The second trip: a walk through wood, quicksand and birds

Second trip, more tired than the previous day, but enthusiastic. The weather is, as always, our enemy. Puddles, brushwood and mysterious animals: we entered an unknown territory, called by us “Giungla Padana” (the Padana Jungle).

A glimpse of the river in Scarpizzolo

During the first part of the morning, thanks to our guide Matilde, we had the chance to learn names of shrubs, trees and arboreal species followed by an explanation about the cataloguing of leaves and identification of plants. As a background there was the Scarpizzolo lake, situated north-east in relation to the small town of San Paolo.

In the late morning, Mr. Arturo (member of the GRA, group for the avifauna researches of Gottolengo), responsible for the protection and the safeguard of Parco delle Vincellate, delighted us for more than an hour with the description of the autochthon fauna and the ecosystem, giving us the chance to listen to the song of some birds.

 With shoes dirty with mud and survivors of quicksand, we got on the bus and returned to school.

As survivors of this ordeal, and overcoming the strain we were put through, once home, 28 teenagers magically fell asleep like logs.

The ancient bulkhead of the Strone river