V hrobech Nature Reserve: Mapping the Protected Grassland Landscapes of Southern Prague

V hrobech was officially declared a natural monument on 1 September 1988 by the National Committee of the City of Prague, formalizing protection for a pasture of considerable botanical interest that had already been recognized by botanists and amateur plant enthusiasts since at least the 1960s. Before its declaration, the area was an actively used pasture surrounded by fields and meadows, with the Kamýk forest park lying nearby and a small stream along its northwestern margin supporting patches of wetland vegetation and threatened species.

Over the second half of the twentieth century, the area experienced multiple pressures. Amateur plant collectors removed many rare species from the locality, reducing once-significant populations to very small remnants or eliminating them entirely. The construction of large panel-style housing estates in adjacent neighborhoods, along with associated earthworks, damaged and in places destroyed the marginal parts of the site. Increased recreational use, particularly by dog walkers with unleashed pets, further altered the ecological character of the site and contributed to rising eutrophication.

Two formal management plans have guided the site. The first plan covered the period 2002 to 2011, and a second plan was issued in October 2011 for the period 2012 to 2021. Scientific surveys include a floristic inventory conducted between 1976 and 1980 and repeated in 1993 and 1998, a butterfly survey in 1986 to 1987, and a comprehensive inventory in 2007 that unexpectedly recorded a clump of Stipa pennata. A supplementary botanical survey was carried out in 2009 and 2010 to support the new management plan.

Despite its compact size, V hrobech preserves a striking mosaic of habitats that includes dry acidic grasslands, mesophilous meadows, small patches of heath, wetland fringes, and scrub. The site's core ecological value lies in fragments of the Koelerio-Phleion phleoidis community (Koelerio-Phleion phleoidis), an acidic dry-grassland type, which supports the majority of its rare plant species. A small area of Calluno-Genistion heath vegetation adds to the habitat diversity.

The flora is exceptionally rich for such a small urban site. Historically documented species include Daphne cneorum (lýkovec vonný), Rosa gallica (růže galská), and Orchis morio (vstavač kukačka). Currently confirmed flagship species include Pulsatilla pratensis subsp. bohemica (koniklec luční český), Gagea bohemica (křivatec český), Armeria vulgaris, and Veronica spicata. The mesophilous meadows of the central portion of the site are dominated by Arrhenatherum elatius (ovsík vyvýšený), while dry-grassland areas feature species such as Potentilla arenaria, Helianthemum grandiflorum subsp. obscurum, Trifolium alpestre, Festuca rupicola, Thymus praecox, Dianthus carthusianorum, and Hieracium pilosella.

Wetland vegetation along the intermittent stream at the western margin includes species such as Scirpus sylvaticus, Iris pseudacorus, Salix caprea, and Filipendula ulmaria. A scrub belt and shrubby patches support roses (Rosa sp.), Fraxinus excelsior, Betula pendula, Sambucus nigra, and larger stands of Sarothamnus scoparius (janovec metlatý), contributing vertical structure and additional habitat niches within the natural monument.

V hrobech supports a community of invertebrates that is closely tied to its herbaceous vegetation. Various bumblebees and other Hymenoptera are present, along with butterflies such as Melanargia galathea, Gonepteryx rhamni, and Eriocrania unimaculella. The notable protected butterfly Papilio machaon (otakárek fenyklový) has also been recorded here. Although the site is not a primary stronghold for butterflies, it functions as a stepping stone where species from surrounding habitats occasionally occur. Phytophagous beetles, including weevils (Nosatcovití) and leaf beetles (Mandelinkovití), are also present.

Birds form the most visible faunal group. In past decades, the site supported ground-nesting species such as Alauda arvensis (skřivan polní) and Phasianus colchicus (bažant obecný), as well as shrub-nesting species including Turdus merula (kos černý), Emberiza citrinella (strnad obecný), and Lanius collurio (ťuhýk obecný). Increased disturbance has reduced the breeding bird community, and today many birds use the site mainly for feeding or as fly-through habitat, including Motacilla alba, Apus apus, Phoenicurus ochruros, Parus major, Parus caeruleus, Carduelis chloris, Serinus serinus, Carduelis carduelis, Passer montanus, Passer domesticus, and Corvus frugilegus.

