by Alan Grainger

Text and Photographs © The Alpine Garden 2003
Photographs taken using a Nikon 995 Digital and a Pentax MZ7 SLR with 100mm Macro,
 28-80mm telephoto and 80mm-200mm telephoto lenses, using Fuji Sensia 100 transparency film
In July 2003, Sherba and I were fortunate enough to be offered the opportunity to lead wildflower walks in the Dolomite Mountains of Northern Italy on behalf of Collett's Mountain Holidays. From our base in Arabba, situated some 75 miles and two and a half hours north west of Venice, we were able to explore the regions of Val Gardena, Sella, Campolongo, Pordoi and Falzarego, areas rich in meadow, woodland and alpine flora. Dominated by the peaks of Piz Boe and Marmolada, the Dolomites are unlike any other mountain chain.......almost lunar in their appearance......and loved by geologists, historians, climbers, skiers and walkers alike.
There follows a brief account of our trip and the plants seen......hopefully an incentive for some of you to join us in the coming years. We hope you enjoy this article as much as we enjoyed the foundation for it.

 

It was difficult when planning this article to determine what the format should be. Should it merely show photographs of the plants in the Dolomites? Perhaps divide the plants into habitats such as meadows, woods, rock outcrops and screes? A blow by blow account of our escapades? A travelogue?

And what would you the reader require from such an account?

Granted, there will be those of you who will never set foot in the Dolomites but I know that before Sherba and I left for Italy, it was almost impossible to find any good articles relating to what plants to expect or where to find them. And so, with that void in mind, I took the decision to identify areas we had visited and the plants we found there. It is a far from comprehensive list of either but it is hoped that in addition to being an informative article, it will also assist any future travellers to the area in what to find and where and when to find it. I hope you too will one day benefit from the decision.


COLFOSCO
We began our first day in the field with a visit to Colfosco and a journey through the meadows to the waterfall at Pisciadu. Accessed from the Passo Gardena, west of Corvara {when travelling from Arabba}, these were amongst the best meadows we saw on the entire trip. The dozen or so photos do nothing to appraise one of the wealth of flora in these meadows but to show them all would require a gallery and this is not the purpose of this report, although time permitting, this may eventually be realised.

 THE FLORA
The cream flowers of Astragalus frigidus  were enhanced by the luminous pink hues of the Fragrant Orchid, Gymnadenia conopsea, prolific throughout the entire area but especially so here. The Broomrape, Orobanche gracilis was in full "flower", nestled amidst the vetches and orchids.





Astragalus frigidus
 		Gymnadenia conopsea Orobanche gracilis
The family Campanulaceae was well represented by, amongst others, Campanulas rotundifolia, cochlearifolia, patula, glomerata and barbata as well as Phyteuma orbiculare. The Scabious and Knautia were abundant and, as was to be expected, attracted a host of butterflies of which species, I must admit to being totally ignorant. Maybe next time I will have had the opportunity to learn about them.
I had anticipated the possibility of seeing Liliums bulbiferum and martagon in this area but it was not to be on this particular day. However, Liliaceae was represented by the delightful yellow spikes of Tofieldia calyculata.





Campanula patula
 		Knautia dipsacifolia
 		Campanula barbata
 		Tofieldia calyculata


Two geraniums were seen in this area, Gg sylvaticum and pratense, intertwined with blooms of other meadow flowers, a canvas befitting any high-ranking art collection.
Geranium sylvaticum
 		Geranium pratense


Moving on towards the waterfall and away from the meadows, the rocky outcrops were awash with Rhododendron hirsutum, Campanula cochlearifolia and a truly lovely form of the pink alpine gypsophila, Gypsophila repens.

Rhododendron hirsutum
 		Campanula cochlearifolia
 		Gypsophila repens


PORDOI
Day Two was a little nearer base and along the Pordoi Pass by bus from Arabba. A short 20 minute drive, made longer by the multitude of hairpin bends up to the top. The roadside verges were massed with Fragrant Orchids, Martagon Lilies (Lilium martagon) and the spectacular Dianthus superbus. Occasionally, Gentiana nivalis, the Snow Gentian, could be seen (but NOT from the bus I might add!!!). The walk from the car park at Pordoi took us along the path to the Mausoleum, a short, gentle stroll, ideal for flower admiration and photography.....and there was plenty to see. Cornflowers (Centaurea rhaeticum) were in abundance, as were the yellow rattles (Rhinanthus minor), Campanula rotundifolia and the shining scabious (Scabiosa lucida), together with a host of familiar meadow plants seen in many other locations throughout the trip and including the fragrant and vanilla orchids, woolly hawkweeds, the bearded campanula, the melancholy thistle and numerous vetches. Probably the finds of the day on this walk were the Spring Gentian (Gentiana verna) and the German Gentian (Gentianella germanica).


