Meadow with scattered fruit trees

Meadows with scattered fruit trees are the traditional way of fruitgrowing. They used to function not only as a bility to serve the trade, but also as pasture, hay meadow, and wind break for farmsteads. Contrary to contemporary orchards, where fruit is cultivated in monocultures, meadows with scattered fruit trees consist of various types of fruit with old high grown trees.

It features two distinctive strata: the crown layer of trees and the herb layer on the ground. Due to gaps between trees, the herb layer is blessed with sunshine and livelier than in forests. Nowadays meadows with scattered fruit trees class among the most endangered habitats in central Europe involving new and even bigger cultivated areas to be build.

In spite of cultivation meadows with scattered fruit trees are rich in species and count up to 5000 animal species. Among them are rare birds as orioles, Eurasian wrynacks (Jynx torquilla), Minerva’s Owl (Athene noctua), and Eurasian hoopoe (Upupa epops). Even rare insects like chess-board, dovetail and wild bees find their nourishments.
(Words: Philipp Wagner)