Among mammals, the site supports common small species such as Microtus arvalis (hraboš polní) and Talpa europaea (krtek obecný). Historically, small mammals such as hares and rabbits were more numerous but have largely disappeared under the pressure of high visitor numbers and free-roaming dogs. The natural monument, together with the adjacent Kamýk forest park, continues to function as a refuge for small animals within a heavily urbanized area.

V hrobech holds conservation value primarily because it preserves a fragment of nutrient-poor, thermophilic dry-grassland habitat in a region where such landscapes have almost entirely been lost to urban development. The dry acidic grassland of the Koelerio-Phleion phleoidis type, together with associated heath and wetland fringes, supports a number of rare and endangered plant species, including Pulsatilla pratensis subsp. bohemica and Gagea bohemica, and historically also Daphne cneorum, Rosa gallica, and Orchis morio. The site thus serves as an important reservoir of genetic and ecological resources for biodiversity in Prague.

Because it is classified as a managed reserve, conservation at V hrobech depends on continuous human intervention. The principal tools are regular mosaic mowing and grazing, with future plans incorporating controlled burning across roughly one-fifth of the area in any given year. The site also requires active suppression of invasive species, particularly Robinia pseudoacacia (trnovník akát) in the protection zone and Arrhenatherum elatius within the grassland itself. The spread of Arrhenatherum elatius is closely linked to elevated soil nutrient levels.

Eutrophication and disturbance from visitors, especially dog walkers allowing pets to roam off-leash, are the main conservation challenges. Dogs contribute to nutrient enrichment through droppings and physically disturb the dry-grassland sward by digging, reducing habitat quality for both plants and ground-nesting animals. Protection measures have included fencing with an access gate, and a complete closure of the site to the public remains a possible option if visitor pressure becomes unmanageable. The Czech Hydrometeorological Institute office and surrounding housing developments also create edge effects that continue to influence the site's ecological condition.

V hrobech reflects the long-standing relationship between Prague's southern outskirts and traditional rural land use. The site was historically an active pasture, embedded in a mosaic of fields, meadows, and the Kamýk forest park, and its botanical richness was already appreciated by local enthusiasts and gardeners in the 1960s. This pre-existing cultural familiarity with the site, however, also contributed to declines in rare species, as amateur collectors removed plants for their gardens.

The modern urban surroundings, including the Kamýk, Lhotka, Libuš, and Modřany housing estates, the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute campus, and the nearby defunct BMX track and softball club, give the site a distinctive contemporary cultural setting. A greenmarked hiking trail (Trasa 3129) from Malá Chuchle to Hálkův pomník in Dolní Břežany passes near the natural monument, integrating this small patch of protected nature into the everyday recreational life of southern Prague residents. A commemorative protected tree, the summer oak designated as Dub letní V hrobech, adds a further element of local heritage within the broader protected area.

V hrobech stands out as one of the few remaining fragments of acidic dry grassland within the urban fabric of southern Prague, and one of the most botanically species-rich of Prague's small natural monuments. Its combination of dry-grassland, heath, mesophilous meadow, wetland fringe, and shrub habitats makes it a remarkably compact showcase of habitat diversity. The site also illustrates a rare example of intensive, hands-on conservation management within a major Central European city, where mosaic mowing, grazing, and potentially controlled burning are used to maintain rare thermophilic flora against the pressures of invasive grasses and urban disturbance.

V hrobech is a small site whose botanical character is most visible in late spring and early summer, when the thermophilic grassland species, including Pulsatilla pratensis subsp. bohemica, Gagea bohemica, and various dry-grassland herbs, are in flower and the full contrast between shallow-soil dry slopes and damper valley fringes can be observed. Early mornings in spring and early summer also offer the best chance to see butterflies and other insects that depend on the site's herbaceous layer. Autumn visits provide a quieter, more solitary experience, although the rare flora is then less conspicuous.