Knuthöjdsmossen, Naturreservat

The Knuthöjdsmossen nature reserve and the nearby Hammarmossen are both very special bogs. The hundreds of pools make the bogs a paradise for a variety of birds. The little grebe has become something of a celebrity in Knuthöjdsmossen. But on your walk along the path you can discover many other animals and plants. Please note that it is forbidden to enter parts of the reserve during the summer months!

Prohibited to visit parts of the reserve

Both the little grebe and many other birds are very sensitive to disturbance while they are incubating eggs and raising their young. On December 6, 2023, rules were introduced to protect the bird life, which means limited access to the bog during the period April 1 and September 1. During this time, you can only access the bog via a marked path, but you cannot walk on the ground outside or on the northern path loop (north of A and B on the map below).

Traces of the ice sheet

Under the bog there are traces of the last ice sheet that melted about 10,000 years ago. Today, moraine lies on top of the bedrock. This is an unsorted layer of gravel, stone and sand that the ice sheet scraped off the rock and left behind. When the ice melted, the meltwater carried the finer material in the form of sand and gravel in large ice rivers under the ice. The smallest grains, sand and moss, collected here at the mouth of an ice river as large sand plains.

A raised bog on sand

As the climate became warmer and wetter, marsh plants and mosses began to grow on top of the sand. The moss grew rapidly in height and took the form of a flat dome, known as a raised bog. The hundreds of pools in its center are several meters deep and reach down to the ice river sand. The collection of pools at Knuthöjdsmossen and Hammarmossen is one of the most interesting in the country. The highest parts of Knuthöjdsmossen today reach about 3.5 meters above the sand.

Large Hällefors dune

Before plants could take root and bind the glacial river sand, it was easily carried away by strong winds and formed sand piles, known as dunes. Stora Hälleforsdynen is the largest sand dune in the area. It is a full ten meters high. The dune is home to many special insects. The very rare gray ant thrives on bare sand surfaces. There is also the spring silk bee, a gray-colored bee that builds its nests in warm sandy slopes. When the bee swarms on warm days in early April, it almost looks like the ground is moving.

Crooked pines and carnivorous plants

Between the pools on the bog are drier and firmer areas. The pine is the most common tree, some with crooked, twisted trunks. There are also many different types of sedges, such as hemlock, dwarf birch, crowberry and water primrose. In addition to a variety of mosses and lichens, you can also find whitetop, sedge and cold grass at the edges of the pools. A somewhat odd plant is the willowherb. It is a carnivorous plant that catches insects, with sticky hairs on the upper side of its leaves.

Favourite moss of the smallmouth?

The Knot Heights Bog is a popular nesting site for the little grebe, as it likes to build its nests on the shores of small bodies of water. If you are lucky, you may see a nest very close to the path. The little auk likes to eat fish, but the small waters where it nests are often poor in fish. The birds therefore have to forage for themselves and their chicks from larger lakes, sometimes several miles from the nest. You have the best chance of seeing little grebes during April and May.

A walk among birds

A boarded path runs around the area. The first 400 meters are extra wide and suitable for both prams and wheelchairs. The whistling of the curlew is accompanied by the call of the herring gulls and the wistful piping of the heath pipit. Mallard, goldeneye, woodcock and snipe are other birds that thrive in the area. If you are lucky, you may even see the king of the forest, the moose, striding around with its long legs on the bog.

Accessibility

The parking lot is easy to access with a wheelchair. There is a spacious toilet that is easily accessible by wheelchair (open all year round), information board and picnic table. The picnic table is adapted for 2 wheelchairs at the ends and 4-6 people along the long sides. It may be a little difficult to reach the table with a wheelchair without assistance. From the parking lot, a boardwalk leads out onto the bog. The first 400 meters are extra wide (1.5 meters) with railings on both sides and are easy to get around even with a wheelchair. After 150 meters there is a place with a bench and information sign. At the end of the wide path there is a platform with 3 benches. From here, a simpler path continues that is mainly suitable for pedestrians (however, only in winter, walking is prohibited from 1/4-1/9).

Audio guide

Sign language interpreted information

Geological sights in Knuthöjdsmossen

About accessibility in Knuthöjdsmossen