The island’s flora is characterized by copses and bushy woods, with downy oaks, hornbeams, ash trees, hazels, chestnut trees, oaks, beech trees, maples, cornel trees, common dogwoods and holly. It is the typical flora of hill and lake areas. In the woods of the northern slopes you will find gentians and snowdrops, and many Christmas roses, cyclamens and anemones. Spanish brooms grow on the eastern slopes. The island’s climate generated a Sub- mediterranean environment, with olive groves up to the hillside. The thick olive groves of Mote Isola have been widely described and painted over the centuries. The cultivation of vines used to be more widespread, especially between Menzino and Siviano, a sharecropping area where a fine type of wine was produced. Due to the island’s natural features, which make land cultivation difficult, agriculture has never had an important role in the economy of the village, even if nowadays there are many, small olive groves, which enable the islanders, thanks to the presence of an oil mill, to produce local oil, not only for personal use, but also for sale. As regards the island’s fauna, there are migratory birds, black kites and mallards, as well as seagulls, coots, grebes, garganeys, crows, pheasants, hares, wild and cottontail rabbits.

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