Description
Wet meadows are one of the environments identified in the Provincial Nature Reserves.
They appear at first glance as normal mown meadows, with more or less tall grass, and indeed on the surface it is difficult to detect any differences between these two environments. However, when one takes a closer look, it becomes evident that the floristic species present, and therefore also the plant communities, are not the same.
They are essentially characterised by a greater presence of water in the soil, which strictly conditions plant life, represented by hygrophilous (moisture-loving) species.
Wet meadows generally occupy the flat portions of valley floors or plateaus and are established on land where the water table is shallow, sometimes along ditches and streams.
They are environments that are seriously threatened due to human interventions. In fact, they are considered unproductive areas, since the grass mowed from them has little nutritional value and cannot be used to feed cattle; on the other hand, the waterlogged soil limits the agricultural use of these areas.
Until a few decades ago, the wet meadows were regularly mowed and the grass was used as litter, i.e. as bedding for stable animals; attempts at 'reclamation' were usually limited to the construction of drainage ditches on the boundary between properties. Nowadays, the land they occupy, which is much sought after because it is located in flat areas and at low to medium altitudes, is easily reclaimed by placing drainage ditches or covering them with inert materials.
Thus, inexorably, wet meadows give way to built-up areas, craft and industrial settlements, and sports facilities: a rarefaction that makes their flora increasingly infrequent and worthy of preservation.
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In the wet meadows of Trentino there are different types of plant communities. One of the most widespread is that characterised by the meadow mistle(Scirpus silvaticus), another by the golden mace(Lysimachia vulgaris) and meadowsweet(Filipendula ulmaria). The molinieti, which as a rule constitute a later evolutionary stage of the low moor vegetation, are wet meadows in which the grass Molinia caerulea predominates. Some very beautiful and easily recognisable species can be seen in them, such as Gentiana pneumonanthe, cuckoo flower(Lychnis flos-cuculi), marsh thistle(Cirsium palustre) and the orchids Dactylorhiza incarnata and Epipactis palustris. | |
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Wet meadows are frequented for feeding and also for nesting by various bird species associated with open environments. In the case of sufficiently extensive wet meadows, the avifauna is enriched by presences typical of wetland environments, whose distribution is usually limited to peat bogs and the banks of lakes and watercourses. These are interesting and usually uncommon species. | |
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| In wet meadows one can observe reptile species linked to other open environments, such as theorbettino, but also entities typical of wet environments, such as the collared snake and the viviparous lizard. The presence of the latter two species depends, however, on the characteristics of the habitat, which must include water pools and areas with herbaceous vegetation that is not too tall. | |
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The small pools and ditches that dot or furrow wet meadows are very often used by amphibians for breeding. This is why in spring it is not difficult to observe freshly laid eggs or tadpoles. Due to their small size, these pools of water are never home to large numbers of animals, but their importance is nevertheless high: they are, for example, among the favourite habitats of the rare yellow-bellied toad. | |
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| There are no mammal species exclusive to these environments, i.e. they find in them their only habitat for survival. There are, however, numerous entities that habitually frequent wet meadows for feeding purposes, feeding on herbaceous plants or small invertebrates, or to find quiet sites suitable for reproduction. | |
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In wet meadows, the presence of water on the ground surface and the abundant herbaceous vegetation determine the existence of a rich invertebrate fauna. Snails and other molluscs, insects and their larvae, and other small animals live in the pools of water on the ground; just as many spend their life cycle in the dense herbaceous vegetation. | |
