France of the West, of North and of the Centre knows a oceanic moderate climate moderate by the latitude, Is recording country of the nuances a little more continental: these conditions are favourable with the forest of leafy trees where oaks, charms and beeches dominate.
The Mediterranean South is specific (soft winters, summers hot and arid) which results in an adapted vegetation: forests of green oaks, cork oaks, pines, olive-trees whose degradation gives the on crystalline ground and the scrubland on calcareous ground. The staging of the vegetation marks the mountains, fresher and sprinkled, leafy trees on the low slopes, and conifers in altitude, which the alpine lawn in the highest zones overcomes. The fluvial laws translate this variety: rain mode of the oceanic rivers (rising of winter, low water level of summer), Mediterranean mode in the south (rising of autumn, low water level of summer), nivo-glacial mode of the mountains (rising of spring, low water level of winter