Hässlen, Naturreservat

The large hazel groves in the Hässlen Nature Reserve are among the northernmost in Sweden. The nutcracker, which is uncommon in this region, depends on hazelnuts and has a large colony here.
Photo: Dalarna County Administrative Board

Old Finnish Farmstead with Wooded Meadows

Hässlen was originally a Finnish farmstead dating back to the 17th century. In the past, large wooded meadows were mowed here. The farm was inhabited until the 1950s, after which the land began to grow over. In the 1980s, the land was cleared and mowing resumed.

At Hässlen, the residential building, barn, and root cellar remain. The northern part of the reserve is mowed annually, and the other parts are grazed by sheep.

Hazelnuts are a favorite of the rare nutcracker

Hässlen has plenty of hazel bushes. About 20 pairs of nutcrackers nest in the adjacent spruce forest and feed during the winter on hazelnuts they have gathered and hidden.

The hay meadow is home to, among other things, pasqueflower, field gentian, and quaking grass. In the spring, a dense carpet of bluebells and cowslips blooms.

Species left over from warmer times

The hazel in the area is a remnant from when the climate was warmer, a so-called relict species. In Dalarna, it otherwise grows mainly on sunny, south-facing slopes. Another relict species in Hässlen is the snow-white hazel moth, a small butterfly that has only been found here in Dalarna.

Many farms in southern Dalarna used to maintain hazel groves. These were originally wild hazel stands that were later cultivated. The only one of Dalarna’s hazel groves to have survived to the present day is Hässlen.

"Relic" is a zoological and botanical term referring to a surviving, usually isolated, animal or plant species. In this case, the hazel and the butterfly spread up here during a warmer period.

Outdoor Recreation

At Hässlen, there is a simple picnic area with a bench table. Firewood is available at the barn next door. Water can be obtained from a well.

The 16-kilometer-long Reservatsleden trail runs through the reserve, connecting Hässlen with the Realsbo hage, Pålsbenning, and Blåberget nature reserves.