Cembra pine

Also known as Swiss stone pine or Arolla pine, the cembra pine is a five-needled pine and favours shady locations.
Together with the larch, the cembra pine is often found as …

Weiter lesen »

Mountain pine

Mountain pines dominate a large part of the National Park forests.
The mountain pine is the most common tree in the area of the Pass dal Fuorn. There are two varieties: …

Weiter lesen »

Norway spruce

In the National Park, there are practically no forests where only spruce grow.
In the National Park there are fewer spruce than in other regions of the Alps. Stands of spruce …

Weiter lesen »

Larch

In the Engadine, the autumnal golden-yellow colouring of the larch forests is a wonderful sight.
Of all the conifers growing in the region, the larch in its different stages is the …

Weiter lesen »

Edelweiss

Unmistakable emblem of the Alpine flora.
Over the last two centuries edelweiss was picked in vast quantities, to the extent that it was almost exterminated. In its natural surroundings it is …

Weiter lesen »

Lady’s-slipper

A relatively rare flower in the National Park.
This attractive member of the Orchid family grows on calcareous soil in open woodland. It is rarely found in the National Park, and …

Weiter lesen »

Nutcracker

It is no mere coincidence that the nutcracker was chosen as the logo for the National Park.
Nutcrackers feed on the seeds of the cembra pine, which they extract from the …

Weiter lesen »

Amphibolite

The dark mineral amphibole gave this rock its colour and its name: amphibolite.
The light specks come from the mineral feldspar. Amphibolite is the toughest rock in the region. It’s still …

Weiter lesen »

Cowberry

The cowberry is widely spread throughout the mountain pine forests of the National Park, whereas the bilberry or whortleberry avoids calcareous soils.
The leaves of the cowberry are shiny and “leathery”. …

Weiter lesen »

Wolf

More than any other animal, wolves figure in a large number of tales.
Who has not heard of Grimm’s Fairy Tales? As children we were all told the story of Little …

Weiter lesen »

Mountain clouded yellow

This butterfly is found in alpine meadows between 900 and 2500m altitude and occurs frequently throughout the Alps.
The caterpillar is dark green and has a narrow, white line along its …

Weiter lesen »

Grass frog

Grass frogs live in various different habitats: woods, meadows and alpine pastures up to the snow limit.
In spring the wetlands of the National Park resound to the croaking of grass …

Weiter lesen »

Golden eagle

The golden eagle narrowly escaped extinction.
Originally distributed throughout Central Europe, the golden eagle was hunted by man for generations, reaching its lowest point at the beginning of the 20th …

Weiter lesen »

Snow vole

These inconspicious little animals are real survivors!
In Switzerland snow voles live above 1000m altitude. They have even been seen as high as 4000m altitude and above.
Snow voles live in rock …

Weiter lesen »

Ibex

Who can imagine nowadays that the ibex was once regarded as a wandering medicine chest, hence its extermination?

By 1650, the ibex had been exterminated in Graubünden. Its lack of fear …

Weiter lesen »

Coralline limestone

In some limestone we find fossilised coral, stemming from a coral reef on the edge of an ocean over 200 million years ago.
Coral polyps are small animals that accumulate limestone, …

Weiter lesen »

Mountain avens

Mountain avens is one of the most widespread plants in the National Park.
Carpets of this arcto-alpine plant cover wide areas of the National Park’s alpine meadows. Its woody stems creep …

Weiter lesen »

Lynx

The lynx was no luckier than the wolf and the bear.
During the 19th century the lynx was exterminated in Switzerland. Strictly carnivorous, the lynx was previously considered by man to …

Weiter lesen »

Wood ants

Wood ants are an indication of an intact woodland ecological community.
Wood ants entered the Swiss political scene in 1966, when they were first listed as a protected species according to …

Weiter lesen »

Common lizard

The little common lizard is relatively tame and is the only kind of lizard found in the National Park.
Due to its small size and brownish colouring the common lizard often …

Weiter lesen »

Bearded vulture

Hardly any bird in the National Park has awakened so much interest as the bearded vulture.

The bearded vulture became extinct in the Alps during the 19th century. Previously thought, erroneously, …

Weiter lesen »

Squirrel

This agile climber and busy gatherer is common in our coniferous forests.
The squirrel builds a ball-shaped nest. When food is abundant it stores provisions in hidden places. Little heaps of …

Weiter lesen »

Red deer

The red deer is the largest ungulate in the National Park. In the middle of the 19th century these magnificent animals had been eradicated from the region. 50 years later …

Weiter lesen »

Allgau Limestone

Allgau limestone came into being over 150 million years ago in the depths of an ocean.
At that time an ocean arose between Europe and Africa, called the Tethys Ocean. Its …

Weiter lesen »
To top