🦋 Living Valley

A valley full of life

Meadows, hedgerows, an orchard, a stream and hundreds of young trees. Meet everyone who lives here with us — and see what we do so that there is more life every year.

Who lives here Trees

10+ bird species

13+ species of insects and other invertebrates

20+ tree and shrub species

5 different habitats

From the first species survey, carried out as part of the micro-credential Management and Advice on Nature Conservation in Agriculture (Biotechnical Faculty, Ljubljana). The survey continues.

🌿 Five worlds in one valley

A walk through the valley

Each part of the valley is home to different plants and animals. Click on a habitat to see what grows there and who you might meet.

Schematic illustration, not a map.

1Hedgerows and woodland edge

Willows, alders, wild cherry, elder, hazel, oak and ash. Hedgerows give shade, hold water and act as living corridors: a bird, a hedgehog or a butterfly can travel along them without crossing open ground.

Who you might meet here: hedgehog roe deer fox red wood ant

2Traditional orchard

Plums, walnuts, wild and sweet cherries, medlar. Old trees with hollows are home to birds and beetles, and the sheep graze beneath the crowns.

Who you might meet here: hoopoe stag beetle scarce swallowtail carpenter bee

3Meadows and pastures

Yarrow, false oat-grass, red clover and daisies. When the sheep leave a pasture, the grass recovers and flowers — food for bees, butterflies and beetles.

Who you might meet here: kestrel brown hare praying mantis barn swallow

4Wet meadow

This is where water lingers longest. Common valerian grows in abundance, amphibians hide among the moisture-loving grasses, and after mowing the white stork likes to drop by.

Who you might meet here: white stork common toad roe deer

5Stream, spring and pond

Rushes, reeds, willows, black alder and bulrush. Amphibians and dragonflies live by the spring, the stream and the small pond. A second pond is in preparation.

Who you might meet here: fire salamander common toad dragonflies

🦉 Who lives here

Neighbours we meet

Some we see every day, others we only hear or discover by their tracks. They are all here because the valley gives them food, shelter and peace.

🔊 Listen to the hoopoe that nests on the farm

Hoopoe

Upupa epops 📍 nests on the farm

Its typical "hoop-hoop-hoop" announces spring. It feeds on the meadow, where beetles live close to the surface.

White stork

Ciconia ciconia 📍 on the meadows after mowing

After mowing it comes to the wet meadows to catch frogs, grasshoppers and small rodents.

Barn owl

Tyto alba 📍 heard nearby

A night-time hunter of mice and voles — especially welcome in a valley where voles have gnawed young trees.

Boreal owl

Aegolius funereus 📍 probably nests nearby

A small owl with big yellow eyes that hunts around the farm and probably nests here too.

Long-eared owl

Asio otus 📍 near the farm

An owl with upright feather "ears" that hunts over open meadows at night.

Turtle dove

Streptopelia turtur 📍 nests nearby

Its soft purring is a summer sound of the countryside. In Europe it becomes rarer every year.

Kestrel

Falco tinnunculus 📍 circles over the pasture

A small falcon that can hover above the meadow while watching for mice.

Barn swallow

Hirundo rustica 📍 nests on the farm

It catches insects low over the pasture, where the animals always attract plenty.

Roe deer

Capreolus capreolus 📍 in the morning at the meadow edge

A frequent morning visitor. Beautiful — but also the reason we protect young trees.

Fox

Vulpes vulpes 📍 at night on the meadows

It hunts rodents, so it is welcome. But because of it we have to shut the hens in well every evening.

Hedgehog

📍 in hedgerows and leaf litter

At night it rummages through the leaves for beetles, earthworms and slugs.

Mole

Talpa europaea 📍 under the meadow

It loosens and aerates the soil. Molehills are a sign that the soil is alive.

Marten

📍 around the farm buildings

A skilful climber that reminds us whenever the henhouse is not properly closed.

Brown hare

Lepus europaeus 📍 on open meadows

You are most likely to see it on the fresh grass in early spring.

Stag beetle

Lucanus cervus 📍 on the meadow and in the orchard

Our largest beetle. Its larvae develop for several years in rotting wood, which is why dead wood in the orchard is precious.

Scarce swallowtail

Iphiclides podalirius 📍 by fruit trees and the woodland edge

An elegant black-striped butterfly that loves to glide between the fruit trees.

