Even in the depths of winter, Hungary’s Börzsöny Mountains bustle with wildlife
Photos byIMRE POTYÓ
Forest foray
The Börzsöny Mountains in northern Hungary are one of the country’s most densely forested mountain ranges. For centuries, iron ore was mined here, and the comparatively warm and moist environments of the now-abandoned tunnels provide an important hibernation site for lesser horseshoe bats. There are up to 400 resident individuals, who occasionally break their winter rest to fly out and feed among the bare trees. Imre captured this moment of departure using a camera trap positioned outside one of the tunnel entrances.
Spore ghost
A puffball mushroom releases its spores as dusk falls, creating a spectacular array of swirling shapes. Capturing the moment of release, which can be triggered by disturbance as slight as a raindrop landing, is “like action photography”, says Imre.
Creek view
The rays of the setting sun cast the bare treetops in gold, a view caught from the partly frozen surface of a fast-flowing creek in the Börzsöny foothills.
ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHER
Imre Potyó is an environmental scientist and award-winning nature photographer, currently working in the Danube-Ipoly National Park Directorate in the Börzsöny Mountains, Hungary. He also works in education, giving talks and leading tours.
Moonlit mission
The common toad is widespread in Hungary. In March, males emerge from hibernation and embark on the long journey back to their breeding grounds, where they seek females under cover of darkness. Lake Bajdázó, the largest lake in Börzsöny, is known for hosting large toad gatherings in spring.
Frozen wings
Swarms of male winter moths adorn the bare forest branches from late October to early January, in search of the wingless females. Temperatures are usually in the 0-10°C range, but on this particular night had dropped to a chilly -7˚C.
Ice kingdom
Börzsöny’s old, giant trees stand carpeted in rime – a hard frost that forms when the water vapour in cloud or fog freezes very quickly. When the icy splinters become too big to cling to the branches, they drop off and swathe the forest floor. “Seeing the trees like this is an amazing, rare sight,” says Imre. “It’s like walking in a freezer.”
Up and away
Not tiny balloons flying away in the darkness, but a trio of slime moulds, each just a few millimetres wide. The pinkish spheres, attached to dead
