Botanical Hike – Orchids, Tiger Lilies, Poppies and Gentian
A richly diverse flora has gradually emerged in our landscape as a result of our centuries-long cultivation of rough pastures. The distribution of plants in nature is not simply left to chance; certain plants appear together under similar circumstances. On our hikes, we will explore the biodiversity of some of the most beautiful places in South Tyrol. Intensive agriculture has still not reached these natural and cultivated landscapes.
A fascinating biodiversity still survives in these rough pastures and sunlit meadows. Rough pastures can be dry grasslands or wetlands which have been gently cultivated by people for many centuries. The flowering of the dry grasslands in June – the so-called mountain spring – is a particularly astounding spectacle. Up to 100 different plant species grow here in very small spaces, including a number of rare and protected ones.
60 species of wild orchid alone are found in South Tyrol. At first sight, they often appear less attractive and less remarkable than their tropical relatives, but closer up they are just as interesting and often something quite special.
Info:
Route rating/description: botanical hike
Mountain range: Mendelkamm/Costiera della Mendola
Length: 8 km
Time: 3 hours
Highest point: 1638 m
Elevation gain: 330 m
Ideal time of year: mountain spring (May + June).
