Fire Salamander (Salamandra salamandra)

 

Yesterday I was leading a hike in the mountains surrounding the UNESCO world heritage site called “Devil’s Town” in southern Serbia. On the way up this particularly steep hill, we found two dead Fire Salamanders, both looking like victims of a car. They were about 100 meters apart. I stopped and took a photo of this one. 

 

The Fire Salamander in my Hand

They are quite common in Europe, although most of the races have yellow spots instead of orange like this specimen. The orange dots have glands that secret a toxin. It is a protection mechanism. In Serbian they are called Šareni daždevnjak.

There are two cool facts I learned abou them while identifying it on the internet. The first is that they live an extremely long time for an amphibian. One lived in a German natural history museum for over 50 years. The second is it is reported that the Slovenian use them to make Salamander Brandy, which is supposed to give the drinker a psychedelic experience. 

It was sad to see two of them as road kill. It did however, give me a chance to see one and learn a bit more about them.

Common European Adder (Vipera berus)

The Common European Viper Hides Under a Rock

Last Saturday on our CAS hike with the school, I spotted this snake on the side of the trail. We were walking in the hills above the village of Slavkovica just north of Cacak. It immediately hid under a rock and I had a hard time getting it out to get a picture of it. It turned out to be a viper, which I didn’t even know they were found in Europe. It is widespread and thankfully the venom is not that strong and bites are rarely fatal. There are several anti-venoms and it will make you sick and if left untreated could result in death. I wouldn’t take any chances and immediately seek medical help.This might be the Balkan peninsula sub species of Vipera berus.

White Campion (Silene latifolia)

White Campion

Originally uploaded by bill kralovec

This is a weed of roadsides and more generally wasteland. I photographed this specimen near Obrenovac on August 9, 2009. It is native to Europe, North Africa, and west Asia. It has become naturalized in the US and Canada after being introduced in seed crops in the 1800’s.

It belongs to the Carnation Family of flowers.

Teasel (Dipsacus fullonum)

DSCN0104

Originally uploaded by bill kralovec

I photographed this huge specimen of Teasel on a roadside near Obrenovac, Serbia on August 9, 2009. This biennial plant is found on roadsides throughout Europe, Africa, and Asia. It likes wet areas and is an important source of seeds for birds. 

From the Conservation Volunteers of Northern Ireland web site:

As with many of our native wildflowers, teasel is known by many different names. The first part of its scientific name ‘Dipsacus‘ derives from Greek and means ‘to thirst’. This name was given to this plant because of the way rainwater collects at the base of leaves, where the leaf and the stem together form a little bowl. This is also the reason why Romans called it ‘Venus’s basin’ and why early Christians in Ireland called it Mary’s basin’. The second part of its botanical name ‘fullonum‘ is derived from the term ‘a fuller’. Fuller is the old name for someone who used teasel to comb out wool. Therefore in some places teasel is also known by the name ‘brush and comb’. Furthermore the Irish name Lus an Fhucadora translates as ‘Fuller’s Herb’. In addition another name is ‘Johnny-prick-the-finger’, due to its sharp spiky form. Today a cultivated variety of teasel is still grown for use in the textile industry. It has hooks on the ends of the spikes, and is used in the manufacture of cashmere and velour fabrics. Teasel is also named the herbal ‘fracture healer’ to denote its ability to help heal broken bones and sinews. As a liver and kidney tonic, Teasel provides nutrients to maintain strong bones, sinews and cartilage. In Chinese medicine, this herb is also used for promoting energy and blood circulation. Moreover an ointment produced from the roots of this plant was traditionally used to cure warts.

In the flowering season the plant is visited by butterflies who sip on the nectar. Each individual flower in the flower head (approximately 2000 per head) produces a seed. After the seeds have formed in autumn the plant starts to die, but the dried stems and seed heads will still be around all winter. Despite the fact that the head is well protected by its spikiness, some animals such as goldfinches do manage to get through, and for them it is an important food source over the winter month. The dead adult plants leave a relatively large area of bare ground, formerly occupied by their own basal leaves, that new plants in the following year readily occupy. But seeds may also have the capacity to be water-dispersed, which may allow seeds to be dispersed over longer distances.

