Photographing butterflies and flowers in the peaceful meadows of the Velebit (Croatia)

The Velebit range, part of the Dinaric Alps, separates two different worlds: the Adriatic sea coast, with Mediterranean and Balkan strong influences, and the interior Croatia, with much more continental features.

Therefore, crossing one of the steep passes that climb the range from the mild seaside, you can encounter first harsh rocky landscapes with patches of short maquis of Downy Oak (Quercus pubescens) and European Hop-hornbeam (Ostrya carpinifolia), that I’ve already described in the two posts about the Paklenica National Park, located on the southern edge of the range, that have shown both, the winter (—> link) and the summer appearance (—> link) of these areas.

Then, approaching the watershed, the habitat changes strongly becoming definitely alpine, with extended pastures and some conifers or Beech (Fagus sylvatica) woodlands.

On the other side of the chain, the landscape recalls the complex of forests of the Central Europe, with only few clearings, not rarely boggy, and small villages, surrounded by some cultivated fields, to break the vastness of Spruce (Picea abies), Silver Fir (Abies alba) and Beech expanses.

Going finally at lower altitudes, woodlands give way to dry pastures and more extended cultivated fields, descending to the larger villages of the ancient region of Lika, but the population density keep substantially low.

During the two tours I led for Naturetrek, together with Josip Ledinšćak in June 2018 and June 2019, both the weeks ended in these grounds, exploring the northern part of the Velebit, more or less between Karlobag and Krasno Polje, and the photos will refer to that area.

Those tour were focused on butterflies and the season was a bit late to see the best of birds (even if I had some good ones like Wryneck, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Tawny Pipit, Eastern Orphean Warbler, Ortolan Bunting and Rock Bunting), so I concentrated more on the flora, expecially in 2019 when the wet spring delayed the blooming season of orchids, and on the little creatures of meadows, going from moth and butterflies to some other insects, reptiles or spiders.

In total, during the two years, I had in the Velebit about 62 species of butterflies, 50 moths (in two nights of moth trapping), 55 birds, 3 reptiles, 4 amphibians, 5 dragonflies and 16 orchids.

June 2018