Langenmoos: A home for amphibians and dragonflies

The Naturnetz association has been responsible for the care and maintenance of many nature reserves in the Limmattal and other regions for many years. The work is carried out in consultation with Tobias Liechti (area manager for the Limmattal). Today, work is being carried out to promote amphibians and dragonflies in Langenmoos. Light clouds of mist hang like cotton candy over the approximately four-hectare fen, which is located north-west of the municipality of Weiningen - next to the Weininger pond. Two large wooded hills (Hasleren & Bruderberg) adorn the area to the north and south. It is February and nature is gradually waking up from hibernation. The first amphibians are migrating from the adjacent forest areas to their spawning waters in Langenmoos. These are common toads, grass frogs and alpine newts. It is still a little too early in the year for dragonflies! In the "Hasleren" forest, the calls of the black, great spotted and green woodpeckers can be heard again and again, as they defend their breeding grounds. SPRING can come! We put on our rubber boots and head out into the moor, equipped with spades and shovels. The trench through the moor and the small pools are to be upgraded as spawning grounds for the amphibians. To do this, we cut off the emerging vegetation in the very shallow pools and widen the shoreline. If these ditches and pools are not maintained, they threaten to silt up due to the strong plant growth and the open water surface would disappear. This would mean that amphibians and some dragonflies would disappear from the moor. As a further measure, we are creating new, temporarily dry pools on the moor. To do this, the slowly flowing water is dammed with wood.

The work is popular with the community service workers, even if it is sometimes a bit strenuous to lift the cut-off and wet plant and soil material out of the water and then transport it to the trailer in a wheelbarrow. The amphibians and dragonflies will thank us, however! Shortly after the operation, the first spawn balls of the common frog were found. And in the summer, the rare scarlet dragonfly was found in the same place. Our work was definitely worth it! We are eagerly awaiting the long-awaited sightings of the yellow-bellied toads in Langenmoos.