We were very happy to visit the Hortobágy Nature Conservation Research Camp again this year after a very long time :) This wonderful camp was 51 years old this year, and many Hungarian ecologists and conservationists got to know the beauty and diversity of the lowland landscape for the first time here - including me more than 20 years ago :) This year we finally made it back to the camp, unfortunately only for one day - but it was still a great experience. The day was dedicated to kurgans, and in the morning Balázs Deák gave a comprehensive lecture on the natural and cultural heritage of the mounds, and then we visited the kurgans near Nádudvar. This year's drought (and the droughts of previous years) have left their mark on the vegetation, unfortunately most of the perennial grassland species have now also dried up, and the mass of the plumeless thistle (Carduus acanthoides) on the mounds has increased several times compared to our 2017 surveys.
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| On our way to the Tök-halom (Pumpkin-mound). |
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| Thanks to the enthusiastic group, we could search every square meter of the mounds very effectively looking for plants :) |
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| On the Pumpkin-mound, crop production was ceased in 2012 and spontaneous grassland recovery started thereafter. This year we found some specimens of the protected yellow starthistle (Centaurea solstitialis) which probably established spontaneously from the seed rain. |
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| On our way to the Hegyes-halom (Pointy mound), another kurgan, where arable farming was abandoned. |
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| The name "Pointy mound" is adequate, it is a spectacular landmark in the yellow sea of the large grassland. |
Many thanks to the camp organizers, Sára Csiha and Csaba Tóth for their kind hospitality, and we hope to see you next time :)
