Description
The lake, carved into the porphyritic rocks that characterise the entire Lagorai chain, is located above the edge of the forest in an area occupied by rhododendron (Rondodendron ferruginuem), dwarf juniper (Juniperus communis ssp. nana) and bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus).
The western end of the lake is slowly swamping and, in the transition zone between land and water, Eriophorum angustifolium is abundant.
A narrow band of Trichophorum caespitosum occupies the outermost area, which is less humid and generally dry in the summer, and mounds of sphagnum are scattered in various places around the basin.
Carex rostrata, a species indicating a high water content of the substrate, is widespread in the more flooded areas that are not subject to summer drying.
In the wettest areas near the trichophore are two other sedges, Carex fusca and Carex echinata, and, very close to the lake, in an area with outcropping peat, Carex limosa, typical of oligotrophic (i.e. nutrient-poor) peat bogs, is quite abundant.
Also worth mentioning is the presence of the insectivorous plant Pinguicola vulgaris and a fairly large stand of fibrous clover (Menyanthes trifoliata) on the shores of the lake, as well as the species of the genus Sparganium, which covers the waters of the lake with its floating stems throughout the summer.
The lake is populated by a large number of alpine newts (Triturus alpestris), Urodeli typical of small mountain lakes where no ichthyofauna is present. Dragonflies of the genus Aeschna, among the largest among the Odonata of Trentino, are abundant.
The area around the lake is regularly frequented by chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra) and black grouse (Tetrao tetrix) as well as various other species, including marmots (Marmota marmota) and ermine (Mustela erminea).
