Cypripedium calceolus is the best known and most beautiful terrestrial orchid in Europe. This plant, once widely spread, is now very rare due to harvesting or grubbing up. It is still found in some mountainous regions of France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy.

Very hardy, the Venus Slipper has absolutely no fear of winter cold, while removed from its natural habitat, it has no chance to acclimatize.

The Abruzzi chamois is considered an endemic species. It differs at a glance from its alpine relative. The most visible differences are: a more slender, slender and elegant body; longer, hooked horns (especially in males); and the coloring of the winter coat, which has colors ranging from brownish, to reddish with black bands running down from the neck. It prefers the steepest and rockiest parts of the mountains, where it is the undisputed king and can most easily fend off the attack of various predators. It lives above 1,800 m a.s.l. Only in the winter period does it relatively drop in altitude, always settling on the most inaccessible mountain slopes.