Diversity

The importance of biodiversity for humans, animals and plants

01/04/2022 Special exhibitions

The Gardens of Trauttmansdorff Castle

In 2020, biodiversity will reign supreme at the Gardens of Trauttmansdorff Castle. In keeping with the theme of “Diversity”, the Gardens will be showing how important biodiversity is for humanity, animals and plants.

In this garden season, visitors strolling through the multi-faceted garden landscapes met with vibrantly-hued flower meadows, age-old varieties of vegetables, and buzzing insect life, found out about brightly-coloured birds, wily wasps and hard-working bees, and learned about the small things that can make a big difference in preserving biodiversity. Throughout the entire garden area, you found a wealth of interesting information, fascinating facts and handy tips.

Various information boards in the garden show how exciting and diverse the topic of biodiversity can be:

Flower meadows

Flower meadows are hotspots of biodiversity. Why are they risking extinction?

Ancient cultivar vegetables

Ancient cultivar vegetables are robust, tasty and high in nutritional value. Many of them were cultivated hundreds of years ago and have all but fallen into oblivion …

Reinforcing the plants

In the Gardens of Trauttmansdorff Castle it is impossible to find conventional and biological pesticides, because the gardeners rely on plant fortifiers and on soil reactivation.

Watercourses

Natural streams and their riversides are an invaluable habitat for numerous plants, animals and microorganisms. Unfortunately, many watercourses have been drained, channelled or built upon.

Deadwood

Deadwood provides many endangered species with a much-needed habitat. Unlike the name would suggest, however, deadwood is actually pretty lively…

Soil inhabitants

Soil is inhabited by millions of organisms. The highest percentage is represented by the bacteria that play a fundamental role in the decomposition of organic substance. What would we do without them?

Balcony plants

Flowers that offer a good quantity of pollen and nectar are a veritable Garden of Eden for honey bees, bumblebees, wild bees, hoverflies, butterflies and beetles. That is why they are also best to have on balconies and terraces.

Interesting results of biodiversity studies:

FLOWER POLLINATORS

During a floral biology research project carried out in 2013 and 2014, 344 different species of flower visitors were collected, classified and photographed in the Gardens of Trauttmansdorff Castle. Inside the Gardens visitors will find photographs and information about some of them.

THE BIRDS OF THE GARDENS

During an ornithological survey carried out in 2018 and 2019, 48 species of birds were recorded at the Gardens of Trauttmansdorff Castle. Visitors will get to know some of them inside the Gardens.

SEED BOMBING

During the course of its activity, the duo Officinadïdue has interpreted this year’s theme dedicated to “Biodiversity” as an opportunity for studying in depth the alternative sowing technique known as “Seed Bombing” that is designed to requalify arid or deforested areas that are isolated or difficult to reach by launching “seed bombs” from the air. Officinadïdue’s idea is to position hand-blown glass spheres in a such a way that makes them look as if they were falling from above or gently rest on the ground or on the water. The glass spheres, full of various types of seeds, will be placed in different areas of the garden. With the “Seed Bombing” project, the artistic duo intends to portray the fragility of life, natural balance and biodiversity.

POLLINATING INSECTS ON FLOWERS

The Italian artist Lorenzo Possenti, with a degree in natural science, is a “scientific” sculptor who has combined his artistic talent with his passion for insects in the creation of insect sculptures that are precise down to the smallest detail and oversized. His works have been exhibited in various museums all over the world. For the Gardens of Trauttmansdorff Castle, Possenti has created a carpenter bee on a rockrose flower, and a couple of common blue butterflies on an aster flower. Both insects have been observed and photographed in the Gardens of Trauttmansdorff Castle in the years between 2013 and 2014 during a research on flower visitors. The intent of the project is to show how important the interaction between insects and plants during pollination is for the preservation of floral and animal diversity.