Our butterfly monitoring site in SW Ukraine: Bene Hill-1

Location in Europe

Bene Hill-1

Location in Transcarpathia [4]
Geographical co-ordinates [7]
N48 10.010 E22 45.845
Yellow triangle

Total view of Bene Hill-1 Site from car road. 4 April, 1999
Photo, Total View

Scheme of the route path

Site's photo at 26 May 1997, Section 1 to North
Photo, Section 1

Access

Very easy by bus or train from Uzhgorod city bus or railway stations.

We use to ride a bike while making of Butterfly Trips around Ukrainian Carpathians. It is the cheapest and ecological clean way how to visit all monitoring sites in SW Ukraine.

Description and other useful info

History: First walked in 1987. First monitoring of butterflies (Rhopalocera) by British Scheme [1, 3] was carried out in 1997.

Description: Linear route is divided on 14 sections, 50 m each. Altitudes range is 120-180 m.

Geology: crystal volcanic hills on Transcarpathian depression.

Climate: Mild climate with average temperatures of Januar -3, -4° and July +21°C. Period with temperature more than +10°C continues up to 230 days. Annual precipitation consists 784 mm. 75% of it has place in summer time. In winter time snow level consists 10-12 cm. [2]

Natural zones of South West Ukraine: The site belongs to Transcarpathian lowland region.

Vegetation: You can see there a mixed butterfly habitats. More important are patches of steppe meadows with flowering plants, including Rubus and Prunnus scrubs and forests of Quercus petraea. The area around the site includes kitchen garden, abandoned vineyard and gardens.
CORINE codes:
(Sorted in order of area)
41 Broad-leaved deciduous forests
34 Dry calcarious grasslands and steppes
38 Mesophile grasslands (rare)

List of butterfly host plants (database 1997-99):
Astragalus sp, Taraxacum sp., Lotus corniculatus, Origanum vulgare, Aster lanceolatus, Clinopodium vulgare, Achillea collina, Tanacetum vulgare, Centaurea cyanus, Melampyrum nemorosum, Mentha sp., Veronica sp., Vicia cracca, Cornus mass, Trifolium hybridum, Tr. repens, Rubus fruticosus, Rosa sp., Urtica dioica, Umbelliferae, Dianthus sp., Knautia sp., Convolvulus arvensis, Cichorium intybus, Crepis sp., Ficaria bulbifera, Ranunculus sp., Ajuga genevensis.

Management: Since 1987 we are visited route site 21 times. The main goal is producing of butterfly census, and investigation of relations of ones with vegetation. Some hay was made at sections 3, 4 in June 1999 by owners from village Bene.

Main threats factors: Amongst of them is burning of vegetation. It had place at sections 11-13 in April 1997 and at sections 5-13 in April 1999.

References

1. Butterfly monitoring scheme. 1981. Instructions for independent recorders. Institute of Terrestrial Ecology. A National Environment Research Council laboratory. NERC Reprographic Section. Swindon. 1981, 14 p.

2. Geographical encyclopaedia of the Ukraine. 1989. "Ukrainian Soviet Encyclopaedia", Kiev, 1989, vol. 1, pp. 416; 1990, vol. 2, 480 pp.; 1993, vol. 3, p. 174.

3. Pollard, E., Yates, T.J., 1993. Monitoring Butterflies for Ecology and Conservation. // E. Pollard, T.J. Yates. Chapman & Hall, London, 1995, 274 p.

4. Ukrainian Carpathians. Topography map. 2001. 1:200 000. Military Map Factory. Kyiv, 2001

5. Van Swaay, C.A.M., Warren, M., Grill, A. Threatened butterflies in Europe. Provisional report // Chris A.M. van Swaay, Martin Warren, Andrea Grill. Dutch Butterfly conservation (De Vlinderstichting), Wageningen. VS97. 25 November 1997.

7. World Map 2.0. Garmin Corporation 1995-1999

Notable Butterflies

List of species from our current databases

Species in red are threatened in Europe [5]

1 Erynnis tages L.
2 Pyrgus malvae L.
3 Thymelicus lineola Ochs.
4 Thymelicus sylvestris Poda
5 Ochlodes venatus Br. & Gr.
6 Hesperia circe L.
7 Iphiclides podalirius L.
8 Papilio machaon L.
9 Zerynthia polyxena D. & S.
10 Aporia crataegi L.
11 Gonepteryx rhamni L.
12 Pieris brassicae L.
13 Pieris napi L.
14 Pieris rapae L.
15 Anthocharis cardamines L.
16 Colias hyale L.
17 Leptidea morsei Fent.
18 Leptidea sinapis L.
19 Lycaena dispar Haw.
20 Thersamonia thersamon Esp.
21 Lycaena phlaeas L.
22 Heodes tityrus Poda
23 Callophrys rubi L.
24 Nordmannia acaciae F.
25 Nordmannia ilicis Esp.
26 Strymonidia pruni L.
27 Everes alcetas Hoffm.
28 Everes argiades Pall.
29 Celastrina argiolus L.
30 Glaucopsyche alexis Poda
31 Cyaniris semiargus Rott.
32 Aricia agestis D. & S.
33 Philotes vicrama Mr.
34 Maculinea arion L.
35 Lycaeides argyrognomon Brgstr.
36 Lycaeides idas L.
37 Plebejus argus L.
38 Polyommatus icarus Rott.
39 Araschnia levana L.
40 Polygonia c-album L.
41 Nymphalis polychloros L.
43 Inachis io L.
43 Cynthia cardui L.
44 Aglais urticae L.
45 Euphydryas maturna L.
46 Melitaea cinxia L.
47 Melitaea didyma Esp.
48 Melitaea phoebe D. & S.
49 Mellicta athalia Rott.
50 Issoria lathonia L.
51 Brenthis daphne D. & S.
52 Clossiana dia L.
53 Clossiana selene D. & S.
54 Argynnis paphia L.
55 Neptis sappho Pall.
56 Lasiommata maera L.
57 Lasiommata megera L.
58 Pararge aegeria L.
59 Minois dryas Scop.
60 Brintesia circe
61 Aphantopus hyperantus L.
62 Maniola jurtina L.
63 Coenonympha arcania L.
64 Coenonympha glycerion Bork.
65 Coenonympha pamphilus L.