Altitude: 250–285 m above sea level
Length: 18 km
Material: Quaternary loess and river gravels, Mesozoic (Cretaceous) siltstones and calcareous claystones

 

Construction of the D11 motorway between Hradec Králové and Jaroměř began in 2018 and the motorway was opened on 17 December 2021. The construction of the motorway represents a major impact on the landscape – it creates large carriageways, soil exposures, temporary soil dumps or new embankments. Many of these biotopes remain without vegetation for some time; the earth mounds can quickly become overgrown with ruderal vegetation. Highway embankments are usually grassed over and planted with trees, and carriageways are covered with soil and agriculturally reclaimed.

 

Plants

Scentless Mayweed (Tripleurospermum inodorum), Purple Orache (Atriplex sagittata), Common Poppy (Papaver rhoeas), Creeping Thistle (Cirsium arvense)

 

Invertebrates

Ischnura pumilio – a pioneer species that occupies temporary waters with almost no vegetation

 

Vertebrates

Bound to exposed soil: Crested Lark (Galerida cristata; single sighting near Vlčkovice), Western Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla flava), Little Ringed Plover (Charadrius dubius)

Bound to woody plants: European Stonechat (Saxicola rubicola), Corn Bunting (Emberiza calandra), Red-backed Shrike (Lanius collurio)

 

Photo captions:

temporary soil dump overgrown with ruderal vegetation

Junction near the village of Semonice (2020)

Junction near Semonice (2022)