Tag Archive for: ABOL-BioBlitz

TdA Hohe Tauern - Gartl valleyM. Sonnleitner

ABOL-BioBlitz at Hohe Tauern National park

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Fortunately, the weather in the Hohe Tauern was kind to us this year, from July 18-20, 2025. At the National Park’s Day of Biodiversity, in the Gradental and Gartltal valleys in Carinthia, not only was the weather record-breaking, but so was the number of participating experts, with almost 100 registrations.

Many were already out in the field on Friday, searching for species. In the evening, nocturnal insects were attracted using light traps, photographed, identified, and recorded on Observation.org. Shortly after the light was set, over 160 species of moths from the study area were already registered on Observation.org!

While the majority of the researchers visited the Gradental valley on Saturday—a high valley that extends southwest from the Mölltal and is surrounded by 3,000-meter peaks—we, the ABOL delegation, explored the Gartltal valley to the south. The tall herbs along the forest clearings, with Heracleum, Filipendula, thistles, and other flowering perennials, were particularly interesting and productive in terms of insects. Further up, subalpine larch forest and grasslands rich in Nardus with characteristic silicate flora followed. The fens near Fleckmoos at about 2000 m were also very attractive and rich in flowers. In the late afternoon, we were picked up by the shuttle bus from the parking lot in Ranach. As usual, the transport was very well organized. We were back in the valley just in time before the thunderstorm.

On Sunday morning, the majority of the participants met in Döllach for the closing presentation. In addition to various contributions, the experts presented interesting species they had discovered – from the first record of a cave cricket in the area to the luminous moss, which is often found in semi-caves.

After the final group photo, most of the participants headed home.

From ABOL’s perspective, these opportunities are ideal for connecting with taxonomists—from long-time acquaintances to the many young participants. The one or other DNA barcode references from these biodiversity days will also contribute to filling the DNA database. We thank the organizers for their commitment and everyone who participates in the ABOL BioBlitz.

Impressions (Photos: M. Sonnleitner):

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View to DürnbachN. Fial

ABOL at the ÖEG Insect Camp in the Nature Park Hohe Wand

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For the fourth time (in a row), ABOL participated in the 11th ÖEG Insect Camp from June 26th to 29th with a BioBlitz. This time, the trip took us to the Hohe Wand Nature Park in Lower Austria – a biogeographically highly interesting region on the northeastern edge of the Alps, where the Pannonian and Alpine climates converge, enabling a great diversity of species.

This year, around 50 participants were present – including numerous experts from a wide variety of animal groups, who recorded biodiversity at 25 sample plots. The numerous plots offered a broad spectrum: species-rich hay meadows, pine forests, caves, steep cliffs, scree slopes, dry grasslands, extensive sheep and cattle pastures, clear-cut successional vegetation, and even ibex, sika deer, and llama enclosures.

To mark the occasion, we once again presented our DNA reference database and invited all participants to collaborate.
Thanks to the almost perfect June weather, there was plenty of insect-related activity – only a thunderstorm on the day of our arrival put a damper on our plans. Early after breakfast, all the entomologists, armed with nets, exhausters, and leaf blowers, headed out into the field during the day. Those tireless ones who still had energy after dinner either met up in the research room for some social preparation and identification or went outside to set up the light traps. With a bit of luck, you might even be greeted by curious young foxes.

At the end of the day, thanks to the good weather, it was once again possible to hold a barbecue, where a few fireflies also joined us. A particular highlight for us were three relatively hard-to-find puff flies (Acroceridae), all of which were found on the same day.

Overall, it was once again a very productive insect camp, where we had the opportunity to exchange professional information in a relaxed atmosphere and bring the entomological community closer together. We would like to thank the coordinators Betty Glatzhofer and Samuel Messner and the team of the Hohe Wand Nature Park for the organization and are eagerly awaiting the results of the evaluation!

Impressios (Photos N. Fial):

 

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TdA BP Wienerwald, BadenM. Sonnleitner

ABOL at the Day of Biodiversity in Baden bei Wien

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On June 13 and 14, 2025, the Biosphere Reserve Wienerwald organized its 20th Day of Biodiversity– this year in the Lower Austrian part of the biosphere reserve around Baden bei Wien. Around 100 experts from various disciplines explored the diverse flora, fauna, and funga of the area from the Kurpark to the Lindkogel. In perfect weather conditions, numerous fascinating observations were made, and an impressive number of over 1,700 species were documented.
As in previous years, the primary goal was to record as many animal, plant, and fungal species as possible within 24 hours, thus collecting valuable data for nature conservation in the biosphere reserve. A diverse program for visitors was also offered: night hikes, guided excursions, and a “Festival of Biodiversity” on June 14 in the Kurpark, where interested guests could learn about nature and species conservation at numerous information booths.
ABOL was also there: On June 13, our team was out in the field collecting samples for DNA barcoding, and on June 14, we had an information booth available for questions. We had many interesting discussions about the role of DNA barcoding in biodiversity monitoring and nature conservation – and, last but not least, make new contacts and deepen existing collaborations.

