Hamburg (dpa) – The little brownelle is the “Flower of the year 2023”. With the election, the Loki Schmidt Foundation wants to draw attention to the progressive loss of native wild plants and ask for the conservation of species-rich pastures, meadows, meadows and roadsides. “In the garden, on the street, between apartment buildings, in agriculture: let’s allow more nature again!”, Asked managing director Axel Jahn in Hamburg.
The small prunella (Prunella vulgaris) belongs to the Lamiaceae plant family (Lamiaceae). It spreads in close proximity with creeping shoots and remains a rather small plant with a size of 5 to 25 centimeters.
The numerous small blue-purple single flowers provide nectar and pollen from June to October. In particular, bumblebees and wild bees find food here, as well as numerous species of butterflies, as further announced by the foundation.
Too little time to grow
Although the lesser Braunelle is robust, stocks have decreased in several regions of Germany over the past few decades. Due to too frequent mowing in agriculture, gardens, parks and along roadsides, the common prunus has too little time to grow and form flowers and seeds. Weed control by herbicides and mechanical methods is also leading to a decline.
Biologist Loki Schmidt (1919-2010), wife of former Chancellor Helmut Schmidt (1918-2015), launched the campaign in 1980. Four-leaf weed was the flower of the year 2022.
