Carniolicum - Wildlife & Biodiversity in Slovenia: Wild Slovenia in Spring

We are just back from a busy two weeks in the field, mainly based around the Notranjska region. We've been co-leading a general wildlife tour for Naturetrek as well as doing short custom trips, both to Notranjska and Primorska, including two interesting days in the company of Peter Alfrey (his posts here & here). The places we visited include: lake Cerknica, mount Slivnica, Javorniki & Snežnik mountains, Loška dolina, Planinsko polje, Rakov Škocjan, mount Nanos & Vremščica and some Karst around Divača and Sežana. Due to the high temperatures and summer weather we were mostly enjoying in butterflies (saw around 50 species) and plants, whilst birds were thinner on the ground. Among birds we observed both Ural Owl Strix uralensis & Three-toed Woodpecker Picoides tridactylus as well as Black Stork Ciconia nigra (on a daily basis) and commoner open-areas birds like Corncrake Crex crex, Barred Warbler Sylvia nisoria, Common Rosefinch Carpodacus erythrinus, Quail Coturnix coturnix, Whinchat Saxicola rubetra, Hoopoe Upupa epops & Curlew Numernius arquata (probably breeding at lake Cerknica). Among mammals the most interesting was a chorus of 2-3 howling Golden Jackals Canis aureus in the middle of the day, in the Karst near Divača. Below is a long selection of photos, arranged more or less in a "habitat order", starting with forest, then wet meadows, grasslands and finally mountain pastures. Enjoy!

Three-toed Woodpecker Picoides tridactylus, Javorniki mountains.
The activity at the nest continues; juveniles have fledged and the adults are more active at the nest-hole at the moment.

Ural Owl Strix uralensis, Loška dolina.
We've seen two different birds; one at the nestbox site and the other flushed from the road.

Poplar Admiral Limenitis populi, Snežnik mountains.
One of the highlights of the Naturetrek tour. A rare species in Slovenia, due to the rarity of its food plant - Aspen Populus tremula.

Scarce Fritillary Euphydryas maturna (right) & Duke of Burgundy Hamearis lucina (left), Iška river.

Yellow Daylily Hemerocallis lilioasphodelus, Iška river.
A rare plant in the Dinaric mountains, usually found in wet forest along rivers and in gorges.
Thanks to Christiane Weisbecker for the find & directions!

Hungarian Glider Neptis rivularis, Planina cave.

Martagon Lily Lilium martagon, Iška river.

Pearl-bordered Fritillary Clossiana euphrosyne, Loška dolina.

Duke of Burgundy Hamearis lucina, Iška river.

Red Helleborine Cephalanthera rubra, Iška river.
An unexpected and excellent find - rare species in the Notranjska region.

Large Yellow Foxglove Digitalis grandiflora, Iška river.

Justin's Bellflower Campanula justiniana, Planina cave.

An endemic species of southern Slovenia and NW Croatia.

Summer Bolete Boletus aestivalis, Javorniki mountains.

Horvath's Rock Lizard Iberolacerta horvathi, Rakov Škocjan.

A rare lizard of south-eastern Europe.

Dice Snake Natrix tessellata, river Kokra (northern Slovenia).

White Admiral Limenitis camilla, mount Slivnica.

Woodland Brown Lopinga achine, mount Slivnica.

Lesser Butterfly-orchid Platanthera bifolia, Javorniki mountains.

Greater Butterfly-orchid Platanthera chlorantha, Snežnik forests.

White Helleborine Cephalanthera damasonium, mount Slivnica.

Deadly Nightshade Atropa belladonna, Cerkniško jezero.

Bladder-nut Styphylea pinnata, Cerkniško jezero.

Wet meadows at Cerkniško jezero (by the Cerknica lake).

Illyrian Gladiolus Gladiolus illyricus, Cerkniško jezero.

Marsh Helleborine Epipactis palustris, Cerkniško jezero.

Bog Orchid Anacamptis palustris, Cerkniško jezero.

Large Copper Lycaena dispar, Cerkniško jezero.

Marsh Gentian Gentiana pneumonanthe, Planinsko polje.

False Heath Fritillary Melitaea diamina, Cerkniško jezero.

Common Hedgehyssop Gratiola officinalis, Bloška planota.

Fen Ragwort Senecio paludosus, Cerkniško jezero.

Ashy-headed Wagtail Motcailla flava ssp. cinereocapilla, Cerkniško jezero.

Wet meadows with Shining Meadow-rue Thalictrum lucidum, Planinsko polje.

Flowering-rush Butomus umbellatus, Cerkniško jezero.

Narrow-leaved Water Plantain Alisma lanceolatum, Cerkniško jezero.

Black Stork Ciconia nigra, Cerkniško jezero.

White Stork Ciconia ciconia, Cerkniško jezero.

Traditional haystacks in Loška dolina, called "ostrnice".

Common Poppy Papaver rhoeas in a field of Wheat Triticum aestivum, Cerkniško jezero.

Barley Hordeum vulgare, Cerkniško jezero.

Large Venus's-looking-glass Legousia speculum-veneris, Cerkniško jezero.

Beehives at Cerkniško jezero.

Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros, Grad Snežnik.

Adonis Blue Lysandra bellargus, mount Slivnica.

Cream-spot Tiger Epicallia villica, Iška river.

Nettle-tree Butterfly Libythea celtis, Cerkniško jezero.
We found this dead butterfly by the lake as well as seen two live specimen above Koritnice. A species usually associated with coastal and warmer areas of western Slovenia.