The Flora and Fauna of the Kerca Stream

Description

The Kerca stream takes its source in Slovenia in the Goričko area, and flows into Kerka at Bajánsenye. It is the habitat of the thick shelled river mussel and the crawfish. Of the species of dragonfly the presence of several species highly important from the nature conservation point of view has been detected. Of the kinds of the sombre goldenring dragonfly (cordulegaster bidentata) the Balkan goldenring or cordulegaster heros is the most important. In the Őrihodos section of the river Kerka 19 species of dragonfly live, of which the main ones are the Balkan goldenring, the beautiful demoielle (damselfly – calopteryx virgo), the green-eyed hook-tailed dragonfly (onychogomphus forcipatus), the green snaketail (ophiogomphus cecilia) and the southern skimmer (orthetrum brunneum). The Kerca stream that had been winding unregulated until the middle of the 20th century has been accompanied by a series of meadows all along for long centuries. These meadows had come into being in places where the forest had been cut down by man and now represent an outstanding natural value due to the diversity of local species that are quite rare even in a nation-wide comparison.