Hortobágy National Park, Hungary (Hortobágyi-Nationalpark, Ungarn) (Hortobágyi Nemzeti Park, Magyarország) 10.2017.

We visited the Hortobágy National Park in late autumn and found a diverse invertebrate life in puddles. I took photos of these using an improvised aquarium. The local Hortobágy Wild Animal Park also offered an opportunity to see some members of the once-abundant megafauna of the Great Hungarian Plain. Along with other mammals, Przewalski's horses and Heck-cattle are kept here under semi-wild conditions. The Heck-cattle are part of an ongoing program to "breed back" domestic cattle to resemble their extinct ancestral form, the auroch. Location: Hortobágy. Date: 22.10.2017.

Baredine Cave, Croatia (Höhle Baredine, Kroatien) (Baredine-barlang, Horvátország) 09.2017

The Baredine Cave is located near Poreč in the western part of the Istrian Peninsula. Visitors can descend into a chamber 60 m below ground and see some specimens of the unique cave olm displayed in shallow rock pools. Location: Baredine Cave. Date: 07.09.2017.

Venice, Italy (Venedig, Italien) (Velence, Olaszország) 09.2017.

Venice is obviously not a nature photo destination, but I did manage to spot some wildlife and naturalized plants while on a short trip in September. Location: Venice. Date: 06.09.2017.

Panama City, Panama (Panama-Stadt, Panama) (Panamaváros, Panama) 07.2017.

In July 2017 we visited Panama City. South of the skyscrapers there are still relatively large but vulnerable mangrove habitats, called Los humedales de la bahía de Panamá (ecoregion of the South American Pacific mangroves). We took some photos of local species in Costa del Este and Palo Grande. Location: Panama City. Date: 24.07.2017.

Chilíbre Cave, Panama (Höhle von Chilíbre, Panama) (Chilíbre-barlang, Panama) 07.2017.

We visited a cave in Panama, near the town of Chilíbre and found a fascinating invertebrate and bat fauna. Location: Cueva de Chilíbre. Date: 21.07.2017.

Columbia River, Oregon, USA (Fluss Columbia, Oregon, USA) (Columbia-folyó, Oregon, USA) 06.2017.

I visited the Columbia River Gorge on a short trip from Portland. At the Boneville Dam, fish ladders with observation windows give a glimpse into the local fish fauna. Most notably, Pacific Lampreys can be spotted while the migrate. The local fish hatchery also displays gigantic White Sturgeons. Location: Boneville, OR. Date: 27.06.2017.

Marquam Park, OR, USA (Marquam Park, Oregon, USA) (Marquam Park, Oregon, USA) 06.2017.

I visited the Marquam Nature Park in the city of Portland, Oregon. This is the easternmost part of the Central Pacific Northwest coastal forests ecoregion, that stretches into the city. Location: Portland, Oregon. Date: 24.06.2017.

Ape Cave, WA, USA (Ape Cave, Bundesstaat Washington, USA) (Ape Cave, Washington állam, USA) 06.2017.

In June I drove up to Mount St. Helens from Portland, Oregon mainly to visit the Ape Cave. The cave is located in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest and with its 4023 m length, it is the longest continuous lava tube in the continental United States. The Ape Cave is sustains a population of the endangered Mt. St. Helens grylloblattid or ice crawler, a member of the rarest insect order on the planet. Location: Ape Cave. Date: 22.06.2017.

Nyírábrány, Hungary (Nyírábrány, Ungarn) (Nyírábrány, Magyarország) 04.2017.

In April I visited the ash-dominated riparian mixed forests of the Kis-Mogyorós Forest, a Natura 2000 site in Nyírábrány, South Nyírség Region. Location: Nyírábrány. Date: 17.04.2017.

Zemplén Mountains, Hungary (Tokajer Gebirge, Ungarn) (Zempléni-hegység, Magyarország) 04.2017.

We visited the Castle Hill of Füzér and the village Telkibánya in the Zemplén Mountains in April 2017. Location: Zemplén Mts. Date: 15.04.2017.

Eastern Bükk Mountains, Hungary (Östliches Bükk-Gebirge, Ungarn) (Keleti Bükk-hegység, Magyarország) 04.2017.

In April I visited the beech forests and calcareous slopes around Bükkszentlászló in the Eastern Bükk Mountains to photograph the spring flora. Location: Bükkszentlászló. Date: 14.04.2017. 

Bükk Mts., Hungary (Bükk Gebirge, Ungarn) (Bükk-hegység, Magyarország) 03.2017.

In March I visited the beech forests around Miskolc in the Eastern Bükk Mountains to photograph the early spring flora. Location: Miskolc, Csanyik. Date: 18.03.2017.

Nyírábrány, Hungary (Nyírábrány, Ungarn) (Nyírábrány, Magyarország) 03.2017.

Early this March, I was lucky to find twisted-wing parasites, along with some other arthropods on the Teleki Pasture (Natura 2000) in Nyírábrány, South Nyírség Region. Location: Nyírábrány. Date: 12.03.2017.

Miskolc, Hungary (Miskolc, Ungarn) (Miskolc, Magyarország) 02.2017.

The city of Miskolc had some interesting surprises this February. Location: Miskolc. Date: 17-19.02.2017.

Nyírábrány, Hungary (Nyírábrány, Ungarn) (Nyírábrány, Magyarország) 01.2017.

Nyírábrány in the South Nyírség Region is renowned for its relict birch moors, alkaline fens and lowland hay meadows, especially at the Keszler-tag Birch Moor and the Káposztás-lapos Meadow, parts of the Natura 2000 network. I took a short trip here on the first day of the year. Location: Nyírábrány. Date: 01.01.2017.