GALLERY OF FOREST SPECIES CONNECTED WITH HABITAT TREES

Original, hand-made illustrations of forest species were created directly for the Department of Forest Ecology FFWS, CULS as part of the Forest Diversity project and will be continuously updated for you.

European badger
(Meles meles)
European badger (Meles meles)
The European badger is the largest member of the weasel family found in the Czech Republic. It has a stocky body, short powerful legs with long claws, and a distinctive black-and-white striped face. It inhabits deciduous, mixed, and coniferous forests, where it prefers quiet areas offering plenty of shelter. Although it excavates extensive underground setts, it also makes use of cavities beneath the roots of large old trees and shelters created by windthrown trees. Habitat trees contribute to the natural diversity of forest environments and support numerous invertebrates and small vertebrates that form an important part of the badger’s diet. An omnivore, it feeds mainly on earthworms, insects, small vertebrates, fruits, seeds, and fungi. It is primarily active at dusk and during the night.
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Red fox
(Vulpes vulpes)
Red fox (Vulpes vulpes)
The red fox is a medium-sized canid with reddish fur, a pointed muzzle, and a long bushy tail tipped with white. It is one of the most adaptable mammals, inhabiting forests, agricultural landscapes, and the edges of human settlements. In mature forests, habitat trees provide shelter and resting places, while tree cavities, deadwood, and windthrows create suitable conditions for small mammals, invertebrates, and other animals that make up an important part of its diet. The fox is mainly active at dusk and at night, feeding primarily on rodents, but it also consumes birds, insects, fruits, and carrion. Thanks to its adaptability, it plays an important role in maintaining the natural balance of forest ecosystems.
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Red squirrel
(Sciurus vulgaris)
Red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris)
The red squirrel, i.e. a medium-sized rodent from the squirrel family, can be seen in all types of forests, parks, alleys and gardens in the Czech Republic. A characteristic feature of the red squirrel, which in our territory normally abounds in black, brown or even red, are tufts of hair on the earlobes pointing to the tip. Except for the breeding season, squirrels live a solitary way of life, which they spend outside the time of searching for food mainly in tree cavities or nests on stronger branches. Lives mainly on seeds of pine cones, nuts and dried mushrooms and fruits.
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Tree lungwort
(Lobaria pulmonaria)
Tree lungwort (Lobaria pulmonaria)
The tree lungwort is found mainly in old primary forests, where it prefers moss-covered beech trees. This epiphytic (growing on living plants, but feeding on its own), the largest lichen in the Czech Republic, is sensitive to polluted air and precisely because of high emissions and the intensification of forestry in the second half of the 20th century, it began to retreat from the Czech Republic. Of the majority of mountain and foothill areas where it used to be common, today it can only be found in a few locations, such as the Šumava Mountains. From the point of view of nature protection, it is a flagship species in the Czech Republic.
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Beard moss
(Usnea barbata)
Beard moss (Usnea barbata)
The beard moss is an epiphytic (growing on living plants but feeding on its own) lichen, which is characterized by an overhanging rhizome with irregularly thick branches and thin bark. In the Czech Republic, this is one of the most common species of beard lichens. Since the second half of the 20th century, mainly due to acid rain, the occurrence of Beard Moss has decreased significantly. However, after the improvement of air quality at the beginning of the new millennium, it spread again and nowadays it can be found quite often all over the territory of the Czech Republic.
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Hoof fungus
(Fomes fomentarius)
Hoof fungus (Fomes fomentarius)
The hoof fungus is a perennial, wood-decaying, inedible fungus from the Polyporaceae family. The fruiting body of this mushroom, which can reach up to 50 cm in width and up to 25 cm in length, has a hoof-like shape. Its surface is covered with a hard, matte bark that changes color depending on age. The Hoof Fungus laterally grows to the trunks or strong branches of living and dead trees, where it can survive for up to 30 years. It occurs abundantly from the lowlands to the mountains mainly on deciduous trees, especially beech and birch. It is rarely found on coniferous tree species. Because it decomposes wood, it belongs to the decomposers.
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Psathyrella cernua
(Psathyrella cernua)
Psathyrella cernua (Psathyrella cernua)
The psathyrella cernua is a fungus that forms medium-sized fruiting bodies growing in bunches. They often grow at the base of the trunks or in the hollows of deciduous trees - mainly beech and maple, less often also on lindens, poplars, alders or elms. We can also find this fungus on fallen trees or stumps in deciduous and mixed natural forests.
