Lake Baláta Nature Conservation Area - Duna-Dráva NP (sitios de interés)
Descripción del sitio
| Territory of the protected area: 174 hectares. Location: It is situated in the fields of Szenta and Kaszópuszta to the northeast of Csurgó in Somogy county. Visitors: Visiting is subject to permit of the management. Management: Directorate of the Duna–Dráva National Park The lake Baláta is one of the areas which have been under protection for the longest time. The swampy ancient marsh without an outlet surrounde by fenwood grove at present must be the remains of a once was lake of a larger surface, which took shape in a hollow of about 2 square km in a dish-shaped impermeable layer of clay in a scene divided by sand ridges of southeast-northwest orientation, which is typical of the Bels?-Somogy (Inner-Somogy) landscapes. The water-supply of the lake, silting up in a natural way, is exclusively provided by rain, therefore the level of its water is very changeable. The slow, but continuous decrease of the level of the water is also due to the water control of the surrounding areas. In the southeastern part of the lake the boggy area of the Bojsza-lake, already detached, divided by a dam, is completely dry by now. The lake Baláta is situated at an ideal location in terms of nature conservation, because it lies far from roads. For a long time it was under the control of the Hungarian People's Army, and as such it was a closed area, not accessible for the public. Thanks to that the hardly larger than 1.5 square km ancient marsh survived almost untouched.  The majority of the area is covered with boggy reed, surrounded by an alder- and willow marsh, though shrinking, still significant in extension. Besides the thick, almost impenetrable willow-marsh, the other characteristics of the lake Baláta is the nettle alder marsh, which makes it even harder to approach the area difficult to walk around anyway. The specialty of the open water surface, still significant in territory, is the development of floating islands mainly consisting of lesser bulrush (Typha angustifolia) and reed mannagrass (reed sweet-grass) (Glyceria maxima).  The greatest sight of the lake Baláta is the insect catching reed-grass called waterwheel plant (Aldrovanda vesiculosa), which has its only habitat in Hungary here (only about fifty habitats of it can be found all over the world). However, less and less specimen were found in the past decades, it is also possible that it has disappeared for good, jut like the other rarity of the marsh at the edge of the lake the purslane (Ludwigia palustris). Still, a larger stock of the marsh cinquefoil (Comarum palustre) and the peat / bog-moss (Sphagnum) can be traced on the floating islands and on boggy areas. The a kind of caldesia (Caldesia parnassifolia) is also common on the area, several species of orchids (Orchis) bloom in the fresh meadows, the fringes of the forests are decorated with the also protected white asphodel (Asphodelus albus). The fish stock of the lake is quite poor, but the reptile and amphibian fauna of the marshy boggy areas are rather rich. Aesculapian snakes, slow-worms, pond tortoises, smooth newts and quite a few species of frogs can also be found on the area. The most renowned is the common viper, the melanic variety of which the black adder only lives here in Hungary. The avifauna of the lake Baláta is still extremely rich, although it has reduced recently as a result of diminishing surface of the water (because of drought) and the rehabilitation of the bird paradise of the Kis-Balaton. Common birds of the area are black storks, moorhens, spotted crakes, kingfishers. The common heron and several duck species are still common and the area is an important station of bird migration in autumn and spring. The field vole, a rare relict from the glacial lives here, too.  1994.  1999. photos credit: Toldi Miklós image source: www.bestcarnivorousplants.com text source: http://www.foek.hu/zsibongo/termve/tt/angtt/balata.htm |