It was my birthday yesterday, and I spent it visiting beautiful Saale-Unstrut loess steppes in Germany.
Even such tiny steppe remnants add a bit of joy and a sense of feeling "like home." I hope to visit the Ukrainian steppes this year, at least for a while.
But we will see what February (in Ukrainian, it is called 'лютий' [lyutyy] - literally means 'fierce' or 'angry') brings and how quickly spring will come this year. The winter is not yet finished.
The only thing that consoles me is that warm winters help Ukraine survive energy problems and daily shelling a little easier... However, the weather is becoming less predictable, and the current changes may lead to other extreme events, as is already happening in many regions around the globe.
My colleagues also talk about the unusual winter activity of insects, whose annual rhythms are broken by unusual temperature changes.
Another extremely warm winter continues. Yesterday, it was +15, and we observed active winter vegetation and seedling development in grasslands. Walking on a warm day in the middle of winter is nice, but what can such climate change bring in the future?
Save the date! 21st EDGG Field Workshop:
Diversity of Grasslands and Open Habitats in the Turku Archipelago (Finland) 🌿
🗓️ 28 June – 6 July 2025
Specialists in vascular plants, bryophytes, lichens, insects, spiders, etc., are welcome!
🔗 Details: edgg.org/fieldworksho...
Application opens in March
The website of the European Vegetation Survey conference in Perugia, Italy, 28 Apr - 2 May 2025, has been launched:
vnr.unipg.it/33evsperugia...
@iavs5.bsky.social
A huge thank you to Prof. Volker Grimm for delivering an incredible course this week! 🎉 And to all our attendees—thank you for joining us! Wishing you great success with your upcoming papers. 📝✨
I have never been to prairies, but it would be so cool to see them one day 🙂
Hello World! I never became an active twitter/x user... but I hope it will go easier with the @bsky.app :)
Photo: Ukrainian feather-grass steppe (Stipa lessingiana), Mykolaiv Region, June 2020.