Riserva Naturale Salse di Nirano

Flora

Particular attention is not usually paid to the vegetation that grows near the "cones" of mud, but these seedlings with an inconspicuous appearance are different from those that grow all around and represent a fine example of typical and specialized vegetation, linked to precise environmental conditions. The muddy deposits that surround it are actually an extremely selective environment for plant life, especially for the high content of the clay and the considerable salinity of the soil. The latter is the factor that most influences the presence and distribution of plants, determining, with its progressive decrease as we move away from the gravy, the characteristic arrangement of vegetation. Near the mouths, the vegetation cover is sparse and fragmented, almost exclusively formed by scattered tufts of wheatgrass (Puccinellia borreri), a graminaceous typical of the coast soils and whose presence is of particular relief: that of Nirano is the most extended of the three inland populations today known nationally, all located in Emilia-Romagna, whose abundance around the lutivoma cones was among the reasons for the establishment of the Reserve in 1982. Among the species present is the most distinctly halophilic (salt lover), able to survive high concentrations of sulphates and sodium chloride. With the arrival of spring, even the thin seedlings of corregiola grass (Atriplex patula) appear, a common crop infestation present here in the angustifolia variety, with particular adaptations to the aridity and the salinity of the soil.

Moving slightly away come the cones there is the bupleurum (Bupleurum tenuissimum), a umbrellifer with predominantly coastal distribution and then takes over the coastal grass (Agropyron pungens), which forms denser grasslands, enlivened by the yellow blooms of the scorzonera of the clays and the rare grose with narrow leaves. Among these species, which most characterize the vegetation of the soil, there are also common herbaceous plants: marsh reed where the water stagnates, wild carrot, stumps, hawkweed oxtongue, crisp romice, common weeds and others adapted to the aridity of the clay soils in a more marginal position, to mark the gradual passage towards the surrounding meadows.

Fauna

In the Reserve, despite its modest size, there is a variety of mammals and birds typical of the northern Apennine hills, among which those related to the environments near the gullies have a greater importance.

As for mammals, the area is home to predators such as weasels, foxes, badgers and ubiquitous species such as mole, hare and numerous micro-mammals. The most interesting birds are those living in small oak woods and bushes that grow along the ridges and at the foot of the gullies. The most characteristic species are turtledove, red-backed shrike, woodlark, European goldfinch, European greenfinch, magpie, tit, melodius warbler, Western Bonelli's warbler, subalpine warbler, African stonechat and corn bunting. In areas with little or no vegetation, located in the gullies or around the soils, we could observe the white wagtail, with the unmistakable jolt of the tail and the whiteman, a migrant that mostly frequents stony grounds and arid lands. Among the birds of prey, the easiest species to observe is the kestrel, a small hawk that feeds on insects, lizards and small mammals.

There are also amphibians and reptiles, such as the common toad, the European tree frog, the agile frog, and newt crested and dotted. Among the reptiles, in addition to the most widespread ones such as lizards, green lizards, white snakes, Aesculapian snakes and grass snakes, it is worth mentioning the Italian three-toed skink.