When so many people live so close together, nature has to take a back seat. You might think so. But: Walk with alert eyes through the streets, alleys and squares of our densely populated cities. You will be surprised by all the greens there are. Life flows from every conceivable crack in the sidewalk, climbs high up the walls of homes, spreads through backyards and takes advantage of every little gap in the masonry. In Germany alone there are about 500 species of wild plants that inhabit our concrete deserts. They play an important role in improving our environment, perhaps not always obvious, but nevertheless very subtle and important for the urban microclimate, which they greatly influence.
Ecology professor Alexandra Maria Klein and botanist Julia Cromer shed light on the urban wild growth forest with their book This Grows in Your City. If you want to discover and learn more about urban nature, you should pick up the little book. By reading it, you plunge into the hidden, inconspicuous only at first glance, world of life created by nature in an environment somewhat unfriendly to it. This makes it even more interesting to explore their survival strategies.
The authors present everything that can be found in the cracks and cracks of concrete and asphalt in brief glances—from herbaceous perennials to woody plants, grasses and mosses to ferns and lichens. The variety of species and shapes is amazing when you take a closer look at what is often found right under your feet. Some plants that tend to enjoy a mysterious presence are said to have healing properties, such as white clover, which is said to have an alleviating effect on menopausal symptoms with its high content of plant hormones. Or celandine, whose milky, orange-yellow juice is said to make warts disappear.
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