Centaurea rhaeticum
 		Gentiana verna
 		Rhinanthus minor
 		Gentianella germanica



Campanula rotundifolia
 		Scabiosa lucida
 		Dianthus superbus
 		Lilium martagon


In addition to the many rewarding aspects of leading wildflower walks, there is the "worst nightmare" scenario of having no wildflowers to show the clients. This was fast becoming a reality as the meadows were being cut with a vengeance before the onset of the autumn. Our first "day off" was spent in search of flower abundance wherever that might be and so we decided to do a reccy of the four passes. Heading off in an easterly direction from Arabba, we made our way along the Falzarego Pass to the area Cliff Booker had described as a "must see". Falzarego is a 30 minute drive from Arabba and the car park and Gondola ride lie at the foot of Lagazuoi.......probably our favourite of all the areas we visited. (More about Lagazuoi later). This whole area is a delight and one could spend a week here without being disappointed. Falzarego is a mix of meadow, rock outcrop and scree with beautiful views all around but its added attraction is that just one mile from this area along the Valparola Pass is another  alpine wonderland with the bonus of a huge parking lot which no-one except a few care to use......presumably because there are no no facilities like toilets, rifugios and souvenir shops. We entered the details into our notebook for inclusion in our programme then continued our drive along the Valparola pass towards the Passa Gardena. This was another of Cliff's favourite areas but I must admit that I think he saw the best of it. There were a few bits and pieces in flower but nothing to write home about. And so onwards and upwards (well downwards actually) and on to the Sella Pass. We parked up at the Rifugio (well you HAVE to, don't you !!!) and called in for a Radler.....a mixture of beer and lemon soda. A quick look around the rocks and this was determined as another definite spot for the itinerary. Reputedly the home of Ranunculus seguierii but we didn't see it on this occasion. After another "hard day" we made our way back into Arabba, satisfied that we would at least have some flowers to show our clients over the next few days. It didn't take us long to realise that they can cut meadows but they CAN'T cut rocks and screes!!!! More proof that my education wasn't totally wasted *grin*


VALPAROLA
 Our intention was to go north to Pedraces and from there to Santa Croce but we had no takers for the walk on this occasion so we made our way back to Valparola with a couple from our chalet, Anne and Stan from Bolton. It was a glorious day.....and especially busy as it was a Sunday....but this didn't deter us. We had seen enough yesterday to persuade us to spend some time botanising this area. We parked on the vacant car lot and waded our way through hundreds of the fabled yellow poppies (Papaver rhaeticum), stopping occasionally to take photographs and then walked across the road to the moraine area in front of the rocky outcrops where we just rambled and stumbled, climbed and mumbled and tiptoed between the prolific gentians and campanulas. This moraine was home to the yellow poppies, fairy's thimbles (Campanula cochlearifolia), snow-in-summer (Cerastium tomentosum), blue saxifraga (Saxifraga caesia) and stonecrops (Sedum atratum).

Now I want to relate a little story about the campanula.....well why not? I've told everyone else !!!!
You may see from the photo that it is not quite cochlearifolia and not quite rotundifolia. But it IS beautiful and I wanted to key it out on the chance that it might be a natural hybrid of some sort. Well a sure fire way to do this is to inspect both the flowers and the foliage. So being mindful of the need not destroy the plant, I very carefully moved the flowers with my finger to get a closer look at the foliage. Well was that a mistake !!!!! Inside the flower I moved was a bee and it wasn't too happy at being interrupted by an inquisitive 'botanist' from England. Without elaborating too much, you can take it from me that it was PAINFUL !!!!
And so, as beautiful as the plant may have been, it remains unidentified for the time being.


