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A 25 years dream fullfilled today. I visited a very remote valley today at Southern Zala county upon the invitation of a local entomologist, Zoltan Scherer, who did find a unique Woodland Brown population in 2001. This butterfly used to be occured all along the western border and the NE, but only a few remnant population survived around Aggtelek and Zemplen Hills today. However this population quite different! According to my own theory the almost extinct lowland populations representing a kind of undescribed ecological form, maybe a real taxa, phenotypically unseperable from the mountain populations. Used to be we had this form from the Kiskunsag area (Peszer), where occured together with Chequered Skipper and Esper's Marbled White, the lattest extinct completely in 1913. We also had this "taxa" from the Kis-Balaton region and Drava-lowlands, but no any populations left anymore. So I was very happy to be informed about this last pocket (3 small satellite sub-populations just next to each-toher). I was completely astonished not only with the beauty of the butterfly, but about the habitat itself. I have seen this vegetation only once, exactly at the former spot of Esper's Marbled White, I just mentioned above.
Another very exciting fiding was today a large number of Green-eyed Hook-tailed Dragonflies, which is a mega from Hungary, we have only one known population in the country. I also passed some very exciting spots where the occurence of White-backed Woodpecker is very-very likely. We have historical records from this corner of the country, but nobody researched these sites recently. A project for us, coming very soon! :))

11 June, 2009

Woodland Browns chasing each other. A very difficult species to photograph. Extremely shy and restless...

Finally I got one fresh female, which gave us a stunning view.

A fine fresh male specimen, photographed a wekk later when I returned with some local conservationist.
The Woodland Brown's unique habitat.

Green-eyed Hook-tailed Dragonflies. We have seen hundreds today, however this is one of the rarest dragonfly of Hungary.

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