Södra Ripa Sandar, Naturreservat

Södra Ripa sand is one of the most species-rich sandy areas in eastern Skåne. Sun-loving yellow-flowering heath flowers, yellow poppies and buttercups light up the area in the summer, but there are also rare earth stars and capuchin butterflies. Several of the unique species are dependent on warm environments and bare sand formed by the trampling of grazing animals. Södra Ripa sand is located five kilometers southwest of Åhus on the Kristianstad plain. There is no parking or hiking trails in the reserve.

Pasture flavors with sun-warmed sand

Södra Ripa sandar is an area of just over 70 hectares with lean and sun-open sandy soils that are grazed. Here and there are patches of bare sand created by the trampling of grazing animals. And in places, the soil contains lime. Together, these create an attractive environment for many unusual flowers, but also butterflies, wild bees and fungi.

Alternating field and fallow in the past

Before the advent of chemical fertilizers in the 20th century, this type of land could only be cultivated in certain years. In between, the land had to lie fallow and rest so as not to be completely depleted of nutrients. A small part was cultivated each year with rye, buckwheat and potatoes. But everything that lay fallow developed a rich pasture flora instead. The flowering trees could be used as pasture year after year. Cultivation in the reserve ceased at the end of the 20th century and now consists of species-rich, grazed woodland.

Wild bees live in the sand

The sandy patches that have always been created by small-scale cultivation and animal trampling have been crucial to the exclusive species composition of Södra Ripa sand. In the bare sand, wild bees find warm places to nest and flowers a place to grow. Today, this type of grazed sandy soil is rare. Nowadays, much of the land around Åhus is used for large-scale arable farming, made possible by artificial fertilizers.

Heath flowers color the ground yellow

The Södra Ripa sands are one of the most worthy of protection of the Åhus sandy soils. A total of 44 rare, so-called red-listed species have been found in the reserve area in the 2000s. Of these, 21 are insects and 7 are vascular plants. Heath flowers are a characteristic plant in the area. Other rare flowers are the sand carnation and sand thistle. An unusual fungus in the reserve is the small earth star. And examples of insects are the ribbed dung beetle and the butterfly with the special name silver-spotted capuchin fly. On the fence posts lives the unusual lichen gray barn lichen. Both the gray barn lichen and the silver spotted capuchin butterfly are critically endangered and are found almost exclusively in the Åhus region.

Outdoor life

The reserve is located just west of Ripa and 5 km southwest of Åhus. The open flower-rich land in Södra Ripa sands is grazed for much of the year. Summer vacation is the right time if you want to see the yellow-flowering fields with, among other things, heath flowers. There is no parking, and there are no footpaths or fence entrances. You can roam freely, but remember to keep dogs separate from grazing animals. Thank you for taking your rubbish home.