Queen of the Alps

Saturday, 25 July 2015

Queen of the Alps

This week I spent again two days in the Julian Alps, enjoying the alpine flora, which now is at its very best. The main target (and actually this summer's main target) was Eryngium alpinum, which I found after some effort on mount Porezen (1630 m). This is a mountain which like Črna prst holds an interesting flora and rare species of plants. Eryngium alpinum or "queen of the Alps" is one of them. In Slovenia is now quite rare and grows only on a few mountains in the Julian and Kamnik Alps.

Eryngium alpinum - this species was almost extirpated on some mountains, due to collecting for decorative uses. In Slovenia it was officially protected in 1922, but now it's still considered rare and localised. However, where it grows, it can be really numerous (see last pic) - I saw at least a hundred plants on a single patch of slope. Fortunately it usually grows on steep slopes and quite inaccessible places.

Cirsium eriophorum

The south grassy slopes of Porezen.

Porezen's top.

Dianthus monspessulanus - very common on the mountain's top.

Bupleurum petraeum

Gentiana pannonica and the hut on Porezen - the mountain is the locus classicus of this species.


Evening view from Porezen to Črna prst and mount Triglav in the far back.

Next day I was on the Komna plateau above the lake of Bohinj for a nice hike. On the bird front the most interesting were several Bonelli's Warblers Phylloscopus bonelli in the beech woodland above the Savica waterfall and some Lesser Redpolls Carduelis flammea ssp. cabaret in the larches on the Komna plateau. It was quite a long time from my last redpolls! We are not really used to see them frequently in Slovenia, especially during the breeding season. A calling Nutcracker Nucifraga caryocatactes was also of note and commoner birds included Crossbill Loxia curvirostra, Grey-headed Picus canus and Black Woodpecker Dryocopus martius, Willow Tit Poecile montanus, Siskin Carduelis spinus, Bullfinch Pyrrhula pyrrhula and Treecreeper Certhia familiaris.

Rosalia alpina - a charismatic beetle of the Cerambycidae family, living predominantly in beech forests in the Alpine region.

Aconitum angustifolium - an endemic species of the Julian Alps, found predominantly in the area of Bohinj. Here it was also firstly found and described.

Aconitum degenii (A. paniculatum) is a much commoner species that the previous. The main difference is in the shape of the leaves (larger and wider in A. degenii).

Clear difference between the larger Astrantia major (right) and the smaller Astrantia carniolica (left). The latter is quite common in montane beech forest, whereas the first is a bit scarcer.