Team excursion to the Bollenberg

This year’s team excursion was special: Together with our partners and/or families, we got to spend two days on the Bollenberg in Alsace. The Bollenberg is the largest of five limestone hills in the Rouffach district and has been a protected area since 1965 due to its flora and fauna. In the rain shadow of the Vosges Mountains, annual precipitation here is only about 400–500 mm - conditions that have given rise to one of the few true dry grasslands (Xerobrometum) in Central Europe, interwoven in a mosaic pattern with semi-arid grasslands, shrublands, and vineyards.

After arriving on Friday afternoon, we took a guided tour of the wine cellar at the Domaine du Bollenberg, where excellent Alsatian AOP wines such as Riesling and Gewürztraminer are produced from hand-harvested grapes, and where the oldest barrels date back to 1889. After a cozy dinner at the Hotel du Bollenberg, things got exciting once again. Three team members introduced us to their hobby: moth catching. Before it got dark, they stretched a net over a fluorescent tube and placed this “tower” by the side of the path to attract moths. And sure enough: as soon as it got dark, the first “guests” began to arrive, allowing us to marvel at them and identify them up close. The sheer number of different species out and about in the dark amazed younger and older people alike.

The next day, after breakfast, we went on a hike through the semi-arid and arid meadows of the Bollenberg. Despite the extreme drought of 2026, numerous flowering plant species were in bloom, including rarities such as the prostrate fumitory (Fumana procumbens), the panicle knapweed (Centaurea stoebe), the Alsatian hawkweed (Peucedanum alsaticum), the spiked blue loosestrife (Pseudolysimachion spicatum), and the upright feltwort (Micropus erectus). Of course, there was no shortage of faunal observations either: In addition to the green lizard (Lacerta bilineata), the asp viper (Vipera aspis), and various species of grasshoppers and butterflies, the western saddle grasshopper (Ephippiger diurnus) was one of the highlights.

The trip concluded with a get-together at the Domaine du Bollenberg, featuring Alsatian tarte flambée and many engaging conversations across generations. It was an outing that will remain a cherished memory for a long time to come.