Praying mantis

Mantis religiosa 📍 on warm meadows

A patient hunter that waits motionless for its prey.

Violet carpenter bee

Xylocopa violacea 📍 on flowering fruit trees

A large, dark violet bee that nests in dry wood and pollinates many a fruit blossom.

Fireflies

Lampyridae 📍 June nights

When dusk falls, the meadow lights up. Fireflies need darkness and unmown edges.

Red wood ant

Formica rufa 📍 at the woodland edge

It builds large mounds of needles and twigs and keeps the forest floor tidy.

Fire salamander

Salamandra salamandra 📍 by the stream, after rain

A black-and-yellow amphibian you are most likely to meet after a warm rain.

Common toad

Bufo bufo 📍 on the farm

At night it hunts slugs and insects, and in spring it heads to the water to spawn.

Slow worm

Anguis fragilis 📍 among grass and leaves

Not a snake but a legless lizard — a quiet hunter of slugs.

Viviparous lizard

Zootoca vivipara 📍 on sunny and damp edges

A small lizard that likes to bask in the sun at the edge of the meadow.

Moments from our walks

📅 When to meet whom

The valley through the year

Spring

Hazel and cornelian cherry flower first — food for the first bees.
Toads set off for the water.
The hoopoe returns and its "hoop-hoop-hoop" can be heard.

Summer

Stag beetles fly on warm evenings.
Fireflies light up the June nights.
After mowing, the white stork lands on the meadow.

Autumn

Plums, walnuts and later medlars ripen.
The hoopoe flies south.
The hedgehog prepares a winter shelter under the leaves.

Winter

Roe deer, fox and hare leave tracks in the snow.
An owl calls at night.
Brush piles and dead wood shelter small creatures.

🌳 Trees and landscape

This is not just tree planting. It is restoring a living landscape.

Every tree in the valley has a role: it gives shade, protects the soil, holds water, feeds animals and opens corridors for nature. Together they form a landscape that will outlive us.

How our planting grows

2023Work on the farm begins. One of the first decisions: part of a former field will become a diverse planting — the Jungle.
350 treesWith friends, family and the Naj Raste team we plant 350 fruit and forest trees in under four hours.
A lessonVoles and roe deer damage many young trees. We learn that protection matters as much as planting.
2026A new planting: snowy mespilus and cornelian cherry — this time more carefully planned.

Our goal for 2030: 500 trees. You can help with every one of them.

Become a tree sponsor →

Tree guide

Forest trees

Pedunculate oak Beech Lime Maples Bird cherry Poplar Silver fir Spruce

The oak is home to hundreds of insect species, the beech builds forest humus, the bird cherry flowers early for pollinators. The broadleaves have always been at home here; fir and spruce are our newer neighbours.

Traditional orchard

Apple Pear Plum Cherry Walnut Fig Persimmon Medlar

Every fruit tree is a small ecosystem. The blossom feeds bees, the fruit feeds birds and us, and the old trunk feeds stag beetles and owls. An orchard that stands for a long time gives for a long time.

Shrubs and berries

Hazel Cornelian cherry Snowy mespilus Elder Currant Blueberry Gooseberry

Shrubs hold the whole ecosystem together. Hazel is the first food for bees after winter, elder flowers, fruits and heals, and the cornelian cherry turns the valley red in autumn.

Lime — the community tree

Villagers once gathered under the lime tree. Under it they settled common matters, sang songs and shared bread. In Lunina dolina the lime is not decoration but a centre — a place where people, bees and stories pause.

Poplar — the tree that drinks water

The poplar takes up a lot of water and helps regulate wet, occasionally flooded ground. Here it grows where the land needs it.

Birch — the pioneer

The birch takes root where nothing else will and gradually improves the soil for the trees that follow. It does not wait for an invitation — it simply begins.

A tree garden for future generations

Native trees are the backbone of the valley. Alongside them we are planning a small tree garden with trees from other parts of the world: giant sequoia, tulip tree, ginkgo, Japanese maple, sweetgum, Korean fir, red birch and special maples such as Kelly's Gold. We may never see them fully grown — and that is the beauty of it. For beauty, for knowledge and for the curiosity of those who will walk here after us.

