🕳🐇 Follow the rabbit!

🥰 When I was on Baltrum in May, I also saw some young rabbits. They're so cute! I photographed one (picture 3).

🐰 European Rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) were introduced to the East Frisian Islands early on. On Baltrum, the species has been recorded since around 1700. A regulation from 1869 ordered their extermination, which caused populations on several islands – including Baltrum – to disappear by the end of the 19th century.

🐰 Rabbits were released again only in 1962. Today, at least 2,000 animals live there on average. Some are descendants of escaped domestic rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus domesticus), but over time the natural fur color of wild rabbits has prevailed. As on other East Frisian Islands, Baltrum also has animals with different fur colors. Black rabbits are called "pastors".

🐰 Rabbits have a strong influence on the island’s ecology: their digging and burrowing loosen the soil, create open patches, and thus promote a greater variety of animal and plant species. In older dune areas, this can start new succession processes, increasing both landscape and biological diversity.

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🌿🤷‍♂️ I am not entirely sure which ferns I photographed here. Entering the dunes is prohibited, so I could only take close-up shots of the individuals at the edge of the path. The close-ups are probably of broad buckler-fern (Dryopteris dilatata). The last photo with the small mini ferns shows the unmistakable common polypody (Polypodium vulgare).

📖 The following fern species live on Baltrum:

🌿 Lady fern (Athyrium filix-femina)

🌿 Narrow buckler-fern (Dryopteris carthusiana)

🌿 Broad buckler-fern (Dryopteris dilatata)

🌿 Male fern (Dryopteris filix-mas)

🌿 Oak fern (Gymnocarpium dryopteris)

🌿 Royal fern (Osmunda regalis)

🌿 Common polypody (Polypodium vulgare)

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Fungi, algae and moss 🍄‍🟫🦠✨️

⛰️ Moss and lichen carpet in the Baltrum grey dunes

🔍 Cladonia portentosa is a shrub-like lichen whose main body consists of fungal tissue. It is one of Germany’s specially protected reindeer lichens. Lichens are always in a symbiotic relationship with algae or cyanobacteria. In a thin layer within the thallus – the body of a lichen – tiny green algae (mostly Trebouxia species) carry out photosynthesis, supplying the fungus with nutrients. In return, the fungus protects the algae from drying out and provides them with a habitat – a partnership that enables survival in the dry, nutrient-poor dunes.

🌍 Here, the lichens often grow alongside heath star moss (Campylopus introflexus). This moss is not native to Baltrum but originates from the Southern Hemisphere (southern South America, South Africa, southern Australia, New Zealand). Since 1975, however, it has spread widely and is now the dominant moss species on the island. Together, moss and lichens form a resilient ground cover that anchors the dune sand and, in many places, shapes the characteristic appearance of the island’s grey dunes.

🍄‍🟫 A single mushroom

🏐 In the last picture, I show a mosaic puffball (Handkea utriformis, also known as Lycoperdon utriforme, Lycoperdon caelatum, or Calvatia utriformis). This species is common across the northern temperate zones and is typically found growing alone or in small clusters. It prefers sandy, open grasslands or heathlands and is often encountered in coastal areas. The fruiting bodies usually appear from summer into late autumn.

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A pleasant variation! 😊🌾🌼

🌳🌾🍎🏡 Right in the heart of Germany lies a hidden dune landscape. It’s a striking and unexpected contrast to the typical surroundings of meadows, forests, fields, and traditional orchard grasslands.

🧭🦬🌬 The Schwanheim Dune is a remarkable natural monument in the western part of Frankfurt am Main. It was formed around 10,000 years ago at the end of the last Ice Age, when strong winds blew sand from the dried-out bed of the River Main and piled it into dunes. Such inland dunes, located far from any coastline, are rare – unlike the more common coastal dunes found in northern Germany.

🌲🪵🏰 Originally, the dune was covered by forest, but in the Middle Ages, large areas were cleared for farming and intensively logged for timber. As a result, the sandy soil was exposed to wind and erosion. Without protective vegetation, the sand began to drift and posed a threat to nearby settlements and farmland. To stabilize the area, pine trees were planted – many of which still shape parts of the landscape today.

🌾🦟🌿 Despite these changes, a portion of the open sandy terrain remained – providing habitat for rare, specialized plants and animals adapted to dry, nutrient-poor conditions. Today, the Schwanheim Dune is a protected natural area and a valuable ecological refuge.

🌼🌸🏵 Walking along the boardwalk, I came across beautiful wildflowers such as St. John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum), viper’s bugloss (Echium vulgare), and the evening-primrose (Oenothera biennis). Grey hair-grass (Corynephorus canescens) is also typical of this dry dune environment. While it is widespread in the many dune landscapes of northern Germany, the species is considered endangered in the state of Hesse.

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🏕🌛 I spent my vacation on Baltrum at the campsite. That way, I felt especially close to the completely car-free island. The campsite is located right in the nature reserve of the Lower Saxony Wadden Sea National Park, surrounded by dunes and directly adjacent to the salt marshes.

⛱️ Since school holidays hadn’t started yet and I was the first camper of the year, I had the place mostly to myself. Only over the long weekend starting with Ascension Day were there a few other campers. The site belongs to the youth education center of the Lower Saxony Gymnastics Association and is managed and maintained voluntarily by its members. Many things on the site were built by the young people themselves, such as a shelter and seating areas.

🎵🐦🌳🪺🌾 During the day, you occasionally hear children playing, but at dusk and during the night, there’s no sign of people. You hear the trees rustling in the wind, the flapping of the tent canvas, and a choir of countless birds. In the morning, a pheasant crows to wake you. It's currently breeding season—around 300 different bird species are counted in the East Frisian Islands region in May. The campsite is located right between the two most important habitats: dune landscapes and salt marshes. There’s also a small stand of trees on the site, and nearby you’ll find wet meadows and moorlands. When you open your tent in the morning, the first thing you see is numerous rabbits scattering in all directions.

🦭☠️ A mysterious discovery: after the other campers had left, they left behind a skull. After a bit of research, it turned out to be a seal skull, which they most likely found on the eastern end of the island. That’s where seals spend their youth from autumn to spring.

😊 Altogether, I spent 10 nights in the tent, and the weather was mostly good. It was an extraordinary experience—definitely worth repeating!

✨ After my return home, I noticed that my senses were heightened. I perceived smells, tastes, and sounds with particular intensity.

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