so numerous in some parts of the territory that hunting is absolutely necessary, and permitted for longer, to rebalance their population. Even if the beautiful old transhumance paths in the Cévennes are less used, you can still come across herds of sheep and goats and their shepherds. The bull, and all the culture that surrounds it, is still firmly established in the south of the Gard.
Birds
The nightingale plays its wide repertoire until the middle of the night, when the owl's call also echoes. The hoopoe is surprising, the robin curious, while blackbirds remain more indifferent but unafraid. In the early days of April, it's said to be good luck to touch coins when you first hear the cuckoo sing. Turtle-doves are noisy in their flight, while partridges sometimes line the roads. There's something soothing about the wide, gliding circles of the white-winged vulture or the common buzzard. The thrush is not uncommon, nor is the kestrel, nor the crow, but the raven or the vulture stay aloft. And of course there are the pink flamingos, the great cormorants and the majestic swans of the Camargue, which retain a touch of the exotic. In the Camargue alone, 350 bird species have been inventoried. The heron also ventures onto the Gardons. And so many other small and large birds accompany everyday life in the Gard, to the delight of the ears first, and then the eyes, for those who know how to see them.
Reptiles and amphibians
Small lizards live in the faïsses, as do green lizards, although these are less common nowadays. Harmless Montpellier and Aesculapian garter snakes are fairly common, and move into the sun as soon as the first warm sunny days arrive. In spring and autumn, breeding salamanders should be avoided on roads. The knife-toothed pelobate is found along the coast, as is the natterjack toad. The red-legged frog and the spiny toad live in the Cévennes. The Camargue is home to the European cistude, one of France's three wild tortoises.
Spiders and insects
Praying mantises can be seen, while Andalusian and common cicadas and field crickets can be heard. Dragonflies and butterflies abound all over the Gard. Small spiders such as the cinnabar spider, with their red, mottled backs, are a sight to behold. Bupreste and cétoine dorée look like jewels on the foliage. Bees, in wild swarms or bred by numerous beekeepers, find a privileged territory in the Gard.
Fish
The Camargue offers an interesting mix of fresh, brackish and salt water. Eels and shad migrate here. Sea bream, staple fish, cod and red mullet are found in the sea. Trout are the most popular fish in Gard's rivers, but the controlled waterways allow pike to thrive in the more stable stretches, to the delight of fishing enthusiasts.
Flora
The garrigue is considered to be the result of the degradation of the primitive holm oak forest caused by human activity over several centuries. However, holm oaks still predominate in the garrigue. Their undergrowth is home to a number of other plant species, the most common of which are laurel-tin, European sarsaparilla, clematis flammette and, more rarely, the peony officinale, which manages to maintain itself in the shade of the trees. In troughs and faults with deeper soil, white or pubescent oak is found. In rocky areas, the remaining vegetation makes the most of any soil. This is where rosemary, straight thistle and ryegrass grow as shrubs. On the moors, we find boxwood, pistachio, juniper, broom and thyme. In the basins and plains, vineyards have replaced cereal crops.
In the Cévennes, chestnut cultivation, introduced in the Middle Ages, has long defined the landscape, but climate change and disease are gradually leading to its disappearance. Maritime pine is tending to replace it. Chestnut was planted by monks, pine by the mining industry, for its rapid growth and loud cracking sound before breaking - which warned workers of the risk of tunnel collapse. Laricio and Scots pines are also common in the mountains. A few olive trees here and there complete the palette of greens that fill the eye from spring onwards. In the valley or at mid-altitude, acacia produces honey in April and black elderberry syrup in May and June. Wild cherry, birch and whitebeam grow alongside callune, arbutus, heather and fern in the undergrowth. Higher up, beech trees appear, surrounded by raspberry, bilberry, goldenrod, fir, spruce and mountain ash. The Généragues bamboo grove and its avenue of redwoods, the result of over a hundred years of planting and maintenance, is a striking but enchanting addition to the Cévennes landscape.
In the Camargue, the rose gardens are considered to be among the largest in Europe. The sansouïres, created by the tides and therefore highly saline, make up a large part of the landscape. Salicornia, soda, obiones and saladelles can be found here. The marshes are home to bulrushes and phragmites. The riparian forests, formed by trees along watercourses, include species common to the department, such as white poplar, field elm, ash, white willow, tamarisk, sauce laurel, brambles, hawthorns, and a few creepers such as honeysuckle, wild vine, sarsaparilla and traveller's madder.
