Geolithology
Unlike other mountainous complexes of sedimentary origin belonging to the Southern Alps, the rocks that compose the Adamello Group have a magmatic intrusive origin. The cooling process of the "plutoni" coming from the center of the Earth and penetrating the pre-existing rock fractures took place approximately 42 million years ago, beginning from Mount Re di Castello area and finishing, extending towards north (Mount Presanella), about 29 milion years ago.
The main types of magmatic rocks present in the Adamello massif are:

• quarzodiorite (Mount Adamello, Mount Avio)
• coarse-grained tonalite (Corno Baitone, Miller Valley, Salarno Valley, Adamé Valley)
• granodiorite (Mount Re di Castello, Laione Summit, Terre Fredde Summit, High Stabio Valley).

These last ones form the core of the Group (Adamello M., Fumo M., Avio and Paghéra Valleys).
Coarse-grained tonalites compose the Corno Baitone, the Miller, Salarno and Adamé Valleys; while fine-grained tonalite compose Re di Castello, Listino M., Stabio Valley, etc.
Among the fundamental minerals of the rocks of the Adamello we can find quartz, feldspar, orneblenda, plagioclasio. The incandescent lava gushed from the deep, caused a metamorphosis "by contact" with the pre-existing rocks of sedimentary origins, derived from ancient coralline barriers, of which today significant remains can be found only in the southern area of the Park, particularly in Fredda Valley and Cadino Valley. Limestones and dolomites have been transformed in saccharide marbles , while in the northern part of the Park, sandstones have been transformed into granites (Corno delle Granate). The crystalline and waterproof nature of the rocks of the Adamello Group, acting in a synergic way with the presence of the glacier, determines a meaningful abundance of springs and water courses, that in a time gave origin to torrents of great capacity, and to suggestive and spectacular cascades.
The pure limestone transformed into marbles, the clayey materials jnto microcrystalline rocks with chipped fractures (used traditionally as piòde to cover the rural buildings in Vallecamonica) or into crystalline formations that contain accessory minerals like micas and granites.
The current shape of the mountains is in great part modeled from the millenarian action of the glacier and from the following erosion phenomena produced by atmospheric agents.
In the first half of the 1900's, an action of obstruction and capture of numerous water bodies of the Park started, particularly in the basins of Lake Arno and Lake Baitone, in Salarno Valley and Avio Valley, leading works of two impressive hydroelectric systems, those of S. Fiorano and Edolo.