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Stock dove
(Columba oenas)
Stock dove (Columba oenas)
The stock dove is a robust woodland pigeon with bluish-grey plumage, a pinkish breast, and distinctive white patches on the sides of its neck. Unlike most other pigeons, it does not build its own nest but breeds almost exclusively in tree cavities, particularly abandoned holes excavated by woodpeckers. It is therefore closely associated with mature forests containing habitat trees that provide safe nesting sites. Its diet consists mainly of seeds, fruits, buds, and other plant material, which it usually gathers from the ground. The preservation of old cavity-bearing trees is one of the most important requirements for the long-term survival of this species.
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Grey-headed woodpecker
(Picus canus)
Grey-headed woodpecker (Picus canus)
The grey-headed woodpecker is a medium-sized woodpecker with greenish-grey plumage, a pale grey head, and a black stripe running through the eye. Males have a small red patch on the forehead, which females lack. It inhabits deciduous and mixed forests, as well as parks, avenues, and old orchards. Each year it excavates a new nesting cavity in the trunks of older, often partially decayed trees. These cavities are later used by many other species of birds, mammals, and invertebrates, making the grey-headed woodpecker an important contributor to forest biodiversity. It feeds mainly on ants and their larvae, searching for them both on the ground and in decaying wood.
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Black Woodpecker
(Dryocopus martius)
Black Woodpecker (Dryocopus martius)
The black woodpecker is the largest woodpecker in Europe and is easily recognised by its entirely black plumage and bright red crown, which is more extensive in males than in females. It inhabits extensive deciduous, mixed, and coniferous forests with an abundance of mature trees. Each year it excavates spacious nesting cavities in large trunks, which are subsequently used by dozens of species of birds, mammals, and invertebrates. As one of the most important cavity creators in European forests, it greatly enhances the ecological value of habitat trees. Its diet consists mainly of ants, wood-boring insect larvae, and other invertebrates extracted from decaying wood and dead trees.
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Three-toed woodpecker
(Picoides tridactylus)
Three-toed woodpecker (Picoides tridactylus)
The three-toed woodpecker is a shy, medium-sized, white-and-black species of woodpecker with two broad stripes on its cheek. Males have a yellow crown on their head, while females have a black crown. Overall, its coloration is similar to that of a white-backed woodpecker, but without the red feathers. It occurs in old coniferous and mixed forests, preferring spruce stands with a large amount of dead trees. Its food consists mainly of invertebrates, which it searches for under the bark, but he does not disdain the oozing resin either.
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White-backed woodpecker
(Dendrocopos leucotos)
White-backed woodpecker (Dendrocopos leucotos)
The white-backed woodpecker is a large climber with a long beak. Its white back is not always obvious, but clearly visible during flight. It has distinctive striped flanks and red feathers on the underbelly and tail. The woodpecker prefers older stands of deciduous and mixed forests with lots of dead trees. Unfortunately, it is currently threatened by the loss of suitable habitats, i.e. the lack of surviving and dead trees of large dimensions.
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Eurasian hoopoe
(Upupa epops)
Eurasian hoopoe (Upupa epops)
The Eurasian hoopoe is a striking bird with cinnamon-coloured plumage, a long curved bill, and a prominent crest tipped with black. It inhabits open landscapes with scattered trees, old orchards, tree-lined roads, and open woodlands. It nests in natural tree cavities or abandoned woodpecker holes and therefore depends on habitat trees that provide suitable nesting sites. Its diet consists mainly of large invertebrates, including insect larvae, beetles, grasshoppers, and crickets, which it probes for in the soil with its long bill. The preservation of old trees is essential not only for nesting but also for maintaining rich feeding habitats.
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Tawny owl
(Strix aluco)
Tawny owl (Strix aluco)
The tawny owl is the most numerous owl in the Czech Republic. It inhabits deciduous and mixed forests, but it can also be found in city parks, groves or moors. It is active at night and its food consists mainly of rodents, birds, but also insects and fish. Nests in tree hollows and rarely also on nests of other birds (especially raptors).
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Boreal Owl
(Aegolius funereus)
Boreal Owl (Aegolius funereus)
The boreal owl is a small owl with a rounded head, large yellow eyes, and densely spotted brown-and-white plumage. It inhabits mature coniferous and mixed forests with abundant quiet nesting sites. Unable to excavate its own cavities, it relies on abandoned nesting holes created by the black woodpecker in old habitat trees. Its presence is therefore closely linked to well-preserved forests containing large cavity-bearing trees. It feeds mainly on small rodents but also hunts small birds and occasionally larger invertebrates. The conservation of old cavity trees is one of the key requirements for the successful breeding of this species.
