From July 25th till August 5th
2006, the Field Study Group of the Dutch Society for the Study and
Conservation of Mammals (Vereniging voor Zoogdierkunde en
Zoogdierbescherming, VZZ) embarked on a visit to the beautiful
Galicica National Park in Macedonia. This summer camp was a part of
the VZZ's yearly program, dedicated to surveying mammal species that
are rare or absent in the Netherlands. The primary focus was on bats
and mice, but the group aimed to expand and exchange knowledge of
survey methods for other species as well. If you want to learn more
on the mammals of Galicica National Park,
click here to open a
report (language: Dutch, summary in English). The 2006 summer camp
was organized in collaboration with the management of the Galicica
National Park, the non-governmental organization BIOECO and the
Macedonian Museum of Natural History in Skopje.
The National Park is situated in the southwestern part of
Macedonia, between Lake Ohrid and Lake Prespa, encompassing vast
areas of open, mountainous land and deciduous forests. The highest
mountain in the park is Mount Galicica (2,255m). Our base camp was
set up in a house in the middle of the Galicica Park, at an
altitude of approximately 1,450m above sea level (see Google Map).
During our stay in Galicica National Park, we discovered the
richness of its natural beauty, with a particular interest in
observing mammal species. However, visiting this part of Europe in
late July and early August was not the most suitable period for
finding wild flowers. Moreover, finding a reliable flora on
Macedonian wild plants proved to be quite a challenge. D.G. Frodin
states that "no properly consolidated general floras or
enumerations are yet available for this most southerly of the
[former] Yugoslav states." And even that "the area remains
botanically inadequately known".
The only thing close to a "properly consolidated general flora" I
could think of, was the one made by Oreg Polunin: Flowers of
Greece and the Balkans, published by Oxford University
Press, Oxford/New York, 1987. The inadequacy of this publication
speaks for itself when I just give you one text fragment found in
this book (on the genus of Verbascum to be precise): "A
difficult genus with many similar-looking species; only the more
frequently encountered or distinctive species are considered
here". So much for a flora...
Despite
the challenges, I managed to record 117 different wild plant
species in the Galicica National Park. Species I could not
identify positively are not mentioned in this report below. The
area was grassy, dry and rocky. Species like Verbascum
lychnitis, Verbascum delphicum, Digitalis ferruginea (see
picture) and Carlina acanthifolia were abundant in this
area. I also found Sideritis syriaca, Stachys germanica,
Silene roemeri, Malva alcea, Betonica alopecuros and
Legousia speculum-veneris here. In the areas exposed to
constant sun, I observed species like Eryngium amethystinum,
Viola aetolica, Omphalodes verna, Plantago subulata, Centaurea
solstitialis, Teucrium chamaedrys, Teucrium montanum, Prunella
laciniata, Inula oculus-christi, Hieracium pilosella,
Helichrysum stoechas and Euphorbia myrsinithes.
Although there were several markings of small water currents, they
had dried up by the time of our visit. Nevertheless there was a
still moist and green vegetation around these former water
sources. Here, I found Campanula moesicana, Campanula
persicifolia, Gentiana cruciata, Polygala major, Linum bienne and
Salvia ringens (see picture). The forests near the base
camp consisted of pine and deciduous trees, with particularly old
beech trees at the edges. These forests were home to many
specimens of Geranium aristatum and Viola dacica.
A
steep and rocky hill east of our base camp offered a unique
environment, where I encountered Ceterach officinarum, Sedum
sartorianum (see picture), Sedum ochroleucon, Campanula
versicolor/pyramidalis, Sempervivum spec, Asyneuma anthericoides
and at the top of the hill Scilla litardierei. From
this vantage point, we enjoyed breathtaking views of Lake Prespa.
A
little southwards, a transmission tower at an altitude of
approximately 1,660m (see Google Map) provided
an ideal location to observe Paronychia cephalodes, Alyssum
spec and Chenopodium capitatum (see picture).