A big thank you goes to the organizing team for the excellent preparation and execution of this successful event!

Impressions (photos by N. Szucsich, V. Kargl, M. Sonnleitner)

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TdA Karawanken, PetzenM. Sonnleitner

GEO Day of Biodiversity in South Carinthia

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On the first weekend in July, the ABOL-BioBlitz was a guest at the GEO Day of Biodiversity in the Geopark Karawanken, this year for the first time in southern Carinthia. After the welcome and introductory words in Bleiburg, the Globasnitzbachtal was investigated in the afternoon and evening of the first day. There was something for everyone there – stream, forests, and also wonderful species-rich meadows that made botanists and entomologists’ hearts beat faster. On the second day, the high elevations of the Petzen were the target of the species survey. Equipped with cameras, nets, tubes, etc., the cable car took us to the study area. The sunny weather provided good conditions for the species search, only the wind in exposed locations was a bit of a hindrance. Due to the geological peculiarities and the southern influence, the region is particularly species-rich and therefore extremely exciting for all researchers. Initial estimates have already shown that around 1200 species have been found, which is an impressive number. The success is due not least to the large number of around 90 participating scientists, as well as the perfect organization of the event by the state of Carinthia, the Ökoteam and E.C.O.

We would like to thank you very much for allowing us to be there again, for the great food, the pretty t-shirts and the opportunity to meet friends and colleagues as well as new people.

We would like to call on collectors to contact us if they would like to provide samples of arthropods for DNA barcoding!

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ÖEG insect camp, KarwendelN. Fial

10 years ÖEG insect camp

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Parallel to the Day of Biodiversity in the Biosphere Reserve Wienerwald, ABOL was represented for the third time at the ÖEG insect camp from June 6th to 9th. Like ABOL, the insect camp also celebrated its 10th anniversary this year, and this year it took place in the Karwendel Nature Reserve in Tyrol. On this occasion, all participants were surprised with lovingly designed T-shirts. With a smile and a tear in her eye, the ÖEG youth officer Elisabeth Huber ceremoniously handed over the organization of the camp to Elisabeth Glatzhofer and Samuel Messner.

Around 40 experts and aspiring young entomologists collected various arthropod groups on 13 sample areas. Butterflies, beetles, cicadas, hymenoptera, bugs, flies, millipedes and the like were well represented due to the good weather. The sample areas were as diverse as the taxa collected themselves. Among others, coniferous forests, alpine pastures, ponds, alpine limestone grasslands, high alpine scree slopes and the river bank along the Isar were examined.

In short we presented our new Biodiversity Fund project RefDat and invited all participants to join the project. All interested parties could then pick up tubes prepared by our team for sampling the collected material.

Early in the morning, with full stomachs, a wide range of utensils and mostly ideal weather, the groups fanned out to the study area. After dinner, they met in the restaurant and prepared and identified in a relaxed atmosphere until late into the night. During this time, the opportunity was taken to exchange profound information and make new contacts. All the brave and bright ones went out to light up the night thunderstorms to catch moths with light traps at the end of the day.

We would like to thank the ÖEG team and the Karwendel Nature Park team for the great catering and organization and especially Elisabeth Huber for her many years of commitment! We are eagerly awaiting the results of the data analysis as well as the results of our DNA samples.

Impressions (photos: N. Fial, N. Szucsich):

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TdA Biosphere Reserve Wienerwald - Vienna-LiesingM. Sonnleitner

The first ABOL BioBlitzes 2024

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Thanks to the Biodiversity Fund projects ABOL-RefDat and GeMonA+, our ABOL team at the Natural History Museum Vienna grew at the beginning of 2024 and the first BioBlitzes were a good opportunity to support data collection and networking in the biodiversity community.

This year’s Day of Biodiversity of the Biosphere Reserve Wienerwald took place in Vienna-Liesing, at the same time part of the ABOL team traveled to the ÖEG insect camp in the Karwendel Nature Reserve.

