Velký Hornek, Nature reserve in Líšeň, Czech Republic

Velký Hornek is a nature reserve on a plateau and steep slopes above the Říčka valley, on the border of Brno-Líšeň and Mokrá-Horákov. Its Upper Devonian Líšeň Formation limestones and altitude range of 275–427 m support steppe and forest-steppe communities with fragments of oak woodland.

Velký Hornek lies on the Líšeň Formation's Upper Devonian Hádsko-Říčky limestones, on a plateau above the Říčka valley. Until the early 20th century the area was cleared for pasture and fuel wood; the resulting clearings let light-loving and warmth-loving species spread. It is now a nature reserve in the southern Moravian Karst, protecting steppe and forest-steppe communities with fragments of oak woodland.

The name Velký Hornek refers to the hill whose plateau and slopes form the reserve. Until the early 20th century the area was deforested for pasture and fuel wood, and the clearings that resulted let light-loving and warmth-loving species spread. Among them, Iris pumila and Inula oculus-christi occur nowhere else in the Moravian Karst.

The reserve is accessible by marked walking trails that start from nearby areas and provide views of surrounding valleys. Visitors walking through open areas can easily observe the natural landscape, though paths may be uneven in places.

The moth Bembecia ichneumoniformis (Czech: nesytka jednopásá) has its only Czech locality here. The reserve also shelters the critically endangered Clouded Apollo (Parnassius mnemosyne) and the stag beetle (Lucanus cervus).