The Aubach is an

orographically Orography is the study of the topographic relief of mountains, and can more broadly include hills, and any part of a region's elevated terrain. Orography (also known as ''oreography'', ''orology'' or ''oreology'') falls within the broader discip ...

left

tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drai ...

of the River

Wiehl Wiehl () is a municipality in the Oberbergischer Kreis, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located approximately 41 km east of Cologne. The neighbouring municipalities Reichshof, Waldbröl, Nümbrecht, Much, Engelskirchen and Gummers ...

in the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

state of

North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more than 18 million inha ...

Geography

The Aubach rises north of Wendershagen, at the Heckenweiher, approximately above sea level. It initially flows in a north-westerly direction. Not far from Erdingen, the Aubach merges with the Mohrenbach, which is about long, then turns to the north-east. In the Pfänderwiese, another tributary, flows from the left into the Aubach. Further to the north, the Aubach reaches the Aubachtal. The right source stream, also called Schönbach, is about long. It rises in Schönbach, on

Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; german: link=no, Rheinland-Pfalz ; lb, Rheinland-Pfalz ; pfl, Rhoilond-Palz) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the ...

territory, at approximately above sea level. It continues in a north-easterly direction until the Aubach reaches Wildbergerhütte. There, it unites with the approximately long Wildberger stream. It rises in Wildberg to about m above sea level, and is additionally fed by the roughly long Langenbach. The Aubach river then turns north-west and reaches the centre of Wildbergerhütte, along the pond dam. At about above sea level, the Aubach flows into the Wiehl, after about ( with Möhrenbach) to the sports field in Wildbergerhütte.

Flora

The vegetation on the banks of the Aubach River changes along its course. The upper course of the Aubach valley is characterised by dense, shady forests, under which only a sparse layer of herbs flourishes. The middle course is characterised by

Alder Alders are trees comprising the genus ''Alnus'' in the birch family Betulaceae. The genus comprises about 35 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, a few reaching a large size, distributed throughout the north temperate zone with a few sp ...

and

Willow Willows, also called sallows and osiers, from the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 400 speciesMabberley, D.J. 1997. The Plant Book, Cambridge University Press #2: Cambridge. of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist so ...

species, but also neophytes such as the ''

Reynoutria japonica ''Reynoutria japonica'', synonyms ''Fallopia japonica'' and ''Polygonum cuspidatum'', is a species of herbaceous perennial plant in the knotweed and buckwheat family Polygonaceae. Common names include Japanese knotweed and Asian knotweed. It is ...

'' can be found. Wild herbaceous plants can also be found on the banks of the Aubach River, such as ''

Anemone sylvestris ''Anemonoides sylvestris'' (syn. ''Anemone sylvestris''), known as snowdrop anemone or snowdrop windflower, is a perennial plant A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -en ...

'' or ''

Ficaria verna ''Ficaria verna'' (formerly ''Ranunculus ficaria'' ), commonly known as lesser celandine or pilewort, is a low-growing, hairless perennial flowering plant in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae native to Europe and Western Asia. It has fleshy dar ...

''.

Flood

On 3 May 2001, torrential rainfall led to flooding, referred to as the flood of the century. Between 16 and 20 o'clock, 110 litres of precipitation per square metre fell. The monthly average in NRW is only 100 litres.

References

External links

Steckbrief Reichshof
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190505192440/https://www.flussgebiete.nrw.de/system/files/atoms/files/hwrm_nrw_2015_steckbrief_reichshof.pdf , date=2019-05-05 Rivers of North Rhine-Westphalia Rivers of Germany