Hortus Natura No9: Natural insect hotels

Kempten - Der Kreisbote documents how the diversity garden on Linggener Straße is created.

Part 9 of the series is about insect homes.

Click here for part 6 of the series.

In the Hortus Natura, collected dead wood is transformed into new life.

Tree trunks, broken branches and the roots of felled trees together form the “dead wood” habitat.

In the course of time, various stages of decay develop; these are the habitat for many animal and plant species.

Numerous insects cavort here in summer, and there are also many animals here in winter.

They safely hibernate in beetle holes under the bark and other cavities.

Standing dead wood in the sun is an important habitat, especially for the specialists among the wild bees who gnaw on the hallways.

They gnaw and cut a nesting system into thicker dead wood.

Lying deadwood, arranged as decorative deadwood beige, is also a valuable habitat.

This is colonized and decomposed by countless organisms, in particular wood-degrading fungi and numerous insects, over the years.

Combined with piles of laying stones, additional cavities are created that are often populated.

In this way, a heat-storing shelter for lizards can be created in sunny locations.

But shady locations are also valuable, as they create habitats for frogs, newts and beetles.

For creative gardeners a great and effective design element for every garden!

Manuela Härtl-Hiller, project initiator