Hemp-retting ponds

People made textiles out of flax and hemp. To obtain the fine fibers from the inner woody tissue of the raw plants, the hemp-stalks were kept under water for 7-14 days to rot - depending on water temperature. When these ponds were abandoned, standing water plant- and animal species found a home in them, like the Common Frog, Common Toad, Tree Frog, Yellow-bellied Toad, Carpathian Newt. You can observe the adults in spring , later the larvae. The larvae of many species of caddisflies, mayflies and water beetles live here, as well as snails and the Water Scorpion.