Horses help rare plants

This video is about nature reserve management near Oostvoorne in the Netherlands.

Translated from FREE Nature in the Netherlands:

Thursday, November 29, 2012

While catching konik horses in the Geuzenbos forest near Oostvoorne, the manes of the koniks were conspicuously full of plant seeds. They turned out to be seeds of dog’s tongue. This shows that koniks contribute to the spread of this species.

Dog’s tongue (Cynoglossum officinale) is a biennial pioneer plant from the Forget-me-not family. The occurrence of dog’s tongue in the Netherlands is largely confined to the dunes. For its survival this plant is dependent on mammals such as rabbits and horses. The seeds contain barbs which stick in fur. In this way seeds are spread throughout the area.

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