Once endemic in northern Sicily mountains, the Abies nebrodensis had been considered extinct since 1900. It was rediscovered in 1957 in the Vallone degli Angeli inside Madonie area, where there are only around thirty specimens, probably survived thanks to isolation and the reduced competitiveness of other stronger local species, such as the beech (Fagus sylvatica). […]

The description, albeit brief, of Madonie’s Park vegetation, can not be said exhausted without a necessary side note on the endemic flora and the rare plants that thrive in this amazing green universe. It is a rich and precious floral heritage that include exclusive species, in addition to some rarities at regional and national levels. […]

Genista cupani (Genista cupanii guss.) is a plant of Farbaceae family. This family is endemic of Sicily. Its name is an homage to the memory of Sicilian botanist Francesco Cupani. Morphology It is a perennial plant with a bushy appareance. Distribution and habitat Sicilian endemism, it is diffused on Nebrodi Mounts and in the Madonie, […]

Name Wild boar – Sus scrofa (Linneo 1758) Order Artiodactyla Family Suidae Identification It has longer paws and it is more slender than domestic pig, of which is the progenitor. The snout is longer, conical and supplied of prominent and archy tusks in male adults. The fur is thick, bristly, black, and grey-brown mottled; young […]

Name Fallow deer – Dama dama (Linnaeus. 1758) Order Artiodactyla Family Cervidae Identification Medium-sized ungulate (Body length 130-170 cm, height 100-130 cm, weight 40-80 kg). Recognizable by its long and wide palmate antlers, the reddish or yellowish-brown coat, with white spots on the back and sides. It has a short and black tail, which continues […]

It is a medium-sized hare, ranging in length from 40 to 70 cm, while the weight of an adult hare varies from 2 to 3.5 kg. Endemic to the Mediterranean region, it is present only in Central and Southern Italy, and Sicily. It lives in open, cultivated, meadow areas, and medium-high and high hills. In […]

The European hedgehog is a small animal (body length: 230-290 mm, adult weight: 400-1100 g) with the body entirely covered with short and thick spines, except for a narrow naked strip on the neck. These act as armor for the defense; in fact when the hedgehogs are threatened, they roll themselves into a ball, thanks […]

Appearance Of all the species that make up the genus Vulpes, the red fox is the largest, the most widespread and includes many subspecies. Its fur makes it more flashier than it is in reality, especially in winter when it becomes denser. Description The color is often reddish, ranging from yellow to brown, and depending […]

Name Butterflies (Rhopalocera) Class Insects Order Lepidoptera (name derived from the Greek words “lepi” for scale and “pteron” for wings. Wings covered with scales) Taxonomy We traditionally distinguish between diurnal butterflies (Rhopalocera) and moths (moths or Heterocera). Rhopalocera are not a natural group having taxonomic value; they only represent useful classification, a designation still utilized […]

The “Bosco di Favara e Bosco Granza” protected area covers an agricultural land belonging to Aliminusa, Cerda, Montemaggiore Belsito and Sclafani Bagni municipalities. Flora The area is dominated by cork oaks, flowering ashes and holm oaks. The shrubs in the undergrowth are the species typically spread in Sicilian woods, such as blackthorn, hawthorn, crab apple, […]

The St. Calogero Mountain Range is a massif consisting of limestone, dolomite and siliceous layers, and Numidian Flysch sediments. The ridges fractures which have formed over centuries created a landscape contrast between the rugged and wild peaks walls and the gentle valleys foothills. The limestrone rocks erosion and the runoff phenomena led to deep gorges […]

Name Aquila chrysaetos (Linnaeus, 1758) Order Accipitriformes Family Accipitridae Appearance The chrysaetos eagle, “golden” in Greek, is so called because of its plumage light color that covers the head. The upper parts are brown, while the feathers and plumes are clearer. The Golden Eagle has a length ranging from 74 to 87 cm and a […]