 

Great Spotted Woodpecker Nest

Walking home from school today I had a pleasant surprise. While walking through Haid Park I heard a loud chirping sound. As I investigated, I saw the sound

A Great Spotted Woodpecker Nest

was coming from a hole in the tree. Waiting a few more seconds, I saw a mother Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major) cautiously checking me out. She was probably wonder what this large human was doing so close to her babies. I snapped a few photos and walked down the path. As I was leaving, I saw the mother fly up to the hole and enter. I wonder if she had some food for the little guys. Woodpeckers lay 4-7 eggs and they make a new hole each year. The nest was about 15 feet above the ground. It must take a lot of work to make a hole that big. Amazing.

A Protective Mother

I did a previous post on the Great Spotted Woodpecker.

Mulberry Tree (Morus sp.)

I was walking with Ocean through Haid Park here in Senjak. We noticed these black berries on the ground. I looked up but couldn’t see any of the berries in the tree. As we continued on our walk, we then found more berries on the ground. This time I looked up and saw them in the tree. 

 

Mulberries In Various Stages of Ripeness

The mulberry tree is quite big. There were several in Haid Park and I’ll be on the lookout to see more in the city. The genus, Morus has 10-16 species found in warm temperate and subtropical regions around the world. They are members of the Moraceae (Fig) Family. All Moraceae can be identified by a white latex.

Field Poppy (Papaver rhoeas)

This photo was also from the new children’s playground at Ada Ciganlija. The poppies were growing on a hill in the center of the park. I see them along roadsides all throughout Serbia.

They have a long history with agriculture and are a symbol of fertility. It is a  successful weed on farms. They are annuals that flower and seed before the agricultural grains are harvested. Poppy seeds are used to decorate breads.

The poppy also associated with World War I. They bloomed on many of the fields on the Western Front and today are assoicated with Veteran’s Days around the world.Below is the poem written by a Canadian WWI soldier a day after he witnessed his friend die in the war.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

— Lt.-Col. John McCrae (1872 – 1918)

Common Mallow (Malva sp.)

The mallow is found on road sides and waste places around the world, although it is native to Europe, the Mediterranean, and Africa. I took this photo near a children’s playground at Ada Ciganlija. It is a new park and the land had been turned over or disturbed, hence the presence of the mallows. The mallow or malva has darker veins, separated petals, and a hairy stem. There are 20-25 different species in the genus Malva and it is a member of the family Malvaceae. The mallow is edible and here in the Balkans, in times of siege or war, people have survived by eating it. The excerpt below is from the Montana Plant Life web site. The mallow was introduced from Europe to the USA where it is quite common.

Edible Uses:
Leaves and young shoots of common mallow are edible raw or cooked. They have a mild pleasant flavor, and are said to be highly nutritious. They can be added in quantity to salads, and make an excellent lettuce substitute. They can also be cooked as greens. The leaves are mucus-forming, so when cooked in soups etc. they tend to thicken it in much the same way as okra. A decoction of the roots has been used as an egg-white substitute for making meringue. The roots are brought to the boil in water and then simmered until the water becomes quite thick. This liquid can then be whisked in much the same way as egg whites. A tea can be made from the dried leaves. Immature seeds are edible raw or cooked. Having a pleasant nutty flavor, they are nice as a nibble but too small in most cases to collect in quantity.

It is also known as “cheeses” because the fruits look tiny wheels of cheese. It is native to Serbia.

Red Horse Chestnut (Aesculus x carnea)

 

The flower of the Red Horse Chestnut

The Red Horse Chestnut is a hybrid tree. It is a good Balkan – USA mix! Little is known of the origins of this cross, but it is hybrid between the Common Horse Chestnut, native to Albania and Greece, and the American Red Buckeye. Both trees are in the same Aesculus genus. According to the literature, it is a popular tree planted in parks and gardens throughout Europe, but the only one I have seen in Belgrade is in the front yard of our Middle School campus. The Common Horse Chestnut is planted more often, especially in the parks and streets in Senjak. It looks very similar to Horse Chestnut, except with a splash of pink. 

 

The Internatioanal School of Belgrade features a Red Horse Chestnut

Lilac (Syringa sp.)

Lilac Bush

Originally uploaded by bill kralovec

Belgrade in April is wonderful and I can’t get enough of the spring flowers. I photographed this blooming Lilac bush at our school last week. They are a popular shrub that is planted in parks and gardens.

The Lilac belongs to the Olive family and there are 25-30 different species in the genus Syringa. They are native to Europe and Asia and are now planted worldwide. There are many festivals in the North America celebrating the beauty of the lilac. The Latin name, syringa refers to the shoots of the bush that can be easily hollowed out and used as flutes and pipes in early history.

In Victorian England, the Lilac symbolized first love, which is quite appropriate that we have these on our high school campus.