In this episode on the ecosystems, guide Nam explains the importance of mangroves in the food chain. You'll also see the rafflesia, the largest flower in the world.

There's a newcomer at the zoo, and all the other animals are abuzz with speculation about its identity. Could it be... a human?

In the next segment of this Il était une fois... episode on ecosystems, the Maestro teaches us how to build a butterfly garden. You can build one anywhere—even on your apartment balcony!

Margaux and Manon are playing shop. Margaux is the lucky customer buying shoes and Manon settles for second best, playing the shopkeeper. Now you're all set to go shoe shopping on your next trip to France!

Could you imagine being told that you're adopted and then being kidnapped immediately after? That's what happens to the little critter in the first part of this "Zooriginaux" episode. It definitely sounds like the grounds for an identity crisis!

Some people believe that plants contain pollution-reducing properties. However, a study by a group of researchers in Lille debunked that theory.

The Maestro surpervises the building of a pond for the butterfly garden. Everything goes according to plan, despite the work of a few practical jokesters.

Margaux and Manon recite "The Crow and the Fox," a famous fable by the French poet Jean de La Fontaine, and explain some of the more difficult lines for us. It's a good poem to memorize to improve your French!

Daniel Benchimol visits Fontainebleau, a town south of Paris that many French kings visited. Its magnificent Renaissance style castle was Napoleon's favorite residence.

These young people want to do their part for the planet. Under the Maestro's supervision, they prepare a butterfly garden after learning that butterflies are an endangered species.

The French town of Morlaix is educating its citizens on the dangerous effects of global warming and what they can do to stop it. Their first defense against climate change: an electric bike!

The Maestro tells his students about the famous "Biosphere" project in Arizona, the largest enclosed ecological system in the world.

Faire (to make or to do) is one of the most basic verbs in the French language, and it is used in a large number of expressions and idioms. Margaux and Manon give us some colorful examples of the uses of faire in this video.

Hop aboard the Trolley des Lumières bus restaurant and dine in style while sightseeing through the city of Lyon. An unforgettable dining experience!

In the first episode of this new cartoon series, Once Upon a Time... Planet Earth, deforestation issues are addressed from outer space... Just grow a few trees in a spaceship and plant them on land later!

When a film shoot comes to town, it often brings a lot of jobs along with it, from hiring locals as extras to enlisting the services of caterers, hotels, and other businesses. The numerous film shoots near the town of Saint-Cyr-du-Gault have supported the area's economy and put many people to work.

Daniel Benchimol takes us through the village of Barbizon, which has served as an inspiration to numerous artists and writers since the mid-1800s. Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Claude Monet, and Robert Louis Stephenson are just a few of the many people who have fallen in love with this charming town.

This video describes a Christmas celebration at the Secours Populaire, an organization in France that helps underprivileged children and families, without passing judgment on their plight. Here they are celebrating Christmas with a big snack, gifts, chocolates, and a magic show.

A traditional Provençal Christmas would not be complete without the Santons Festival. In Marseille, you can wander through the downtown market and marvel at these Christmas clay figurines and enjoy the true spirit of Christmas.

Amerigo and his crew continue exploring the New World. Their water is almost gone. Fortunately, the river they're sailing on turns out to be the Amazon, so they won't die of thirst after all.

This nurseryman from Cinq-Mars-la-Pile urges Christmas tree buyers to do the right thing: buy a root balled tree so that it can be replanted the following year!

The Parisian band Duel, formed by Julien Boulfray and Brieuc Carnaille, takes us from the Champs-Élysées to the Caribbean atolls in this energetic music video.

Daniel Benchimol takes us on a stroll through Trouville, a town in Normandy that's famous for its boardwalk. A favorite of novelist Gustave Flaubert, this charming town also boasts some beautiful villas, a fishing port, and delicious restaurants.

Amerigo Vespucci sets foot for the first time on the American continent. He collects all manner of plants and animals, only to drop them into the Amazon River.