Leipzig's Botanical Garden is humming and buzzing again
(Picture: Gabriele Rada / iDiv)
Exhibition offers insights into the world of plants and their pollinators.
Leipzig. From 12 June to 30 September, the Botanical Garden of Leipzig University hosts an exhibition that sheds light on the world of plants and their pollinators. The collaborative project of young researchers and artists from Leipzig shows that there is much more to it than the story of flowers and bees.
Flowering meadows, golden fields of canola and plants loaded with fruits and vegetables – these are some of the things that are typical for the warmer season in our part of the world. But what would summer be without the humming of bees and bumblebees and the diversity of other pollinating insects? The relationship between those insects and their host plants is in the center of an exhibition at Leipzig University’s Botanical Garden, which will open its doors on 12 June 2021. The exhibition is in German, but all posters come with an English version, which can be accessed via a QR code.
The exhibition was planned and organised by researchers from the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) and the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU). „Last year, our exhibition was met with great interest, which is why we decided to build on our experiences and relaunch it this year. Visitors can look forward to an extended program with some novelties and elements of surprise,“ says Professor Tiffany Knight, head of the Spatial Interaction Ecology group at iDiv, MLU and UFZ.
The exhibition focuses on the complex relationship of insects and plants that live in our gardens: how do these relationships evolve and what is their role in ecology? What are the effects of climate change and land use on the complex networks of pollinators and plants? A special highlight of the exhibition is a living colony of bumblebees as part of the indoor exhibition. „Almost everybody knows how honeybees are kept and what their colonies look like. But who has ever seen the inside of a bumblebee hive? Our visitors can have this experience and learn more about these pollinators,” says Dr Demetra Rakosy, researcher at iDiv and UFZ and one of the main organisers of the exhibition.
Examples of local initiatives and practical tips for how we can help protect our native flora and fauna round off the exhibition. For example, visitors of the outdoor area of the exhibition will find inspiration how to design their balcony or garden in a pollinator-friendly way.
The exhibition is hosted by the Botanical Garden of Leipzig University. Since 13 May, the outdoor area of the Botanical Garden has been open to the public again, the indoor areas including the popular butterfly house will follow on 12 June.
On the occasion of the Long Night of the Sciences Leipzig, which takes place online on 16 July from 6 pm, the exhibition will be turned into a virtual experience. The focus is obvious: nocturnal pollinators.
Kati Kietzmann
„Blütenbesucher: Beziehungsgeschichten aus der Natur“
(Flower seekers: the intertwined story of pollinators and plants)
Opening dates: 12 June to 30 September 2021 (depending on current local regulations)
Place: Botanical Garden Leipzig, Linnéstraße 1, 04103 Leipzig
Related links
Botanischer Garten der Universität Leipzig
https://www.bota.uni-leipzig.de
Lange Nacht der Wissenschaften Leipzig
https://www.wissen-in-leipzig.de/
Contact:
Prof Tiffany Knight
Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ
Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg
German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig
Phone: +49 341 9733158
Email: tiffany.knight@idiv.de
Dr Demetra Rakosy
Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ
German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig
Email: demetra.rakosy@ufz.de
Kati Kietzmann
Media and Communications
German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig
Phone: +49 341 9733106
Email: kati.kietzmann@idiv.de