Vegetation
The altimetrical difference of over 3.000 meters (from 390 to 3539 meters a.s.l.) existent between the minimal and maximum altitude of the Parco dell'Adamello determines remarkable climatic variations that, combined with the lithological diversification, influence in structure, composition and distribution, all the ecosystems of the Park.
From the lower valley up to 1000 meters of altitude, forests of broad-leaves extend, composed of chestnut woods (Castanea sativa), a time regularly cultivated, interrupted by meadows and more often by forests with prevalence of black hornbeam (Ostrya carpinifolia), ash (Fraxinus excelsior), flowering ash (Fraxinus ornus), poplar (Populus tremula), birch (Betula pendula), sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus), wild cherry (Prunus avium), willow (Salix caprea), elm (Ulmus minor), white hornbeam (Carpinus betulus), accompanied by whitethorn (Crataegus monogyna), hazel (Corylus avellana), and laburnum (Laburnum anagyroides, L. alpinum). In more exposed and dried places there are also scots pines (Pinus sylvestris), oak (Quercus petrea) and pubescent oak (Quercus pubescens). The beech (Fagus sylvatica) is little difused inside the Park, in the past it was "sacrified", for economical reasons, to the red fir (Picea excelsa). Moreover, splendid and large specimen of beech can be admired in Malga Valley of Sonico.
Along the numerous water courses there are black alders (Alnus glutinosa), salices (Salix alba, S. elaeagnos, S. purpurea etc.), white alders (Alnus incana).
Beyond 1000 meters of altitude, the vegetation mantle is mostly constituted by forests of conifers, that find in this area their best habitat. The firwoods are thick and extended, that is the forests with prevalence of red fir (Picea excelsa) together with a rich underbrush of blueberry and saxifrage (Vaccinium myrtillus, V. vitis idaea, Saxifraga cuneifolia); areas formed mostly of silver fir (Abies alba) are less diffused, located mainly in Malga Valley of Sonico. At a higher altitude, firwoods leave space to luminous forests of larch (Larix decidua), of which it's possible to admire splendid large examples near Malga Casentia, in Saviore Valleys. The cembran pine(Pinus cembra) is rarer, nevertheless, it is possible to admire splendid specimen in Avio Valley, in the basins of Lake Arno, Lake Aviolo and in the Mount Piccolo area. The upper limit of the forest is at about 1900-2000 meters, but isolated trees can be seen at 2350 meters.
Beyond the limit of the arboreal vegetation extends an area of small and twisted bushes, almost prostrated to the ground, mainly with green alder (Alnus viridis) and juniper (Juniperus nana); the mugo pine (Pinus mugo) is present mostly on carbonated soils, particularly on the gritty mountainsides of Mount Colombine. Rhododendron (Rododendron ferrugineum) and rhododendron hirsutum (R. hirsutum), isomorphic species, are widely spread respectively on silicon and carbonated soils.
The alpine prairies extend above 2200 meters. In the sunny slopes, on silicon substrates it is common to find Festuca scabriculmis, often combined with Potentilla aurea and Campanula barbata, whereas on the less steep slopes there are sedge fields of Carex curvula, that host Gentiana kochiana, Astrantia minor and Trifolium alpinum. In the presence of intensely exploited pastures with zootechnical purposes, prevail Nardus stricta and Deschampsia caespitosa and, moreover, it is possible to retrieve Leucorchis albida, Arnica montana, Astrantia minor.
On carbonated substrate the pastures of Sesleria coerulea, Carex sempervirens, C. firma dominate. To the limit of perennial snow there are sedge fields fragmented by heap of stones and rocky cliffs, where only psychrophilic species (specialized in the lowest temperatures) live.
In the dells , together with bryophytes and lichens, some prostrated salices (Salix reticulata, S. retusa, S. herbacea) survive, sometimes together with Sibbaldia procumbens, Arenaria biflora and Soldanella alpina.
In the Park, vegetation of humid zones and turfs is widely spread, thanks to the remarkable presence of such ecosystems of transition inside the protected area. Together with sphagnum (Sphagnum spp.), there are numerous species adjusted to a substrate of acid reaction and poor on nitrogen, typical of turfed ecosystems: Eriophorum scheuchzeri, E. angustifolium, E. vaginatum, Carex fusca, Trichophorum caespitosum, Andromeda polifolia, Vaccinium microcarpum, Drosera rotundifolia, Carex pauciflora.

The Flora of Cliffs and Screes
In correspondence of the snow area, above 2600-2700 meters of altitude, starts the genuine reign of the alpine flora, mostly represented by showy and intensely multicoloured species in this environment.
On screes and siliceous screes, usually located at the head of the valley leading to the adamello plateau, there are, among the most frequent species, Oxyria digyna, Geum reptans, Linaria alpina, Cerastium uniflorum, Androsace alpina, Leucanthemopsis alpina, Doronicum clusii, Achillea nana, Geum reptans and the buttercup of the glaciers (Ranunculus glacialis), of candid corollas and deepest rooting apparatus.
The siliceous cliffs host plants of rare beauty, gifted with sophisticated survival strategies. There are numerous pulvini of Saxifraga bryoides, S. exarata, Minuartia sedoides and Silene acaulis, while Eritrichium nanum, Woodsia alpina, Androsace alpina, Artemisia umbelliformis and the subendemic Phyteuma hedraianthifolium prefer to shelter in the fissures of the rock.
The typical flora of carbonated substrates, despite its restricted diffusion in the Park, deserves a particular attention thanks to its richness and to the geobotanic importance of many species. The calcareous screes host Campanula cochlearifolia, Gypsophila repens, Thlaspi rotundifolium, Globularia cordifolia, Hutchinsia alpina and Minuartia verna.
On calcareous cliffs it is easy to find Saxifraga caesia, Draba aizoides, Bupleurum petreum. Instead, Petrocallis pyrenaica, Potentilla nitida and the endemic italian bellflower (Campanula raineri) and Saxifraga vandellii, with the candid corolla, are much rarer and placed.

