Czech Republic

August 2008 Ždánice

This was our first visit to Ždánice in south Moravia in the Czech Republic. The Town Council is our partner there – it owns an area of ‘common land’ which is one of the last remaining stretches of unimproved grassland in the area and is immensely rich in wildlife. The locals call it ‘Butterfly Valley’.

Our job was to clear bushes that have invaded the grassland since agriculture there ceased 20 years ago and to make inroads into the False Acacia woodland – Robinia pseudoacacia is an exotic tree from North America which is spreading everywhere. Important butterfly species in the valley are the Mountain Alcon Blue (Maculinea alcon rebeli) and Nickerl’s Fritillary (Melitaea Aurelia).

We worked with a number of students from Ceske Budejovice University and several other local volunteers. The welcome we were given by the Mayor and his colleagues and by the local people was overwhelming.

Highlights included the birdwatching day out to the fishponds at Mutenice with Karel Šimeček, the amazing historic bicycle festival that the town holds each year, The ‘Histopedal’ and the party that followed it, the local wine and harvest festivals, the campsite on the Danube on the way, a fantastic haul of moths in the moth trap, and, very important as the weather was very hot, the superb town swimming pool to which we were given free access!

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