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Goat moth
(Cossus cossus)
Goat moth (Cossus cossus)
The goat moth is one of Europe's largest moths, with inconspicuous greyish-brown wings that blend perfectly with tree bark. Adult moths feed very little, spending most of their life in the larval stage. The caterpillars develop over several years inside the wood of living or weakened deciduous trees, especially willows, poplars, oaks, and fruit trees, where they bore large tunnels. Habitat trees, particularly those with cavities, wounds, or partially decayed wood, provide ideal conditions for their development. Although the larvae may occasionally damage individual trees, the species is a natural component of forest ecosystems, contributing to wood decomposition and the creation of microhabitats for many other organisms.
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Poplar clearwing
(Synanthedon mesiaeformis)
Poplar clearwing (Synanthedon mesiaeformis)
The poplar clearwing is a small day-flying moth with transparent wings and a black body marked by yellow bands, closely resembling a wasp. In the Czech Republic it is considered a rather rare species and is closely associated with mature aspen stands. Its larvae spend several years developing beneath the bark and within the wood of weakened or dying aspens, usually near the base of the trunk. Habitat trees with decaying wood and old aspens left in the forest provide essential conditions for its development. Adults emerge during summer, visiting flowers and sunny forest edges. The preservation of old aspens in forests and the wider landscape is crucial for the long-term survival of this remarkable species.
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Oak Jewel Beetle
(Eurythyrea quercus)
Oak Jewel Beetle (Eurythyrea quercus)
The oak jewel beetle is a distinctive metallic wood-boring beetle with an elongated body, inhabiting warm oak woodlands and open deciduous forests. Its larvae spend several years developing beneath the bark and within the wood of weakened or recently dead oaks, particularly large veteran trees growing in sunny locations. Habitat oaks provide the essential conditions required for its development and reproduction, making their conservation vital for the species' survival. Adults emerge during the warm summer months and are often found on the trunks and branches of their host trees. The oak jewel beetle is considered an important indicator of well-preserved forests rich in old oaks and deadwood.
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Violet click beetle
(Limoniscus violaceus)
Violet click beetle (Limoniscus violaceus)
The violet click beetle is a pan-European endangered black beetle with a faint blue-violet sheen. It is strictly bound to the original deciduous forests. It requires a number of hollow trees with a suitable microclimate and advanced decomposition, ideally at the base of the trunk in contact with the soil. The larva feeds on dead insects, but also actively hunts. Adults rarely leave the cavity.
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Cherry Jewel Beetle
(Anthaxia candens)
Hermit beetle
(Osmoderma barnabita)
Hermit beetle (Osmoderma barnabita)
The hermit beetle is a species of scarab beetle in the family Scarabaeidae. Larvae of the hermit beetle develop in the hollows of old deciduous trees. Adults emit a characteristic smell, which also gave them their name. Hermit beetle can only fly short distances, and it is typical for them to form micropopulations that are prone to extinction in the event of a lack of suitable habitats.
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European rhinoceros beetle
(Oryctes nasicornis)
European rhinoceros beetle (Oryctes nasicornis)
The European rhinoceros beetle is a relatively large beetle belonging to the subfamily Dynastinae. The dominant feature of males is a horn of varying length on the head and a raised shield, while females have only a small bump instead of a horn. Larvae develop in rotting wood of deciduous trees, but also in compost or piles of sawdust. Adults are active especially in the evening and at night and feed on sap
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Alpine longhorn beetle
(Rosalia alpina)
Alpine longhorn beetle (Rosalia alpina)
The alpine longhorn beetle is one of Europe's most striking beetles. It is easily recognised by its pale bluish-grey body with black spots and its exceptionally long, distinctly banded antennae. It inhabits mature deciduous forests and is closely associated with large, dying or recently dead beech trees. The larvae develop for several years within the wood of sun-exposed trunks and large branches, while adults return to the same trees to mate and lay their eggs. The preservation of habitat trees and the retention of deadwood in forests are essential for the survival of this rare and legally protected species.
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Peltis grossa
(Peltis grossa)
Peltis grossa (Peltis grossa)
The peltis grossa is the largest representative of the Trogossitidae family with black or black-brown coloring. The beetle mainly inhabits well-preserved primary forests. Adults and larvae mainly prefer dead standing conifers attacked by fungi (especially the Red-banded Polypore). Larvae live in rotting wood, while adults prefer loose or exfoliated bark.
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