“Hilltopping” is a mating strategy in which insect adults seek out elevated, unvegetated sites in the landscape where their courtship flights and mating take place. After copulating, they then disperse back across the site in search of suitable sites for laying eggs and larval development. Such a mating strategy is typical for species such as the Old world swallowtail (Papilio machaon), the Scarce swallowtail (Iphiclides podalirius) or the extremely rare Ascalaphus species and other insects. After abandoning grazing in the countryside (especially by goats, which are suited to grazing high cliffs densely vegetated by shrubs), we have lost many such places.
We’ve created a ‘hilltoping’ place like this in the grike field on top of Beckovské skalice after clearing.
