After two weeks, Tomi and I returned to the Cserhát Hills. This time my wife, Emese (Mesó) joined us as well. The cold front on Saturday refreshed the air, so the sun was shining brightly on Sunday; it wasn’t hard to get sunburned. In Pest county we visited again the orchard at Csővár, which became unbelievably colourful in the last two weeks. We didn’t found Anthaxia plicata, so went to Kozárd, where we had an appointment with Laci and Jancsi. They had already beaten a number of pear trees of the orchard at Palást (Plášťovce, Slovakia), so Laci could show us its fresh catch. We spent the whole day in Kozárd, and this time we made collecting on the southern hillside. This is part of a nature reserve, with its valuable natural treasure, the European copper skink, Ablepharus kitaibelii (Bibron & Bory de Saint-Vincent, 1833).
Csővár, with the orchard on the right.
The land turned into green and blossom, and the air was clear.
Mesó is looking for another pear tree.
Anthaxia suzannae Théry, 1942 was beaten from a pear tree here.
Beating trees in Kozárd.
Jancsi and his beating tray, the collecting tool with which he captured the first Hungarian specimens of …
...Anthaxia plicata Kiesenwetter, 1859
Its beauty is in its uneven surface, not in the colour.
Kozárd from the grassy hillside. On the last flower heads of spring pheasant's eyes (Adonis vernalis L.) we found a few Anthaxia chevrieri Gory & Laporte, 1839.
While sweep-netting we spotted European copper skinks (Ablepharus kitaibelii [Bibron & Bory de Saint-Vincent, 1833]) as they disappear in the dense grass.
A juvenile individual.
Bloody cranesbill, Geranium sanguineum L. is abundant on the hillside. This is the host plant of a small jewel beetle, Habroloma nanum (Paykull, 1799). Dozens were swept.
More plants from here:
Purple gromwell, Buglossoides purpurocaerulea (L.] I. M. Johnst.
Lady orchid, Orchis purpurea Huds.
On the way back home, next to the road between Kozárd and Csécse Ornithogalum boucheanum [Kunth] Asch. were in flower.
Pleasant end of a weary day: Csécse, Rákóczi Ferenc utca.
Translated by O. Merkl & T. Németh
