Esperöd, Naturreservat

The Esperöd nature reserve is located just southeast of Kivik, a few hundred meters in from the coast. Here you will find nutrient-rich broadleaf forest, shrub-rich land and a couple of small ponds. Esperöd and its surroundings are home to a number of threatened and rare species.

Deciduous forest and heath

The nature reserve consists largely of broadleaf forest dominated by hornbeam and oak, with elements of beech and ash. In the eastern part of the reserve there is a damp stretch of birch forest. Adjacent to paths and roads in the reserve there are open areas with heath vegetation.

Rarities of the reserve

Several red-listed species have been found in the open areas of the reserve, including the sand lizard and the plants squirreltail, white alder, field bindweed and common heath. In the broadleaf forest, the rare beetle beech forest runner has been found. The shy hazel dormouse has been observed in the shrubby areas.

Frog-rich small ponds

In the eastern parts of the reserve there was a gravel pit until the 1950s. In connection with the quarrying activities, a couple of small ponds were created that today are important habitats for a number of amphibians. The rare long-legged frog spawns in the shallow ponds, but there are also common frogs and both greater and lesser newts.

**The reserve is accessible to the public, but you should be aware that amphibians as well as sand lizards and dormice are sensitive to disturbance.

In English

Welcome to Esperöd Nature Reserve

Welcome to roam among trees and bushes in Esperöd Nature Reserve. The varied countryside with forests, shrub vegetation and small waters is home to sand lizard, hazel
dormouse and agile frog.

The nature reserve consists largely of broad-leaved deciduous forest, dominated by hornbeam and oak. May lily, French meadow-rue and lily-of-the-valley grow here. The area also has a stable population of the rare blue ground beetle. In the eastern part of the reserve, you find a wet belt of birch forest and open, shrubby ground with a large proportion of hazel.

The shrub vegetation provides important habitats for both plants and animals. With luck, you may see a sand lizard scuttle past in open areas or clearings. It lays its eggs in warm sand and therefore requires bare sandy patches. Squirreltail fescue, silver hair-grass and common centaury are among the rare plants found in the reserve.

Until the 1950s, there was a gravel pit in the eastern part of today's reserve. A couple of small ponds developed as a result of extraction activities. By now, they are valuable habitats for a number of amphibians. The rare agile frog spawns in the shallow ponds, along with common frog, common newt and great crested newt.

An overgrown orchard is found in the northernmost part of the reserve. The fascinating shrub vegetation includes hazel, blackberry and gorse. The timid hazel dormouse thrives here
and in other parts of the reserve. It is difficult to spot, but look out for its nests in the branches.

Regulations

Within Esperöd Nature Reserve it is forbidden to:

• put up notice boards, signs, posters, or similar, or make inscriptions on properties owned by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency,
• carry out any form of construction work or erect objects alien to the reserve,
• drive motor vehicles or ride bicycles,
• ride or drive horses,
• bring dogs unless kept on a physical leash.

Furthermore, without permission from the County Administrative Board it is forbidden to:

• catch insects, spiders, gastropods or other invertebrate animals other than by netting, hand picking or other selective method with subsequent reintroduction within the nature reserve. The requirement for reintroduction does not apply to individual voucher specimens of each species on condition that the collection is not contrary to the species protection regulations,
• collect mosses, lichens or wood-living fungi with the exception of individual voucher specimens and on condition that the collection is not contrary to the species protection regulations.