Baba Hilltop Nature Reserve
Long ago, during the tertiary, Baba was a high-rising volcano. Erosion has seen to it that only two basalt monadnocks are left standing: Baba and Dědek (Grandma and Grandpa), with an elevation of around 350 metres above sea level. Humans then came to mine for high-quality building stone, thanks to which we are today treated to intriguing rock gates, caves, and narrow passageways. In spring, the forested reservation is burgeoning with flowering herbaceous plants, such as the buttercup anemone and spring vetch. The narrow ravines are evergreen with ferns: maidenhair spleenwort and common polypody. The herbaceous floor is rich in orchids, too, such as the lady orchid, and in humid years, violet helleborine. The Baba hilltop is also home to many rare invertebrate species, the air is filled with protected butterfly species, and the pond grants refuge to a number of amphibians.
Drawing upon support within the NET4GAS Closer to Nature programme, the Czech Union for Nature Conservation (ČSOP), through its local Klenice chapter, built an educational trail in 2019 at this site, which comprises 7 info panels, six of which are double-sided – one side for adults and the other for children. The children's section has its own guide, a little troll called Nefelínek, who has prepared various tasks for the young naturalists to fulfil. On the hilltop, two frottage reliefs are installed for children, who with some paper and crayons may take a rubbing of them. Along the way, visitors walk past a restored natural fountain, and just below the hilltop, benches have been installed for the foot-weary wanderer.
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Endangered plants:
