Exhibition in the Botanical Garden: “New Wildlife - Globalization in the Plant Kingdom”

The theme of Botanical Garden Week, which will take place from June 11 to 19, 2022, is “New Wildlife - Globalization in the Plant Kingdom.” The focus will be on plant species that are not naturally native to our regions, but have only spread in recent times. An exhibition on these so-called neophytes can be seen daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the Botanical Garden at the University of Freiburg starting on June 11, 2022. These plants can represent opportunities, but also risks, for the native flora and fauna. There will also be guided tours and a family day on Sunday, June 19, 2022.

Plant species are spreading faster today

Today, plants can travel faster and farther than their biological dispersal mechanisms actually allow. With the help of modern means of transport, they overcome natural barriers: They travel as “stowaways,” as it were, or are deliberately resettled by humans in order to be used.

Many of these plant species can spread permanently in their new home, and some of them are already integrated into our flora. Some colonize sites in cities, for example, that are not occupied by native species, thus contributing to greening and a pleasant urban climate. In natural and near-natural habitats, however, newly introduced species can also spread at the expense of native flora, displacing original species and upsetting the coexistence of different animal and plant species.

Exhibition at the Botanical Garden

The exhibition “New Wildlife - Globalization in the Plant Kingdom” at the Botanical Garden can be seen daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. starting Saturday, June 11 until the end of August 2022 in the Botanical Garden of the University of Freiburg (Schänzlestraße 1). Admission is free. With thematic panels, information banners and fact sheets, the exhibition shows travel routes and characteristics of plants that favor their invasive potential and describes sites colonized by neophytes. There is information on individual plant species that have become native to our region or to other parts of the world as “New Wildlife.” The importance of botanical gardens and private gardens as nuclei for the spread of neophytes is also addressed - as are their risks and opportunities. The exhibition and Botanic Garden Week are an initiative of the Association of Botanic Gardens (Botanischer Gärten e.V.).

Guided tours and family day

Two guided tours are available during the Botanical Gardens Week: Wednesday, June 15, 2022 at 6 p.m. and Sunday, June 19, 2022 at 3 p.m. the curator of the Botanical Gardens of the University of Freiburg Dr. Friederike Gallenmüller will provide explanations regarding the exhibition.

And Sunday, June 19, 2022 is family day from 1 to 5 p.m.: coffee and cake will be available. Children can paint flower pots and plant them with sunflowers and there will be interactive tactile and olfactory stations. And at a plant exchange, visitors can buy plants and thereby support the Freiburg Botanical Garden.

More information is also also available at www.botanischer-garten.uni-freiburg.de