Špidláky

Špidláky is a protected natural area located between the villages of Čejkovice and Čejč in the Hodonín district of South Moravia. Covering roughly 17 hectares at an elevation of about 200 meters, it consists of three small, steep-sloped hills that were formerly used for agriculture and now form part of the steppe landscape typical of the Hustopeč Uplands (Hustopečská pahorkatina).

How did this area become protected?

Protection of the site dates back to 1992, when it was designated as the Špidláky nature reserve. On 1 January 2013, its legal status changed: the original nature reserve was abolished and replaced, on the same site and under the same name, by a nature monument (přírodní památka). The change in designation reflected an adjustment to the area's landscape character rather than a reduction in its ecological importance.

Why is Špidláky significant?

In the intensively farmed agricultural landscape of southeastern Moravia, Špidláky represents one of the last more extensive steppe localities where something close to the original appearance of Pannonian-region vegetation can still be found. This rarity is why the site is often described as a natural oasis surrounded by cultivated fields.

Protection focuses on xerothermic (heat- and drought-adapted) plant communities, including mesophilic and xerophilic shrublands, which cover around 5% of the area, alongside dry grasslands and Pannonian loess steppe grasslands, each covering roughly 10% of the total area. The conservation goal is to preserve these communities together with the populations of endangered, protected, or otherwise regionally significant species they support.

What plants grow here?

The botanical symbol of spring at Špidláky is the spring adonis (Adonis vernalis), whose golden clumps appear mainly on the eastern slopes. Among the other heat-loving species found here are plants typical of Pannonian steppe grasslands, including feather grasses and species adapted to shallow, calcium-rich soils under dry, sun-exposed conditions.

What animals live in the area?

Špidláky is protected in part because of the presence of the ground beetle Carabus hungaricus, a species associated with steppe habitats that has become increasingly rare across Central Europe. The presence of this beetle underlines the value of the preserved fragments of original steppe vegetation as a refuge for heat-loving fauna.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is Špidláky located? The site lies between the villages of Čejkovice and Čejč in the Hodonín district of South Moravia, at an elevation of around 200 meters.

What is the current protection status of the area? Since 2013 it has been designated a nature monument (přírodní památka); before that, from 1992, it existed as a nature reserve.

How large is the protected area? Špidláky covers approximately 17 hectares.

What is the main attraction of Špidláky? The preserved steppe grasslands with rare plants such as the spring adonis, along with habitats for heat-loving insects including the ground beetle Carabus hungaricus, are the site's main draw.

Is Špidláky suitable for a hike? The area sits close to hiking routes and the vineyard landscape of the Hodonín region, making it a good stop on a walking or cycling route through the surrounding countryside.