The Ardière (, also Ardières) is a river in the Rhône department of France. The Ardière is one of the
tributaries
A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream ('' main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which the ...
of the
Saône
The Saône ( , ; ; ) is a river in eastern France (modern Regions of France, region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté). It is a right tributary of the Rhône, rising at Vioménil in the Vosges (department), Vosges Departments of France, department an ...
, which flows from the mountains of
Beaujolais
Beaujolais ( , ) is a French ''Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée'' (AOC) wine in the Burgundy wine, Burgundy region. Beaujolais wines are generally made of the Gamay grape, which has a thin skin and is low in grape tannins, tannin, but like most ...
.
Geography
The Ardière is in length.
The source of the Ardière is to the south-east of Mont Monet () and just below Mont Saint-Rigaud (), at an altitude of , within the commune of Les Ardillats. From there, the river flows into the Saône, in the Taponas commune at least a kilometre from the ''chef-lieu'' of the Canton of Belleville at an altitude of and just after passing beneath the Autoroute of the Sun. The Ardière flows into the Saône just before Montmerle island, opposite Montmerle-sur-Saône. The river valley there is the location of the D37 ''route départementale''.
Saint-Jean-d'Ardières
Saint-Jean-d'Ardières (, literally ''Saint-Jean of Ardières'') is a former commune in the Rhône department in eastern France. On 1 January 2019, it was merged into the new commune Belleville-en-Beaujolais.Taponas.
Tributaries
The Ardière has eleven tributary streams and two branches.
Tributaries are listed below, from upstream to downstream. R indicates a right tributary, L indicates a left tributary.
Toponyms
Local placenames related to the Ardière hydronym include the commune of
Saint-Jean-d'Ardières
Saint-Jean-d'Ardières (, literally ''Saint-Jean of Ardières'') is a former commune in the Rhône department in eastern France. On 1 January 2019, it was merged into the new commune Belleville-en-Beaujolais.Les Ardillats.
Ecology
Along the Ardière there are many fragile species, including the ''martin-pêcheur'' bird, the ''Bouvière'' fish, and fresh-water mussels of the Anodonta genus. One can also find two families of
dragonfly
A dragonfly is a flying insect belonging to the infraorder Anisoptera below the order Odonata. About 3,000 extant species of dragonflies are known. Most are tropical, with fewer species in temperate regions. Loss of wetland habitat threat ...
Aeshnidae
Aeshnidae, also called aeshnids, hawkers, or darners, is a family of dragonflies, found nearly worldwide, with more than 50 genera and over 450 species.
The family includes some of the largest dragonflies.
Description
Common worldwide or nearl ...
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, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...
has been recognised as likely to benefit from a reduction in pollution by pesticides and runoff from
viticulture
Viticulture (, "vine-growing"), viniculture (, "wine-growing"), or winegrowing is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine ...
as well as homes and communities. The Rhône-Alpes region launched and tender for the years 2003–2006.