Runsala, Naturreservat

The Runsala nature reserve offers varied hiking in an idyllic and scenic cultural landscape, with a deep ravine, deciduous trees and old pastures. The nature reserve consists of old meadows and pastures, lush deciduous forest and the deep Runsala ravine.

Flower tract

Runsala ravine is a great place to meet spring. Both common and more rare herbs grow here, adorable in their bloom under the delicate greenery of the trees. Further south in the reserve is Solberga meadow, where in early summer you can find plants that prefer dry and warm slopes. Sunflower is a small herb that turns its yellow flower according to the sun's rays. If it gets cloudy, it folds its petals. From the upper part of the meadow you have a wide view of the landscape to the east.

Peat and tar valley

In the north-western part of the reserve, there are remains of several crofts located on old arable land that has now become pastures. Today, only the foundations of houses remain, but two of the crofts were still inhabited in the 1950s and 1960s. West of Solberga meadow are the remains of a tar pit, where tar was produced by burning resin-rich pine wood slowly in a covered pit. Tar was an important source of income for many people in the 16th-18th centuries.

Exciting mushrooms

The pasture has become known for its interesting fungi. The scarlet waxcap, with a colorful appearance that makes it hard to miss, thrives in grazed areas, preferably near oaks. It is a tasty edible mushroom that has become increasingly rare as grazed pastures decline. Despite its good taste, it should be left alone to spread its spores.

Runsala oak

Don't miss the mighty Runsala Oak! It has a waist measurement of over five meters and is several hundred years old. Old, rough trees are home to lots of life. Everything from insects, birds and small animals to fungi, lichens and mosses.

Noble deciduous trees

The nature reserve consists of old meadows and pastures, lush deciduous forest and the deep Runsala ravine. The deciduous forest with oak, maple, aspen, linden and ash has developed freely for a long time. There are plenty of dead trunks and branches lying around, and the decaying wood is a haven for rare fungi, such as the candelabra fungus, which grows on heavily rotted aspen wood.

Restoration in progress

To recreate more of the original agricultural landscape, two spruce plantations in the northern part of the reserve were felled in December 2021. In the long term, the felled areas will be fenced and included in a grazed deciduous forest. The work has been done in collaboration with the landowner Sveaskog. We hope you will forgive that it may look a little messy for some time to come.