Arid meadows

Arid prairies, habitats of considerable conservation and landscape value, have, in recent decades, undergone transformations caused by man and natural evolutionary processes, and are therefore subject to degradation and risk of disappearance. The typical flora is extremely specialized and made up of individuals adapted to conditions of limited water availability and thin, poor soils. In these peculiar situations, polyspecific perennial grasslands have developed dominated by hemicryptophytic grasses, generally secondary, referable to the Festuco – Brometea class, often affected by a rich presence of species of the family. Orchidaceae: approximately 20 species of wild orchids have been observed. All the formations surveyed were considered homologous to the dry meadows found within the Morainic Complex Nature Reserve of Castellaro Lagusello (SIC IT20B0012), and therefore classified within the scope of EU Directive 42/93 as Habitat 6210* (Dry grassy formations semi-natural on calcareous substrate – Festuco- Brometalia).