Ivö klack, Naturreservat

Ivö Klack is located at the top of the island of Ivö in the north. From the 130 meter high rocky hill "Klacken" you have a view of Skåne's largest lake - Ivösjön. Swan lizards and octopuses once swam here. In the limestone quarry below Klacken you can find fossilized shells and teeth from these animals. At the quarry, there is an outdoor museum and a short and easy circular trail. Other circuits are longer and more strenuous. They go up to Klacken and offer views, old species-rich beech forest and traces of the crofting era. Signs guide you through the special geology, nature and cultural history of the area.

Exciting geology

Ivö is located in the border area between northern Skåne's hilly bedrock landscape and the chalk deposits of the Kristianstad plain. Ivö klack itself is a bedrock hill that rises 134 meters above sea level. The bedrock here consists of Vångagranite with an age of 1.3 billion years. When parts of the granite were exposed to chemical weathering during Mesozoic times (250-70 million years ago), it was transformed into kaolin clay. In the latter part of the Mesozoic, during the Cretaceous period, the sea rose. At that time, there was an archipelago landscape here. Sharks, large turtles and swan lizards swam in the water. But there were also plenty of mussels, oysters and shells. The limestone in the area comes from the shell parts of these sea creatures.

Iföverkens mining of kaolin and limestone

The northern part of Ivö was for a long time the islanders' common forest and pasture. Parts of this so-called outfield were turned into industrial land in the 1880s. This was when kaolin and limestone began to be mined at Blaksudden. Mining continued until the mid-1960s. Facilities that remain from this time are berths for boats and cement foundations. The disused kaolin and limestone quarry at Blaksudden is a world-class geological site.

Fossils of cephalopods and dinosaurs

Fossils can be found in the old limestone and kaolin quarry. These are fossilized parts of animals that lived in the area millions of years ago. The most common fossils in the quarry are shells of oysters, sea urchins and belemnites. Belemnites are extinct cephalopods with cigar-shaped shells that are also known as whelks. Some of the most unique finds are the teeth and skeletal parts of dinosaurs. The quarry is an exciting environment to explore for both children and adults.

Beech forest and lake with high natural values

There is a large continuous beech forest area in the reserve. The forest on the eastern side, with many old and dead trees, has the highest natural value. Almost 70 unusual so-called red-listed species have been found here. Of these, around 30 are fungi. There are also several rare mosses and lichens. Some of these lichens are beech lichen, pincushion lichen and beech spring lichen. The most exclusive moss is green shield moss. In Skåne, it is only found here in the beech forest on Ivö. Among the fungi, the green tick is a rarity. It has only been found in about ten places in Sweden.

Lake Ivö is home to around 25 of Sweden's 50 or so freshwater fish, including the coypu, vendace, river lamprey and dace. Birds that breed at the lake include the bittern and brown harrier. Other species seen in the area include water rail, lesser spotted woodpecker, common guillemot, osprey, kingfisher, common tern, sandwich tern and white-tailed eagle.

Outdoor life and accessibility

Ivö klack has two entrances. Klacken in the north and Ljungen in the south. Klacken can be reached via Klackavägen and Ljungen via Ljungavägen. Klacken's parking lot is large with space for buses and there is a simple toilet. From here it is close to the kaolin quarry with fossils. In the reserve there is an outdoor museum with signs that describe the geology, cultural history and nature of the area in words and pictures. Most are located along the easy yellow trail around the kaolin quarry (2.1 km). There are also signs along the other four circular loops; the blue loop goes up to the top (4.3 km), green gives a picture of crofting life (4.2 km), red is about the mighty beech forest (3.5 km) and the white loop includes all parts of the reserve (5.3 km). Rest areas with fireplaces are located in three places in the reserve: one on the northern tip, one above the bridge near the Klacken parking lot, and one by the lake near the Ljungen parking lot. It is not allowed to burn sticks and wood from the forest, so remember to bring your own charcoal or wood. Thank you for taking your rubbish home.