The space is designed to support diverse plants and animals, including pollinators such as wild bees. On the original plot, a new low-terrain embankment with sections of limestone stones, delivered from the Čertovy schody quarry, was compositionally inserted into the existing valuable landscape composition of the CZU campus in Prague. Key elements are a flowery meadow, dead wood and dunes.
The project was created thanks to the financial support of Prague Airport, a.s., as part of the Biodiversity subsidy program.
Flowery meadow
The "Prague Regional Mix" was sown here, a unique mixture of meadow plant seeds of local origin, which, thanks to the support of the Prague City Hall, contributes to the species diversity of the city's grasslands. The seeds are carefully collected from preserved locations in Prague, then grown in flower beds and used to improve the species composition of city land. A composition is created precisely to measure for each sown location. Therefore, you will find many of the same plants here as in the nearby Vltava Canyon or Divoká Šárka. The flowery meadow is home to sage, carnation, yellow-bellied toadstool and many other xerophilic plants that provide nectar and pollen for pollinators (bees, butterflies, and many others), but also food for herbivorous insects, without which predatory insects or small mammals and birds could not survive here.
Dead wood
Dead wood is essential for developing the larval stages of many insects (e.g., beetles, stag beetles and some bees). Dead wood is also necessary for fungi, which are a key part of most ecosystems due to their ability to decompose organic matter and redistribute nutrients. Fungi can, among other things, serve as food for many saproxylic animals. It is best if some wood lies on the ground (gets wet) and others stick into the air (remain dry). Many insects prefer wood that is directly exposed to the sun.
Sandy areas
Sandy areas are home to many species of wild bees and beetles, such as ground beetles. Certain sand-loving plants adapted to this extreme environment (e.g. the grey-leaved drumstick) can also grow on them. The sand layer should be thick enough (ideally up to 1 meter) to provide space for bee nests or suitable microclimatic conditions for overwintering insects.
Limestone rocks
Limestone rocks add aesthetic value to a place and provide space for the growth of specific (lime-loving) higher plants and lichens. It is a place where some insects and lizards like to warm up in the morning. You can also hide among the rocks in case of bad weather.
Where does the material for the created biotope come from?
We tried to use local resources as much as possible, thus minimising the movement of materials. The bulk of the volume comprises local loess, excavated soil from the construction of a kindergarten on the CZU campus. The limestone comes from the Czech Karst. It was provided by Velkolom Čertovy schody, a.s., with which the university cooperates, namely on projects related to sustainable forestry that support biodiversity. We brought the sand from a nearby sand pit in the northern outskirts of Prague. And the dead wood was still alive a few years ago. These are dead trees from the CZU campus that were cut down for personal safety reasons.