Peculiarities and Endemisms
The general flora of the Parco Adamello can be estimated around 1400 species. More than 30 of these are endemic, that is circumscribed to a very restricted range.
Primula daonensis deserves a particular citation, it is spread in the Park on the rocky siliceous pastures, whose range matchs with the Groups of Ortles-Cevedale, the Orobie and the Adamello.
Among the other endemisms and whitin the species of alpine-oriental diffusion there are Gentianella engadinensis, Carex baldensis, Nigritella miniata, Phyteuma globulariifolium, Sempervivum wulfenii, Primula glutinosa, Galium baldense, Pedicularis elongata, Senecio gaudinii.
Among the insubric (species whose range extends from Mount Baldo to Lake Como) there are, inside the Park, Saxifraga hostii ssp. rhaetica. Endemic of the central Alps, the Viola thomasiana, while of the western Alps, Fritillaria tubaeformis, Epilobium fleischeri, Achillea nana.
Numerous other species deserve to be mentioned since they are of great phytogeographical interest thanks to their rarity. Among these the wonderful Yellow Lady Slipper, Cypripedium calceolus, Leontopodium alpinum, Andromeda polifolia, Lycopodiella inundata, Vaccinium microcarpum, Utricularia minor, Carex microglochin, C. pauciflora, Scheuchzeria palustris, Menyanthes trifoliata, Tulipa australis, Listera cordata, Dactylorhiza cruenta, D. lapponica, Trientalis europaea, Primula minima, Vitaliana primulaeflora, Gentianella tenella, Saussurea alpina, Ranunculus seguieri.
For the greater part, these species are glacial relics, conserved in the snow area of the Alpine range, the only residual environment of the glacial age, during which the described endemisms reached the Alps from the North European Countries.

Mammals
In the Parco Adamello all the alpine fauna is present, except for the brown bear (Ursus arctos), reported today only in the Trento region side of the massif.

In correspondence of the lower valley and in the forests of broad leaves and conifers, live some among the most representatives of the family of the Mustelidae: the badger (Meles meles), elusive carnivore of nocturnal habits that prefers sunny, bushy and woody atmospheres, near cultivated land, the beech marten (Martes foina), spread in proximity of cultivated and uncultivated land, the marten (Martes martes), arboreal species connected to the mature forest and the weasel (Mustela nivalis), present in the forests of the mountain horizon in Paghera Valley of Ceto, basins of Lake Arno, plain of Gaver.

The hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus), insectivorous species, is widely spread from the basal plain up to approximately 1500 meters of altitude, in clearings, in forests of broad leaves and near cultivable land.

Among the arboreal Rodents it is easy to sight the squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris), that prefers the forests of broad leaves and conifers from 500 to 200 meters of altitude, while the dormouse (Glis glis), even though its legacy to the mature forests of deciduous leaves, can be sighted near barns.
The fox (Vulpes vulpes), ubiquitous species, prefers wild atmospheres rich of vegetation, bushy gorges and rocks that allow them to establish lairs, from 500 to 2000 meters of altitude. The mixed forests clearings of the submountainous and mountainous horizon are inhabited, respectively, by the shrew (Dorex araneus) and the alpine shrew (Sorex alpinus).

From 500 to 1800 meters, in wide glades near the edge of the mixed forests of broad-leaves and conifers and in unclosed firwoods, lives the deer (Cervus elaphus), dominant Ungulate belonging to the family of the Cervidae.
The same habitat, even though supplied of a rich underbrush, is occupied by the roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), graceful animal of elusive habits.

Among the Lagomorphs, the common hare (Lepus europaeus) is distributed uniformly between the lower valley and 1500 meters of altitude, near uncultivated land and forests of broad-leaves full of glades.

In correspondence of the culminating plateau, in alpine prairies and in heaps of stones lives the mountain hare (Lepus timidus), the ermine(Mustela erminea) and the marmot (Marmota marmota), large Rodent, diffused in the Park between 1800 and 2800 meters of altitude. The social organization of this species foresees that a member of the colony acts as a lookout and signs the presence of potential enemies through the emission of a shrilly hiss. The snow vole (Microtus nivalis) is a small Rodent that lives in lairs dug in the subalpine and alpine horizon.

