- Platten
Insect paradise plates
Actually, we hadn't really missed them at all. Only when they were almost gone did we realize how important they are for us: the insects. They are absolutely the most species-rich class in the animal kingdom. They can be found in almost every habitat, right down to the smallest ecological niche. They are lynchpins in most ecosystem services to humans. From pollinator services in agriculture and orchards, to their role as food providers for wildlife, to hygiene police, insects fulfill valuable roles in our landscape. But insects also need space to live. Their decline has clearly shown us what is lacking in our "kept clean" landscape: the diversity of structures. Evolution has probably produced many millions of insect species on earth - only just under one million have been discovered to date. Many insect species are highly specialized and rare, others are adaptable and occur en masse. However, all of them need landscape structures that are increasingly lacking in our intensively used landscape down to the last meter. This is where the Platten insect paradise comes in. In a very confined space, an insight into the ecological value characteristics of the landscape is given. Dead wood is not dead, but is lived through by many insects, for example from the group of beetles. Flowers of meadow herbs are not only beautiful, but also a source of food for butterflies, bees & Co. Old grass strips are not unsightly relics of a past summer, but are home to numerous grasshoppers. Stone piles are not only deposits of disturbing field stones, but offer hiding places for all kinds of ants, bugs and again beetles. Insects do not live only for themselves, but are a part of diverse communities of life and it is impossible to imagine life without them. The Insect Paradise Platten is an environmental education project of the DLR Mosel in the context of the land consolidation Altrich-Platten- Wengerohr in cooperation with the municipality Platten and the municipality Wittlich -Land. In an elevated area of a valley meadow along the Lieser River, important landscape structures are integrated in the form of a butterfly in an exemplary manner. The outlines of the wings are outlined by species-rich flowering strips. The body is built up of stone bars, deadwood piles and greened earth bars. Herb islands or wicker circles framed by dry stone walls grow in the eye patches. The first splashes of color and sources of nectar are provided by spring geophytes. In front of the head is built a small wetland biotope with the elixir of life water, whose steep edges in turn offer open earth walls. On the edges, fields of different meadow species have been established, whose maintenance regime grants rotating stands of old grass. On the more than 4 ha large valley meadow, purchased through the Aktion Blau plus, a diverse flower meadow is to develop through hay seeding. The extensively used grassland is framed by riparian woods along the watercourse and a strip of fruit trees, hedges and old individual trees along a service road. A variety of biotopes as a basis for a diversity of insect species. Together with the local daycare center Regenbogen, the project is integrated into the environmental education work on site. The children learn about ecological relationships and especially wild bees in a playful way. Older citizens are also already supporting the project in the expansion phase with their manual skills. The insect paradise at the intersection of the local circular route used by many Platten citizens and the popular Maare-Mosel cycle path already aroused curiosity during the construction phase. Information about the connection between landscape structures and insect diversity is permanently conveyed on display boards. Opposite round benches with habitat function invite to communication. A listening point of the new audio tour of the Maare-Mosel cycle path draws the attention of passing cyclists to the insect paradise. The Platten Insect Paradise is not only intended to provide information about the importance of more landscape structure for a species-rich insect world. It should also develop as an actual habitat for the important six-legged creatures. This requires sustainability, which is guaranteed by the early involvement of local authorities in the project. Its environmental educational and also touristic importance will certainly support this.