Entries by Anke Bebber

German Poisonous Plant of the Year 2023: Parsley

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A poisonous kitchen herb? Every year, the Botanical Special Garden Wandsbek in Hamburg announces the German Poisonous Plant of the Year. After the potato in the previous year, for 2023, it is parsley (Petroselinum crispum). The choice of parsley as the Poisonous Plant of the Year is intended to remind us that even seemingly harmless […]

Phenology: Midsummer – Long Days, Warm Nights

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When we think of midsummer, we might hear the buzzing of insects, the chirping of birds, or the joyful laughter of children fully enjoying their summer vacations. Midsummer brings us a plethora of outdoor activities and unforgettable moments that will hopefully stay with us for a long time. However, climate change does not spare changes […]

Press Release: New AI for Flora Incognita

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“Flora Incognita”, Germany’s most popular plant identification app, has been further enhanced by a new artificial intelligence (AI) – as a result, the number of identifiable plant species has tripled: around 16,000 species can be identified worldwide. The app, available in 20 languages, now also works offline. Its range of digital educational content has been […]

Early bloomers of the phenological mid spring

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Phenological season: Mid spring The German Weather Service (Deutscher Wetterdienst – DWD) uses the flowering of forsythia and the beginning of leaf development of gooseberry as indicators for mid spring. In the next weeks, fruit trees open their flowers (cherry, pear) and beech and birch start growing their leaves. To monitor mid spring, we’d love […]

Winter aconites in the Rautal valley near Jena

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The Rautal – yellow wonderland The Rautal valley near Jena is known far beyond the borders of Thuringia for its unique mass occurrence of the winter aconite in Central Europe. The yellow carpet of blossoms spreads over almost five hectares and grows larger every year. As soon as the first strong rays of sunshine warm […]

The future of key-based plant identification – a user study

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Our publication “Towards more effective identification keys – a study of people identifying plant species characters” shares insights into this by systematically examining how well people with different backgrounds in botany perceive, understand and relate morphological plant characteristics. In the end, our assessment suggests a set of design principles for intuitive and user-friendly identification keys. […]

What is the earliest flower to bloom?

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The phenological early spring officially begins with the flowering of hazel and snowdrops. Exactly when the first species begin to flower varies greatly over the years, and it also depends on the location. High up in the mountains it is far colder than in the lowlands. There have been observations as early as December, but […]

How do plants survive the winter?

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Plant cells consist largely of water – if this freezes, it expands. This would damage the cells and, in the worst case, kill the plant. So how do plants protect themselves from freezing to death? Botanical winter dormancy The falling leaves of the pedunculate oak, the late-ripening apple and the falling needles of the European […]