Kalvhöjden, Naturreservat

Agricultural landscape with rich flora.
The area is of botanical interest partly because the land is still mown. This means that some mowing-dependent plant species occur, such as field gentian, meadow rattlesnake, haymaking flower and red campion. The soil conditions also contribute to the rich vegetation.

The area is of cultural-historical interest because it has been under unbroken cultivation since the beginning of the 17th century when it was farmed by immigrating Finns. As far as possible, the reserve is managed according to the old ways and traditions.

The reserve was established to preserve and manage an old-fashioned farming landscape in the Finnish countryside, with a rich flora, and to do this as far as possible using traditional methods and tools. The area is part of the EU's Natura 2000 network of valuable nature sites.

Animals and plants

The bedrock consists of dark slates which provide a nutrient-rich soil. This, together with varied soil moisture, means that the flora is rich and varied. The species list can be made long as more than 150 plant species have been noted in the reserve, including forest fist, forest vetch, bunchberry and marsh marigold, as well as the orchids two-leaf, Virgin Mary's keys, bride's spurge and coral root.

The management practices used in the reserve - mowing with scythes after flowering, animal grazing, etc. - are necessary to preserve many of the plants, animals and insects that are currently threatened with extinction. Many plants found in meadows have leaf rosettes, which are exposed after mowing and grazing. This allows the plants to absorb the sun's rays in late summer, providing them with enough nutrients to survive until next year. Among the rosette plants are, for example, hayseed, cleavers, daisies and bluebells. In addition to rosette plants, fall-growing species are also common. They find it very difficult to survive without mowing or grazing. Autumn-growing species include field gentian, hay rattle, meadow rattle, and snakeweed.

Bird life is dominated by warblers, flycatchers and other species that thrive in open landscapes.