WET MEADOWS & BOGS

 

Although wet meadows are becoming increasingly rare and endangered due to heavy drainage and intensive farming, there are still some beautiful areas to be found in Slovenia. This habitat usually occurs along rivers and streams (or lakes), especially those that flood regularly. In some cases such meadows were formed through centuries of human activity and deforestation. But the traditional way of farming allowed the establishment of a high biodiversity. Preserving extensive grasslands through regular mowing and avoiding the scrubbing-over of land is the key to preserve these precious habitats. Some examples of beautiful wet meadows in Slovenia include those in the areas of the Nanoščica river basin, Planinsko polje, Cerkniško jezero, Bloško polje, Ljubljansko barje and the Reka valley. 

 

 

Famous & Charismatic Species

 

 

Corncrake

Crex crex / Kosec

 

Common Quail

Coturnix coturnix / Prepelica

 

Whinchat

Saxicola rubetra / Repaljščica

 

Barred Warbler

Sylvia nisoria / Pisana penica

 

Common Rosefinch

Carpodacus erythrinus / Škrlatec

 

Snipe

Gallinago gallinago / Kozica

 

Red-backed Shrike

Lanius collurio / Rjavi srakoper

 

Common Whitethroat

Sylvia communis / Rjava penica

 

Yellowhammer

Emberiza citrinella / Rumeni strnad

 

Tree Pipit

Anthus trivialis / Drevesna cipa

 

Curlew

Numenius arquata / Veliki škurh

 

Marsh Fritillary

Euphydryas aurinia / Travniški postavnež

 

False Heath Fritillary

Melitaea diamina / Močvirski pisanček

 

Purple-edged Copper

Lycaena hippothoe / Škrlatni cekinček

 

Southern Festoon

Zerynthia polyxena / Petelinček

 

 

DRY KARSTIC GRASSLANDS

 

Dry karstic grasslands, like the name suggests, are found in the Karst region of western Slovenia. The Karst, or Kras in Slovene, is a limestone plateau lying in the northernmost part of the Adriatic sea. It extends above the town of Trieste in northeast Italy and into western Slovenia. The area is known for its geological, geomorphological and speleological phenomena, known commonly as karstic phenomena. The term “karst” became the technical term describing any karst area in the world, where the landscape is formed with the dissolution of soluble limestone and dolomite rocks. The Karst’s most characteristic landscape is a stony grassland, formed through four millenia of human activity: from deforestation to intensive grazing of livestock. Nowadays this kind of grassland is slowly giving way to forested areas, as grazing and land use is being abandoned. Although semi-natural, such grasslands are among the most species rich habitats in Europe. They are included in EU’s Habitat Directive and classified as Eastern sub-mediterranean dry grasslands.

 

 

FAMOUS AND CHARISMATIC SPECIES : 

 

 

Ortolan Bunting

Emberiza hortulana / Vrtni strnad

 

Short-toed Eagle

Circaetus gallicus / Kačar

 

Tawny Pipit

Anthus campestris / Rjava cipa

 

Hoopoe

Upupa epops / Smrdokavra

 

Red-backed Shrike

Lanius collurio / Rjavi srakoper

 

Corn Bunting

Emberiza calandra / Veliki strnad

 

Cirl Bunting

Emberiza cirlus / Plotni strnad

 

Nightjar

Caprimulgus europaeus / Podhujka

 

Woodlark

Lullula arborea / Hribski škrjanec

 

Skylark

Alauda arvensis / Poljski škrjanec

 

Melodious Warbler

Hippolais polyglotta / Penica

 

Rock Partridge

Alectoris graeca / Kotorna

 

Nose-horned Viper

Vipera ammodytes / Modras

 

European Green Lizard

Lacerta viridis / Zelenec

 

Dalmatian Wall Lizard

Podarcis melisellensis / Kraška kuščarica

 

Italian Wall Lizard

Podarcis sicula / Primorska kuščarica

 

Western Whip Snake

Hierophis viridiflavus / Črnica

 

Aesculapian Snake

Zamenis longissimus / Navadni gož

 

Four-lined Snake

Elaphe quatuorlineata / Progasti gož

 

Marsh Fritillary

Euphydryas aurinia / Travniški postavnež

 

Southern Festoon

Zerynthia polyxena / Petelinček

 

False Ringlet

Coenonympha oedippus / Barjanski okarček

 

Clouded Apollo

Parnassius mnemosyne / Črni apolon

 

Great Sooty Satyr

Satyrus ferula / Žametni modrook

 

False Grayling

Arethusana arethusa / Okrasti košeničar

 

The Hermit

Chazara briseis / Skalni puščavar

 

Jersey Tiger

Euplagia quadripunctaria / Črtasti medvedek

 

Eastern Eggar

Eriogaster catax / Hromi volnoritec

 

Carniolan Burnet

Zygaena carniolica / Kranjski ovnič

 

Predatory Bush Cricket

Saga pedo / Žagarica

 

Eastern Stone Grasshopper

Prionotropis hystrix hystrix / Žagasta kamenka

 

Owlfly

Libelloides macaronius / Navadna metuljčnica