Basòdino: Robiei-Bocchetta di Val Maggia-Robiei

The Basòdino is the longest and most extensively studied glacier in the canton of Ticino. Natural evolution has brought cyclical increases and decreases in its surface area, but climate change is currently causing the glacier to gradually retreat. At the current rate, it has been estimated that it may disappear before 2050. The wide variety of pioneering species that spring up and proliferate around it are nevertheless interesting to discover. For example, near the Piano del Ghiacciaio you can admire the Valetta di Fiorina, a federally protected alpine floodplain that it is home to species particularly suited to alpine conditions, such as the glacier buttercup, Artemisia genipi Weber, Androsace alpina, yarrow and Geum reptans. Living at high altitude requires a particular adaptability: the seasons are short and the climatic conditions extreme. You are sure to see pads of Eritrichium nanum, the white fluff-covered leaves of white ragwort and the fleshier leaves of the common houseleek; there are also creeping dwarf shrubs such as the Salix retusa. The environment is also extremely popular with animals such as the stoat, rock ptarmigan and mountain hare, which change the colour of their fur (or plumage) depending on the season.

Discover more walks "Alla scoperta della biodiversità" in the printed guide (in Italian). Information: www.a-pro.ch