Natura 2000 - Beskydy
Wetlands and spring areas
Wetlands and spring areas include a wide range of different types of wetlands: calciphile (tufa rock) spring areas with Broad-leaved Cottongrass, Marsh Helleborine and Marsh Grass-of-Parnassus can only be found in Vsetínské Vrchy and Javorníky Mountains. Through the precipitation of calcium carbonate from water, a crust (tufa) forms on the land surface. Peat bogs and acidic fens are most common in the Moravian-Silesian Beskids. Some of the largest fens vanished irretrievably beneath the Šance Dam. Meadow wetlands are typical by the predominant, pink-flowering thistles (Cirsium rivulare) or Wood Club-rush; we can also find here the Water Avens, Valerian (Valeriana simplicifolia) or Western March Orchid. Increasingly rare wetland species include cranberries (Oxycoccus palustris), Common Sundew, Viper’s Grass and Bog-rosemary. Wetlands play a key role in retaining water in the landscape, working as an important flood protection factor.
