Eastern Larkspur

A longer journey today north-west towards the city of Sighişoara gave us a chance to become familiar with the settlements and landscape of the area, with its pattern of hay meadows and arable land in the valleys, alongside small plantations used for building Saxon houses. 
 
Our first stop was outside the village of Apold, where we were greeted by the sight of some interesting steep tumps; geological formations that hold areas of steppe vegetation. The grassland here held more interesting plants including Tassel Hyacinth Leopoldia comosa , Hungarian Vetch Vicia pannonica , Ornithogalum amphibolum and Cushion Spurge Euphorbia epithymoides . Yellowhammers and Tree Pipits were in fine song, along with Corncrake calling and a reeling Grasshopper Warbler on the other side of the road. As we walked, we sent a couple of Brown Hares galloping ahead of us, and Green Hairstreak, Black-veined White and Heath Fritillary joined Chimney Sweeper moths, and the ubiquitous Painted Ladies visiting the flowers. 
 
The tumps themselves were covered in a purple haze, provided by Nodding Sage Salvia nutans and Meadow Clary Salvia pratensis, amongst which we found Jurinea Jurinea mollis , Yellow Woundwort Stachys recta , a small patch of Yellow Flax Linum flavum and French Meadow-rue Thalictrum aquilegiifolium . A series of puddles by the entrance to the meadow held a population of Yellow-bellied Toads that hung motionless in the water, reserving the right to burrow into the mud if they felt threatened. 
 
Continuing on our way, a mass of Eastern Larkspur Delphinium hispanicum provided a fantastic photo opportunity as we passed, before we had fleeting views of a Little Owl in Apold village. We headed to the Breite, a wood-pasture occupying around 70 hectares just outside of Sighişoara, and home to hundreds of ancient oaks. Saved from various mad development ideas, including a Dracula theme park, the Breite is still threatened by overgrazing with livestock, and the growth of Hornbeam that threatens the survival and regeneration of the oaks. 
 
Walking among the ancient oaks we could hear hoopoes and woodpeckers calling, although setting eyes on them proved more difficult! Scrambling yellow-flowered Creeping Jenny Lysimachia nummularia and Yellow Pimpernel Lysimachia nemorum were spotted as the odd Sand Lizard darted between rush tussocks. A tangled mass of Great Dodder Cuscuta europaea was spotted using and abusing a patch of Common Nettle Urtica dioica and we added Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary to our butterfly tally here, along with the beautiful Hornet Robberfly. 
 
As we returned to the bus a very obliging Black Woodpecker was busily hammering the ground with its impressive beak, joining Grey-headed, Green, Great Spotted, Syrian and Middle-spotted Woodpeckers on the list. We stopped on our return leg for a visit to the beautiful walled citadel of Sighişoara for some time to explore its cobbled streets, towers, churches and coffee shops as we wished. 
 
Extract from Wildlife Travel Transylvania trip report, Laurie Jackson, June 2019