Steinbruch Hollitzer Quarry

The Rohrdorfer Group, Bad Deutsch-Altenburg, Austria

In 2011, a dramatic loss of the butterfly (and insects in general) was found due to overgrowing of the site.

We established cooperation with the Rohrdorfer Group on their land in 2021.

We weren’t sure how this thermophilic lawn with small pasque flowers (Pulsatilla pratensis), blister beetles (Meloe), European green lizards (Lacerta viridis), and spotted fritillaries (Melitaea didyma) could work when exposed to a lot of dust from the adjacent quarry.

First managements

In the summer of 2021, we (JARO Österreich) have begun to suppress the tree of heaven (but more precisely the invasive „tree of hell“ Ailanthus altissima). In March 2022, the neglected steppe on Pfaffenberg Hill next to the Steinbruch Hollitzer quarry was cut and raked.

And what did it look like there in May 2022?

The cut areas were beautifully opened and full of St Bernard’s lily (Anthericum liliago), irises (Iris pumila), thymes (Thymus), and brooms (Cytisus), rock-roses (Helianthemum nummularium), and bee-eaters (Merops apiaster) flitted above it all. Two burnt orchids (Orchis ustulata) were the biggest surprise.