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This tiny log is dedicated to my amateur studies of my home state's environments, particularly those I'm directly surrounded by and with a focus on butter-, damsel- and dragonflies, alongside various types of plants and trees.
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{\o/}_________________________________________________________0 Jittlov
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My home place's environment is classified as a typical rural area in Central Europe with a mixture of intensive agriculture, "semi-natural" steppe meadows and forestry. My village is surrounded by several windparks and few factories. Prior to the 1920s, most of this area is being described as a "large swamp" and the meaning behind a town near my village is believed to be "swampy area".
Some locations I occassionally visit are part of the Natura 2000 network. Sadly, most of them are inadequately managed – or not managed at all, as it's not legally binding – and thus saw a decline in biodiversity over the years. One area in particular was intentionally turned into a steppe with almost no diversity for the sake of reviving of traditional grazing practices, which the cooperative supposed to manage showed no interest in after the planned overgrazing was completed.
On the other hand, those protected sites are surrounded by two contrasting environments, namely intensely managed and abandoned fields and hills. The latter, due to largely being left untouched, so far have attracted a variety of insects and plants, most notably dragonflies and orchids which I never got to see as a kid. Another area is a former fire-fighting pond receiving minimal management by an individual seeking to gradually revert it back to a bog.
Only few scientists and environmental organizations conduct field studies every ten years and most results either don't get published at all or are difficult to find online. Some results oftentimes are part of state-sponsored investigations determining which areas should become protected by law and re-evaluating current management practices. Unfortunately, those are the hardest papers to read and mostly are filled with wild justifications for not including a location, such as "this pond is too dirty" (with no explanation about the meaning of "dirty" within this context).
I wouldn't have discovered any of those new species and gross mismanagements if it weren't for a friend of mine who studied zoology. Despite living in another country, our respective environments barely differ from each other, which we have used to our advantage to compare trends and local oddities since 2022.
While my observations in particular do not adhere to most of the rules of the usual scientific monitoring practices, even individual discoveries as part of an observation log can be valuable – and I personally learned more about my region's environment from 100-year-old observation diaries published by scientists and local stories rather than modern scientific papers partially relying on unknown Latin names and assumptions about "natural cultural environments" (no, I'm not making this up, it's what officials actually claim).
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣀⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣠⣶⣿⣿⡿⠟⠛⠉⠉⠙⠻⣿⣿⣿⣿⣆ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣤⣶⣿⡿⠟⢻⣿⣦⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣠⣶⣿⣿⣿⣿⣦⣶⠿⢿⣿⡉⠁⠀⠀⠀⢨⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣴⣿⣿⠿⠛⠉⢁⣀⣠⡽⠷⣿⣿⠟⠒⠒⢶⣶⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿⠏ ⠈⠓⢤⡀⠀⠘⢦⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣠⣾⣿⡟⠉⣠⠴⠒⠉⠉⠀⠀⢀⣀⣼⣿⣄⣀⣀⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠏⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠉⠳⢄⡈⠳⣄⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣴⣿⣿⣛⡿⠁⠀⠀⠀⢀⣠⡶⠚⠉⠁⠀⠈⢿⡀⠀⣽⣿⣿⣿⣿⡟⠁⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠉⠳⢄⡑⢦⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣴⣿⣿⠋⠀⠉⠀⠀⢀⣠⣴⣿⣷⣶⣶⣦⣤⣤⣤⣾⣷⣤⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠉⠛⢷⣄⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣠⣾⣿⣿⠃⠀⠀⣠⣴⣾⠿⠟⠛⢿⣿⣟⠉⠉⠉⠉⠻⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠇⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣙⣧⡀⠀⠀⣴⣿⣿⠋⠀⢀⣴⡿⠛⠁⠀⠀⣀⣠⠴⠿⠿⣷⣶⠶⠶⠶⠾⠿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡟⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠸⣿⣿⣷⣾⣿⣿⠁⢸⣀⣿⠟⠀⢀⣠⡶⠛⠉⣀⣀⣀⣀⣠⣿⣦⡀⠀⠀⠀⠸⣿⣿⣿⣿⡄⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠻⢿⣿⣿⣿⡇⠀⢨⣿⡿⠖⠛⠛⠛⠾⣏⣉⣁⠀⠀⠀⠈⠙⣿⡟⠋⠛⠒⠲⠿⣿⣿⣿⣧⡀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣄⣀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠉⠉⠉⠛⠒⠾⣿⣿⣤⣀⡀⠀⠀⣿⣿⣿⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠹⣿⣿⣿⣿⠿⣦⣍⠙⠻⠶⢶⣤⣤⣤⣤⡤⠤⠤⣴⣿⣧⠀⠀⠉⠙⠺⣿⣿⣿⣿⠃⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⠻⣿⣿⡇⠘⢿⡝⠲⣄⠀⠙⢷⣌⡙⠲⢤⣀⠀⢹⡿⠛⠶⣤⣀⣼⣿⣿⣿⣿⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠙⠉⠹⡄⠀⠹⣦⡈⠙⢦⣀⠈⠻⣦⣀⠈⠙⢿⣷⣄⠀⠀⠉⢻⣿⣿⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠘⢦⡀⠈⢻⣄⠀⠙⠷⣄⠀⠙⠳⣄⣀⣿⠉⠛⢦⣴⣿⣿⣿⣿⠇⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠙⠢⣄⠙⣷⡀⠀⠈⢷⡀⠀⠈⢿⣷⣀⠀⣸⣿⣿⣿⣿⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠙⠾⣿⣦⠀⠀⠹⣦⣠⡾⠈⢹⣷⣿⣿⣿⠟⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠉⠓⠦⠤⠈⠿⠤⠴⠿⠿⠿⠿⠃⠀⠀⠀⠀