Dubravica peat bogs
The peat bogs near Dubravica, situated just under Lugarski Breg, was proclaimed a special botanical reserve in 1966. This is one of the rare habitats where the insectivorous round-leaf sundew plant still grows, the only species of this kind to grow in Croatia. Three species of mushrooms have also been discovered in the peat bogs, and this is their only known locality in Croatia. Due to the lack of active protection measures, the peat bogs have been reduced through the process of succession – the gradual takeover of forests of black alder (Alnus glutinosa) and alder buckthorn (Frangula alnus), and have virtually disappeared. In 2001, the Croatian Mycological Society launched a campaign to revitalize the bog. In two years time, they accomplished visible results, with an expansion of the peat throughout the entire area of the bog, and a ten-fold increase in the number of round-leaf sundew plants. The most important part of protection is regular mowing in June and October, and prohibiting any walking on the peat, with the exception of mowing and scientific research. For this purpose, a wooden plateau was built in 2006 to allow visitors to observe the peat bog.
Round-leaf sundew
(Drosera rotundifolia) is a plant of transitional peat bogs. It grows in the Rhynchosporetum albae community, which is typical in peat bogs. This is an insectivorous, perennial plant that grows 5–12 cm in height. The upper side of the leaf is covered in reddish glandular hairs, to 3 mm long, which have a sticky, glandular papilla at the top (for catching insects). This plant is hermaphroditic. It blooms from June to August. It compensates for the lack of nitrogen in the soil by using its sticky tentacles to capture insects, which are then immediately engulfed whole by the leaf. In some parts of Europe, the plant is used in traditional medicine.
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