Kaszonyi Hill NCA in Barabás

The characteristic features of the Bereg-Szatmár Plain include volcanic-like islands emerging from the flat alluvial landscape. Such are the Kaszony and the Tarpa hills. The reserve covering 156.6 ha is located on the south-southeastern part of the Kaszony hill. The national boundary runs across the 160-170 metre-high plateau with bulges not much higher (e.g. the Bárci peak, 219.6 m). The Veresmáj (221 m), the most significant bulge is situated on the Ukrainian side. A ravine-like valley with steep slopes is located at the eastern side ('Szádok-slope') of the hill. The area at the feet of the mountain is rather wet and is covered with alluvial deposit (Sár-virág).

The Kaszony hill is made up of three closely connected types of volcanic rock. The majority is made up of sheets of rhyolite lava that has a special, glassy texture. Succeeding explosions resulted in slaggy lava that formed pearlstone while cooling down. Finally, the so called plagioclas lava streamed forth. The volcanic rocks making up the surface layers of the Kaszony hill formed during the explosions of the latter, plagioclas lava. The upper layer of the volcanic-like hills is made up of loess turned into lime-free adobe. It only forms a very thin layer on the peaks and the upper parts of the slopes and is completely missing from the steepest slopes. It probably dates back to the mid-pleistocene.

The temperature of the area is known to be moderate (with an annual average of 8.9 ºC). The climate here is continental with rather cold winters and medium amounts precipitation (with an annual average of 609 mm).

2. Description and nature conservation of the area

With regards to its habitats, the area is highly mosaic. Despite its limited area, it is rich in species. There are more than 275 herbaceous species here and its vertebrate fauna consists of about 130 species. Among the invertebrates, molluscs (with 27 species) together with certain insect taxa (orthopterans: 26 species, ground beetles: 22 species and butterflies: 278 species) have been thoroughly studied. The reserve is known to be a highly valuable area since it abounds in protected species and those of international significance. The most important habitats are the following:

Dry xeromorph Quercus petraea-Quercus Dalechampii Oak forests growing on southerly, exposed rocky areas. The trees are rather slender. The canopy does not close properly, the habitat hardly has any natural seedlings and the shrub layer is moderately rich. Its soil is eroded with a poor surface soil. The herbaceous layer does not close properly either and displays a number of barren spots. The moss stratum is also scarce. The dominant tree species are the following: the Sessile Oak, Quercus dalechampii, the Small-leaved Lime, the Silver Linden, the Common Ash and the Field Maple. The shrub layer is moderate, consisting of the Common Hawthorn and the Midland Hawthorn, the Blackthorn, the Red Dogwood, the Common Privet and the Spindle-tree. The characteristic herb species include the Great Stonecrop, the Nottingham Catchfly, the Erect Clematis, Viscaria vulgaris, the Mountain Germander, the Narrow-leaved Inula, the white Swallow-wort, the Wild Asparagus, Tanacetum corymbosum and the Crown Vetch. Its fauna is fairly poor.

One of the most important associations of the area, the Silver Lime-Quercus dalechampii-Sessile Oak woods lie on the east-northeastern, eroded slopes of the ravine. Its canopy layer is poor in species. The silver lime is the dominant species here, whereas the Sessile Oak and Quercus dalechampii are subdominant. Besides the above mentioned species, only a few Hornbeams and Field Maples occur here. The herbaceous layer is rather scarce consisting of ferns like the Brittle-bladder Fern, the Male-fern and a related species, the Narrow Buckler Fern, the Lady Fern, the Wall Fern (Polypodum vulgare) and some scotophilic herbs like the Wood Anemone, the Herb Bennet and the Asarabacca. The soil of the steep slopes is eroded and poor. However, at the bottom of the ravine, nitrogen-rich sediment is deposited. The significance of the habitat is due to the rare plant species as well as the Carpathian mollusc species like the Carpathian Violet Snail, several doorshell species (such as Balea stabilis, Clausilia pumila, Laciniaria plicata, Perforatella dibothryon and vicina, as well as Ruthenica filograna.) Among carabid beetles, Carabus hampei endemic to the Eastern Carpathians and Carabus intricatus are characteristic species here.

