New meadow of wild fruit trees near Kaisermühlen Bridge

• Location: Danube Island – near Kaisermühlen Bridge
• 2,000 square metres of meadow planted with 25 wild fruit trees as a habitat and food source for birds and insects
• Particularly heat-resilient, ecologically valuable species to help enhance biodiversity
  • Species: crab apple, rowan, rock cherry, white and black mulberry, sweet chestnut

In May 2020, 25 wild fruit trees were planted on a 2,000-square-metre stretch of meadow on the Danube Island in Vienna's 22nd district, close to Kaisermühlen Bridge.

All of the trees are ancient wild fruit species, which makes them especially valuable in ecological terms: crab apple, rowan, rock cherry, white and black mulberry. Five sweet chestnuts were also planted on the slope of the river embankment near the meadow.

Heat-resilient tree species

The newly-planted tree species are resilient to hot, dry conditions, and are thus especially well suited to adapting to climate change in urban areas.

Trees as habitat and food source

The new trees provide food and shelter for insects and birds. They also provide shade and have a cooling effect on their surroundings. Their blossom is favoured by bees and other insects, while birds enjoy eating the fruit. And the mulberry trees, for example, will also provide a tasty natural snack for human visitors to the Danube Island in the years ahead.

Supporting biodiversity

The crab apple is an endangered species in Austria, so by planting it here we are doing our bit to help preserve biodiversity.

The sweet chestnut tree can live to be several hundred years old, so the new trees planted on the Danube Island have the potential to become a natural landmark for future generations.

The tree species planted vary in height, from small (crab apple and rock cherry) and medium-sized (mulberry and rowan) right up to the broad-crowned sweet chestnut, that can grow up to 30 metres high.