Flatlandsmossen, Naturreservat

The Flatlandsmossen nature reserve offers varied nature with dry rocky areas, crevice valleys, steep rock walls and a mosaic of wetlands. Nowadays, nature seems untouched and lonely, but old stumps, overgrown coal beds and the Villingskullen croft's farmland are reminiscent of the hardships of the past.

Swampy rift valleys

In the northern part of the reserve there are boulder-rich rift valleys with vertical cliff walls, while up on the mountain ridges old coniferous forest grows on dry rocky ground. Further south, Flatlandsmossen itself takes over. In the crevice valleys, the forest is partly swampy and there is high humidity. From the old spruce trees hang tangles of yarn lichen that create a magical atmosphere. Yarn lichen is a yellow-grey hanging lichen with a tangled growth pattern that in favorable cases can be meters long. Here and there, there are dead standing or fallen trees, known as flames. Various wood-living fungi grow on the trunks. The flesh tick breaks down dead spruce trees and thrives where the spruce forest is really old and has constant high humidity.

Thrives in old forests

Old trees also attract woodpeckers such as the three-toed woodpecker - it's easy to find food and peck out nest holes. One flower that is typical of old forests is the tiny orchid knotweed. Despite being one of Sweden's most common orchids, it is easily overlooked. A closer look reveals that the tiny flowers are hairy and sit in a twisted axil.

The moss

In the southern part of the reserve, Flatlandsmossen itself takes over with a mosaic of marshlands and mainland islets with older pine forest. Around the bog you will find the oldest pines in the reserve, but also some older spruce. The bog is largely unaffected by human intervention and has not changed its appearance significantly - here you see an ancient habitat.

Accessibility

Flatlandsmossen 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.