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Our Telekom logo and the #greenmagenta lettering made of millions of flowers and herbs interested many people and attracted countless visitors to our Magenta Blossom field in recent months. But not only people, because the lush flowering planting has demonstrably also attracted many insects and especially bees, thus making an important contribution to biodiversity and improving soil quality in the region.
© GEOXIP
In May 2023, Telekom took over the nature sponsorship for a field in Euskirchen near Bonn. The startup GEOXIP, with the help of GPS and data transfer via our mobile network, ensured the highly precise sowing of the lettering. Farmer Christoph Jenken told us that the many curves in the field sometimes made him dizzy. Because usually, he only sows in a straight line.
The field covers an area of over 40 hectares – that’s equivalent to about 56 soccer fields.
After the first rain showers, we could already see the difference between the so-called flowering islands and the surrounding sugar beets. The T logo and the #greenmagenta lettering were clearly visible. The T alone had dimensions of 105 x 263 meters.
Sugar beets are primarily cultivated for sugar production. During their growth, the plants absorb CO2 and convert it into oxygen. The wildflowers in the flowering islands also bind CO2 during their growth. In the last few months, they have sequestered over 26 tons of CO2, which remains in the soil even after harvest. For comparison: this is equivalent to about 130 trips in a mid-size car from Bonn to Munich.
Approximately 22 million wildflowers and herbs, comprising a total of 50 different and in some cases endangered species, grew among more than three million sugar beets. This coexistence of agriculture and new habitat promoted biodiversity and improved soil quality.
The intensive planting of flowering plants attracted numerous insects such as butterflies, beetles, and especially bees.
Magenta Blossom was planned from the beginning as a research project to gain new insights into the preservation of biodiversity. For this, we worked closely with the Nürtingen-Geislingen University of Applied Sciences. In the picture, Marius Kuhlmann evaluated results from one of eight cameras. The evaluation is still ongoing, but initial findings confirm: a remarkably high number of insects in the field – bees but also ladybugs. Ladybugs, in particular, are beneficial for agriculture because they eat pests like aphids and spider mites.
A specially created educational trail allowed interested individuals to learn about biodiversity, IoT bees, and modern agriculture. Those who wanted to deepen their knowledge could access the Magenta Blossom website via a QR code, where the topics were covered in detail in several articles. On the Magenta Blossom field, various routes up to 3.6 kilometers long led through the field. Benches and space for a picnic in the midst of nature made the excursion perfect.
On two Sundays in August, Telekom offered a total of six educational walks for journalists, families, and individuals. The guided tours led through the already tall-growing flowers. Experts provided an overview of the underlying idea of the Telekom initiative, the cultivation methods of smart farming, biodiversity, the various plant species, as well as the university research project that accompanies Magenta Blossom.
More than 50 different native flowers and wild herbs could be admired in the field.
The “Magenta” lettering consisted of, among other things, field peas, cornflowers, and red clover. The special seed mixture brought back a diversity that had almost been lost in our region. This included plants that are on the red list and thus are threatened with extinction. The splendor of the blossoms was impressive. In August, at the peak of the blooming period, many plants – especially the sunflowers – were over 2.20 meters tall.
In our field, we have settled our own bee colonies in connected beehives. Telekom now has 19 colonies that live in smart, digital beehives. They are equipped with sensors that continuously record temperature and weight trends. This allows us to gather detailed information about the development of the bees and their honey production.
Due to the abundance of flowering plants, the bees on the Magenta Blossom field were very busy and collected a lot of honey. The result: 160 kilos of our own Magenta honey. That’s about 500 jars.
We launched this particularly tasty honey as a special edition, which we distributed at special occasions at Telekom. The honey was filled into smart jars with a Near Field Communication chip (NFC). Among other things, the NFC chip serves for identification and tracks the glass recycling cycle.
We are thrilled about the great interest in our project. Apparently, it was not only a matter close to our hearts, but it also interested many people. There was even a separate TV feature on Magenta Blossom. Anyone who missed it can watch it at this Link .
The project surprisingly also thrilled the Metaverse community: the bte-germany Minecraft community used about 7.5 million Minecraft blocks to make our Magenta Blossom field virtually accessible 365 days a year. And they did it all in their free time. We are delighted with the pixel-perfect replica of our Blossoms, as this allows our field to continue to exist virtually beyond the project period and can be visited at any time. You actually get a very good impression of the size and dimensions of the field. Anyone who would like to see it can do so here: https://bte-germany.de/
The server is public, and anyone can register there. The field is directly accessible at /warp Magenta
© GEOXIP
In mid-November, the now-faded flowers were mowed down. Subsequently, winter wheat was sown, which protects the field from soil erosion caused by water and wind. The flowering islands of colorful field and wildflowers are purely organic and return to the cycle through plowing under. This benefits the soil, builds up more humus, and thus permanently stores CO2. The huge flowering islands also introduced nitrogen as a natural fertilizer into the soil and connected large-scale habitats for insects and wild bees for an entire season – something conventional fields do not offer.
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More InformationFor the project conclusion, we would like to show you a summary of the past few months. The effort and work have paid off: We were delighted by the great interest and the many visitors to the Magenta Blossom field.
Our film captured the most beautiful moments, and together with you, we look back on this great project.
Managing such a large project is only possible with a large team and many helpers who are involved with a lot of commitment, creative ideas, and conviction. Therefore, we would like to thank all cooperation partners and supporters: the team from Telekom’s GreenMagenta, GEOXIP, ARiWa GbR & Team (agricultural operation), the Nürtingen-Geislingen University of Applied Sciences for Business & Environment, BeeAnd.me, PREISING-MEDIA, MetaDesign, and upside GmbH.
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