Östra Fulltofta, Naturreservat

Östra Fulltofta nature reserve is located on the slope down to Ringsjön and is dominated by deciduous forest. The reserve is home to several old and large oaks, beeches, aspens and lime trees. Some of the trees are around 250 years old and very important for wildlife. Östra Fulltofta is part of the Fulltofta hiking area.

Part of a large area of broadleaf forest

Östra Fulltofta is part of a larger contiguous area of broadleaf forest. The reserve consists mainly of beech forest of a production nature, but in an area that occupies about 1 hectare there is a very valuable forest consisting of beech trees with an age of about 250 years. In the parts of the reserve where old trees occur, there is a rich lichen flora. Among other things, you can find the red-listed species pincushion lichen and beech spring lichen here.

Overgrown meadowland

The reserve also includes the remains of an old meadow, which is now overgrown with oak, maple, beech and hazel. In this area you can find plants such as oak bracken, wood nymphs, ferns, St. Peter's keys, green-white night violet and large rams. In Östra Fulltofta there is also a deciduous swamp forest consisting mainly of dead ash trees. The bird fauna includes the skylark, wood pigeon and great spotted woodpecker.

St:a Magnhild's spring

The reserve also contains a number of ancient remains. Fossil fields, cairns and stone circles are found in the area. In the northeast corner there is also a spring, St:a Magnhilds källa. Magnhild was a pious woman from the village, who was known for her mercy towards orphans, the poor and the sick. For unknown reasons, Magnhild was murdered by her son's wife in 1215. During transportation from Äspinge to Fulltofta, the body fell off the wagon and the spring burst open. She was subsequently canonized by Archbishop Andreas Sunesen.

Outdoor life

The reserves Östra Fulltofta and Fulltofta farm Link to another website. are part of the hiking area Fulltofta Link to another website. managed by the Skånska Landskap Foundation. This hiking area has many hiking trails, rest areas, fireplaces and overnight accommodation. Remember to bring charcoal if you are going to barbecue and to take your rubbish home. The Skåneleden trail (SL2 north to south, stage 9) runs through Östra Fulltofta and a 1-2 km hike north brings you to Fulltofta Nature Center. There are two circular walks that include the reserve, Storskiftet (yellow) and Magnhildsrundan (blue), both of which are about 4.5 km. Along both trails you can see some cultural monuments and ancient remains and along the blue trail there is St. Magnhild's spring. Remember that the spring water is drunk at your own risk as it is not tested. There are two parking lots adjacent to the reserve and the nearest bus stop is Fulltofta riksvägen.

In English

Welcome to Östra Fulltofta Nature Reserves

For thousands of years, humans have farmed the land here -on the slopes down to Lake Ringsjön. In the past, tree-clad meadows spread out across the landscape, but now the woods have become dense and are used for dog walks and picnics. The Reserve is a part of the Fulltofta Recreation Area, which means there are plenty of paths to explore in the surrounding area. St Magnhild's spring is on the edge of the Reserve and is well worth a visit, with its stories of both murderers and saints.

As you walk through the Reserve you will see small humps scattered evenly amongst the trees. These are clearance cairns which are several thousand years old. it is easy to imagine the toil of our ancestors to make a small field or a meadow for winter fodder to the animals.

The trees of the old meadows have now reclaimed the land and joined together to create a lush deciduous woodland. Some of the trees are 250 years old and contain a whole host of fungi and insects. Unusual lichens such as the pox lichen (Pyrenula nitida) and Opegrapha vermicellifera grow on the rough bark of the trunks. Toothwort and alternate-leaved golden saxifrage grow in the nutrient-rich soil of the wet ash woodland. Spring is the time for anemones and liverleaf. They bloom in white, yellow and blue before the trees.

Regulations

Within Östra Fulltofta Nature Reserve it is forbidden to:

• damage natural features or geological formations,
• bring a dog or any other pets not held on a lead,
• dig up or in any other way damage plants (including mosses), lichens or wood-living fungi,
• light a fire other than in the places designated by the site manager,
• intentionally break or collect and remove dead wood.

Without written permission from the County Administrative Board, it is also forbidden to:

• collect invertebrates such as beetles or molluscs. One-off samples may be collected on the condition that this does not contravene any wildlife protection regulations and that traps are not used

Without permission from the site manager, it is also forbidden to:

• put up notices, signs, tape, inscriptions, posters, or any equivalent items,
• put out foreign objects (e.g., geocaches or equivalent).