Biodiversity

This year (2019), biodiversity is a topic launched by Swiss Television as Mission B. After more than 75% of insects have disappeared in the last 27 years according to a German study and the data can also be transferred to Switzerland, it is time that the population is sensitized.

Our society should actually no longer allow us to continue destroying our environment (nature). Whether it is burning carbon products from old deposits, polluting the environment with pesticides, (micro)-plastics and other toxins, or leaving no room for flora and fauna through our artificial world.

In this article I describe what I have changed in the last few years in the small garden piece of my apartment to give the plants and small animals a chance.

Flora

When I moved into my current apartment in 2015, the small sitting area was surrounded by a large boxwood hedge. The landlord cut them back first. Subsequently, it was sprayed against the boxwood borer.

Now I wanted however, set up a herb corner, which is why in the following time I was against the boxwood borer did not fight with poison. Therefore, these ate away part of the Hedge.

Towards the east, we first create a herb corner. For this we replaced about 40 cm of soil with coarse gravel and fresh soil. Afterwards I plant the herbs I brought with me: hyssop, thyme, savory, oregano and chives. I use light colored limestone as ground cover, because the planted herbs like calcareous soil.

Later, garlic grass and a small fountain powered by a solar cell were added. Lemon balm grows wild, as a remnant of the previous tenant.

Now I love vielfallt, so from 2016 I started to dig out the box hedge. First came the middle piece. To the adjacent public playground, a garden gate was first set and to the left of it the first box trees were removed with some effort. Because I had some shrubs(currant, blueberry, willow species and hibiscus) already in the pot, they came in place of about 10 boxwoods. I filled the gaps with younger shrubs. On the ground I deliberately let grow ground-covering plants. Also so that cats do not constantly ruin freshly planted me with their toilet walks. In this regard, as an immediate measure has proven fir branches, which are spread on the ground.

As ground cover plants, I let violets, wild pansies, daisies, speedwell, strawberries and primroses run rampant. They are all suitable as medicinal herbs and some for cooking.

After the boxwood borer has eaten the hedge to the right of the garden gate bald and I was allowed to expand my garden plot along the building, I use the bare Logs for my forest corner.

For this I pulled the already existing dog rose as a roof over the trunks. Downstairs I planted the violets, wild strawberries, wild garlic, Balkan cranesbill and a fern that I had brought with me. Later I bought another woodruff. These plants like it so much that they spread well and I can diligently harvest, wild garlic, wild strawberries and rose hips.

Between the garden gate and the woodland corner, I set my rosemary and left the naturally rampant privet. For 2 years my rosemary has bloomed 2 x year (late spring and fall) and I have so much dried rosemary that I can jar it and sell it.

Because I also like to have a fragrance experience, I bought a real jasmine. Yes, I know it is not a native plant. But with global warming, there will be a change in plant life naturally. Anyway, I put the jasmine by the post the balcony. It is now facing its third winter and so far has suffered damage only to the tips. However, because it grows a good 2 m a year, it diligently climbs the balcony. The neighbor upstairs is happy.

The area under the balcony was fenced off and used as storage for gardening utensils and wood for heating. I bundle the shrub trimmings to use for kindling later. In any case, this created versatile retreats for small animals.

New this year, I put a low fence along the property line on the other side of the balcony. With this, the municipality no longer mows this small piece. Behind it there is a pile of branches set on a stone cave. The rest I let grow and scattered this year collected seeds of native flowering meadow plants. Next year I can then report what has grown.

Currently, I am still looking for a place for the nettle seed received from the neighborhood.

Fauna

After a lot of bumblebees romped in the garden strip in 2017, they have been almost completely absent since the dry year of 2018. On the other hand, I was able to see more honey bees in 2019, which feasted on the flowers of red currant and rosemary.

Bee collecting on the nectar of rosemary flowers. April 2019

Wasps were few and far between around the last boxwoods infested by the box elder. The bird bath, which I fill especially on dry days, has also attracted occasional wasps.

Every year I have seen individual red ladybugs. In 2018, I discovered a dove tailon the jasmine. In 2019, wood bees appeared for the first time.

Fire bugs, on the other hand, have been a companion since moving in. They also reproduce diligently, yet rarely enter the apartment. On the other hand, in the warm season, I have to take brown wood cockroaches outside from time to time.

Since this year there are new spider runners in my apartment. Therefore, the previously abundant spiders have decimated. We hauled in a mock longhorn beetle species with the dry firewood. These can sometimes be heard nibbling if the wood is not burned quickly in the wood stove.

The first year I spotted a slow worm, but now all I see are wall lizards sunning themselves. They must be quite comfortable with all the rocks and the warm climate on the southeast side, as there are now several specimens.

In 2016 and 2017, there were plenty of different birds(blue tits, redstarts or browns, blackbirds, great tits, and lots of sparrows) at the hedge. However, these have been decimated in the dry and hot summer of 2018. This year I saw only sparrows, blackbirds, ravens and on the roof a nest of swallows. The sparrows (sparrows) took the caterpillars of the box elder in spring and the ravens help themselves from the waste garbage can of the playground. Once a great tit was visiting and for 2-3 days a wren on the fence piece near the balcony.

Flora

Fauna

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