Читать книгу Switzerland's Jura Crest Trail. A two week trek from Zurich to Geneva онлайн

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 Greater masterwort (Astrantia major ), a member of the carrot family with a tall, hollow singular stem bearing an umbellifer head of flowers, that are very popular with butterflies

 Plume knapweed (Centaurea uniflore ), easily recognisable by the straight stem covered with short rough hair and grey-green leaves of less than 1cm, and a pineapple bud under the thistle-like flowering head.

Protected areas

Throughout the Jura, there are a number of nature reserves and protected areas, identified by localised signage. These are in place to protect flowers and wildlife of the area, therefore should be respected. You should not pick any wildflowers, as they are unlikely to survive outside of their natural habitat. Some flowers, such as edelweiss, are protected throughout the Alps and could result in an offence being committed if you pick the flowers.

When to go

It is important to choose the right time to walk the Jura Crest Trail, as snow can fall as late as April, and as early as October, leaving the highest parts of the trail hidden. This, alongside the high winds that sometimes cross Lake Geneva, can cause the wind chill to drop significantly. Do remember that the Jura rises up to 1679m in height. It is a mountainous area, providing microclimates that could rapidly cause adverse weather conditions as seen in the Alps, even though it is considerably lower than most of the mountainous regions of Switzerland. Close to the southern end of the Jura, Mouthe, 10km inside the French border, is regarded as the ‘French Siberia’ because its temperature dropped to -41ºC in 1985. The underground glacier in Saint-George (Stage 13) remains frozen year round, demonstrating the extreme temperatures that can occur on the Jura.