Seeing Romania’s wildlife, particularly its butterflies had been on my bucket list for some time. It is a country  renowned for its natural beauty, with lush grasslands, rich forests and dramatic mountains, particularly in Transylvania and I was delighted when I got the opportunity to experience it for myself in the early summer of 2019; a time when the countryside is at its best.

Romania is quite a sparsely-populated country with miles and miles of pristine countryside, which gave me plenty to explore. Traditional farming techniques are still used and I saw several farmers using scythes and horse-drawn carts whilst walking through the villages. The primary advantage of this as well as the fact that there are no pesticides or herbicides used and monoculture is a little-practised farming method here is that the wildlife is really thriving, especially compared to Ireland where unfortunately fields are ruthlessly sprayed with various chemicals year after year.

The area I travelled to was in the northwest of the country, about 100km from the Hungarian border on the edge of the Apuseni Mountains, part of the Western Carpathians. The landscape was more dramatic than I first imagined, with steep hillsides covered with rich hay meadows and dense forest.

The mountain hut I was staying in had beautiful meadows right outside the door and on the first day I spent several hours exploring this area, walking downhill towards the stream at the bottom of the valley.  The weather was mixed that day as it was for the majority of the trip, with a mixture of warm sunny spells, thick rising mist, heavy downpours and plenty of lightning! I often had to return to the house once the rain started, as any butterflies or other insects and birds that were around quickly disappeared.

The meadow consisted of plants that were fairly familiar to me such as Germander Speedwell, Hawkweed, Common Sorrel, Thyme, Ragged Robin and a variety of Orchids. Others such as Bellflowers and Cranesbills were just starting to emerge too. A host of butterflies were attracted to these flowers, such as Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary, Heath Fritillary, Dingy Skipper, Grizzled Skipper, Short-tailed Blue and Wood White.

Over the next few days in addition to these species I saw  Small Blue, Brown Argus, Small Heath, Painted Lady, Green-veined White, Brimstone and a Clouded Yellow (Colias) species, which flew too fast for me to identify! Other insects of note were Rose Chafers, Dock Bugs, Black-tailed Skimmers and lots of Lily Beetles.  On about the fifth day I was delighted to find my first ever Sooty Copper. There were several males flying around and I also managed to spot a female egg-laying on sorrel plants near the house. They appeared to have just emerged around that time, as the individuals I found were all very fresh-looking. There were also a few Woodland Ringlets which too looked as if they had emerged during the previous week. These beautiful dark species are quite distinctive as they bob and glide along the meadows.

Aside from the meadow there was a wooded lane which led towards Cascada Răchițele, the Bride’s Veil Waterfall that I walked, as well as a path which took me to  the top of the hill. I was hoping to see some woodland species such as the Poplar Admiral or Woodland Brown along the waterfall track but I think I was slightly too early too see them. The ‘butterfly season’ in the mountains understandably seemed to be a bit behind that of the rest of the country. I did however mange to see a Camberwell Beauty, characteristically patrolling a wooded riverside, as well as the localised Fenton’s Wood White, an eastern relative of the more common Wood White.

On the hilltop path there were more open areas of heath and light scrub which was covered in various Viola species , all in bloom which was a lovely sight. Butterflies weren’t particularly numerous, with only a Wall Brown and a few Green Hairstreaks being seen. Further down in the fields nearer the house I managed to come across a beautiful fiery-orange variety of Kidney Vetch amongst beds of fine grasses and Wild Thyme. In Ireland Kidney Vetch is usually a lemon or golden yellow colour so to see this variation was a real delight. It was here that I also came across a Knapweed Butterfly larva with its distinctive orange spines along its body, as well as an Eastern Baton Blue. This species also looked remarkably fresh and posed nicely for me whilst the sun was behind the clouds. This is a localised species in Eastern Europe of dry calcareous meadows, which is more commonly seen in areas like Bulgaria and Greece so I was chuffed to find one here in the hills of Romania!

Other than butterflies I saw several dozen species of moth in the meadows, many of which I mistook for a butterfly at first! There were Field Crickets and various grasshopper species everywhere, as well as Wood Ants, Black Ants and other species. I found my first Mole Cricket whilst I was here; a strange burrowing species which I believe causes lots of damage to roots if they occur in large numbers.  Whilst browsing a patch of nettles for insects I encountered a curious species of spider; a Green Huntsman Spider. As its name suggests it was completely green in colour, blending in fabulously with its surroundings. I later read that is related to the formidable Hunstman spiders found in Australia, but is much less deadly and as I observed, quite wary.

Lizards were fairly common in some of the dry grassy areas, although they all scurried off before I could get close to them, as did most snakes. The only reptile I managed to get close to was a Slow Worm (a legless lizard) which was sluggishly slithering across the dirt track. I was luckier to get close to some amphibians however, with Yellow-bellied Toads and Great-crested Newts being found in the marshy areas near the house and since I’d never seen these species before it was a nice surprise. The toads would often congregate in the small pond at the water’s edge and make a curious pigeon-like ‘hoo’ sound, quite unlike any ‘croak’ that would usually be associated with frogs or toads. Whilst walking along the streamside I encountered what I first thought was a Moor Frog, but after consulting a few online guides I think it was merely the humble Common Frog!

Mammals were (as usual) fairly elusive and wary, bar one fox which would boldly enter the garden beside the house and strut around even in the presence of numerous people! I disturbed a few Roe Deer in some of the woodland edges whilst they were feeding and one of the local cats managed to find a Bank Vole for me, unfortunately it was a little too late for me to intervene. Despite the presence of bears in the hills I didn’t see any during my time there, which was not surprising as they tend to be very vary of humans and with good reason.

Romania is a country famous for its avian variety, especially in the Danube Delta which is a well-known site to see numerous bird species on migration as well as breeding waders and wildfowl. In Transylvania the undisturbed forests and lush farmland provide habitats for a whole host of species which are absent from my native Ireland. One of the most abundant of these was the Redstart. This beautiful passerine is like a cross between a Stonechat and Robin and was fairly common around the meadows. The Wood Warbler is a very rare summer migrant in Ireland but in Romania it appeared to be a fairly typical woodland species; its sweet, descending warble which it sings from high among the trees giving away is presence. Woodpeckers are another common bird in the woods with around 7 species being found in the Romanian mountains. I ‘spotted’ a Great-spotted Woodpecker probing the ground for insects in one of the meadows and heard what I believe to be a Black Woodpecker, the largest of the European woodpecker species with its distinct jet-black colouration and red cap. It has a characteristic drum which is lower and quite slow in comparison with that of the other species.

Birds of prey seen on the trip included the Buzzard, Kestrel and Sparrowhawk. The Bullfinch was often seen around the garden as was the Chaffinch, Wagtail and Robin. Willow Warblers, Whitethroats and Yellowhammers were all heard frequently along the areas where I walked but undoubtedly there were other birds singing that didn’t recognise too!

Overall the whole place was a nature-lover’s paradise; scenic, remote, varied and unspoiled. I only wish I could have seen it at other times of the year, but maybe I will someday. When I finally had to leave I was delighted with everything that I had seen, from the various butterflies to the hooting toads. I was looking forward to getting to Cluj-napoca where I had planned to search for some real butterfly rarities, which I will write about in the next post!