Beyond the limit of the arboreal vegetation it's possible to observe the chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra) and the ibex (Capra ibex), elegant Ungulates belonging to the family of the Bovidae, that prefer the most difficult and steeply rocks of the Park. The chamois, animal of gregarious habits, differs from the ibex by the reduced dimension and presence, in both sexes, of small horns folded like a hook.

The Ungulate
The Ungulate present in the Park, belonging to the order of the Artiodactyl, are roe deer, deer (Family of the Cervidae), chamois and ibex (Family of the Bovidae).

Birds
Numerous are the species of bird fauna that live in the various settings of the Park. The Picidae are typical of the forests of the submountainous horizon: the green woodpecker (Picus viridis), the great spotted woodpecker (Picoides major) - easily located thanks to the characteristic call, a short and acute kik done very fast - and the rare black woodpecker (Dryocopus martius), whose presence is closely tied to the availability of old rotten trees. During spring and summer it nourishes above all on larva of bugs of verminous trees, that finds digging holes in the tree trunk; in autumm and winter it nourishes on insects under the rinds and on seeds from the pinecones. To extract the pineseed, the pecker embeds the pinecones in a fissure on the tree trunk, generally always the same one, that can be recognized by the pinecodes already used, accumulated near the base.

The tengmalm's owl (Aegolius funereus) is a Strigiformes that lives in the forests of high stalk with presence of larch and nests gladly in the cavities produced by the woodpeckers. Other night rapacious animals that live in the Park are the pygmy owl (Glaucidium passerinum), the tawny owl (Strix aluco) and the long-eared owl (Asio otus), that prefers the forests clearings. Among the daily rapacious there are: the honey buzzard (Pernis apivorus), the sparrow hawk (Accipiter nisus), the buzzard (Buteo buteo), the kestrel (Falco tinnunculus), the goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) present in the forests of conifers at altitudes comprised between 1000 and 1800 meters.

In the park live also the Tetraonidae, birds of particular interest due to their rarity and remarkable ecological requirements. In the mixed forests with a rich underbrush it is possible to sight the hazel grouse (Bonasia bonasia), while the black grouse (Tetrao tetrix) prefers the alpine larch forests between 1600 and 2200 m of altitude. The black grouse is a polygamous species and the courtship happens after several chases and combats between males in order to adjudicate, by means of parades, dances and songs at break of dawn, the best arena to sing (usually a plain area deprived of vegetation that is re-used every year). In the singing arena, at the end of the exhibitions, the mating of the females with the dominant males happens.

The capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus) is very rare, a species that lives alone in intact natural atmospheres and is by now, relegated, with paltry presence, to a few woody areas of Paghera Valley of Vezza d'Oglio and Olda di Sonico locality. Its habitat is constituted mainly of mixed forests of broad leaves and conifers, with abbundant herbaceous and shrubby underbrush, rank renewal and presence of ancient arboreal specimen necessary to the species for departure and as perches. The capercaillie is particularly sensitive to anthropic disturbance.

The ptarmigan (Lagopus mutus) is the tetraonidae that lives at the highest altitudes. Like the mountain hare and the ermine in winter, the ptarmigan assumes a completely white livery that enables a perfect camouflage with the frequented environment, to the limit of perennial snow at an altitude between 2300 and 2800 m. At the culminating plain the rock partridge (Alectoris graeca) was formerly diffused, a cock-of-the-rock species whose ideal habitat coincides with the dry mountainside exposed south between 1700 and 2300 meters of altitude.

The alpine prairie is inhabited by the wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe), the alpine accentor (Prunella collaris) and the snow finch (Montifringilla nivalis) .

On the rocky crags of the extreme horizons, the golden eagle (Aquila chrysaëtos) and the alpine chough (Pyrrhocorax graculus) nest. The eagle, a territorial and monogamous species, during summer eats mainly marmots, young Ungulate, hedgehogs, foxes, corvidae and passeriformes. In winter and spring it consumes the carcass of wild herbivores and domestic cattle swept by snow flow.

