Luci swampland

The Luci swampland covers 273 ha, and by its size is the largest mountain peat swamp in Romania, it is located 10 km west from Sâncrăieni, in the northern part of the Southern-Harghita Mountains, between the Tolvajos pass and Sântimbru Băi, in a giant crater.

The diameter of the crater is 7 km, it is situated at 1080 meters altitude, and the Cormos brook flows through the marsh. The thickness of the peat is estimated to be about 4,5 meters. The area of 282.5 ha was declared protected area in 1955. It was formed by the drainage and sedimentation of a former crater lake, and deserved its protected status due to its plant associations and species which are here since the last ice age.

We can mention the dwarf birch (Betula nana), sphagmun moss species, round-leafed sundew (Drosera rotundifolia), hare’s tail cottongrass (Eriophorum vaginatum), blueberries and cranberries. Among the reptiles we can find the common lizard (Zootoca vivipapa), the European viper (Vipera berus), the Carpathian newt (Triturus montandori), the alpine newt (Triturus alpestris), the common newt (Triturus vulgaris), the yellow bellied toad (Bombina variegata), the European common frog (Rana temporaria) or the European common toad (Bufo bufo). There are also frequently seen brown bears, stags, dear, wolf, wild boar and lynx as well.

Text and photo source: http://www.greenharghita.ro