Basòdino: Robiei-Bocchetta di Val Maggia-Robiei

Basòdino is the largest and most studied glacier in the Canton of Ticino. Natural evolution has brought about cyclical increases and decreases of its surface, but currently, climate change is causing the glacier to gradually retreat. Under current conditions, it is estimated to disappear by 2050. What is interesting to discover, however, is the great variety of pioneer species that arise and proliferate around it. At the Glacier Plain, for example, it is possible to admire the Fiorina Valley, a federally protected alpine floodplain area, where species particularly suited to the alpine context can be found, such as the glacier buttercup, spike wormwood genepi, glacier androsace, granite yarrow, and cliff carnation. Living at high altitudes requires strong adaptation skills: the seasons are short and the climatic conditions extreme. You can observe the cushions of dwarf eritrichium, the leaves covered with woolly fuzz of white-groundsel or the fleshy leaves of greater houseleek; there are also creeping dwarf shrubs such as the retuse willow. The environment is highly appreciated by animals such as the ermine, white partridge, or varying hare, which have the peculiarity of changing their fur (or plumage) color depending on the season.

Discover many other walks "Discovering biodiversity" in the printed guide. Information: www.a-pro.ch