Blomsfors, Naturreservat

This nature reserve protects a mosaic of lakes, streams, wetlands, deciduous and coniferous forests. The varied nature supports a great diversity of fungi, plants and animals. There are also several cultural and historical remains.

Valuable forests

Blomsfors nature is a mixture of deciduous and coniferous forests, water lily-dense lakes and willow-covered marshes. The forests contain many old and large trees that are valuable for many organisms. Discerning ticks and mosses grow on large aspens, and the larvae of the aspen leaf beetle thrive in the rough bark. Aspen trees are also popular with woodpeckers for pecking out nest holes. When the woodpeckers abandon their holes, other birds move in.

Swamp forests - an important environment

In the nature reserve there is a special type of habitat called swamp forest. These are forests that grow near water and are regularly flooded. The floods stress the trees, sometimes so much that they die. The dead wood becomes a breeding ground for fungi, which speed up decay. This benefits a range of beetles and other bugs that thrive in dead, decaying wood.

Cultural and historical remains

At Snurran there are old house foundations, fruit trees, stone walls and cultivation terraces. The name Vidängarna brings to mind haymaking, and this area has probably been used as both haymaking and grazing land. Along the reserve trail you will pass small patches of fields and clearance cairns reminiscent of the farmers' hard work. You will also pass an iron production site. Here you can see the remains of small piles of iron slag.

Virån river

Virån is one of Kalmar County's most valuable watercourses. In the catchment area, there are, among other things, thick-shelled mussels, brook trout, stonefish and lamprey. Above the surface, you may be lucky enough to encounter otters and kingfishers.

Visitor information

Camping is allowed for one night. There are currently no prepared places for parking motorhomes, for example, and you are not allowed to stay overnight in the parking lot.

The hiking trail Blomsforsleden in the southern part of the reserve goes via older farm roads past old farmland but also through terrain with hills and large boulders. Along the way you also go through swamp forests, deciduous forests and forests with more conifers. One stretch follows the Virån river. At Vidängarna you can see clear traces of older farming communities, here are old field patches, several cairns and traces of iron production.

Listen to a podcast episode about ancient iron production in Blomsfors nature reserve

Lena König runs the podcast Archaeology and History.

In this episode "Pre-Roman proto-industry and medieval forges" from 2024, she meets archaeologist Michael Dahlin. He talks about the ongoing archaeological investigation of a two thousand year old iron production site at Virån in the nature reserve. There are tons of iron slag here, indicating a huge iron production from the centuries before the birth of Christ! But first they visit a site on the other side of the Virån, outside the nature reserve. A place that was once called Smedjemåla and where there was also a smithy already in the Middle Ages.

The episode is produced with a grant from the County Administrative Board of Kalmar County.