Working Group Biodiversity Brings the Campus to Bloom

It has been about three months since the Working Group Biodiversity, with the financial support of the Environment Commission and Department 4 "Building Management" was able to realize the idea of a flowering meadow with local and adapted seeds on campus. In the run-up to the day of action on 27.04.23, soil samples were taken to check the nutrient values and the suitability of the seeds for the area. On the morning of 27.04.23, the selected area at the Centre for Integrated Natural Resources Technology (ZIN) of the TU Dresden (Bergstr. 120) was first worked with a rotary tiller, and the sward was removed manually to prepare the soil for the entry of the seed. The seeds selected by the Biodiversity Working Group were supplemented with around 150 small herb seedlings, which were grown and provided by IG Wildpflanzen. Among the seedlings, as well as the seeds, there are herbs that are only rarely found in certain areas or are in decline, such as the scabious knapweed, the true heart grass, or the true quaking grass, which is listed in the German Red List of Plants at the early warning level. Thus, the flowering meadow helps to preserve endangered species and increase biodiversity on campus. A complete list of species found in the meadow is attached at the end of the entry.

For the sowing and planting of the herbs, students of the basic lecture Ecological Sustainability and the Tuuwi, which also gave a workshop on the production of seed balls, provided active support in the afternoon, on April 26. To ensure the meadow thrived, the area had to be watered daily for around six weeks. This was only possible thanks to a large number of volunteers who engaged in a watering plan and contributed significantly to the success of the project. "The Working Group Biodiversity is very happy that the flowering meadow is now in bloom and that the planning work has paid off. A big thank you to all the participants and helpers," says co-initiator Lisa Junge. The flowering meadow is now in full splendor and attracts numerous insects. It can be admired until mid-August before the first autumn colors appear.

We thank the Environment Commission and Department 4 for their financial support. Special thanks for project execution go to Ulrike Seiler, Lisa Junge, Leyla Azizi, Katharina Schmitt, Kristin Fiedler, Katharina Stein, Ursula Weiß, Amir Raoufi, Nicole Rüsing, Gerlinde Behnke, and Laura Hoffmann, as well as Tuuwi and IG Wildpflanzen for their support on site, but also especially to all the volunteers who regularly helped with the watering.

Here is the species list and attached are a few photos of the flowering meadow.