Nalavibergs ekäng, Naturreservat

The nature reserves Nalavibergs ekäng, Oxaryggen and Broby äng are three nature reserves located next to each other along a drumlin ridge. A marked path leads through the reserves through oak groves and groves. The three nature reserves are an important part of a drumlin area of national interest.

Meadows and deciduous forest

Nalaviberg's oak meadow has many old gnarled oaks, and after restoration and intensification of grazing, the flora has begun to become typical of grazing land. There is also a rich grove flora and plenty of different species of birds, rare insects and fungi. The old oak trees are home to the leatherback beetle, an endangered and rare beetle. To the south on the ridge is the Oxaryggen nature reserve, an open meadow with rich dry meadow flora. A visit during the summer is recommended. This is when many of the traditional meadow flowers that we associate so much with the Swedish summer bloom. North of Nalaviberg's oak meadow is the Broby äng nature reserve, where the formerly open landscape has gradually grown back since grazing ceased in the late 1970s. Today, Broby äng consists of a closed, grove-like deciduous forest with oak, hazel, ash, aspen, elm, maple and wild apple. In the eastern part of Broby äng, by the parking lot, there is a former field that is now managed as a meadow and every summer is mowed with a scythe by volunteers.

Drumlin area

The nature reserves belong to the so-called drumlin area, which includes parts of Knista, Edsberg and Hackvad parishes in Lekeberg municipality and parts of Hardemo and Viby parishes in Kumla and Hallsberg municipalities respectively. The area is of national interest for both nature conservation and cultural environment conservation. The landscape is characterized by elongated or oval ridges of moraine, so-called drumlins, with intermediate flat depressions. The drumlins were formed during the Ice Age and were formed when the ice sheet melted.

In the video below, cultural geographer Torgny Frembäck talks about drumlins and how they were formed.

Burial grounds from the Iron Age

The area has a long history of human use. Finds such as a stone axe and a flint arrowhead indicate that people were already living in the area during the Stone Age, around 4,000-6,000 years ago. On the crest of the drumlin, there are three prehistoric burial grounds with a total of more than 270 graves. In the southern part of the Nalaviberg oak meadow there are two burial grounds with a total of at least 70 graves. They consist of low, round stone circles and are probably from the Early Iron Age, about 500 BC-550 AD. In the northern part of Nalaviberg's oak meadow is the county's largest burial ground with at least 200 graves from the Late Iron Age (550-1050 AD). But at least as many burials may be hidden below the surface. The clearest graves to distinguish are the mounds. There are also round stone circles consisting of stone-filled circles that have become overgrown over time.

Oak forest for thousands of years

There has been a forest of oaks here since the so-called warm period around 8,000 years ago, when the climate was warmer here than today. However, today's oak landscape has been shaped by man's long-term and continuous use of the area.

Plants and fungi

The open dry meadow of the oxbow is managed with annual mowing. Yellow poppy, bluebell, huckleberry, chickweed and chickweed spread out here like a colorful carpet. There are also tar flowers, wild strawberry, cowslip, spearmint, wood anemone, red clover and sweet woodruff. In Nalaviberg's oak meadow you will find a variety of plants, such as long fescue, witch hazel and small-leaved wormwood. In addition to oaks, there are elements of aspen, sweet cherry, birch, hawthorn and hazel. A rich and exciting fungal flora is associated with the oaks, including oxeye daisy, oak tick and white tick, white fungus and fire fungus. The large oaks are home to a rich wildlife, and many threatened and unusual insects also thrive there. Twenty-four more or less endangered beetles have been found here, including the leatherback beetle, a beetle that is adapted to living in hollow oak trees older than 200 years.

Birds

There are plenty of birds in the area. The hollow oaks provide good nesting sites for wood pigeons, barn owls and nuthatches. There are also several different tits, thrushes, warblers and finches. A characteristic species among the finches is the stonechat.

Sign-interpreted information