Stories from the Nature Park

All of a

Flutter

Kurt Lechner and Alois Ortner set off on the hunt at dusk. But instead of being armed with binoculars and rifles, they are both equipped with UV lamps and nets. Because what they are hunting for is, in fact, butterflies.

The gravel crunches under the tyres as the car stops at the end of the steep path. Today there’s a new moon, the night will get so dark that you can hardly see your hand in front of your eyes. Ideal conditions to attract as many different butterflies, silkworm moths and hawk moths as possible. Biologist Kurt Lechner loads the equipment from the boot and sets up the light trap with well-practiced ease: six-foot white canvas screens are stretched into a kind of sail, a special light bulb hangs directly in front of this construction and is the only light source far and wide – an irresistible attraction for all kinds of nocturnal butterflies. And there are more of them here, high up in the Zillertal Alps, than you might think.

“It is said that the flapping of a butterfly’s wings can cause a tornado at the other end of the world,” the biologist smirks. “But butterflies have a much more concrete significance for our research: They are an ideal indicator of how intact nature is in a given area.” We learn that every species of butterfly is dependent on very specific plants, flowers, fungi or even animals in its habitat. So lots of butterflies are a natural indicator of an intact ecosystem and the properly functioning interplay of all living things in our mountains.

Colourful blooming paradise

Kurt Lechner and Alois Ortner’s “hunting ground” is located above Brandberg, in the middle of the Nature Park Zillertal Alps. It covers an area of 422 square kilometres, which is about 40% of the entire Zillertal, and extends over all altitude levels of the Alps – a true Garden of Eden for rare animal and plant species.

Mountain meadows still exist up here: remote, often extremely steep meadows, which have been mowed once a year at most and only with a scythe for hundreds of years. These mountain meadows, which are important for hay, bloom with teeming life. Thousands of colourful flowers and fragrant herbs create the conditions for real biodiversity hotspots and are home to an incredible variety of very special animal and plant species – including very rare butterflies.

As the night progresses, more and more butterflies are attracted to the light. “A great tiger moth!”, exclaims Alois Ortner with delight. With ist orange and red hind wings and a wingspan of up to 6.5 cm, it boasts a particularly striking and spectacular appearance. The colours of this moth are there as a warning for predators, as if to say: “Don’t eat me, I’m poisonous!” During the day, the moth sits motionless on trees and is perfectly camouflaged. The colourful undersides of the wings are not visible, but when a predator approaches – for example, a tit – the great tiger moth shows the bird its red hind wings in a flash and the tit flies away in terror. 

Biologists Kurt Lechner and Alois Ortner know the butterflies and moths of the Alps better than almost anyone else. They both discovered their passion for the fluttering insects during their schooldays, and this Passion strengthened into a true calling during their university studies. For three years, the researchers recorded all the butterfly species found on Alpine mountain meadows and were able to identify 69 different butterflies and Zygaenidae moths on an area smaller than a football pitch, which is 40% of all species known in Tyrol. Since the start of 2024, it’s been the moths’ turn.

“Over a third of the
butterflies found here are
protected or endangered.”
 

Fascinating Relationships

The complex and at the same time fascinating interplay and relationships between different species is shown by the example of the large blue butterfly. The large blue female lays her eggs between the flowers of wild thyme, no other plant would do. A small caterpillar emerges from the egg, drops to the ground and waits for its taxi – an ant.

The caterpillar mimics the pheromones of the ant, so it takes what it thinks is an ant back to its nest, where the caterpillar can be cared for and fed by the ants. Still chemically disguised, the caterpillar finally pupates in the anthill. The
tricky part for the large blue starts when it hatches from its cocoon and its pheromone camouflage is exposed. The freshly hatched butterfly must flee before the ants can expose it as an intruder and attack. This interplay between special
species forms our finely balanced ecosystem. Changes in these systems can therefore be interpreted as environmental indicators. When a species’ stock increases or decreases, this indicates a shift in balance.

Basis of life

“Life on Earth as we know it would not be possible at all without insects,” explains Willi Seifert, head of the Nature Park. “Of the approximately 1.8 million different species on our planet, around half are insects.” Many of the services provided free of charge by nature – such as pollination or soil formation, access to water and food, air purification or protection against erosion – would be unthinkable without insects.

By caring for the mountain meadows, Zillertal’s farmers are making a valuable contribution not just to local nature, but also to society as a whole. The mountain meadows are – and remain – a source of life.

Image: Phillip Geisler and text: Daniel Schwarz, Nicole Ortner
Zillertal year-round magazine 2024

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