Waterside plants
Explanation
In the no man’s land between the retaining wall and the Jeker, the vegetation has shot up high and become rugged. There are several unwanted plants here such as stinging nettles and Japanese knotweed. Animals see this differently. For some animals, this place is an Eldorado. Marsh warblers like rugged patches, and the wren can often be heard here as well. Stinging nettles are important for butterflies. Some species, such as atalantas and peacock butterflies, need nettles for reproduction.
Relationship with humans
Why we do what we do
Stinging nettles are dominant on this strip of soil along the river Jeker. They love city life. They are common in places where the soil is rich in nutrients, and that is usually in the vicinity of humans, who walk their dogs and enrich the air and soil with nitrogen via exhaust fumes. But there are also other wild plants that are wanted. These were sown here by the CNME, which has managed this bank ecologically for a number of years. This management included combating the Japanese knotweed, but also sowing a wild-flower mixture, the result of which are beautiful flowers, such as those of the meadowsweet and the purple loosestrife.
