Photo 1. Appearance in 2003 of the mire in which the bog arum grows. “Alpine
grass” has overgrown most of the mire in the foreground. We found
a similar distribution of herbaceous vegetation in 2011.

ON THE OCCASION OF WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY: MOWING AND REMOVAL OF PART OF THE VEGETATION IN THE HABITAT OF THE BOG ARUM AT SUNGERSKI LUG

On 1 June 2011, a part of the herbaceous vegetation
found in the only known remaining habitat of the Bog Arum (Calla palustris)
in Croatia was mowed and removed from the location. Also removed were
rotten branches and tree trunks buried in the ground, as well as cones
and dry sedge. This year a representative of the Association “Jezero”
joined the representatives of the State Institution of Nature Protection
and the Public Institution “Priroda” in the clean-up operation.
Herbaceous vegetation was removed manually, while a part of the area overgrown
in “alpine grass” (Carex brizoides, quacking grass sedge) was
mowed. In a small section of the mire that was previously mowed, the top
soil layer with densely-knitted, long underground tendrils of alpine grass
was uncovered and removed. This revealed rotten branches and tree trunks
buried within the deeper layers of peat soil, some of which were removed
from the mire as in earlier years. Clumps of forest peat moss were transplanted
into the resulting cavities. When work on the mire was completed, we visited
several nearby swamped forest depressions at Sungerski Lug. Each of these
sites is a particular micro habitat with interesting and valuable plant,
animal and fungal life. The participants of the clean-up were assisted
by the employees of the Mrkopalj Forest Area Office (under Forest Administration
Delnice of “Hrvatske Šume”) and the Municipal Service Company
“Mrzle Drage” of Mrkopalj.