Dalechampii-sessile Oak forests: the stand with an eastern-northeastern exposure situated near the border is rather poor in species. Sessile Oak trees are the dominant species here accompanied by a great number of other Quercus species. There are almost no other admixing tree species present. The thick forest stand formed after clear-cutting. The shrub layer is present only in the edges with species like the Common Hawthorn and the Midland Hawthorn, the Blackthorn, the Red Dogwood and the Common Privet. Its herbaceous layer is poor in species. The dominant species is Poa nemoralis. Species of great importance are the following: Carex pilosa, Melica uniflora, the Forest Violet, Pseudolysimachion paniculatum ssp. foliosum, the Creeping Bellflower and the Large Yellox Floxglove.

Tatarian maple-Quercus dalechampii-sessile Oak woods with an east-northeasterly exposure growing on rhyolite covered with loess are situated south of the quarry. Sessile Oak and Quercus dalechampii are the two dominant tree species of this habitat. This is a mixed stand rich in species: the Small-leaved Lime, the Silver Linden, the Field Maple, the Smooth-leaved Elm and the Wild Service Tree. The thick shrub layer is also diverse. Its dominant species are the Tatarian Maple and the Wayfaring Tree. Although the forest is surrounded by a thick fringe of shrubs and the edge is rich in sprouting herbs [like Trifolium alpestre and the Red Trefoil, Cytisus albus, Lembotropis nigricans, Erysimum odoratum, Nepeta pannonica, the Large Speedwell, Veronica paniculata and the Bloody Crane's-Bill] there is also a great number of xerophile species [like Black Peas, the Purple Gromwell, the Angular Solomon's-seal, Pulmonaria mollissima, Vicia cassubica] characteristic of thermophile tartar-maple oak woods in the forest interior. Carabus hampei is a characteristic beetle species of the fauna. This is a valuable habitat and is somewhat similar to the relic-like loess oak woods of Kerecsend.

Thermophilic scrubs and tall herb vegetation inforest edges. These are very complex communities. Although they make up a single structural unit, species characteristic of Tatarian Maple-oak woods are dominant. Shrubs of great importance include species such as the Tatarian Maple, the Common Hawthorn and Crataegus oxyacantha, the Blackthorn, the Red Dogwood, and the Common Privet. The characteristic herbs have sprouts like Trifolium alpestra, the Purple Gromwell, the Black Pea, Cytisus sessifolius, the Bloody Crane's-Bill, Galium abaujense, the Danzig Vetch or tall herbs like the hog's-fennels, Peucedanum alsaticum and Peucedanum cervaria.

Mesophilic tall herb vegetation in forest edges. These communities with an east-northeasterly exposure are rich in species. They are formed in shaded forest margins in valleys and at the feet of the hills and grow on mesophilic sites. They abound in species characteristic of hills and thus rare on the Plain like the common Betony, Melampyrum bihariense, the Greater Willowherb, the Jupiter's Distaff, the Narrow-leawed Everlasting-pea, the Whitespot Betony, the White Deadnettle, the Dusky Cranesbill, the Common Figwort, the Long-leaved Speedwell, Chaerophyllum aromaticum, the Hogweed, and the Ground-elder. These habitats give home to molluscs with Carpathian and insects with Transsylvanian distribution such as Leptophyes discoidalis, Isophya stysi, Pholidoptera transsylvanica and Odontopodisma rubripes.

Prickly shrubs display a highly diverse vegetation type with patches of rock grasslands. Once cultivated areas (mainly vineyards and orchards) are overgrown by shrubs. These thorny shrubs represent different phases of the above mentioned succession. The thick shrubs consist of mainly Blackthorn, Red Dogwood and Dewberry. Parts with mosaics of rocky grasslands are richer in species, especially those typical of arid grasslands like the Goldenrod, the Great Stonecrop, the Mountain Clover and the Purple-globe Clover, the Narrow-leaved Inula and Inula hirta, Pimpinella saxifraga, Melittis Carphatica, Pseudolysimachion spicatum and Pseudolysimachion orchideum, the Swallow-wort, the German Wood-waxen, the Large Yellow Floxglove.This is a highly diverse and valuable area as it provides suitable habitat for various insect species like Pholidoptera transsylvanica, Odontopodisma rubripes and the Mountain Cicada, birds like the Barred Warbler or the Red-backed Shrike. The area serves as a resting place with ample resources for migratory birds. The Radde's Bush Warbler was first recorded here, whereas the occurrence of the Pallas's Warbler was the second record of this bird from Hungary.

