NP Poloniny

In mid July this year a group of people from our travel agency set out to make an exploration tour to Eastern Slovakia, to the region of wooden churches and beautiful beech primeval forests. The main aim of this visit was to prepare a new trip into this untouched part of Slovakia.

National park Poloniny is a part of transboundary Biosphere reserve East Carpathians designated under UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme. And right here are three primeval forests (Havešová, Rožok a Stužica), which are on the UNESCO World Heritage List as a part of a larger site Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and the Ancient Beech Forests of Germany. Besides these beautiful natural values there are many wooden churches in the surroundings, some of which are also on the UNESCO World Heritage List (Wooden Churches of the Slovak part of the Carpathian Mountain Area). In inaccessible parts of national park is still possible to find remnants of ammunition or weapons from WW2, from heavy battles in years 1944-1945.We stayed in Osadné, famous for a documentary movie about this small village, which won several awards at international film festivals. For art lovers there is in near town Medzilaborce the museum of world-famous Andy Warhol, who was born there. All this awaits everybody who is interested in nature, culture and history.

 

Mammals

The most interesting of large mammals are Brown Bear (Ursus arctos), Wolf (Canis lupus) and Lynx (Lynx lynx). Deer is quite common in this area and only here is possible to observe feral European Bison/Wisent (Bison bonasus). Eurasian Elk (Alces alces) could be observed irregularly. Of smaller carnivores Otter (Lutra lutra) and Wildcat (Felis silvestris) lives in this area. Among present rodents the occurrence of Northern Birch Mouse (Sicista betulina) is the most interesting.

Birds

You can find all Slovak species of woodpeckers there: Black Woodpecker (Dryocopus martius), Green-headed Woodpecker (Picus viridis) and Grey-headed Woodpecker (Picus canus), Great Spotted, Middle Spotted, Lesser Spotted and White-backed Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major, D. medius, D. minor, D. leucotos), Tree-toed Woodpecker (Picoides tridactylus); of song birds Red-breasted and Collared Flycatchers (Ficedula parva, F. albicollis), six species of Slovak owls: Eagle Owl (Bubo bubo), Tawny Owl (Strix aluco), Ural Owl (Stix uralensis), Pygmy Owl (Glaucidium passerinum), Tengmalm's Owl (Aegolius funereus), Long-eared Owl (Asio otus). Birds of prey in the area include Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), Lesser Spotted Eagle (Aquila pomarina), Honey Buzzard (Pernis apivorus), Red Kite (Milvus milvus), Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus). In villages you can find nests of White Storks (Ciconia ciconia) and in forest Black Strorks (Ciconia nigra). Near watercourses it is possible to see beautifully colored Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis).

Reptiles and amphibians

All 5 in Slovakia living snakes can be found here: Aesculapian Snake (Elaphe longissima/Zamenis longissimus), Smooth Snake (Coronella austriaca), Dice Snake (Natrix tasselata), Grass Snake (Natrix natrix) and Adder (Vipera berus). Amphibians of this area include Northern Crested Newt (Triturus cristatus), Montandon's Newt (Triturus montandoni), Fire Salsamander (Salamandra salamandra) or Common Tree Frog (Hyla arborea).

Butterfiles

In the area of national park were so far registered 746 species of butterflies, which are not only a remarkableness of this area but are also important from whole-Slovak point of view, such as Aporodes floralis, Aporia crataegi, Malacosoma castrensis, Meganola albula, Cidaria fulvata, Hemaris tityus, equally interested is also Alcon Blue (Maculinea alcon), whose caterpillars live in flowers of Marsh Gentian (Gentiana pneumonante) and in anthills of ant Myrmica ruginodis.

Beetles

In national park live 1 163 species of beetles, among which are numerous eastcarpathian endemics Nebria fuscipes, Patrobus styriacus, Hydraena hungarica, Stenus obscuripes, Othius crassus, Leptusa coronensis, Geostiba infirma, Bryaxis carpathicus, Duvalius subterraneus, Deltomerus carpathicus, Xantholinus azuganus trellai, Othius transsilvanicus, Carabus zawadskii, Otiorhynchus opulentus, Liophloeus gibbus, Donus rubi, Alophus carpathicus and very rare Carpathian-alpine species Amara nigricornis. As a surprise came the detection of some southerneuropean thermophilic species coming from Pannonian region such as Bembidion tenellum, Anemadus strigosus, Ontholestes haroldi, Mordellaria aurofasciata and Drypta dentata. As new for the fauna of Slovakia were right in this area discovered Amara nigricornis, Myllaena infuscata, Liogluta vuestthoffi, Atheta pittionii a Clambus nigrallus. Nature value of this area increase also protected species of genus Carabus, and 200 species of family Curculionidae. Attractive species Rosalia Longicorn (Rosalia alpina), Stag Beetle (Lucanus cervus), and Eurasian Rhinoceros Beetle (Oryctes nasicornis) can be found everywhere in the park.

Plants

There are more than 1 000 species of higher plants, 800 species of fungi, more than 300 species of bryophytes and more than 100 species of lichens. Poloniny creates a botanical border between mountain systems of Eastern and Western Carpathians. This is documented with the presence of some eastcarpathian elements in flora, which have its western limit of occurrence in the area of national park, such as bellflower Campanula abietina, thistle Cirsium waldsteinii, Sweet William Dianthus barbatus subsp. compactus, fescue Festuca saxatilis, cow-wheat Melampyrum herbichii, buttercup Ranunculus carpaticus, Scorzonera rosea, subspecies of Notthingham Catchfly Silene nutans subsp.dubia and violet Viola dacica. In Poloniny lies the northern border of the area of occurrence of e.g. French Flax (Linum trigynum) and Traveler’s joy (Clematis vitalba). Remarkable is also the presence of Nipplewort Lapsana communis subsp. intermedia or Hacquetia epipactis coming from northwest.

We plan a trip to this beautiful area also due to its extraordinary species richness.

 

Source: http://www.sopsr.sk/nppoloniny/