Jun07
Sventana der Heilige Fluss
Ever since I moved to Kiel more than a year ago I haven’t posted many pictures on my blog. One reason is that I find the surrounding of Kiel a bit dull because every square meter is managed and taken care of. When you go to the beaches you know that they will look the same year after year due to coastal protection. When you walk in a meadow or a bog everything of interest for nature nerds like me will be fenced behind barbed wires. In this sense Germany is completely opposite of Sweden’s “allemannsretten” where everyone are free to utilize the common nature areas. But then again, Germany is densely populated and people tend to let their dogs loose everywhere.
That said, Kiel and Schleswig-Holstein do indeed have a lot of areas of interest and they are easy to access with a well maintained grid of paths and roads. This past weekend I rode my bike along the Schwentine river, called Sventana by the Slavic people who considered it holy. Beside the nice scenery I was very excited to find a newly restored habitat made especially for frogs. At high noon the frogs were passing their time in the surface of the water without making their ear deafening calls and it was quite easy getting close to them.
 Schwentine river |
 Rastorfer Mühle |
 Canada geese (Branta canadensis) |
 Diffuse-leaved Water Buttercup (Ranunculus aquatilis var. diffusus) |
 Edible frog (Pelophylax esculentus) |
 Edible frog (Pelophylax esculentus) |
 Fence posts |
 Banded agrion (Agrion virgo) |
 An old oak tree |
