Animals of meadows and forests

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There is a difference between the hare and wild rabbit. Rabbits are smaller than hares and they do not make shelter on the ground but in holes in the ground. The ears and rear legs of a hare are longer than those of a rabbit. The hare lives a solitary life, whereas the rabbit is a social animal which lives in groups.

Squirrels eat walnuts, hazelnuts, acorns, eggs and small birds, but also fly agaric which is poisonous to humans. It is dormant in winter and feeds on the prepared food stocks. Its bushy tail helps it keep balance while jumping, and when it climbs – it moves spirally around the tree.

ANIMALS OF MEADOWS AND FORESTS

A great number of meadow plants’ roots, leaves, nectar and pollen are a source of food for numerous animals – herbivores, which in turn attract the carnivores. The roots of the plants are food for mole-crickets who get eaten by moles, while the plants’ nectar is a source of food for bees which gets eaten by a praying mantis. When a mole comes to the surface, it gets caught by a buzzard, whereas a praying mantis is eaten by a kestrel which also feeds on lizards.

A minute world of meadow soil and ground plants, where everybody eats somebody and becomes somebody else’s victim, creates a nutritional basis for the whole range of tiny vertebrates who wander around the leafy cover in search of their prey. Larger mammals such as the fox or roe-deer complete this food chain which starts with plants, insects and tiny animals. Not all butterflies seen on the meadow need to be in search of food, some of them might simply be looking for an adequate type of grass to lay their eggs!

In our mind, each forest can be divided into vertical layers or floors, and each of them is a habitat for certain animals. Forest soil is a network of many tunnels made by earthworms, moles, forest mice, mole-crickets, ants, while countless tiny animals live also in a leaf mould – forest floor which is made of withered and rotten plant detritus. In the ground floral forest layer we can find the agile frog, grass snake, slow worm, hedgehog and numerous insect species. Some birds also make nests in this layer, such as nightingale or common wren.

The shrubs layer is extremely important since it provides protection, a place to live and food for many animals, especially birds and insects. Shrubs are significant for the survival of the nightingale, hazel dormouse, fox and roe-deer, whereas the fruits of elder, common dogwood, hawthorn and other shrubs are important food for various birds. On the highest forest floor, in the crowns of adult trees, you can also find an extremely rare insect, the stag beetle – one of our largest insects, then the squirrel and stone marten, as well as numerous bird species.

STAG BEETLE

The stag beetle is the largest insect in the forest, and it can be up to 7.5 cm long. It was given its name after the male’s strongly extended jaws that resemble deer antlers. Although it looks fearsome, it is a harmless herbivore. It spends almost its entire life in its larval form eating decayed wood in the trunk of a tree. Adult insects lick the juice that drops from the damaged spots in the tree’s crust.

BUTTERFLIES

During their life span, butterflies go through a complex life cycle which consists of four stages: egg, larva – caterpillar, pupa and an adult butterfly. Larvae feed on leaves of plants and they can do a lot of damage because they constantly eat. Caterpillars are usually green, but some may have conspicuous colours that warn predators of their poisonousness bad taste. Adult butterflies suckle the sweet juice and fly from one flower to another in doing so, pollinating the plants. Common butterflies of our grasslands include the old world swallowtail, peacock butterfly, common brimstone, and scarce swallowtail.