Description
The massive inflow of cold water into Lake Toblino - starting in 1951, when the nearby Santa Massenza hydroelectric power station came into operation, to which the cold, silt-rich water from the Molveno and Ponte Pià basins flows through penstocks - has led to a decrease in water temperature and transparency and a change from an intense green colour to a milky one, while the sedimentation of the silty materials causes a slow but progressive decrease in the depth of the lake.
The mildness of the climate allows for the presence of a sub-Mediterranean type of plant landscape, in which deciduous, thermophilous thickets (with downy oak Quercus pubescens, hop-hornbeam Ostrya carpinifolia and flowering ash Fraxinus ornus) alternate with dense holm oak (Quercus ilex), an oak typical of hot, arid Mediterranean environments.
Some species, such as the laurel (Laurus nobilis), reach the northern limit of their distributional range here, giving the Toblino basin considerable phytogeographical value.
Typical Mediterranean cultivated plants such as rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo), lemon tree (Citrus limon) and olive tree (Olea europaea) also bear fruit in the area around the lake.
The marsh and lake vegetation is poorly represented and, in the northern part of the lake, is impoverished due to the massive inflow of cold water from Lake Santa Massenza.
The great variety of environments in the Biotope is reflected in the fauna, resulting in its remarkable richness and diversity.
The lake is home to a rich and varied fish fauna and is an important breeding area for numerous species of waterfowl that find refuge and nesting space in the reed beds along the banks, such as the river nightingale (Cettia cetti), mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), moorhen (Gallinula chloropus), coot (Fulica atra) and the rare great crested grebe (Podiceps cristatus). Even the grey heron (Ardea cinerea) has nested, taking advantage of the small but quiet islet facing the castle, and over the years has formed a conspicuous breeding colony.
Numerous species of birds use the lake as a wintering or resting place during migration, also due to the fact that its waters rarely freeze completely.
A rich and varied vertebrate fauna also finds refuge and nourishment in the dense and lush vegetation of the slopes surrounding the lake.
Visiting facilities
- Visiting path
