2019

Findings of LVM Environmental Specialists in the Forests of Piebalga

When performing bird nest monitoring in the territory managed by JSC “Latvia’s State Forests” (LVM), LVM environmental specialists noticed two rare species in the forests of Piebalga. The first finding was a butterfly - the marsh fritillary (Eupydryas aurinia); the other - a rare lichen species - the brownish dermatocarpon (Dermatocarpon luridum).

The rare butterfly was noticed on a forest fire-break, feeding on a meadow crane's-bill, where it was soon joined by another butterfly of the same species. The marsh fritillary is most often to be spotted in Latvia in wet or moderately wet meadows, with lime or acidic soil and rich vegetation. Butterfly larvae feed on leaves of the devil's-bit scabious (Succisa pratensis) and form peculiar “nests” where they gather in a common web during daytime.

Although the marsh fritillary has a relatively wide range - from Ireland to China and Mongolia - the species is not common and is included in the lists of protected species both in Latvia and Europe.

“There are more than 50 sites of these butterflies in Latvia, but taking into account the natural decline of the areas suitable for this species, the number of sites or deposits is not considered to be high. Part of the population, possibly the butterflies observed in Piebalga, live in forest fire-breaks, glades and roadside meadows,” says Mārtiņš Kalniņš, LVM Environmental Planning Specialist.

Stepping down from the sunny forest fire-break to the glen of the River Tirza, the LVM environmental specialists were lucky to spot another valuable finding. In the river, a rare lichen species - the brownish dermatocarpon - grew on the part of a stone that was above the water.

According to the information available on the website dabasdati.lv, only three observations of this species have been registered in Latvia (in 2012): in the territory of LVM near the River Tirza, in the upper reaches of the River Līgatne and another finding in the tributary of the River Ogre in the vicinity of Ērgļi. They are now joined by the latest finding in the LVM area - in the River Tirza.

According to the information provided by lichen researcher Rolands Moisejevs, the Dermatocarpon luridum is known in Latvia only from 10 to 15 fields, mainly in Gauja National Park and its surroundings. This species is susceptible to contamination, therefore it is more common to be found in small streams.

In order to evaluate the impact of the company’s forest management activities on the natural and environmental values of LVM territory, LVM performs environmental monitoring on an annual basis.