Description
It was once a lake mirror, which followed the natural course of life of every lake, 'ageing' over the centuries due to the gradual deposition of sediment on the bottom and the gradual invasion by marsh vegetation, until it was transformed into a beautiful peat bog.
Unfortunately, the natural evolution of this environment was abruptly disrupted in the past by the industrial extraction of peat, which led to the destruction of a large portion of the peat bog vegetation and the consequent 'restoration' of the stretch of water.
All this profoundly altered the delicate balance of the ecosystem, which only today, thanks to the protection granted to the site, is slowly being restored
The current appearance of Lake Pudro is that of a vast wetland area in which patches of the original vegetation survive, which, starting from the interior towards the shores, saw the following plant communities follow one another
- the aggallate (floating 'carpet')
- the sedge (herbaceous vegetation characterised by plants of the genus Carex),
- the marsh reed thicket (Phragmites australis),
- the thicket
- the hygrophilous wood of black alder (Alnus glutinosa).
These plant communities, as already mentioned, mostly survive only in patches; only the reed thicket is dense and luxuriant, and indeed the water reed, thanks to its 'rusticity', manages to prevail over the rare marsh plants rendered delicate by the stress caused by human tampering. For this reason, the reed thicket has partially invaded the other, more complex and delicate vegetation, contributing to limit its extension.
The most remarkable and valuable plant element in the Biotope is the aggallato, which is a veritable carpet of intertwined plants floating on the water, isolating a large 'bubble' underneath. It is peripherally anchored to other rooted vegetation and easily supports the weight of a man. Walking on it, one can feel its oscillation as if one were on one of those water balloons found in amusement parks.
Lake Pudro used to be the largest lake in Trentino, but the excavation of peat reduced its surface area, turning it into a sort of 'raft', which triggered the invasion of the marsh straw.
In addition, the extraction of the peat opened up large expanses of free water in which the lamineto, a vegetation of aquatic plants with floating leaves, here mainly consisting of water lilies (Nymphaea alba), appeared.
Among the many interesting botanical species in the biotope, some are particularly noteworthy due to their rarity. This is the case of the insectivorous sundew (Drosera intermedia) and utricularia (Utricularia vulgaris), Rhynchospora alba and Carex diandra.
The floristic richness finds its parallel in the fauna, which is represented in the Biotope by numerous species of great interest. In fine weather, Lake Pudro comes alive with the powerful croaking of green frogs (Rana sinkl. esculenta) and the songs and cries of various rare aquatic birds, which find here an extraordinary variety of environments, from the hygrophilous woods, now extremely rare in Trentino, to open water: they can therefore stop, feed and breed in peace. Grey herons (Ardea cinerea), kingfishers (Alcedo atthis), little bitterns (Ixobrychus minutus), geese, ducks, little grebes (Tachybaptus ruficollis), water rails (Rallus aquaticus) and reed warblers (Acrocephalus, several species) are but a sample of the avifauna of Lake Pudro.
