Bükk Mountains, Hungary (Bükk Gebirge, Ungarn) (Bükk-hegység, Magyarország) 10.2016.

We visited the montane beech forests of the Bükk Plateau (in the Bükk National Park) in northeast Hungary in early October. Location: Bükk Plateau. Date: 06-08.10.2016.

Middlesex Fells Reservation, USA II. (Middlesex Fells Reservat, USA II.) (Middlesex Fells Rezervátum, USA II.) 05.2016.

The Middlesex Fells is a forest of 3,400 acres just north of Boston, protected since 1894. The Fells are an upland with narrow north–south ridges and valleys, vulcanic bedrock, glacial kettle ponds and water reservoirs. Despite being on the edge of the Greater Boston Metropolitan Area, its flora is remarkable, with Rich Mesic Forests, Rocky Summits, Pitch Pine-Scrub Oak Communities, Vernal Pools, etc. The area is one of the few surviving sites of the Boston Basin Ecoregion. For the second time, I visited the Oakldale Park, the eastern Cross Fells Trail, and the Virginia Wood Trail in late May. Location: Middlesex Fells. Date: 28.05.2016.

Middlesex Fells Reservation, USA I. (Middlesex Fells Reservat, USA I.) (Middlesex Fells Rezervátum, USA I.) 05.2016.

The Middlesex Fells is a forest of 3,400 acres just north of Boston, protected since 1894. The Fells are an upland with narrow north–south ridges and valleys, vulcanic bedrock, glacial kettle ponds and water reservoirs. Despite being on the edge of the Greater Boston Metropolitan Area, its flora is remarkable, with Rich Mesic Forests, Rocky Summits, Pitch Pine-Scrub Oak Communities, Vernal Pools, etc. The area is one of the few surviving sites of the Boston Basin Ecoregion. For the first time, I visited the Wrights Pond, Spot Pond and the Skyline Trail near the North Reservoir in mid-May. Location: Middlesex Fells. Date: 21.05.2016.

Nyírábrány, Hungary (Nyírábrány, Ungarn) (Nyírábrány, Magyarország) 04.2016.

Early this April, I was lucky to find Green-Winged Orchids, along with some other plants and arthropods on the Teleki Pasture (Natura 2000) in Nyírábrány, South Nyírség Region. Location: Nyírábrány. Date: 14.04.2016.

Vámospércs, Hungary (Vámospércs, Ungarn) (Vámospércs, Magyarország) 05.2015.

I visited the Jónás-rész protected area near Vámospércs, part of a Natura 2000 site in the South Nyírség region in May. This area has Pannonic sand steppes, lowland hay meadows, alkaline fens, and riparian mixed forests (Ulmenion minoris) with some remarkable cold climate relict plants, such as the Buxbaum's Sedge and the Globeflower. May is the best season to find the many orchids of the area. Location: Vámospércs and Nyíracsád. Date: 09.05.2015.

Debrecen, Hungary (Debrecen, Ungarn) (Debrecen, Magyarország) 06-08.2014.

In the summer of 2014 I found many peculiar arthropods and fungi in the city of Debrecen, as well as the recently described orchid named Tallos' Helleborine. Location: Debrecen. Date: 06-08.2014.

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.

South-Nyírség, Hungary (Süd-Nyírség, Ungarn) (Dél-Nyírség, Magyarország) 06.2013.

We took a short trip last weekend to the southwestern part of the Nyírség, a region of the Great Hungarian Plain, where it borders the Hajdúság Region. We visited a partially flooded meadow to take photos of the Marsh Helleborine orchids.

Lago Baratz, Sardinia (Lago Baratz, Sardinien) (Lago Baratz, Szardínia) 05.2013.

We traveled to the Baratz Lake and the nearby coastal area called Porto Ferro in the Sassari Province of Sardinia. The area had such a high diversity of landscapes, plants and animals that we spent the whole day here. First, we hiked around the lake and in the coastal pine forest. Location: Lago Baratz. Date: 02.05.2013.

Maddalena Archipelago, Sardinia (La Maddalena, Sardinien) (Maddalena-szigetek, Szardínia) 05.2013.

The islands of the Maddalena Archipelago are located north-east of Sardinia and are only accessible by boat. There are some pleasant, small villages here but most of the archipelago is in the territory of a national park named Parco nazionale dell'Arcipelago di La Maddalena. Crystal clear waters, beaches with pink sand, granite coastlines formed by the wind and the sea, small forests and interesting flora and fauna make this place fabulous. Place: Caprera Island. Date: 01.05.2013.

Province of Oristano, Sardinia (Provinz Oristano, Sardinien) (Oristano provincia, Szardínia) 04.2013.

We visited the coastal area between Alghero and Bosa during our trip to Sardinia. There are very few places in the Mediterranean where such a long coast is virtually uninhabited and preserved in its natural beauty. Location: North of Bosa, Sardinia. Date: 30.04.2013.

Loser Mountain, Austria (Loser Berg, Österreich) (Loser-hegy, Ausztria) 06.2012.

Our next destination in Austria was the Loser Mountain (1837 m), which lies at the southern endpoint of a part of the Totes Gebirge, meaning that it is a limestone mountain. There is a panorama road, the Loser-Panoramastraße that leads almost to the peak, to 1600 m. Here we searched through the tree-less landscape and enjoyed the beautiful panorama.

Hohe Dirn, Austria (Hohe Dirn, Österreich) (Hohe Dirn, Ausztria) 06.2012.

During our spider field trip in Austria, the first mountain we visited was the Hohe Dirn (1134 m high) near the National Park Kalkalpen in Upper Austria. We found a beautiful landscape of forests and pastures here, with unbelievably many orchids.

Almtal and Totes Gebirge, Austria (Almtal und Totes Gebirge, Österreich) (Alm-völgy és Holt-hegység, Ausztria) 06.2012.

We visited the Almtal (Alm valley) during our spider excursion in Austria, and from the Almsee (Alm lake) we went on hiking towards the Rotgschirr, a 2270 m high peak. This area is part of the Totes Gebirge (literally: Dead Mountains), which belongs to the Northern Limestone Alps. Here, on the limestone mountains the vegetation is very much different compared to the rest of the Alps, the tree line is much lower and above 1200-1500 m very few plants are found: the mountains are barren, hence the name. Of course, it proved to be a very interesting place for nature photography, despite the almost constant rain that day.

Kirkenes, Finnmark, Norway (Kirkenes, Finnmark, Norwegen) (Kirkenes, Finnmark, Norvégia) 07.2011.

Ending the series of posts about Norway, this time I write about some areas around the city of Kirkenes. We visited several interesting habitats here: fjords, birch woods, lakes and barren hilltops.

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.

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.

Central Bükk Mts., Hungary (Zentrales Bükk-Gebirge, Ungarn) (Bükk-hgys. középső része, Magyarország) 06.2009

During the university field trip in June, 2009 we spent some time in the middle part of the Bükk mts. The most interesting landscape here is the Nagymező on the Bükk Plateau, a mountain pasture/meadow that was formed some hundreds of years ago when a part of the forest was chopped down. Grazing animals, mainly horses helped to maintain the treeless landscape and later this area became a refuge for many rare plants that need the cool mountain climate but can not grow in the forest. Nowadays, a herd of Lipizzans are kept here by the Bükk National Park. Of course, the arthropod fauna is also very interesting here. Location: Central Bükk Mts. Date: 06.2009.