In the flowing waters the most frequent fish species is the brook trout (Salmo trutta fario), present due to periodic re-populating and to its high reproduction ability. The originally indigenous subspecies are widely spread in the center and high Val Camonica and in the high Caffaro Valley, up to over 2000 m of altitude. Other Salmonidi, even though not native, are the marble trout (Salmo trutta marmoratus) and the rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri). The fish fauna of the Park comprises also the bullhead (Cottus gobio), present in the range of the brook trout even though at lower heights, and the minnow (Phoxinus phoxinus), known with certainty only on the lower zones of the main streams of the Parco Adamello. The Amphibians are associated to water and generally to humid atmospheres at least in the beginning stages of their vital cycle. The salamander and the newt belong to the Chordata. The spotted salamander (Salamandra salamandra) lives in the humid valleys of the mixed forest. It is indicated in the Park for the Re Valley at Niardo, the Paghera Valley at Ceto, the Saviore Valley, the Malga Valley and the Avio Valley. The alpine salamander (Salamandra atra) is more high-mountain and alpine and is isomorphic from the spotted salamander. It lives in damp and shady places in the forest of conifers and is present up to the area of twisted bushs, in prairies and in alpine screes, in sites with a high level of environmental humidity. It is indicated in the Park only for the Braone Valley and for the high Malga Valley (around Lake Baitone and near Refuge Tonolini). The newt (Triturus carnifex) is a plainly species with wide submountainous and mountainous distribution and can reach also the subalpine zone in the interior valleys. It prefers stagnant or slow flow waters. In the Park, despite its wide adaptability, its indicated only at Lagoja, a locality above Berzo Demo. In the Alps, the alpine newt (Triturus alpestris), typical of high-mountainous sites, frequents lakes, ponds and the loops of the torrents where the flow il less strong. For the territory of the Park it is indicated exclusively in high Avio Valley, near Malga Lavedole.
The rarity of the newts in Vallecamonica is though by experts to be a consequence of the indiscriminated re-populating of trouts, authentic predators of Chordates. In the Park, regarding the Anuran Amphibians, there are green frogs, red frogs and toads. The singular green frog (Rana esculenta) is indicated just around Breno, but its presence is possible also along the lower valley of the whole center flow of the Oglio. The common frog (Rana temporaria), refers to the red frogs group. It is a mountainous and subalpine species temporarily aquatic: in fact, the adults can be found dispersed over the territory, even far from the element that assured its growth. In the Park, it is indicated in several localities, even beyond 2000 meters of altitude.
The common toad (Bufo bufo), notoriously erratic in various submountainous and mountainous environments, is indicated instead only in Saviore Valley and Malga Valley.

The common grass snake (Natrix natrix) and the dice snake (Natrix tessellata) are bound to stagnant waters between 300 and 1800 meters of altitude. The snakes are located at Breno, Niardo, Cedegolo, Malonno, Vezza d'Oglio and Temù. In dry and bushy environments, at the limit of the forests, in the clearings and uncultivated land, it is possible to find the western whip snake (Coluber viridiflavus) indicated, between 650 and 1300 m of altitude, around Breno, Ceto, Capo di Ponte, Berzo Demo, Saviore Valley, Malonno and Sonico. In the same horizon but more arboreal, it is possible to find the aesculapian snake (Elaphe longissima) that frequents forests, clearings and ruderal environments. A more xerophilous Colubrid is the smooth snake (Coronella austriaca), indicated for Breno, Saviore Valley and Avio Valley. Among the Ophidia, the only poisonous species is the aspic viper (Vipera aspis), widely spread between 500 and 1200 m, and the adder (Vipera berus) that doesn't seem to share the territory with the first and can be considered its isomorphic, diffused between the upper mountainous horizon and the high alpine one. Among the Rettili Sauri there are the slow worm (Anguis fragilis), that lives in the forest litter and in terrains rich on humus, the common wall lizard (Podarcis muralis), the green lizard (Lacerta bilineata), that lives in slopes and clearings of the sunny forests. From a naturalistic point of view though, the more interesting Saurian is the viviparous lizard (Lacerta vivipara), present in many localities, in exposed but damp places, or even near streams, from 1230 to 2550 m.