Landscapes, plants and fungi of 2017

Most of the Frankonian Forest is a designated natural park and therefore a protected cultural landscape. Besides hills with thick woods you can find valleys with meadows and rocky areas with sparse vegetation. The German Association of Forest Rangers wants to highlight that diversity.

The tree of the year is the spruce - a highly controversial tree which dominates about one quarter of Germany's forests. The growing of spruce means maximal wood production in a monocultural setting. Not many other plants or animals have much of a chance here. It was brave of the jury to choose just this tree. The idea was to trigger a debate about its future.

This mushroom of the year loves deciduous forests. The Jew's ear, wood ear or jelly ear is named for its auricular shape. It grows mostly on trunks of old elder trees but also likes maple or beech. It is related to a tasty chinese mushroom, known as the cloud ear fungus.

This special moss, known under its Latin name Ctenidium molluscum, is able to anchor itself in limestone rock, even in the steepest places. The plant can survive with barely any room for it's roots and very few nutrients. That's why the central European moss and lichen experts chose it as the "Moss of 2017."

"Hepps Schönfleck" is the name of this lichen. Just like the moss, it lives on limestone rock. But, because it can handle longer periods without rain as well as the burning sun, it is even more resistant. The expert group chose it as "Lichen of 2017" to alert the public to the need of protecting limestone rock formations.

The river landscape of 2016 and 2017 forms a large arch, beginning in Bad Seegeberg in the northern region of Schleswig-Holstein and ending in Travemünde on the Baltic Sea. The 124 Kilometer long river Trave connects a large variety of habitats where you can find rare species like the Eurasian river otter or the moor frog.

This hoverfly loves it's daisies. The flower has quite a bit to offer for humans as well. Its bittering agents, flavinoids, organic acids and essential oils help relieve coughs and prevent inflammation. You can enjoy the blossoms as a tea - maybe with some honey.

A group of experts researching the history of medical plants selected the common oat as medical plant of the year. It is not just good in the form of oatmeal for breakfast or as fodder for the horses. Oats can also be used to treat different illnesses. They help stabilize digestion and can help with diabetes, helping to keep the blood sugar levels stable.

The Loki Schmidt Foundation (of the wife of former German chancellor Helmut Schmidt) chose the poppy as flower of the year. The plant stands for biological diversity in agriculture and it is a symbol for the war dead. It also represents a large community of plants and animals that have been with us for thousands of years and are now endangered by large monoculture fields.

The soil of a vegetable garden is incredibly rich. The diversity of plants and animals on a very small space makes for the highest quality of compost. To highlight the value of that material, the jury decided to name the soil in the gardens of monasteries and castles, as well as in suburban and urban gardens, as "soil of the year". This is where worms, centipedes and woodlice feel at home.