Many insect species are tied to a specific habitat at the forest-meadow interface. In the past, this boundary was nowhere as clear and straight as it is today. The transition from meadow to forest used to be loose, sometimes only a few trees, sometimes tens of metres wide and had a woodland character. The forests were often used as pastures, i.e. they were so-called grazing forests, with enormous biodiversity. For many species, these are the optimal places to live. Among rare butterfly species, they are sought out by the clouded Apollo (Parnassius mnemosyne), the Jersey tiger (Callimorpha quadripunctaria) or Fenton’s wood white (Leptidea morsei). We are planning to create such places for them as part of the project.
In the Fačkovská Homolka site, we have removed the dense thicket of bushes and opened up the forest edge. In the summer a local farmer will start grazing here by fencing in the cleared areas. This combination should be ideal.
Now we just have to wait for the butterflies.
