Norra Mossby, Naturreservat

The nature reserve Norra Mossby is something as unusual in Närke as a small piece of alvar-like land, something that we otherwise mostly find on Öland and Gotland. The bedrock consists of limestone, which has given rise to a steppe-like vegetation and species-rich flora.

Bedrock of limestone

Norra Mossby is located on the Närkes plain's plate of layered rocks. The bedrock in the reserve consists of so-called orthoceratite limestone, formed about 500 million years ago. A type of octopus, orthoceratites, occurs as fossils and has given the limestone its name. Above the limestone there are only a few decimeters of till. Such areas have often been used for limestone mining. There are now only a few remnants of this alvar-like soil type in the county.

Steppe-like dry meadow flora

The area consists of a fairly open dry meadow, but in some parts there are plenty of trees and shrubs. Oxel plays a prominent role in the tree layer, goat's apple in the shrub layer. The limestone bedrock, the thin soil layer, the sun exposure and the previous land use with mowing and grazing have provided the conditions for the steppe-like dry meadow flora. Species that grow here are creeping thistle, ground thistle, woodruff, bird's-foot trefoil and wild carrot. In somewhat wetter areas you can find slender sedge. Many plants that are also found on other substrates thrive particularly well on the limestone, such as cornflower and cowslip.

Graveyards

The area is also characterized by two cemeteries with about 35 round stone circles. In addition, there are other cairns here that are traces of later land use.

Sign-interpreted information