High Altitudes

The high altitudes of Maiella are represented by dry stony ground punctuated with sods of pioneer vegetation. The environmental conditions are prohibitive and yet this area offers an exclusive floristic and biogeographical heritage, featured by glacial relicts and species of Eastern origin, arrived there in remote ages. The suffered isolation caused the diversification of new floristic components creating a high biodiversity.

Here the plants are bent to the ground in order to hold out against the wind, like the dwarf willow of high altitudes; otherwise they can take the shape of dosserets and small cushions like the Apennine Androsace and the Silene Acaulis. Some of them are provided with a thick vestiture of hairs (Apennine Edelweiss) or they are crassulent such as Sengreens and House-leeks: these are necessary adaptations to survive the high dryness of the air and of the rocky substratum. Since the snowy period is long, the seasonal cycle is very short with a gaudy blossoming which attracts the yucca moth insects, especially the small and dark butterflies typical at these altitudes. Here, flower colours are often in the range of yellow, purple-blue or white in order to protect their vegetable tissues from the ultra-violet rays.

Usually mammals don’t adapt themselves to this kind of environment, however we can find in this area the Apennine Chamois, ungulate disappeared from Majella mountains and then reintroduced in 1990.
On the main Majella peaks, where the snowy period is very long, lives the snowbird: this species lives there even during the winter, while feeding on insects of the snowy spots during the summer. Also the alpine accentor can be connected with high altitudes, especially in the Moor Grass (Sesleria) pasturelands.

The Mugo Pine woods are very important, being the largest ones in the Apennines; here lives the Orsini Viper, a dying risk species in Europe.

Because of the similarity between the Majella peaks and the arctic tundra the Dotterel chose it as its haunt. This is a Scandinavian migratory bird which often bred in these mountains in past times. Today the Park is carrying out researches about its presence on these areas.