Köttsala, Naturreservat

The Köttsala nature reserve has been established to care for and preserve a valley with old forest on calcareous soil. A variety of species thrive here, from tiny lichens and delicate mosses to magnificent orchids.

Old growth forest

Here in the reserve you will find an old and varied forest named after the nearby Köttsala croft. The forest has only been slightly affected by modern forestry. Further back in time, nearby crofts and farms probably collected firewood and timber here and grazed their animals. Spruce is the most common tree species, but there is also pine, as well as some deciduous trees such as aspen, birch, alder and elm. Typical of an old forest that is left to look after itself is that there are trees of all ages as well as dead trees.

Rare woodpeckers and ticks

An old-growth forest like this is home to a wide variety of species. Forest hook moss, dark house moss and flat feather moss are examples of some of the different mosses that thrive here. If you have good eyesight or a magnifying glass, you can go on a lichen safari! Old spruce lichen, brown-powdered needle lichen and rust spot are some of the rare lichens you can find here in the old-growth forest, as well as fungi such as spruce tick, woolly tick and large aspen tick. The good supply of dead wood, full of tasty caterpillars, means that woodpeckers and other birds thrive in the area. If you are lucky, you may see the rare three-toed woodpecker.

Crooked lime lovers

The soil in Köttsala is both nutrient-rich and affected by lime. This means that in addition to the usual old-growth forest species, there are also a number of species that are specially adapted to lime. Coniferous spider moss, orange thorn fungus and black thorn fungus are some examples of fungi that are linked to lime-rich soil. Among lime-favored plants, we find species such as bluebell, fern, and the orchids green-white night-flowering violet and the small knee-rose.

Accessibility

Köttsala belongs to level 1 in the county administrative board's leveling of the county's nature reserves, which means that the reserve has a wilderness character and lacks outdoor recreation facilities.