Description
At an altitude of 1605 metres, Calaita is a natural lake caused by a moraine barrage.
The water level is not constant and this gives rise to the lake's naturalistic peculiarity, namely the muddy strip that is periodically submerged.
The rarest and most interesting species of flora in the area are linked to this particular environment. The fact that most of these have been known since the beginning of the 19th century shows that the instability in the water level is a long-standing phenomenon.
On the west bank, for example, the rare Ranunculus reptans is quite frequent, a species that settles in the strip periodically submerged by water and which would risk extinction if - as has been repeatedly suggested - the lake level were to be stabilised by artificial interventions. Also valuable is the conspicuous presence of Sparganium emersum, perhaps now the only one in Trentino.
Polygonum amphibium has here probably the only presence in the entire Primiero-Vanoi area, as does the sporadic and rare Gnaphalium uliginosum. Respectively on peat and in muddy areas we can find Potentilla palustris and Rorippa islandica.
In addition to various species of sedges, we also find a rare grass, Alopecurus aequalis, a thistle(Cirsium palustre) and various potentillas and buttercups. In the surrounding area, the flowering period shows off the colours of the typical flora of wet meadows and pastures.