Biodiversity around Plášťovce

 

In the middle of the historical Hont County, at the confluence of the Krupinica and Litava Brooks, along the nearly two kilometres long valley spreads Plášťovce – the traditional village rich in history. The good characteristics inviting to settle down in the picturesque land were familiar to the people of the earlier eras, too. The widespread land includes valleys and terraces, hills suitable for observatories, crevices in rocks as hiding places, vineyard hills, broad forests (mainly oak and beech), abounding springs and rich flora and fauna. It is worth to see this all. Let us help you to observe these values in our educational centre situated in the Ivánka Castle (mansion). 

In the neighbourhood of Plášťovce, we can find the Natura 2000 – European protected area of economic significance (Litava Brook and Brezová) and the Šípka natural reserve. There are many significant protected plants and animals. Among others, here live the European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus),  

European hare (Lepus europaeus), red fox (Vulpes vulpes), European roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), red deer (Cervus elaphus), wild boar (Sus scrofa) and least weasel (Mustela nivalis).

 

A few of our natural values: Russian bugloss (Echium russicum J. F. Gmel.), greater pasque flower (Pulsatilla grandis Wender.), wild sunflower (Doronicum hungaricum Rchb. f.), dusky large blue (Maculinea nausithous Bergsträsser, 1779), black stork (Ciconia nigra), Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx), wildcat (Felis silvestris), common toad (Bufo bufo), European tree frog (Hyla arborea), common frog (Rana temporaria), whiskered bat (Myotis mystacinus), serotine bat (Eptesicus serotinus), lesser bat (lesser mouse-eared bat, Myotis blythii) and lesser horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus hipposideros). You can find some of them on the six-sided rotating column.

 

Biodiversity or biological variety is the diversity of nature. The notion can be conceived on different levels. It can mean the diverseness of all the habitats on Earth or the hereditary variety of living creatures from differences between the ecosystem through species that create them up to genetic variety assortment within a singular species (genetic variety – e.g. there are so many kinds of apples). It can also be understood within a smaller area. For example, we can examine the biological diversity of the Carpathian Basin or a little garden pond. Biodiversity is studied by ecology.