Adriatic Sea, Croatia (Adriatisches Meer, Kroatien) (Adria, Horvátország) 05.2011.

On the Čiovo island I spent only about an hour with photographing animals and plants on the seashore, but yet I managed to find many interesting species. The Adriatic is a popular destination for scuba divers, but even without special equipment one may make a short walk on the shore for exploring sea life - even without getting wet. The low tide is most suitable for this, when many animals are trapped in small pools remaining on the surface of rocks. The Mediterranean Sea, which the Adria is a part of, covers only 0.7% of the worldwide marine surface area and yet it holds 9% of its biodiversity according to present knowledge. This is even more surprising considered that the so-called Messinian salinity crisis ended only about 5.3 million years ago and this enormous biodiversity was formed only after this event. The Mediterranean Sea Marine Ecoregion is also part of WWF's Global 200, just as the Mediterranean Basin. Location: Čiovo Island. Date: 22-26.05.2011.

Čiovo Island, Croatia (Čiovo-Insel, Kroatien) (Čiovo-sziget, Horvátország) 05.2011.

At the end of May 2011 we visited the Balkan on a trip organised by the Spinnen-Forum (there is a common trip report here at the Forum). Our aim was to find as many spider species as possible and to get to know the mediterranean fauna. The base during the trip was the island Čiovo. This island is located between Trogir and Split in the region of Middle-Dalmatia, it has an area of 28.8 square kilometers, its highest point is 217 m. Some smaller settlements are located on the island and the town of Trogir (which is on the World Heritage list) expands partly onto it also. Its area is – luckily – still mostly covered by natural vegetation. There are plenty of natural or semi-natural dry, coastal pine forests intterrupted by olive groves. A beautiful rocky seashore is found on the southern part. Location: Čiovo Island. Date: 22-26.05.2011.

Bugojno, Bosnia and Herzegovina (Bugojno, Bosnien und Herzegowina) (Bugojno, Bosznia és Hercegovina) 05.2011.

In the mountainous area near Bugojno, central Bosnia we made many interesting discoveries. Meadows with blossoming orchids interrupted the dense Illyrian forests, brooks were flowing nearby, and due to the rather high elevation above sea level the local plant life was in a much fresher state than the one in Croatia. The fauna is very diverse. Here, the animal world of Central Europe and the Mediterranean Region meet and there are also several endemic species. Location: Bugojno. Date: 24-25.2011.

Livno, Bosnia and Herzegovina (Livno, Bosnien und Herzegowina) (Livno, Bosznia és Hercegovina) 05.2011.

We travelled from Čiovo to Southern Bosnia for one and a half days where we got to kwnow this land rich in interesting landscapes. After leaving the border, we traveled past karst landscapes in a mostly uninhabited region in the traditional county of Herzeg-Bosnia. The first area that we searched through was a field at the edge of a shrubby forest dominated by Downy Oak, near Zagoričani, Livno. Than we visited a large open limestone pavement landscape nearby. Location: Zagoričani, Livno. Date: 24-25.05.2011.

Košute, Dalmatia, Croatia (Košute, Dalmatien, Kroatien) (Košute, Dalmácia, Horvátország) 05.2011.

We visited a sandy, dry area in Middle Dalmatia, near Košute, where we found some interesting animals, mostly under rocks. Location: Košute, Trilj. Date: 24.05.2011.

Omiš, Dalmatia, Croatia (Omiš, Dalmatien, Kroatien) (Omiš, Dalmácia, Horvátország) 05.2011.

In Dalmatia we visited the river Cetina that flows into the sea in Omiš. The area is rather dry but the northern mountainside  on the left side of the river is quite green and species-rich. Location: Surroundings of Omiš. Date: 23.05.2011.

Trogir, Dalmatia, Croatia (Trogir, Dalmatien, Kroatien) (Trogir, Dalmácia, Horvátország) 05.2011.

In Middle Dalmatia we found a fascinating flora and fauna, a part of which I’ll try to present in this post. We searched through the hills surrounding Trogir, here the landscape is mostly characterised by arid slopes with large rocks, mediterranean plant communities, and an insect fauna typical of arid areas. Location: Surroundings of Trogir. Date: 23.05.2011.

Erdőspuszta, Hungary (Erdőspuszta, Ungarn) (Erdőspuszta, Magyarország) 05.2011.

In this post I show some macros from May, 2011 that were made in and around Debrecen (a city on the Great Hungarian Plain). Most of them show spiders and flies quite typical to the fauna of the Great Hungarian Plain. Location: Debrecen and Erdőspuszta. Date: 05.2011.

Debrecen, Hungary (Debrecen, Ungarn) (Debrecen, Magyarország) 05.2011.

May is usually one of the best months for photographing plants and animals. I show some plants and insects that were photographed in gardens, parks and in the forest called Nagyerdő in Debrecen (some insects where collected when I did not have my camera with me and photographed later). Location: Debrecen. Date: 09-19.04.2011.

Bükkszentlélek, Bükk Mts., Hungary (Bükkszentlélek, Bükk Gebirge, Ungarn) (Bükkszentlélek, Bükk-hegység, Magyarország) 05.2011.

In May, 2011 we traveled for night-lamping into the Bükk mountains, to an area named Szentlélek. We chose a suitable point to set up the lamp that would attract moths and other insects, and until the night came we also took some photos of in the nearby forest. The weather was nice and moths came, but mostly common species (at least common during night-lamping - these moths are very hard or almost impossible to find by just searching in the vegetation in daytime). However, almost all specimens were still in a very nice shape, with intact wings still covered entierly with scales. Specimens of these spring species are usually very 'worn-out' and scuffed by the beginning of summer. Location: Szentlélek, Bükk Mts. Date: 11.05.2011.

Little Carpathians, Slovakia (Kleine Karpaten, Slowakei) (Kis-Kárpátok, Szlovákia) 05.2011.

At the beginning of May I spent a few days in Smolenice, in the Western part of Slovakia, in the Little Carpathians. These are an about 100 km long, rather low-lying mountain range, covered mainly by decidous forests and a few pine forests. The most famous attraction of the town is the Smolenice Castle, which was rebuilt by the Hungarian Graf József Pálffy in neo-gothic style. The surrounding forests have a rich insect fauna. Location: Smolenice. Date: 03-06.05.2011.