Toppbjär, Naturreservat

In the northern part of Åkulla you will find the Toppbjär reserve, where old beech forests grow on slopes and mountainsides down to three different lakes. The landscape is dramatic and Toppbjär, with its lakeside forests and natural viewpoints, is a very scenic area that offers you as a visitor beautiful views and exciting experiences. The reserve also has "Bexell's talking stones", which is a popular destination.

PLEASE NOTE!

The nature reserve's parking lot is located on private land outside the reserve. The landowner has chosen to charge a parking fee here. For more information, see the Finding your way here box.

Toppbjär has several valuable key biotopes where rare and red-listed species live. Key biotopes are unique forest areas that are considered to be of particular importance for forest animals and plants. These areas contain old, coarse and dead trees. The latter have been left to slowly decay to the delight of all the organisms that live in or on the dead wood. These include a wide variety of species such as insects, fungi and mosses, as well as birds and other animals that feed on the bugs in the wood.

Captivating woodpecker

One bird that benefits from the presence of dead trees in Toppbjär is the lesser spotted woodpecker, which pecks out its nest in decaying trees or stumps. It's Europe's smallest woodpecker, the same size as the house sparrow. It is fascinating to watch this relatively fearless woodpecker as it searches for food. The woodpecker hops around on the more or less decaying trunks, tapping its beak to listen for the reverberations of any caterpillar tunnels. Suddenly, the bird may stop and jump to a spot where it suspects there is food. This is followed by a few sharp pecks and the bird sticks the tip of its tongue into the hole. In summer, the woodpecker also feeds by quickly scanning branches and leaves for insects and bugs, but in winter it is completely dependent on what it can find in the dead wood.

Bexell's talking stones can be found in the reserve

"Better to slip with your foot than with your tongue" is one of the many sayings you can see carved on stones and rocks in or near the reserve. Almost 160 sayings and 560 names have been found in the area and these carvings are collectively known as "Bexell's speaking stones". It was the landowner and member of parliament Alfred Bexell who had the texts carved in the late 19th century. It is believed that the carvings originated from Bexell's desire to pass on his philosophy of life to future generations. Behind all the names is a diverse cast of characters: from presidents, kings, philosophers and scientists to pranksters and grassroots heroes.

Several walking trails

There are twelve hiking trails evenly distributed throughout the Åkulla beech forests. The trails are connected to each other, and one of them, Bexellstigen, runs through the reserve and down through Skärbäcks nature reserve. The trail measures a total of six kilometers and goes past the "proverb area" where you can take part in Bexell's wisdom.

Historical trails

Toppbjär is a popular destination where the "Bexell's talking stones" in particular make the wings of history feel constantly present. But for those interested in history, there are more exciting discoveries to be made. Traces of the Ice Age, for example, can be seen both in the form of ridges and ice river deposits. The many candelabra-shaped and barbed beech and oak trees bear witness to the old cultural landscape where the beech trees were more open. The growth pattern of some of the beech trees suggests that they were used for stubble cultivation or grew up in a forest grazed by animals.