Boršov u Litětin

Boršov u Litětin is a small nature reserve lying just south of the village of Litětiny, within the municipality of Dolní Roveň in the Pardubice District of eastern Czechia. The site sits in the Polabí lowland, the fertile plain that stretches along the Elbe River, where wide expanses of wet meadows once dominated the landscape. Most of that habitat has long since been drained or converted to farmland, which makes Boršov u Litětin unusual: it preserves a fragment of those original boggy meadows in something close to their historic state, offering a rare window into what the region's lowlands looked like before modern agriculture reshaped them.

What makes these meadows worth protecting?

The wet, undrained meadows at Boršov support plant species that have all but disappeared from the surrounding countryside due to drainage and agricultural intensification. Among the standouts is marsh gentian (Gentiana pneumonanthe), a plant that depends on consistently damp, nutrient-poor soil and reacts badly to any disturbance of the local water regime. Growing alongside it is large pink (Dianthus superbus), recognizable by its deeply fringed petals, another species tied to traditionally managed wet grassland. Finding both together in such a small area is a strong indicator of how well the site's original habitat character has held up over time.

Which insect makes this reserve special?

The reserve's standout feature is the Alcon blue butterfly (Maculinea alcon, also known as Phengaris alcon), a species with an unusually intricate life cycle. Its caterpillars feed almost exclusively on marsh gentian in their early stages, after which they are carried off by Myrmica ants into their nests, where they complete development by exploiting the colony's resources. This life cycle only works where the right host plant and the right ant species coexist, a combination that few sites can offer. Boršov u Litětin is considered the only known locality for this butterfly in eastern Bohemia today, which gives this modest reserve outsized importance for regional nature conservation.

How is the site managed?

The area is looked after by the Nature and Landscape Protection Agency of the Czech Republic (AOPK ČR), through its Pardubice regional office. Wet meadows quickly become overgrown with shrubs and trees if left unmanaged, so the part of the reserve that is accessible to agricultural machinery is mown on a regular schedule, mimicking the traditional grassland management that allowed these habitats to form in the first place. The remaining, wetter section is too waterlogged for mechanical mowing, so it is maintained instead through manual removal of encroaching woody growth before it can turn open meadow into scrub.

Who is this reserve for?

Boršov u Litětin will appeal mainly to nature enthusiasts, botanists, and entomologists rather than casual sightseers — there is no visitor infrastructure here, and the site's value lies in its modest but ecologically distinctive habitat rather than in dramatic scenery. It makes for a quiet walk through the countryside around Litětiny and Dolní Roveň, and it is especially rewarding for anyone interested in lowland meadow flora and fauna, particularly during the marsh gentian's late-summer flowering period.

Frequently asked questions

What exactly is protected at Boršov u Litětin? A remnant patch of wet, nutrient-poor meadow representing the original Polabí lowland landscape, along with the rare plants and the butterfly species that depend on them.

What butterfly species lives in this reserve? The Alcon blue (Maculinea alcon), whose caterpillars develop first on marsh gentian and then inside the nests of Myrmica ants.

Who manages the site? The Nature and Landscape Protection Agency of the Czech Republic (AOPK ČR), Pardubice regional office.

Where exactly is the reserve located? South of the village of Litětiny, within the municipality of Dolní Roveň, Pardubice District, in eastern Czechia.