Tenkes

Tenkes is a protected area in southern Hungary, covering 1 558 hectares of dry land. It lies on the southern slopes of the Villány Mountains, where the Pannonian ecoregion meets the southern edge of the Carpathian Basin. The heart of the site sits at 45.895° N, 18.271° E, a quiet ridge above the village of Villánykövesd. The area was declared a Natura 2000 site in May 2004 to safeguard two rare plants and nine protected animals. National protection followed in February 2010, recognising nine distinct natural habitats. Among the species are the orchid Himantoglossum caprinum, the pasque flower Pulsatilla grandis, and beetles such as Bolbelasmus unicornis and Cerambyx cerdo. Visitors walk marked trails through turkey-oak and sessile-oak woods, limestone screes and ravines. Dry grasslands on the ridges hold early-spring orchids and pasque flowers. In the beech forests on limestone, woodpeckers and butterflies like Lycaena dispar appear in summer. The slopes offer wide views over the surrounding vineyards and the distant Drava plain.