Moving on.........Another fabled plant of the Dolomites is the impressive Potentilla nitida and it grows on rocks in this very environment, so our mission for the day was to find it.......and find it we did.....in abundance. The silvery foliage offset by blooms of pale pink to deep red hugged the rocks in tight cushions. A joy to behold. And these rocks were home to a host of other plants. Phyteuma hemisphaericum poked its tiny little head out of the tightest rock crevices, Androsace helvetica too (although unfortunately not in flower) was well represented. Arenarias, Minuartias, Sedums and Saxifragas all vied for space on the rocks and Rhododendron hirsutum was not to be outdone either. Tiny ferns competed for crevices along with edelweiss (Leontipodium alpinum), Dryas octopetala and Thymus serpyllum but the most majestic sight was that of a Pinus mugo, no more than 12 inches high, firmly rooted on the top of a rock.
Cerastium tomentosum
 		Potentilla nitida
 		Dryas octopetala



Leontipodium alpinum
 		Phyteuma hemisphaericum
 		Saxifraga caesia


Papaver rhaeticum
 		Pinus mugo

 

SANTA CROCE
The church of Santa Croce is reached from the town of Pedraces, about a 30 minute drive north of Arabba along the Passo Campolongo towards Corvara and this is a wonderful day out for many reasons, not the least being the beautiful church which sits high up in the mountains. The first stage of this walk requires the cable car from San Rudolfo (you could walk......but it's a VERY, LONG, STEEP climb). After alighting, there is a steep climb up to the church which takes about 40 minutes and along the path, which is called the Via Croce (Way Of The Cross), have been built the 14 Stations Of The Cross. (For those not familiar with the Stations Of the Cross, this is a series of events depicting Christ's crucifixion and prayers are recited at each of the stations). Whether you are religious or not, each of the stations has been beautifully created and merits your attention.


Santa Croce Church & Rifugio
 		Station Of The Cross
Along the path were the leaves of the autumn crocus....thousands of them......and this would be a sight to behold later in the season. Orchids and cornflowers, arnicas and campanulas grew side by side with gentians and Aster alpinus in a wonderful display of colour. The small white Orchid, Pseudorchis albida shared ground with the wintergreen, Pyrola rotundifolia and true to form, Rhododendron hirsutum displayed its sparse blooms in a mixed array of reds and pinks.



Pseudorchis albida
 		Rhodo. hirsutum Pink Form
 		Pyrola rotundifolia
Arriving at the church, it didn't seem in the least sacrilegious to feast eyes on the adjacent Rifugio....after all, it was HOT and it had been a tough climb and it's amazing how much better a Radler tastes at that altitude......and in any case, we still had a LONG way to walk that day.
From the church, there are a number of routes to follow and we decided to take 15 and 15A through the meadows. Having visited the church before we set off, I can only assume that our choice had been 'divinely' inspired. These were, without doubt, the finest meadows we encountered on the entire trip. To say if "it grows in the Dolomites, it grows HERE" is probably not an exaggeration. It was difficult to find an area which wasn't colonised by orchids, gentians, gentianellas, asters, daisies, wolfbanes, senecios, cornflowers, scabious, pedicularis, rampions, campanulas and the like.
We stopped for lunch surrounded by Campanula glomerata, Gymnadenia conopsea and Gentiana verna whilst we watched the butterflies and moths busily caressing the knapweeds.......our clients,  too concerned with Kodak moments to  care about the food or the intensity of the sun on their backs. The walk back down was a delight if somewhat hard on the old knee and hip joints but the scenery and flora worked better than any analgesic to numb the discomfort. White thistles (Carduus defloratus alba), Snow gentians (Gentiana nivalis) and the Orange hawkweeds (Hieracium aurantiacum) were abundant and in good form...even the Rosebay willowherbs (Epilobium angustifolium) looked enticing in this habitat. Campanulas too, in the forms of C. rapunculoides and a startling white form of this same plant, had gone out of their way to greet us at the end of the walk which terminated at the cable station from which we had started some 9 hours previously. Once again, we just happened upon a Rifugio in the vicinity and boy did the Radler taste good.



Campanula glomerata
 		Six Spotted Burnet
 		Meadow Flowers



Campanula rapunculoides
 		C. rapunculoides white form
 		Carduus defloratus alba



Hieracium aurantiacum
 		Gentiana nivalis
 		Aconitum vulparia

COMING SOON

Part Two will include photos from the screes of Lagazuoi, the Sella Pass and the outcrops of Portovescovo