last weekend a friend of mine and I have been invited to join some hungarian friends searching for meadow vipers in the Puszta, the pannonian steppe.
After a few hours in the train, we arrived in the south of Budapest.
The climate was very hot (around 30°C at noon) and very dry in the open grasslands. In the woods, there were some tiny and one bigger ponds, it was more humid than in the meadows.
In the evening rain started from time to time and it became more windy and cooler. The second day was the same, little rain, very cloudy and windy.
A varied landscape, with many different habitats...
european green lizard male, Lacerta viridis
Some parts of the area had been destroyed by a fire a few months ago.
Lacerta viridis female
On the sandy hills we saw lots of balkan wall lizards, Podarcis tauricus
Quite common in the sandy areas, an antlion
The big pond...
...where we found grass snakes and fire-bellied toads Bombina bombina.
Back on the meadow, lots of lizards again...
L. viridis
sand lizard female, Lacerta agilis
Saga pedo
Cheiracanthium erraticum
In the middle of the plains, european pond turtle Emys orbicularis quite far away from the ponds...
...obviously before laying her eggs.
After some hours of searching we were delighted to find this little Viper
Vipera ursinii rakosiensis
Grass snake Natrix natrix (persa?) in the grassland.
At night we saw some common spadefoots Pelobates fuscus
Another place, a little to the north:
Lacerta viridis male
And some more arthropodes...
jumping spider, Philaeus chrysops
spider-hole
Geolycosa vultuosa
Lucanus cervus
I really enjoyed the trip and I am grateful, that I could see one of those beautiful and rare vipers in their natural environment.
regards,
Markus