Honestly: nature is not always an easy partner

Voles gnawed the roots, and roe deer nibbled the shoots and rubbed their antlers against young trunks. We lost some trees and will plant them again. Regenerative farming is not about controlling nature but about learning from it.

The story of the Jungle →

🤝 Our work for nature

What we have done and what we are planning

Planting trees and hedgerows Ongoing

The first big planting of 350 trees, and a new planting in 2026. We keep planting — with better protection.
Pond Done

We already have a small pond. A second one is in preparation, as it needs permits.
Nest boxes Planned

For owls and bats on the farm buildings, for birds along the edges of the hedgerows and the orchard.
Mosaic mowing Planned

Part of every meadow mown late (after 15 July), with unmown strips left for pollinators.
Natural shelters Planned

Piles of branches, wood and stones as hiding places for hedgehogs, lizards, insects and birds.
A beekeeper and pollinators Planned

We would love to work with a beekeeper and to grow flowering meadows and native plants for bees and butterflies.

From the nature conservation survey — for the curious and for experts

The survey covered 8.83 ha of the farm's own land; together with leased land the farm covers almost 10 ha. Each habitat type was assessed in the field.

Mesotrophic to eutrophic meadows: Rotational grazing with sheep and poultry. Species present: yarrow (Achillea millefolium), false oat-grass, red clover, daisy. Conservation value: 2–3. Proposal: mosaic mowing, unmown strips for pollinators.
Wet mesotrophic meadows: Common valerian (Valeriana officinalis) in abundance, moisture-loving grasses, amphibians and birds of wet ground. Conservation value: 3. Proposal: a pond, late mowing.
Traditional orchard: Plums, walnuts, wild and sweet cherries, combined with grazing. Old trees with hollows as habitat for birds and the stag beetle. Proposal: limit ivy, rejuvenation pruning, nest boxes.
Hedgerows and solitary trees: Willow, alder, wild cherry, elder, hazel, oak, ash along the woodland edge. Condition: medium (3). Proposal: nest boxes for birds and bats, perches for birds of prey.
Stream, spring and riparian vegetation: Rushes, reeds, willows (Salix spp.), black alder (Alnus glutinosa), bulrush (Typha spp.). Habitat for amphibians, dragonflies and birds of wet ground. Proposal: a 3–5 m unmown strip along the water.

Help us get to know the valley

We are looking for biologists, naturalists and nature lovers to help with the ongoing species survey in Lunina dolina. Have you seen or heard something interesting? Write to us.

Write to us →

🌿 Guided visit

Visit us

Lunina dolina is our home and a working farm, so we always arrange visits in advance. That way we can give you our time and attention.

Discover Lunina dolina

A walk around the farm, meeting the animals and getting to know our way of farming, our tree plantings, pastures and life in nature.

Duration: about 2 hours
Price: €100 for a group of up to 10 people

Send an enquiry

Lunina dolina with a taste of the farm

After the guided walk around the farm, we invite you to our table to taste a few simple treats connected with our farm.

Duration: about 2 hours
Price: €150 for a group of up to 10 people

Send an enquiry

All about visits →

Frequently asked questions

Which animals live in Lunina dolina?

The first survey counted more than ten bird species and more than thirteen species of insects and other invertebrates. Among them are the hoopoe, which nests on the farm, the white stork, which feeds on the meadows, the stag beetle, fire salamander, hedgehog, roe deer and fox. We have also heard a barn owl nearby.

Why is there so much life in the valley?

Because we work the land gently: grazing instead of ploughing, low intensity, and preserved hedgerows, orchard, stream and wet meadows. Each of these habitats is home to different species, and together they form corridors that animals use to move around.

How big is the farm?

Almost 10 ha including leased land. The nature conservation survey covered 8.83 ha of the farm's own land, with five different habitats.

Can I come and see the nature in the valley?

Yes, by prior arrangement. On a guided visit we walk through the meadows, along the hedgerows, through the orchard and down to the water. We arrange the date through the contact form.

Where next?

Farm and produce Our animals, the way we farm, and pasture-raised eggs, microgreens and sheep. To the farm →

Roots of the valley Roman burial mounds, flax, wine presses and bricks — stories of the land where Lunina dolina grows. Explore the heritage →

Become a tree sponsor Give a tree that will grow in Lunina dolina — for yourself, a child or someone you love. Choose a tree →