THE ANIMALS AND THE  FLOWERS IN THE ADAMELLO BRENTA PARK

Of the animals that live in the park, a special mention goes to the brown bear, which is firmly established here. Other common species are the chamois, the roe deer, the red deer, the fox, the marmot, the hare, the badger, the weasel, the marten, the stone marten, the capercaillie and the black grouse. More limited in numbers, on the other hand, are the eagle, the buzzard, the kestrel, the falcon and the lammergeier.

The presence of humans in the higher grazing area is denoted by the shepherd’s huts (or malga in Italian).

More than a third of the surface area of the park is covered by various kinds of wood: the nature of the terrain, the level of acidity of the soil, exposure to the sun and the availability of water are all factors which explain the presence of a high number of species of tree. Between 800 and 1,000 metres we find shrubs such as the cornelian cherry, the rowan tree and the hazel along with trees that prefer less severe temperatures such as the sweet chestnut, the durmast oak, the downy oak and the hornbeam. The willow and the alder flourish along the banks of the rivers.

The vegetation in the higher areas mainly features the Norway spruce, with some examples of the rowan tree and the elder; lower down, between 1,000 and 1,400 metres, the majestic beech dominates, interspersed with the Italian maple, the yew and the silver fir. Above 1,800 metres we find the larch and the Arolla pine.

Above 2,000 metres, called the “Alpine tundra”, only the mountain pine, the juniper, the green alder and the rhododendron grow. Flowers found in the park include the gentian, the gentianella, the scented nigritelle, the Alpine anemone, the arnica, the buttercup and the edelweiss.