Muschelkalk slopes Siechenberg near Liebenau

The shell limestone slopes date back to a time when this area was covered by a flat sea. Therefore, you can still admire the deposits of the former seabed, which can be observed here layer by layer. Numerous fossils have also been found. Today, the slopes are mainly important due to the abundance of butterfly species.

Shell limestone as an “elixir of life”
The lime-rich sediments of the Muschelkalk Sea are the basis for modern communities that are extremely rich in species. The beech forests based on the shallow limestone weathered soils, as well as the limestone semi-dry grasslands, are famous for their abundance of orchids.
But the rock itself is also a habitat. If it faces south or west, it warms up significantly more than the surrounding area and is a popular sunbathing spot for insects such as the tiger beetle or reptiles such as the sand lizard. The strong warming of the rocks leads to updrafts, which are preferably used for sailing. Common ravens in particular are happy to accept this offer and show daring flight games when the flight conditions are favorable
Rock crevices and more weathered marly layers are home to specialists such as juniper, horseshoe clover and swallowwort.
Here at the Schwiemelkopf, almost 50 m of the Lower Muschelkalk, which is 110 to 130 m thick, comes to light.