On the occasion of the City Nature Challenge, an excursion to the Vienna-Liesing study area around Himmelswiese started at the end of April. Some species were already recorded there and on the Days of Biodiversity on June 8th and 9th this list of species was further expanded.  In ideal weather conditions, which only made catching insects difficult due to occasional gusts of wind, we went along forest paths and extensive meadows to different types of water. The bright expert T-shirts meant that we kept meeting interested visitors or experts from other species groups, which led to nice conversations.

At the Biodiversity Festival, we shared an information stand with the Mycological Society, which was packed thanks to the favorable mushroom weather beforehand!

The Day of Biodiversity came to a cozy end at a nearby wine tavern, to which all experts were invited. A big thank you to the organizing team, as always it was a great experience that ran smoothly!

Impressions (photos: M. Sonnleitner)

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ABOL BioBlitz in the National park Hohe Tauern

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This year’s ABOL BioBlitz series was completed with the Day of Biodiversity in the Hohe Tauern National Park on the Deferegger sunny side in East Tyrol. As in previous years, the weather this weekend was rather bad. At least this year we had some sunny windows in which flying insects, especially bumblebees, hoverflies and butterflies could be observed. The first evening was already dedicated to the light traps – nocturnal insects were attracted and mapped with light traps on the banks of the Schwarzach river and in the alpine area at Speikboden. Saturday was devoted entirely to searching for species in the study areas above St. Veit and St. Jakob, up to high alpine locations. In the evening, nets for catching bats were set up around the House of Water of the National Park, which served as a base, with which, together with echolocation, 5 species of bats could be detected. At the final event on Sunday, the first results and provisional species numbers were presented. Thanks to the voluntary and unpaid work of around 70 experts, the data situation in this area, which had been rather sparse until then, was significantly improved. We hope to get some more samples for the creation of DNA barcodes and to successfully complete the ABOL-BioBlitz collecting season.
We would like to thank the national park team for the perfect organization of accommodation, food and transport!

Impressions from the study area:

TdA NP Hohe Tauern, Defereggen valley. Myricaria germanica on the Schwarzach river. Photo: M. Sonnleitner
TdA NP Hohe Tauern, Defereggen valley. Photo: M. Sonnleitner
TdA NP Hohe Tauern, Defereggen valley. N. Szucsich at the closing event. Photo: M. Sonnleitner
TdA NP Hohe Tauern, Defereggen valley. Photo: M. Sonnleitner
TdA NP Hohe Tauern, Defereggen valley. Insects on Apiaceae inflorescence. Photo: M. Sonnleitner
TdA NP Hohe Tauern, Defereggen valley. Welcome. Photo: M. Sonnleitner
TdA NP Hohe Tauern, Defereggen valley. Photo: M. Sonnleitner
TdA NP Hohe Tauern, Defereggen valley. Photo: M. Sonnleitner
TdA NP Hohe Tauern, Defereggen valley. Photo: M. Sonnleitner
TdA NP Hohe Tauern, Defereggen valley. Species rich meadow. Photo: M. Sonnleitner
TdA NP Hohe Tauern, Defereggental. Photo: M. Sonnleitner
TdA NP Hohe Tauern, Defereggen valley. Photo: M. Sonnleitner
TdA NP Hohe Tauern, Defereggen valley. Photo: M. Sonnleitner
TdA NP Hohe Tauern, Defereggen valley. Photo: M. Sonnleitner
TdA NP Hohe Tauern, Defereggen valley. Photo: M. Sonnleitner
TdA NP Hohe Tauern, Defereggen valley. Light trap. Photo: M. Sonnleitner

 

 

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TdA Nockberge - Bärengrube. Photo: O. Macek

ABOL-BioBlitzes in Tyrol and the Carinthian Nockberge Mountains

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On July 7 and 8, the ABOL team was present at two simultaneous events: the Day of Biodiversity in Tyrol and the GEO-Day of Nature in Carinthia.

At the Day of Biodiversity in Tyrol, in Leutasch, four very different and exciting study areas were examined for their biodiversity. In a moor area with orchid-rich fens and an intact mountain pine high moor, night was turned into day with numerous light traps – at least for the nocturnal insects and their researchers. In addition, many fireflies, which are rarely observed in such high numbers today, lit our way. The numerous butterfly experts were also present high on the mountain in the direction of Arnkopf, at a species-rich meadow and an interesting gravel area. The beautiful weather on Saturday contributed to rich observations of various animal groups. The final event on Saturday afternoon was well attended and very informative and interesting with a very well-prepared photo presentation which was put together in a very short time. Experts from various fields contributed briefly, from the geology of the study area, a short introduction to iNaturalist to a poem about a moth (Baptria tibiale).

