Grave

	Totengrien nature reserve IUCN Category IV - Habitat / Species Management Area
location	South of Istein , Baden-Württemberg , Germany
surface	28 ha
Identifier	3,086
WDPA ID	82733
Geographical location	47 ° 39 ' N , 7 ° 32' E Coordinates: 47 ° 39 '17 " N , 7 ° 32' 9" E
Setup date	June 1, 1973

The Totengrien nature reserve is located near Efringen-Kirchen , south of the district of Istein and has existed since June 1, 1973. The municipality of Efringen-Kirchen as owner left the area to the Bergwacht Schwarzwald eV, local group Istein, who regularly operate it on behalf of the district office for nature conservation and landscape management Freiburg mows and carries out nature protection strips during the flowering period of the orchids , from mid-April to the end of September.

description

The nature reserve is located in the area of the unregulated Rhine . "Griene" was the name for flat islands in the Rhine that were used as meadows, higher islands, on which there was also forest, were called "Werthe".

It used to be the custom to bury suicides and those washed up outside of cemeteries. Until the beginning of the 19th century, this burial place was at the foot of the Isteiner Klotz . When the cemetery was moved to its present location, a new place had to be found for the dead washed up by the Rhine. He was found on an island in the Rhine and was called "Totengrien". Since this island was in the area of the current nature reserve, it was named "Totengrien". The Rhine used to deposit gravel banks on the bank areas, on which a thin layer of humus has formed over time. These soils are cut off from the groundwater, dry out easily during a dry period in summer and, as a result, warm up very strongly, which is promoted by the loose vegetation. In the long term, only heat-loving, drought-resistant plants and animals can survive here. Depending on which mountains have been removed by the rivers, calcareous material has also been deposited, which benefits the abundance of orchids in particular. Numerous rare and interesting plant species grow in the area, including a .:

Spider Ragwort ( Orphrys sphegodes )

Bumblebee Ragwort ( Orphrys holosericea )

Helmet orchid ( Orchis militaris )

Brandy orchid ( Orchis ustulata )

Bee ragwort ( Orphrys apifera )

Pyramidal dogwort ( Anacamptis pyramidalis )

Mosquito Haendelwurz ( Gymnadenia conopsea )

Panicle knapweed ( Centaurea stoebe )

Donkey Spurge ( Euphorbia esula )

Overall, orchids find the best conditions in poor soil with loose vegetation. The orchid sites found in our area are mostly limestone grasslands . The grasslands on river gravel (burning) show similar species communities. The Totengrien nature reserve is a poor meadow (semi-dry grassland) on lime-rich, gravelly subsoil. The soil dries up heavily in summer. The plant cover is very low and patchy in many places.

Such meadows are not in great demand for agricultural use, as they produce very little yield; however, they are very rich in plants and small animals. 60 or more different plant species can grow on an area of one ar. Semi-arid lawns must not be fertilized, otherwise they will lose their biodiversity.

Maintenance measures

The meadow in the nature reserve is mowed once a year and the forage is cleared. Particular care is taken to ensure that the cuttings are not picked up and removed with heavy equipment - to protect the thin layer of humus. The cutting period was moved from autumn (October / November) to late summer (August / September) in order to limit the growth or seeding of nitrogen-collecting plants. Likewise, the bushes are kept short at the edge areas so that the meadow plants that need light can develop better. In order to enable the species that bloom in late summer or autumn to seed, only 2/3 of the meadow is mown alternately.

For the insects and small animals, areas of retreat are created on the mowed meadow areas, in which meadow areas several square meters are not mowed.

literature

District Office for Nature Conservation and Landscape Management Freiburg: Nature reserves in the administrative district of Freiburg . Ed .: Regional Council Freiburg. 2nd Edition. Thorbecke, Ostfildern 2004, ISBN 978-3-7995-5174-8 . Pp. 452-453

source

Chronicle OG Istein

Web links

Commons : Totengrien Nature Reserve - Collection of images, videos and audio files