Plants can "climb" in very different ways: ivy, for example, has so-called adhesive roots, while wild vines have circular adhesive disks. Both species can thus grow up bare walls. In contrast, the common clematis needs climbing aids. Its shoots, known as tendrils, grow upwards in a circular, searching motion and, when touched, wrap around anything within reach in order to cling to it and grow upwards.

Wine is a popular facade climber, as it bears tasty fruit that is enjoyed by humans and animals. Thanks to the mild climate, the noble vine (Vitis vinifera subsp. vinifera) is cultivated in Bonn, for example on the Finkenberg.

The naturalized, deep red to pink-coloured common maiden vine (Parthenocissus inserta) is usually referred to as "wild wine". The dark purple-colored fruits on red stems of this climbing plant native to North America are much smaller than grapes and are inedible for humans. They are all tasty to birds, which disperse the seeds by eating, transporting and dropping them.

Ivy, our native "liana", has a special significance: not only is it evergreen, but it also flowers very late in the fall from the age of six to eight, when there are no longer many food plants for insects. As its fruits (poisonous to humans) ripen in early spring, they help some bird species, such as blackbirds, robins, song thrushes and others, to survive the winter.

Careful consideration should therefore be given before removing these insect and bird paradises from facades. Important: This must never be done during the nesting and breeding season (March 1 to September 30)!