The pine meadow in the Martinau is home to an endangered and protected orchid. The yellow lady's slipper(Cypripedium calceolus) immediately catches the eye with its shoe-shaped, yellow-red-brown flower. Between mid-May and mid-June, about 6,000 lady's slipper plants can be admired on an area of 2.5 hectares in the Martinauer Au in Europe's largest contiguous lady's slipper area.
Its striking, beautiful appearance also brings dangers for the orchid. The yellow lady's slipper is very sensitive and its survival is linked to a soil-dwelling fungus of the pine meadow in Martinau. The existence of the lady's slipper is endangered by trampling, plundering and destruction of its habitat.
From mid-May to mid-June, a breathtaking natural spectacle takes place in the Martinauer Au with the blooming of the lady's slipper, attracting thousands of visitors from near and far. To ensure the protection of the yellow lady's slipper, the mountain rescue service Elmen-Pfafflar looks after the lady's slipper area during the blooming period. And in addition, the new visitor guidance concept is intended to contribute to the preservation of the endangered plant species.
What measures are being implemented in the project "Frauenschuharea Martinauer Au - new visitor guidance"?
Due to the strong attraction of the yellow lady's slipper and the associated increase in awareness of the lady's slipper area Martinauer Au, there was also an increase in the number of visitors. The measures are intended to renew and improve visitor guidance in the lady's slipper area.
