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What blooms there?
The quartzite ridge of Hunsrück along with the Nahe, Mosel, and
Rhine ravines account for the fact that the Rhineland-Pfalz
region is one of the states in Germany with the greatest
abundance of rocks. Due to the special microclimate of various
locations in the Nahe Valley and Hunsrück plants and plant
communities have evolved here over the millennium, some of which
are only found in these locations. For example, there is the
Sponheim saxifrage (Saxifraga sponhemica), special types of
Killearney fern (Trichomanes speciosum), as well as several
rare types of rock moss. These unique
habitats, which have evolved locally in the extremely delicate
ecosystem of the region, are, for the most part, protected in
nature preserves today, whose task it is "to preserve rare and
threatened wild plants and plant communities". At least as
interesting and attractive are also the countless wildflower
species, which you encounter at every turn on hikes or bike tours
in the Nahe Valley and Hunsrück. Such wildflowers, with their
varying colors, forms, and scents, give their particular,
unmistakable impression at any time of year. This, in turn,
allows the alert visitor to the region the possibility of
consciously witnessing all the nuances of the seasonal changes.
It is worth noting that already a third of the approximately
3,000 wild plants in Germany are listed as endangered on the Red
List. Awareness of this and helping to protect them is certainly
a worthwhile endeavour.
Photo: The native snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis L.) grows wild in
only a few places in southern Germany, including the Hunsrück.
The common pasque flower (Pulsatilla vulgaris) grows on dry grassland,
in dry forests and bushes and needs warm, calcareous soil. It is found
in Western and Central Europe, up to 1000m altitude.
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