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Street Prophets Friday: Why yes, Moravia does have a steppe. [1]

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Date: 2022-11-25

The Moheleno Serpentinite Steppe is an area of over 100 hectares about 30 kilometers west of the Moravian city of Brno. It’s an area of broad, windswept, dry grasslands, a nature preserve with a canyon cut deep into the serpentinite rock of the region. Serpentinite is known for its ability to absorb and store heat, making for an unusually mild climate. It also makes for nutrient deficient soil causing stunted growth in many of the species of flora and fauna found here.

We had a picnic before setting out on the trails

The Temelin Nuclear Power Plant is going to be seen in the background of many of these photos.

Proper big sky country

There were dozens of colonies of ground squirrel— I heard chirping, didn’t see a single ground squirrel

The Jihlava river goes through some wild contortions down there. I believe the section known as “The Devil’s Tail” is there— somewhere.

We walked for a long distance along the edge of the gorge

The power plant and a big hydroelectric dam— a lot of power in this region.

A green lizard (Lacerta viridis).

Some examples of stunted tree growth.

We headed down a steep path to the river

Exposed layers of serpentinite. And up the slop in the middle there?

A cave!

A mill powered by the river

Reptiles and amphibians both love the warm climate— no wonder I managed to see that lizard.

Tempting to send some water down to the mill

A weir

And under the weir, trout!

After a steep climb, back on top.

A wedding couple and their photographer took some photos next to some horses in a neighboring yard. Then they walked a short distance into the park— apparently newlyweds and their photographers can’t be bothered with sticking to paths. Scenic backdrops are everything. To be fair, they also regularly have goats graze in the park.

Thanks for stopping by.

It’s just a little open thread. Jump in and jump around. Hopefully, I’ll be around a bit for this one. I’m not relying on my temperamental laptop and dubious internet connection. Feelin’ fat and sassy after Thanksgiving on my fiber-optic cable connection, back in the big city. Caught a glimpse of a headline saying something about parts of Prague near my apartment are without heat for some reason? Probably a burst pipe, but a fella gets nervous about these things with a puffy lunatic sitting on the gas pipes.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/11/25/2138331/-Street-Prophets-Friday-Why-yes-Moravia-does-have-a-steppe

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