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.

Bükk Mts., Hungary (Bükk Gebirge, Ungarn) (Bükk-hegység, Magyarország) 10.2015.

In October 2015 I visited the Bükk Mts. to collect some leaf litter material to photograph the tiny invertebrates that live under the fallen leaves. I managed to find a very high diversity of invertebrates in terms of species and also higher taxnomic categories. Location: Ómassa and Mályinka. Date: 24.10.2015.

Bereg Plain, Hungary (Ebene von Bereg, Ungarn) (Beregi-sík, Magyarország) 04.2015.

We travelled to Márokpapi, a small village in the Bereg Plain in East Hungary, in the Szatmár-Bereg Landscape Protection Area. There is a Natura 2000 site here named Tarpa-Tákos, famous for its rare plant species, including a relict population of the Snake's Head Fritillary. The area's vegetation includes Pannonic woods with sessile oak and hornbeam, Alluvial forests with black alder, and Lowland hay meadows. Location: Márokpapi. Date: 12.04.2015.

Debrecen, Hungary (Debrecen, Ungarn) (Debrecen, Magyarország) 06-08.2013.

In the summer of 2013 I stumbled upon some rare or rarely photographed species in Debrecen. Location: Debrecen. Date: 06-08.2013.

Garajonay National Park, La Gomera (Nationalpark Garajonay, La Gomera) (Garajonay Nemzeti Park, La Gomera) 03.2013.

We took a short trip to La Gomera starting from Tenerife in March 2013. This small island is the greenest of the Canary Islands. Its lush laurisilva forest is called Garajonay, also a national park and part of the World Heritage. Location: Garajonay National Park. Date: 24-25.03.2013.

Tenerife: Orotava Valley (Teneriffa: Orotava-Tal) (Tenerife: Orotava-völgy) 03.2013.

Tenerife is the largest of the 7 main Canary Islands, characterised by its main volcano, the Teide (3718 m). With my wife, we spent almost 2 weeks here and on the island of La Gomera in March. This time of the year is good to catch many of the islands endemic plants in flowering period. The plant and animal life on the Canary Islands are incredible, a very high proportion of the species are endemics and and even the types of plant communities are very special, found nowhere else on Earth but on other Macaronesian Islands. Tenerife, due the presence of the Teide, has an astonishing vertical zonation and many of its areas are protected. First, I show photos of the biggest valley, the Orotava Valley, which faces the Atlantic Ocean on the north of the island.

Teno Massif, Tenerife (Teno-Gebirge, Teneriffa) (Teno-hegység, Tenerife) 03.2013.

The Teno Massif or Teno Mountains form the westernmost part of Tenerife. The mountains here are often covered in clouds and they are sparsely populated. The local vegetation is still quite natural but there are many introduced species here also. We traveled through the mountains and stopped at Masca, a tiny village that was not accessible on road until the 1960's. Location: Teno Alto. Date: 18.03.2013.

Sarandë District, Albania IV. (Kreis Sarandë, Albanien IV.) (Sarandë járás, Albánia IV.) 09.2012.

We spent our last days in Albania between the villages of Kulluricë and Kodër, where we visited a quite long abandoned bunker in search for animals. Bunkers are everywhere in Albania, and as they are abandoned since many years, they are perfect for cave-inhabiting fauna.

Fir of Hotova-Dangell National Park, Albania (Nationalpark Tannenwald von Hotova-Dangell, Albanien) (Hotova-Dangell Fenyvese Nemzeti Park, Albánia) 09.2012.

We visited the termal ponds of Ura ë Kadiut in the Fir of Hotova-Dangell National Park (Parku Kombëtar Bredhi i Hotovës-Dangelli) and spent two days here. The rapid-flowing river, Lëngarica that flows through the national park created a valley with sludgy rift and the thermal springs are found on the sides of this valley. They are very popular among tourists and local people as well. Some of the thermal springs have dense vegetation, while others are simple rock pools. The chemical composition of the thermal waters varies greatly. After heavy rains, the river even covers some of the thermal pools.

Near Fir of Drenove National Park, Albania (Neben Nationalpark Tannenwald von Drenove, Albanien) (A Drenove Fenyvese Nemzeti Park mellett, Albánia) 09.2012.

