Rotflügelige Ödlandschrecke (Oedipoda germanica) Fördermaßnahmen auf einer ehemaligen Weinbergsfläche im Kochertal bei Ingelfingen (Baden-Württemberg)

The Red-winged Grasshopper (Oedipoda germanica) is an endangered grasshopper species in Baden-Württemberg with only very few, widely scattered occurrences. In the database of the Artenschutzprogramm (ASP), 42 occurrences of the species have been registered. By now however, more than a third (16) of these occurrences are classified as lost or extinct. Out of eleven current populated ASP areas, the Hohenlohe district represents the main occurrence of the species in Baden-Württemberg. The situation of the populations is critical in almost all areas of the state. Only two ASP populations are still classified as large. The implementation of effective species protection measures is therefore highly necessary and of great urgency. At the so called Hundsberg near Ingelfingen (Hohenlohe district), various species protection measures were implemented on an abandoned vineyard owned by the Artenschutzmanagement gGmbH (Filderstadt) since 2022. In November 2022, topsoil was removed along a stone bar over a width of 5 m and a depth of up to 50 cm. The partially overgrown stone bar was completely cleared. The surrounding former vineyard (also fallow/uncultivated) was mowed and then ploughed to increase the area of open ground. In May 2024, the area was grazed with goats for the first time, but had to be mowed again in the summer due to heavy rainfall. After mowing, the area was ploughed again. The measures, especially the topsoil removal, proved to be highly effective. In 2024, the previously recorded maximum population value of the Red-winged Grasshopper was exceeded more than quadruple (2004: ten imagines, 2024: 42 imagines).