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Duszatyn, Wieś Komańcza
The Zwiezło nature reserve, covering barely two hectares, protects two small bodies of water known as the Jeziorka Duszatyńskie – the Upper and the Lower. They lie at about 700 m above sea level near Duszatyn, in the Komańcza commune, and are the highest situated and the largest lakes of their kind in the Bieszczady Mountains.
The lakes owe their existence to a landslide on the slopes of Chryszczata: huge masses of rock slid downhill and blocked the streams. In terms of the volume of displaced material this is one of the largest landslides in the Polish Carpathians. The lakes are constantly fed by water flowing down from the mountains.
Several dozen species of vascular plants have been recorded on this small area, among them the heath spotted orchid, goat's beard, great leopard's bane and mezereon. Trout and numerous invertebrates live in the water, while the surrounding forests hold brown bear, lynx, wolf and wildcat; a herd of bison grazes on the slopes of Chryszczata. A red hiking trail crosses the reserve.