First results were presented, there was a lot to find on the four survey plots: 11 orchid species, about 200 different butterflies, including the rare dusky large blue (Phengaris nausithous), more than 50 bird species, including black grouse, golden eagle and tawny owl, some recordings on the bat-detector and sundew and moorland hawker in the moorland. As part of the post-processing, some more exciting species will surely be added to the species list. Also, the culinary art and the interaction among the experts wasn’t missed out, before we started the long journey home, which was definitively worth it! Many thanks to the organizing team!

The other part of the ABOL team took part in the GEO Day of Nature in the Nockberge. With the ‘Bärengrube’ (translated ‘bear-cave’) near Innerkrems we went this year to north-exposed sites of the biosphere reserve, with a diverse geology and soils, from dolomite to mica schist and numerous boggy areas. Not in every organism group the call for ‘bear’ associations could be served as elegantly as the botanical Lycopodium, a pun that loses its punch line in English. Not even the butterfly experts were successful due to the lack of Arctiinae sightings. The familiar atmosphere and the perfect weather led to the fact that nevertheless nobody was grieved. Moreover, the sightings of all three grouse species consoled even the melancholic about the absence of species like Contarinia baeri.

Our thanks go again to the organizers of E.C.O., the biosphere reserve team and the Ökoteam for the perfect organization and for opening the wide field of bear puns.

Impressions from Leutasch in Tyrol:

Impressions from the Nockberge:

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ABOL BioBlitz at the ÖEG insect camp 2023

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This year ABOL participated for the second time in the ÖEG insect camp with a BioBlitz. This year the four-day camp took place in the picturesque scenery of the Salzburger Kalkhochalpen of the Naturepark Weißbach and led us to species-rich mountain meadows, forest edges, swamp meadows up to alpine lawns.

Before starting into the field, the variety of different fields of expertise became apparent in the form of the stored equipment: Leaf vacuums for bugs, cicadas and various hymenoptera, beetle traps, luminous traps for moths and other nocturnal animals, hoverfly-, wild bee-, butterfly- & dragonfly-nets, sieves for millipedes, mosquito traps and much more. All framed by identification literature, binoculars, taxidermy utensils and a wide variety of collecting tubes.

In a short ABOL-presentation, the relevance of an Austria-wide DNA reference database and DNA-based identification approaches were presented. Interested participants could pick up tubes prepared by the ABOL team to barcode their collected animals. A Malaise trap for a metabarcoding approach was also set up again.

The days were very suitable for professional exchange and a common barbecue with an enjoyable evening in the naturepark rounded off the program wonderfully.

It can be said that the goal of the ÖEG, the promotion, documentation and representation of scientific entomology in Austria, was fully achieved during the four days. A big thank-you to the youth referent of the ÖEG Elisabeth Huber and the team of the Naturepark Weißbach, the schedule was flawless! Thank you very much for having us!

Impressions:

Hochgrub, Leooganger Steinberge. Alpine habitat. Photo: M. Sonnleitner
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ABOL info stand, KlosterneuburgM. Sonnleitner

The first two ABOL BioBlitzes of 2023!

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The first two Days of Biodiversity took this year place in Vienna (allotment Villaweg) and Lower Austria (Klosterneuburg, Biosphere Reserve Wienerwald).

In Klosterneuburg, we were exploring species-rich meadows, natural Wienerwald brooks, or the biosphere reserve core zone “Dombachgraben” in fantastic early summer weather. In Vienna, too, the weather left nothing to be desired – only the floodlights of the nearby soccer field competed in the evening with the insect light traps and bat catching, including a night tour. Nevertheless, a Viennese peacock moth (Saturnia pyri) could be observed at a light trap, a highlight for everyone!

While in Vienna all sites in and around the Villaweg allotment were easily accessible on foot, the area in Klosterneuburg, on the northern edge of the Biosphere Reserve Wienerwald, extended over several square kilometers and a shuttle service was provided. The species search started on Friday morning and ended on Saturday noon in a festival of biodiversity with information booths and expert excursions!

Even though DNA barcoding may appear to be a more complex topic at first glance, our ABOL information booth was well visited and we could inform visitors about the different activities of ABOL as well as win experts for the ABOL BioBlitz! At this point we would like to thank the organizers for the great organization!

Impressions:

ABOL info stand, Klosterneuburg
Species rich meadows in Klosterneuburg
Species rich meadows in Klosterneuburg
ABOL info stand, Klosterneuburg
ABOL info stand, Klosterneuburg
Day of Biodiversity in Klosterneuburg - collecting species
ABOL info stand, Klosterneuburg
ABOL info stand, Klosterneuburg
ABOL info stand, Klosterneuburg

 

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