Årnäsudden, Naturreservat

A visit to the reserve is perhaps best in late summer, but it is also beautiful to wander around Årnäsudden in spring. Then you can see the streaks of migratory birds in the sky and in Grässkärsviken next to the beach meadow you can see some of them resting and looking for food. Wherever you are in the reserve, you have beautiful views before your eyes.
Årnäsudden is a fairly typical Halland coastal reserve. The cliffs are not very high and the juniper trees have not grown large. If you visit Årnäsudden on a sunny day in August, you will experience a colorful compote of the more summery kind. Between the gray rocks, the heather blooms purple. On the green carpet of the beach meadow, the yellow flowers of the gooseberry shine. Moving further down towards the blue waters of the Kattegat, the rocks are adorned with colorful lichens. It is easy to walk on the dry heath and along well-trodden paths out onto the headland.

Sheep graze in the meadows, while cows have settled among the heather or near a depression where the vegetation is lush. In the southern parts of the reserve, gray rocky areas spread out. It is a barren environment that we usually associate with Bohuslän, but even in Halland we can behold the magnificent beauty of the rocky areas.

Grazing and burning are important

Årnäsudden has been grazed for a long time, which has characterized the plant life on the site. In the meadow, you will find a low-growing flora of, among other things, goosegrass, golden clover, wild clover and sea creeper. On the dry heath, larger and hardier species such as heather, crowberry and maidenhair grow, while more moisture-demanding species such as bluebell, bellflower and hemlock thrive in the hollows between the rocks. The most exclusive plant is probably the spruce spurge, which is found on the reserve's wet heaths. The species has declined sharply in the 20th century due to overgrowth or fertilization of natural pastures. The spruce spurge thrives best in lean conditions and benefits from grazing and regular burning. These are management measures that the County Administrative Board has taken note of and is implementing both at Årnäsudden and in many other heathland reserves.

Many birds thrive here

The well-grazed meadows are appreciated by a number of waders. Red-legged, lapwing and greater sandpiper nest in the area. Avoid wandering over the marshy ground during spring and summer. If the waders are frightened away from the nest, eggs and chicks may be eaten!

Ancient traces

Just as in the Näsbokrok nature reserve, there are also several stone cairns from the Bronze Age on Årnäsudden. The cairns were built in high positions in the terrain so that they would be visible from the sea, the import route for the important bronze. Together with stone circles, cairns are the most common type of ancient remains in the coastal areas of Halland.