The Alto Milanese Park
The Alto Milanese (northern Milan area) park was instituted in 1987, and it involves the municipalities of Busto Arsizio and Castellanza, in the province of Varese, and Legnano in the province of Milan.
The park area, covering about 360 hectares, is in the northern part of the alluvial plains, above the spring line. In terms of morphology, the area can be subdivided into two parts, with different characteristics: a first, wooded part to the north east, and a second area, much larger, almost entirely dedicated to agriculture, with a number of farms. The crops grown are mainly barley, rye, maize, soya, sunflowers and hay meadows (burr medic and permanent meadowland).
The forested areas now comprise almost exclusively copses of exotic broad-leaved trees, false acacia and late-flowering cherry. The copses are small, often reduced to hedges with trees, growing at the edges of fields and tracks. Other trees that can be found are the pedunculate oak, the European field elm, the chestnut, and shrubs such as common dogwood (Cornus sanguinea), common hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna), hazel (Corylus avellana), and elderberry (Sambucus nigra).
The fauna in the Park includes an important bird population, with 38 nesting species including the wood-pigeon (Columba palumbas), the lark (Alauda arvensis), nightingale (Luscinia megarynchos), blackcap (Sylva atricapilla) and the great tit (Parus major).
The park area, covering about 360 hectares, is in the northern part of the alluvial plains, above the spring line. In terms of morphology, the area can be subdivided into two parts, with different characteristics: a first, wooded part to the north east, and a second area, much larger, almost entirely dedicated to agriculture, with a number of farms. The crops grown are mainly barley, rye, maize, soya, sunflowers and hay meadows (burr medic and permanent meadowland).
The forested areas now comprise almost exclusively copses of exotic broad-leaved trees, false acacia and late-flowering cherry. The copses are small, often reduced to hedges with trees, growing at the edges of fields and tracks. Other trees that can be found are the pedunculate oak, the European field elm, the chestnut, and shrubs such as common dogwood (Cornus sanguinea), common hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna), hazel (Corylus avellana), and elderberry (Sambucus nigra).
The fauna in the Park includes an important bird population, with 38 nesting species including the wood-pigeon (Columba palumbas), the lark (Alauda arvensis), nightingale (Luscinia megarynchos), blackcap (Sylva atricapilla) and the great tit (Parus major).
