Riserva naturale orientata Parma Morta
Encyclopedia
The Natural Reserve Parma Morta is located in Emilia-Romagna in the commune of Mezzani
(Province of Parma
| Parma), and was established in 1990.
.
The water stagnating here comes from Enza and go back along the inactive river branch up to half a mile from the today’s course of Parma.
To assure to the area a constant level of water necessary to maintain the ecosystem, was created a phytodepurating system that ensure a constant input of water from surrounding canals.
, black alder
and groves of elm
, field maple and pedunculate oak.
In the reserve grows some particular plants as the Summer Snowflake (Leucojum aestivum), the 'Four Leaf Clover' (Marsilea quadrifolia
). The rarest one is the Utricularia vulgaris
, a rootless aquatic carnivorous plant
who capture small insects and in summer shows beautiful yellow flowers sprouting from water.
of the European Community. The reserve is one of the six areas designated as Natura 2000
sites belonging to the project Life+ "Pianura Parmense" and is one of the last wetlands remained in a very anthropized area.
Mezzani
Mezzani ) is a comune in the Province of Parma in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about 90 km northwest of Bologna and about 15 km northeast of Parma...
(Province of Parma
Province of Parma
The Province of Parma is a province in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Parma.It has an area of 3,449 km², and a total population of 413,198...
| Parma), and was established in 1990.
Territory
Situated between the mouths of rivers Parma and Enza it includes a strip of territory of about 5 km long and covers an area of 64,51 ha along a wetland called Parma Morta. In this place flowed once the river Parma. Till 1870 it flowed into the Enza, and then his course was diverted to flow directly into the river PoPo
-Places:* Po , a major Italian river* Pô , the name of a département of the First French Empire in present Italy* Potha, the name of two villages in Pakistan* Po, Wiang Kaen, a village in Chiang Rai Province, Thailand...
.
The water stagnating here comes from Enza and go back along the inactive river branch up to half a mile from the today’s course of Parma.
To assure to the area a constant level of water necessary to maintain the ecosystem, was created a phytodepurating system that ensure a constant input of water from surrounding canals.
Flora
Along the old river course are can be found plants like carex and other semi-aquatic plants, shrubs of Glossy BuckthornRhamnus frangula
Frangula alnus, syn. Rhamnus frangula, the Alder Buckthorn, is a tall deciduous shrub in the family Rhamnaceae. It is native to Europe, northernmost Africa, and western Asia, from Ireland and Great Britain north to 68°N in Scandinavia, east to central Siberia and Xinjiang in western China, and...
, black alder
Alder
Alder is the common name of a genus of flowering plants belonging to the birch family . The genus comprises about 30 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, few reaching large size, distributed throughout the North Temperate Zone and in the Americas along the Andes southwards to...
and groves of elm
Elm
Elms are deciduous and semi-deciduous trees comprising the genus Ulmus in the plant family Ulmaceae. The dozens of species are found in temperate and tropical-montane regions of North America and Eurasia, ranging southward into Indonesia. Elms are components of many kinds of natural forests...
, field maple and pedunculate oak.
In the reserve grows some particular plants as the Summer Snowflake (Leucojum aestivum), the 'Four Leaf Clover' (Marsilea quadrifolia
Marsilea quadrifolia
-Common names:'Four Leaf Clover'; European waterclover ; Sushni in parts of India; "aaraik keerai" in Tamil and is in use for more than 3000 years as part of food.-Origins:M...
). The rarest one is the Utricularia vulgaris
Utricularia vulgaris
Utricularia vulgaris is an aquatic species of bladderwort found in Asia and Europe. The plant is a free-floating and does not put down roots. Stems can attain lengths of over one metre in a single growing season, but die back and form turions in winter...
, a rootless aquatic carnivorous plant
Carnivorous plant
Carnivorous plants are plants that derive some or most of their nutrients from trapping and consuming animals or protozoans, typically insects and other arthropods. Carnivorous plants appear adapted to grow in places where the soil is thin or poor in nutrients, especially nitrogen, such as acidic...
who capture small insects and in summer shows beautiful yellow flowers sprouting from water.
Fauna
This area gives shelter to many species of animals coming from the surrounding cultivated fields. Is an important refuge for amphibians, reptiles and birds; here nests some of the target species of the Birds DirectiveBirds Directive
The Birds Directive is a European Union directive adopted in 2009. It replaces Council Directive 79/409/EEC of 2 April 1979 on the conservation of wild birds which was modified several times and had become very unclear...
of the European Community. The reserve is one of the six areas designated as Natura 2000
Natura 2000
Natura 2000 is an ecological network of protected areas in the territory of the European Union.-Origins:In May 1992, the governments of the European Communities adopted legislation designed to protect the most seriously threatened habitats and species across Europe. This legislation is called the...
sites belonging to the project Life+ "Pianura Parmense" and is one of the last wetlands remained in a very anthropized area.