Mokřadní potok (Wetland Brook) – information board No. 2

What can you see, inter alia, around the revitalised Mokřadní potok?

common crane (Grus grus)

This roughly a metre high, elegant bird with a wingspan of over 2 metres inhabits wet meadows. It makes a distinctive “bugle” call. It can be seen here from about March to October.

common snipe (Gallinago gallinago)

Common snipe is a smaller bird (the size of a blackbird) with a strikingly long bill. The typical mating call is winnowing sound. It moves in a low zigzag flight. It can be seen from March to September.

black grouse (Lyrurus tetrix)

The black grouse is one of the rarest inhabitants of the local plains. It is the grouse that is the subject of protection in the bird area that stretches around here. It lives here all year round and is very sensitive to disturbance.

red-backed shrike (Lanius collurio)

Although it belongs to the songbirds, it behaves like a predator – it also hunts small vertebrates, which it impales on thorny branches for easier cutting of prey. It can often be seen perched on the tops of bushes.

corn bunting (Emberiza calandra)

This rare bird species, slightly larger than the sparrow, lives here all year round. It has an inconspicuous grey-brown colour. It sings from elevated positions; its song is said to resemble a set of rattling keys.

southern skimmer (Orthetrum brunneum)

This dragonfly with a body length of 4–5 cm belongs to the rare species of our fauna. The male is grey-blue, the female light brown. They seek shallow, warm water and like to perch on bare ground.

southern hawker (Aeshna cyanea)

It is a relatively large dragonfly species (body length about 7 cm) with light green to green-blue sides. You will probably see it flying or even standing in the air (rarely sitting anywhere) until the autumn months.

common spreadwing or emerald damselfly (Lestes sponsa)

The common spreadwing belongs to smaller dragonfly species (body length 3.5–4 cm) with metallic shiny colour. They can often be seen perching on vegetation around pools, especially during July and August.

chestnut heath (Coenonympha glycerion)

A smaller species of the family Nymphalidae, easily distinguishable from the similar more common small heath (also found here) by the more distinctive yellow-lined meshes on the underside of the wings. It can be seen in June and July.

Amanda’s blue (Polyommatus amandus)

This butterfly species of the family Lycaenidae can be spotted in wet meadows from June to early August. When identifying blues, look especially for the position and colour of the spots on the ventral sides of the wings.

lesser marbled fritillary (Brenthis ino)

A typical species of wet to peaty meadows. One of the few butterfly species that have recently become widespread. It can be seen in July and August.

wood horsetail (Equisetum sylvaticum)

A shade-loving species of horsetail up to half a metre tall, with very long and delicate branches. However, these do not grow until later in life, and the young stems with spears are pale and branchless.

purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria)

A typical wetland plant with abundant spikes of red-purple flowers, it can grow up to 2 m tall. Unlike other purple flowering plants on the site, the flowers are composed of six petals.

bulbous rush (Juncus bulbosus)

The rushes species are typical wetland plants. They can also grow directly out of the water. They are relatively inconspicuous and are often mistaken for grasses. There are several species of rushes on the site, these form small dense clumps.