Härvesta ekhage, Naturreservat

The Härvesta oak grove nature reserve is located in one of Sweden's most beautiful oak and drumlin landscapes. For thousands of years there have been oaks on the drumlins. The oaks are vital habitats for many insects and bugs. The area fulfills an important function as the oaks are preserved to attract insects and animals, which now live in Ekåsen Nature Reserve.

The rolling drumlin landscape

Härvesta oak grove is located in one of the country's finest drumlin landscapes. The drumlins are made up of moraine, brought here by the ice sheet. They are stretched out in a north-south direction. There have been oak trees on the drumlins for 8,000 years, and they are important habitats for many insects.

Long cultural history

Härvesta is located in a part of the county where people lived early on. The stone axes found in the area show that people were already here during the Stone Age (8000-1800 BC). In the immediate area there are also several burial grounds that show that people have lived in the area since at least the Iron Age (about 500 BC-1050 AD). The reserve consists of old meadows and pastures, which in the mid-19th century were called Södra hagen. In the area there are old fence remains and a timber outbuilding that today provides shelter for the grazing animals.

Plants and animals

In the more open and brighter parts of the reserve grow buckwheat, small and large bluebells, foxglove, black cowslip, meadowsweet and cuckoo pea. The bark of the oak trees is a vital environment for a number of different lichen species, which get better living conditions the older the oaks get. Many birds thrive in the varied pasture environment and the bird song during spring and early summer is usually an appreciated feature of the visitor's nature experience. Nutcracker, blackcap and chaffinch are important singers in the bird choir. The area also has a depression between the drumlins with a small pool of water, where the greater newt has been found.

Valuable oak landscape

The old oak trees in the area mean that there are many insects and animals here. The animals thrive best when the oaks have passed 200 years of age and until their death at around 500 years of age. The oak trees in the reserve are still too young for the bugs to thrive here. However, there must always be oaks of different ages that gradually grow and mature, otherwise continuity would be broken and wildlife would die out. In the older oaks, trunk cavities form, filled with loose material from leaves, insect gnawings, bird nests, dead animals, etc. This mulm is a habitat for a large number of rare animals, which currently occur mainly just south of the area in Ekåsen Nature Reserve. From there, they can easily spread to Härvesta oak grove.

King's oaks

The king wanted to be sure that there was enough oak timber to build boats. That's why oak trees in Sweden were protected in the 16th century. Only the king's men were allowed to cut down oaks, and for a long time almost no oaks were cut down on farmers' land. As a result, many oaks grew large and had wide crowns, especially in open, light hay meadows and pastures. Since the protection was lifted in the 19th century, many of these large oaks have been cut down. It is therefore important that we take care of the oaks that remain.

Accessibility

Härvesta Oak Garden belongs to level 1 in the County Administrative Board's leveling of the county's nature reserves, which means that the reserve lacks outdoor recreation facilities.