Steneryd, Naturreservat

In Steneryd, you can experience the remains of an older cultural landscape that is still managed according to the old ways. In this way, both the special vegetation and the older way of farming are preserved.

Steneryd is a well-preserved small-scale cultural-historical landscape consisting of deciduous meadows, hay meadows, natural pastures, small fields and broadleaf-dominated forest. The grassland flora is rich in species and shows long-term continuity of grassland management. The oak ox and beech ox have been reported from the area. The land is managed by mowing, grazing and leaf cutting. There are ruins of Gammelgården in the area.

The diversity of the meadow

Most of the area consists of deciduous meadows with over 500 pollarded lime trees, ash trees and elms, as well as a few oak trees in the pasture. There are plenty of hazel bushes. There are some small areas of hay meadows. Interspersed in the area are old fields, both those still in use and those that have been converted to pasture. The various meadows are framed by stone walls.

In the past, winter fodder for the animals was gathered from the leafy meadow. Grasses and herbs were harvested for hay and the leaves of the trees were harvested by pruning (pollarding) the branches. A deciduous meadow is alternately sunny and shady. This means that many plant species with different needs can grow in a small area. Here you will find plenty of wood anemone, wood anemone, cowslip, bluebell, meadowsweet, meadowsweet, chickweed, knotweed, buckwheat, hay rattle and meadowsweet, and in May also the orchid Adam and Eve.

How was a meadow managed a hundred years ago?

In April, when the snow melted away, leaves were raked and burned. The ashes were spread and used as fertilizer in the meadow.

1. raking. In April, when the snow had melted, the leaves were raked and burned. The ash was spread and used as fertilizer in the meadow.
2. mowing. In July, when most of the meadow plants had flowered and set seed, the hay was cut. Because the plants have been allowed to set seed before mowing, the composition of species is different than if the land had been grazed by animals. Today, a haymaking festival is held every year and you are welcome to take part. Perhaps you would also like to try mowing with a scythe? It usually takes place on the 3rd Saturday in July.
3. Grazing. After the mowing, grazing animals were released in Oxbacken, Kalvhagen and Hästbacken.
4. Foliage harvesting - haymaking. In August after haymaking, the trees were pollarded. The trees in these meadows were actively pollarded until the Second World War.