Björshus, Naturreservat

Björshus, with its hilly and sandy landscape, is an important and rare environment for many threatened species. After a couple of years of conservation burning, the sand lily has become more common. A river runs through the reserve, bordered by deciduous swamp forest. Several bird species thrive here, including the shy kingfisher. Björshus is located west of Drakamöllan nature reserve Link to another website...

In Björshus nature reserve you can walk over dry sandy hills that are an important and rare environment for many endangered species. The landscape was formed when the ice sheet melted, leaving behind thick layers of glacial river sand. What remained was a hilly landscape.

Restoration to the landscape of old

When the Björshus nature reserve was established in 2013, the old meadows and pastures were almost completely overgrown. Planted pine forests covered the southern part of the reserve and the deciduous forest in the northern parts had spread and was too dense for many species. Thinning, spring burning and the creation of sandy areas with the help of excavators have improved the conditions for sand-dwelling organisms. After a couple of years of conservation burning, the sand lily has become more common. Creating exposed areas of sand creates a warmer microclimate, which benefits many insect species.

Coniferous forest attracts bird species

Within Björshus there are also broadleaf forests with mainly beech and oak. Between Drakamöllan Link to another website and Björshus reserve runs a river bordered by deciduous swamp forest. Several bird species thrive in the dense and leafy swamp forest, and the shy kingfisher is sometimes found here.

In English

Welcome to Björshus Nature Reserve

Björshus is a nature reserve under development. And the prospects are good - for flowering sandy slopes and the unique sand steppe. The open areas are flanked by broadleaved woodland and lush wet woodland where a tributary of the River Julebodaån meanders through.

In the 1800s the rolling sandy heaths were much more extensive in the landscape. The area was a grazed pasture interspersed with temporary fields here and there. In the 1900s pine was planted and woodland began to regain ground in places after the landscape had been farmed and open for hundreds of years. But now the grassland and the flower-rich sand steppe will once again gain ground. The pines have given way to heather, herbs and grasses. In the western parts, the woodland will be allowed to develop with oak, beech and wild cherry with a varied age structure.

There are patches of sand steppe here, an unusual vegetation type that is only found in Eastern Skåne and Öland. The basis for this is dry sandy ground rich in chalk, and where the ground is disturbed from time to time, so that new chalk comes up to the surface. It used to be the plow and the cows that created the disturbance - now it is done with diggers. Follow this exciting development and see when breckland thyme and Antherum liliago regain ground at Björshus.

Regulations for Björshus visitors

Within Björshus Nature Reserve it is forbidden to:

• remove, dig, bore, paint or in any other way damage the ground, stones or natural objects,
• camp or park caravans, campers or similar overnight
• light fires,
• during the period April 1 to November 30 ride or lead horses
• cycle other than on roads
• bring dogs or other pets unless on a physical leash
• pick, dig up or in any other way damage plants, mosses, lichens and wood-living fungi
• park outside designated parking areas
• introduce or release species alien to the reserve

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

• hold or organize competitions or similar events,
• catch insects, spiders, gastropods or other invertebrate animals other than by netting, hand picking or other selective method which does not destroy their habitat, with subsequent reintroduction within the nature reserve. The requirement for reintroduction does not apply to individual voucher specimens of species which are difficult to identify, on condition that the record is logged in the reporting system Artportalen, or an equivalent national database for threatened species, and that the collection is not contrary to the species protection regulations,