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  • Wildes Deutschland Die Schwäbische Alb (Season 7, Episode 3)
  • TV Episode | 45 min | Documentary

Wildes Deutschland

Die Schwäbische Alb (Season 7, Episode 3)
TV Episode | 45 min | Documentary
In the heart of Baden-Württemberg lies one of Germany's most biodiverse low mountain ranges: the Swabian Alb. Once upon a time, a limestone-rich Jurassic Sea stretched here, its seabed being raised over millions of years to form a low ...See moreIn the heart of Baden-Württemberg lies one of Germany's most biodiverse low mountain ranges: the Swabian Alb. Once upon a time, a limestone-rich Jurassic Sea stretched here, its seabed being raised over millions of years to form a low mountain range. The limestone soil, inexorably decomposed by rain and frost, has created many different extreme habitats over the millennia: Germany's largest springs, pristine waterfalls, mysterious cave systems, bizarrely shaped rock landscapes, and dry valleys. Juniper heath as a trademark of the Swabian Alb Countless castles, palaces, and ruins, such as Lichtenstein Castle and Hohenzollern Castle, are perched on the mountain slopes of the Albtrauf, the northern edge of the Swabian Alb. Jays are roaming the Alb. They take viewers into a special habitat, the juniper heath. It is a trademark of the Swabian Alb. This unique habitat was created by transhumance and sheep farming. Sheep don't eat prickly, poisonous, or bitter plants. This has allowed silver thistles, spring gentians, pasque flowers, and many rare orchids such as dogbane, goat's-foot lily, and snail orchid to spread across the barren juniper heaths. These are primarily inhabited by heat-loving animals such as the common bumblebee and the red apollo, one of Germany's rarest butterflies. Other rarities, such as the butterfly hawk moth and the red-winged grasshopper, have conquered the hot, dry slopes. But the juniper heaths are in danger of disappearing. The many sheep that populated the Alb 50-150 years ago and tended the juniper heaths no longer exist in many places. Therefore, the forest and its inhabitants are now encroaching on the juniper heaths. The jay, with its tricks, is playing a significant role in this. Will the heath win the race for survival? The bumblebee queen, in turn, needs the colorful plant diversity on the heath to build her colony and is threatened by the jay. Featuring the jay and the bumblebee as two opposing representatives of their habitat, the film tells a unique natural history of the juniper heath as an ecological battleground. Will the heath ultimately win the race for survival? This thrillingly told natural history shows the Swabian Alb from a whole new perspective. Above all, the impressive behavior of the jay, the breathtaking perspectives captured by nature filmmaker Klaus Weißmann and his team using helicopters, drones, gliders, special optics, time-lapse, and super slow-motion, make the documentary "The Swabian Alb" a fascinating nature experience in the heart of Baden-Württemberg. Written by ARD Das Erste See less
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Director
Klaus Weißmann (directed by)
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Status
Edit Released
Updated May 1, 2017
Release date
May 1, 2017 (Germany)

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