THE BOLKO ISLAND
It is mentioned as one of the most beautiful green places in Opole. There are a lot of
plants including the water plants, the bushes and the forests. One can meet there the popular with the river valleys ecosystems like the deciduous trees and the picturesque meadows, which make the park . There are also a lot of protected and rare species of the plants and the animals (some of them are on the “Red list of the endangered plants in Opole region”.)
It is the only natural place of protected by law Dwarf Periwinkle Vinca Minor in Opole region.
There are also the protected species of the orchid and the Bear garlic (Pallium ursinum) on the island.
There is also the creeper - the ivy Hedera helix, which is under the protection. Some of
them bloom usually in the autumn and the fruit is ripe the following spring. There is also
Symphytum oficinale, which is the precious herbal plant.You can meet here the Morel -the rare mushroom, which is under the strict protection. It wasn’t noted in the Silesia before].
The most important elements of the green areas on the island are the high plants - trees
and bushes. There are home plants among them and also the introduced ones . One of them is 400 year-old oak Quercus rober, which is said to be the protected statue of the nature.
The old trees are the place where the interesting birds are born e.g. grey-headed
woodpecker Picus canus, Syrian woodpecker, red-breasted flycatcher Ficedula parva,common redstart Phoenicurus phoenicurus and many more.

The picturesque pond, which is on the island, is the place where a lot of species of
animals live, e.g. a grass frog Rana temporalia, a water frog Rana esculenta,a toad Bufo bufo, a lizard Lacerna agilis, and grass snake Natrix natrix,.
There are 3 islands on the pond and there are  good places for the water birds to feed and to give birth. The water birds are: the mallard, the common coot Anas platyrhynchos, the penduline tit Remiz pendulinus, which builds the hanging nests and the jewel of Polish waters - the Kingfisher Albedo atthis .
In the wetter places, especially on the outskirts of the meadows, there is a rare, protected species of the spider called Argyope bruenichi. It is the most colourful Polish spider, which has yellow and black stripes.
There are a lot of mammals on the Bolko Island, e.g:a weasel, a stoat, an otter and a bat, which is under the protection. The bat is the most endangered, because of the changes in the environment and their influence on the bats. Walking in the winter you can meet the herd of deers.
The educational path enables to watch the nature on the Bolko Island. It is 2,5 km long and it takes 1,5 hour to walk. The path is the part of the route, which leads through the areas where the majority of plants and animals are gathered and organised in the way suitable for the educational purpose.There are six stops on the path, which inform about the singularity of the place. Some trees have  nameplates telling about the species of the tree.
During the local research the students checked what has remained of the destroyed educational path. All  the stops were destroyed and there were only a  few nameplates on the trees left.


Sent by Izabela Kolodziejczyk
Zespol Szkol Zawodowych im. St. Staszica