Karkonosze is the name of the highest range of the Western Sudetes. A range very popular with tourists. This is due not only to the absolute height of the peaks, but also to theInteresting complexes of fauna and flora. The varied terrain manifests itself in interesting rock formations, many waterfalls, kettles and ponds. These mountains were formed as a result of Alpine movements uplifting the Krkonoše Mountains about 30 million years ago, while the rock formations were created by frost weathering. To prevent the degradation of these interesting mountains by local people and crowds of visitors, the Krkonoše National Park was established in 1959. In 1992, together with the Czech National Park, it established the Karkonosze Bilateral Biosphere Reserve. In the national park, all animate and inanimate nature is protected. So in addition to the aforementioned forms, there is an abundance of flora and fauna. The Karkonosze Mountains are home to many endangered plant and animal species listed in the "Polish Red Book." Thanks to the establishment of a national park, their protection is easier and based on a large area. A national park encompasses an area distinguished by special natural, scientific, social, cultural and educational values, with an area of not less than 1,000 hectares, where all nature and scenic values are protected. KPN has an area of 5562 hectares. Vegetation of the KPN There are 900 species of vascular plants in the Karkonosze, divided into plant floors characteristic of mountainous areas. Karkonosze stands out from the entire Sudetenland with its plant cover, among the richness of KPN appear species from different geographical regions. There are still post-glacial relicts that have their isolated sites here. There are also a few endemics, i.e. plants ascending only in a particular place around the world. The so-called regal - or mountain zoning system is also characteristic of the Karkonosze. The vegetation is arranged in parallel belts that change with altitude. The lowest is the foothills floor, which in the Karkonosze is delineated up to about 500 m above sea level. Today, these are mainly usable areas - meadows and fields, with small forests in places, and there are also human habitats in this area. Unfortunately, the original vegetation has been almost completely destroyed, and today it is difficult to imagine what these areas once looked like covered with oaks, hornbeams, lindens and beeches and hazel. Such an oak-hornbeam is preserved only on Mount Chojnik (in the enclave of the National Park). Another curiosity of the foothills regale is the second enclave, the Szklarki Waterfall, where suboceanic fresh forest occurs. Another floor reaching up to 1000 meters above sea level is the lower regiel. In this area, too, the natural vegetation consisting of acidic beechwood has been destroyed, and over time a monoculture spruce forest has been planted there. In this floor also on Chojnik, Szklarka Waterfall and in the vicinity of Jagniątków you can still find traces of beech trees. The higher parts of the region are overgrown by a fir-spruce forest similar to the natural one, which has many interesting species in its undergrowth, such as the protected coneflower. From 1,000 to 1,250 meters above sea level, almost the entire area, called the upper regiel, is overgrown by Sudeten spruce. Here, sycamore and rowan are found between the spruce. Protected here are endangered species such as the ribbed fern. In this area, man had an indirect influence on the destruction of vegetation. Enormous damage was done by acid rain - the effect of air pollution. In the meadows occurring in all the alpine regions we can also find many protected species, such as mountain arnica, stemless thistle, lily of the valley. The wetlands are home to, among others, the orchid. High parts of the Kakrokonoše Mountains up to 1450 m above sea level. - subalpine floor - are dominated by dwarf pine. Among the stretches of dwarf pine there is a mountain variety of mountain ash, Silesian willow and common spruce. Endemics appear at this altitude. These include clusters of rock cherimoya, mountain ash, Carpathian mossy birch and rock currant in post-glacial basins, as well as Lapland willows near springs and by streams. In the subalpine alpine forests there are also many flowering plants, you can find: narcissus anemone, wolfsbane, foxglove, golden lily, tussock lily, tussockrose, lofty primrose or alpine pasqueflower. The area above 1,000 meters above sea level has some of the largest peat bogs in Central Europe. On the Polish side, it occupies 85 hectares, of which 20 h lie in the subalpine reglory. The peat bogs were created here due to the cool and humid climate and the geological structure of the Karkonosze topography. Among the plants in the peat bogs can be found many glacial relics, such as Lindberg's peat bog or cloudberry. Peat bogs occurring only on northern slopes with steep gradients can be admired in the area of Pielgrzymów, Słonecznik, Karkonoska Przełęcz, Petrówka, Kotło Szrenickie and between Kamiennik and Mumlawski Wierch. The highest floor reaches 1,602 meters above sea level and has been called the Alpine floor. On Śnieżka, on the ridge of the Black Crest, in the highest parts of the Great Szyszak and in the Snowy Cauldrons we can find only fragmentary parts of this floor, which is, of course, due to the altitude of the Giant Mountains. The most characteristic plant at this altitude is the skua rush, which in late summer gives a red color to the mountain grasslands. The territory of the Karkonosze National Park is also home to three species of plants of priority importance to the European Community, requiring protection in the form of designation of Natura 2000 areas. These are the Karkonosze endemics: the Karkonosze bellflower and the Sudeten gnidosh, and the endemic of the Czech Massif the Sudeten hugel. Animals KPN The Karkonosze National Park will also be a big attraction for animal lovers. There are at least 15,000 species, including 320 vertebrate species (2 species of fish, 6 species of amphibians, 6 species of reptiles, 200 species of birds, 60 species of mammals). The huge diversity of species is due to the diversity of the mountains. On the one hand, quite high for the Sudetenland, on the other hand, 5 floors of flora, as well as interesting terrain, make it possible to find a place for various species of fauna in the diverse terrain. The largest mammals found in the park are deer, roe deer and foxes. Among the most interesting bird species found in KPN are white-tailed eagles, black grouse, hazel grouse and eagle owls. Night wanderers, on the other hand, will be happy to get a glimpse of the life of one of the 16 bat species. KPN climate A very important element affecting species diversity is climatic diversity. The climate directly influences the occurrence of certain plant species, and these determine which animal species will reside in the area. In the first place, the ice age influenced the changes. Thick glaciers formed in the Giant Mountains, and where there were no glaciers there was a thick layer of snow and firn. These were extreme conditions for each species, which is why today you won't find any representatives of pre-glacial fauna in Karkonosze National Park. Also, the small number of endemics is due to conditions during the ice age. On the other hand, after the glacier receded, cold-loving species were the first to arrive in Karkonosze, following the retreating ice sheet. And despite the fact that it was getting warmer and warmer, there were species that were suited to the subalpine and alpine floors of vegetation in the mountains. The climate of the highest parts of the Krkonoše Mountains also appealed to species penetrating from other mountains, including the Alps. The climate found in the Krkonoše Mountains today is a distinctive local mountain climate influenced by oceanic air masses. It is characterized by harsh and long winters, significant precipitation, large temperature differences and strong winds. The climate - which is characteristic of mountainous areas - changes with altitude. Below 600 meters above sea level there is a moderately warm floor. The average air temperature is above 6 °C, it is distinguished by weakened dynamic air activity and strong spatial variation of temperature and precipitation. At an altitude of 600 to 960 meters above sea level is the moderately cool floor, where the average temperature varies between 6°C and 4°C, this area has low growing season heat resources and high precipitation. Harsh thermal conditions and high annual precipitation, as well as conditions conducive to the persistence of snow cover, are found in the cool floor (960-1320 meters above sea level). Here there is an average temperature between 4° and 2°C. Above 1320 m above sea level is the very cool floor with temperatures below 2°C, high winds, low temperatures and very high water from precipitation and atmospheric sediments are its characteristics.
01.06.2014
