Gravel heather
Gravel heaths are biotopes with rock- rich topsoils that were created by the transport of stones ( crushed stone , rubble and gravel ) from a glacier or river. Sometimes they are home to a multitude of rare animal and plant species that can survive in this extreme part of the landscape. These mostly young biotopes are under nature protection and are somewhat similar to rudder biotopes .
Origin and special features
After the areas dried up, different types of plants settled. The advantage here was that numerous seeds from the direction of the Alps were also washed ashore. This allowed untypical vegetation to spread, the area of which is actually the Alpine region . One speaks of the river as a flora or biotope bridge. These include plants such as gentians or snow heather . A pure gravel heather has no or only a very flat layer of humus. The plant communities of these habitats, which are often referred to as wasteland , specialize in arid site conditions. Due to the rock material, gravel heaths are calcareous locations, which are home to limestone plant communities in particular. Lime-loving orchids can also gain a foothold on sections of land with a humus cover. Due to the stone floor, rainwater quickly seeps into the subsoil, creating living conditions that are similar to those of dry grass or grassland . Depressions and ditches favor different microclimates, which also enable botanical border crossers from what is actually swampy milieu to settle on these untypical areas - including, for example, primrose or cowslips . The treeless open spaces are only of interest to plants that can cope with high temperatures and all day tanning. Temperature peaks can be up to 50 ° C in the midsummer months.