Sånnarna, Naturreservat

Skåneleden SL 6 passes through the area, as does the Sånnaleden circular trail. Here you can experience the sweet scent of sand cloves. The nature reserve is a haven for a range of sand-dwelling plants and animals. In the frog water in the north, you can also get acquainted with the rare beach toad. Start your visit at the Sånnarna outdoor museum, just south of the parking lot in the northwest.

Area with a long history

Ever since the Bronze Age, these sandy lands around Åhus have been used by local people and livestock. The vast pastures have dominated the picture, but here and there there have been small fields that have been moved around for lack of food. It is this history that has also created the conditions for the diversity of plants and animals that exist here today.

Fragrance and bustle in the land of rabbits

In high summer, these poor sandy soils glow in yellow, red and blue with flowering heath flowers, yellow buttercup, mountain sorrel and blue monkshood. On slightly more nutrient-rich parts of the soil, species such as bluebell, ox-tongue and sandwort grow. The sandy soil is also home to many lichens.

The easily dug ground is home to rabbits that move around in the sand to the benefit of both lime-demanding plants and insects that depend on exposed sand. You can also spot the characteristic bird of sandy soils, the skylark, on the cracked sand. Many wild bees, especially sand bees, thrive in the reserve. So do several beetle species that depend on animal droppings, such as the spectacular moonhorn beetle.

Beach toads and mole crickets

The old sandpit in the northern part of the reserve is now home to the rare beach toad. It is Sweden's smallest toad and perhaps the most endangered of our amphibians. The beach toad thrives on beach meadows with shallow sunlit water bodies without fish. During the day the toads lie buried in the sand. Only at dusk do they crawl out to eat, play and mate. From April to June, you can hear their metallic creaking sounds when they hold a concert. Another species that has found its way here is the mole cricket. This crustacean-like insect also burrows and emerges for some nocturnal flights.

Outdoor life

Start your visit at the Sånnarna outdoor museum, just south of the parking lot in the northwest. Here you can learn more about the nature and cultural heritage of the sandy area. Skåneleden SL 6 passes through the nature reserve, as does the circular trail Sånnastigen Link to another website, opens in new window, which is marked in blue in the field. The Sånnastigen trail consists of a 1 km loop in the reserve and a 2 km loop directly east of the reserve. There is a rest area near the parking lot, as well as the water-filled old gravel pit, which is now home to the beach toad and mole cricket. Remember that dogs and grazing animals should be kept separate. Thank you for taking your rubbish home.

Sånnarna is one of the visitor sites in the Vattenriket Biosphere Reserve Link to another website, opens in new window. Vattenriket offers opportunities for hiking, cycling and kayaking/canoeing. Next to Helge å in Kristianstad is the Vattenriket nature center where you can get good nature guidance.