Mosaics of rock grasslands and rock meadow-steppes are to be found on south-southeasterly and easterly slopes. Species like the Intermediate Wheatgrass, two fescue species, Festuca rupicola and Festuca valesiaca, Melica ciliata and the Heath False-brome are the dominant species, however the Wood Small-Reed, a sign of disturbance, also forces its way forward. A great number of plant species occur here; for instance Papilionaceae [the Mountain Clover, Purple-globe Clover and Red Clover, the Narrow-leaved Everlasting-pea, the Wild Liquorice, Cytisus albus, Lembotropis nigricans, the Fine-leaved Vetch, the Dorycnium, and the Crown Vetch], Compositae [Aster lionsyris, the Narrow-leaved Inula and the Irish Fleabane,  Inula hirta, the Yellow Chamomile, the Carline Thistle and two centaurea species (Centaurea scabiosa and C. macrostachya)], several bellflower species [the Spreading Bellflower, the Peach-leaved Bellflower, the Clustered Bellflower and a related species, Campanula macrostachya] and umbellates [like Peucedanum alsaticum, Peucedanum cervaria, Libantois pyrenica]. A protected orchid species as the Green-winged Orchid, as well as the Maiden Pink and another dianthus species, Dianthus collinus grow on moderately wet patches, whereas the Carthusian Pink is typical of rockier areas. The rocky habitats are significant in terms of their insect fauna (e.g. the Mountain Cicada and the Scarce Swallowtail) and avifauna [the Whinchat, the Stonechat, the Rock Bunting]

Various types of grasslands, grassy terraces and edges on the plateau of the mountain and on surrounding closed-down or still operating stone quarries: Owing to the various degrees of disturbance and degradation, these habitats represent totally different states of succesion. The grasslands surrounding the closed-down quarries are less likely to be disturbed, however, they are poor in species due to the eroded surface and the acidic base rock. The following species occur here: Gallium abaujense, the Sheep's Sorrel, the Great Stonecrop together with another stonecrop species, the Insipid Stonecrop, Lychnis vulgaris, the Hoary Cinquefoil and the Sulphur Cinquefoil as well as the Blue Bugle. The Common Wall Lizard, the Green Lizard and the Smooth Snake are characteristic of sunny and warm microhabitats. The grasslands surrounding stone quarries still in use proved to be abundant in species at places where they border oak woods with a southeast-easterly exposure. As opposed to the constant disturbances and the shrinking / fragmenting area, a great number of plant species characteristic of arid grasslands and forest edges still occur here [the Goldilocks Aster, the Carthusian Pink, the Purple Globe Clover and the Mountain Clover, Inula hirta and the Narrow-leaved Inula, Peucedanum alsaticum, Peucedanum cervaria, the Narrow-leawed Everlasting-pea, Astragalus glycyphyllus, the Black Broom, the Peach-leaved Bellflower, a canary clover species, the Dorycnium, and the Crown Vetch]. Kestrels and Ravens can often be seen near the quarries. The edges of cultivated and abandoned vineyards and terraces have witnessed a decrease in the number of species because of the effects of severe disturbances.

Degraded wet and semi-dry grasslands, weedy pastures at the foot of the hill. These habitats have been formed by secondary succession on clearings and wastelands. Their vegetation varies on the basis of the degree of degradation and the humidity of the soil. Characteristic patches of plant associations include species like the Creeping Thistle and a related thitle species, Cirsium canum, the Welted Thistle, Sambucus ebulus, the Common Nettle, and the Wood Small-Reed. Bedstraw species, such as Galium rubioides and the Lady's Bedstraw, the Nettle-leaved Bellflower, Seneico jacobaea, the Dropwort, the Aaron's Beard, the Ox-eye Daisy (Chrysanthemum leucanthemum), the Ragged Robin, the Leafy Euphorbia, the Onion-couch, the Heath False-brome and the Meadow Fescue grow on less degraded grassland spots. The patches presenting better conditions provide suitable habitats for orthopterans (like Leptophyes discoidalis, Isophya stysi, Pholidoptera transsylvanica, Odontopodisma rubripes and the Great Green Bush-cricket) and protected butterfly species (like the Southern Festoon, the Swallowtail, the Gossamer-winged Butterfly, the Chequered Blue, and the Lesser Marbled Fritillary) characteristic of tall herbs and grasslands. In spite of the fact that these habitats are somewhat degraded, they are still worth taking care of. Suitable treatment is needed to combat the processes of degradation. Quails and Grey Partridges that have become rare as well as the common Pheasants occur in the grasslands of pastures that are surrounded by trees and shrubs. The pastures also serve as significant feeding areas for birds of prey like the Common Buzzard and sometimes the Short-toed Eagle. The wetlands of Sárvirág are of great importance because its highly protected Corncrackes breeding here.