In September of 2012 I had the opportunity to take part in a herpetological research trip in Albania organised by the Herpetological Group of the University of Debrecen. We drove from South Hungary all the way down in one day to Korçë in the middle of the country. Here we found a camp site near the village of Boboshticë, at 1000 m above sea level (during the whole 10-day-long trip we camped in the wilderness). Next morning, we started to search through the area near Boboshticë, than, after visiting the famous bazaar of Korçë, we drove up the incredibly steep serpentine road to the beautiful little village of Dardhë, located on the Dardhë Scenic Route. Both areas that we visited are located near the National Park called Parku Kombëtar Bredhi i Drenovës (Fir of Drenove). This park has untouched fir forests and steep slopes with mediterranean bush vegetation.

Kalkalpen National Park, Austria (Nationalpark Kalkalpen, Österreich) (Kalkalpen Nemzeti Park, Ausztria) 06.2010.

The next stop in the Alps was the river Reichramingbach at the edge of the Kalkalpen National Park, where we searched for spiders on a small meadow, in the spruce forest and also on the bank of this ice-cold mountain river.

Tropical houses in Vienna, Austria (Tropenhäuser in Wien, Österreich) (Trópusi házak Bécsben, Ausztria) 03.2012.

In Vienna I visited the Palm House of Schönbrunn and the Haus des Meeres, where I searched for pests and other accidentally introduced animals - some of which have tropical origins. Location: Vienna. Date: 03.2012.

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.

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.

Nyírábrány, Hungary (Nyírábrány, Ungarn) (Nyírábrány, Magyarország) 04.2011.

In April I traveled to Nyírábrány in East Hungary to some moors and to some open sandy grasslands nearby to take photos. The flora and fauna of this area is typical of the Nyírség landscape area, which is an north-eastern part of the great Hungarian Plain. There were once extensive birch moors (the lands got its name after the Hungarian word for birch), swamps, lowland oak forests and open sandy grasslands here. Nowadays the land is mostly agricultural, but there are still many places for taking nature photos here. Several such areas are protected also. Location: Nyírábrány. Date: 07-16.04.2011.

Sebesvíz I., Bükk Mountains, Hungary (Sebesvíz I., Bükk-Gebirge, Ungarn) (Sebesvíz I., Bükk-hegység, Magyarország) 04.2011.

 

The brook Sebesvíz in the Bükk Mountains is one of my favourite places for nature photography. It is a short but very fast-flowing mountain brook, flowing into the brook Garadna. Sebesvíz and its surroundings are home to many interesting and rare invertebrate species, some of which occur only here in Hungary. Location: Sebesvíz-brook. Date: 02.04.2011.

Debrecen, Hungary (Debrecen, Ungarn) (Debrecen, Magyarország) 03.2011.

At the beginning of March, there are usually still only common spring insects that are active in lowland forests, like in the so-called Nagyerdő forest (part of the Natura 2000) at the northern edge of the city of Debrecen. Most beetles have not yet ended their winter hibernation and this makes them quite easy to find, if one knows where to look for them. The Nagyerdő has many different tree species - it is partly a park, so there are many alien trees as well. The most important tree species for the insects are the old Pendunculate Oaks that grow here in a large number. These trees support a suprising diversity of insects. Many wasps, ants, bugs and beetles require oaks: either they feed from the oaks, or they prey on the plant-eaters. Also, decaying oak wood is the sole food source for many endangered beetles. And in winter, many arthropods hybernate under the barks of old oaks. The majority of these is still inactive in March, and one can find many rare species under the pieces of bark. Some other trees like pines and sycamores host an entirely different collection of arthropods under their barks. Location: Nagyerdő, Debrecen. Date: 03.2011.

Bakony mountains, Hungary (Bakonygebirge, Ungarn) (Bakony, Magyarország) 04.2009.

In the spring of 2009 we visited the Bakony mountains in West-Hungary, to take photos of the Hungarian subspecies of the Mountain Cowslip (or Bear's Ear), an ice age relict plant known only from a few localities in the country. We also visited the Yew Forest of Szentgál, the second largest yew forest of Europe. Location: Southern Bakony. Date: 09.04.2009.