The Botanical Garden of Ulm University has performed excellently in the BioBlitz of botanical gardens in German-speaking countries. It took fourth place behind the gardens in Graz, Berlin and Bonn! During the participatory week in June, a total of 1114 species were observed in Ulm and identified and recorded using the iNaturalist app.

Ulm University was also the overall winner with the most species observed: biology student Leon Wischenbarth spent an average of three hours a day in the Botanical Garden and made 1447 observations of 768 different species. "Every day I studied a different habitat and the animal species found there. Over time, I had a rough overview of the species that I had already found and those that I really wanted to find because I had already seen them before. Unfortunately, that didn't always work out, and so I'm missing a few species that I know for sure occur here," says Wischenbarth, who found the days very exciting. "It was an exhausting week, but experiencing this pure biodiversity so close to a big city was very impressive."

During the BioBlitz, the 36 observers also discovered some rare species in Ulm. These included redstarts with offspring and a strikingly coloured red short-legged springtail, an insect that measures just over three millimetres. And surprisingly, a red fox also made an appearance in the morning on a meadow in the Botanical Garden.

Over 30 Botanical Gardens from Germany, Austria and Switzerland took part in BioBlitz 2025. The data collected on wild species complements the scientific work and research activities of the Botanical Gardens and makes their contribution to documenting urban biodiversity visible.