Heljestad , Naturreservat

Ash and hornbeam at the same time? Yes, of course! In Heljestad Nature Reserve. Here, the damp and calcareous soils have also given rise to a rich flora consisting of, among other things, goldenrod, musk madder and the orchid St. Peter's keys. The large amount of dead wood contributes to a rich insect life, which in turn attracts insect-eating birds. The red-listed lesser spotted woodpecker and also the common crow can be seen in the area.

Planned conservation burning in March-April

Sometimes the meadow must burn, so that species do not disappear! Therefore, the County Administrative Board is carrying out planned conservation burning in several protected areas during March-April, including here.

Deciduous forest with dead wood

In addition to ash and hornbeam, other deciduous trees also grow in the reserve. In the eastern part of the reserve, there are oak, linden and bird berry trees. In the northern part there are several really large beech trees, which indicates that the area was once much more open. The proportion of dead wood is high, which is partly due to the ash dieback disease. The reserve also has a small area of meadowland.

Flora and fauna

The moist and calcareous soils have given rise to a rich flora consisting of, among other things, goldenrod, musk madder and the orchid St. Peter's keys. The meadows, which have been cultivated for a very long time, are rich in buttercups.

The large amount of dead wood contributes to a rich insect life, which in turn attracts insectivorous birds. The red-listed lesser spotted woodpecker, for example, nests in the area, and the common robin can also be seen in the area.

In English

Welcome to Heljestad Nature Reserve

Here you are met by a forest that largely consists of the rather unusual combination of ash and hornbeam. Around smaller springs and other small bodies of water there is a rich flora

and a variety of mosses.

The moist and calcareous soils have given rise to a flora consisting of, among other things, Alternate leaved golden saxifrage, Sweet woodruff and the orchid Early purple orchid. The meadow, which has been cultivated for a very long time, has plenty of Globeflowers growing.

The large amount of dead wood, which is partly due to the European ash dieback, contributes to a rich insect life which in turn attracts insect-eating birds. The red-listed Lesser Spotted

Woodpecker nests in the reserve and the Black Woodpecker can be seen in the area.

Regulations

Within Heljestad Nature Reserve it is forbidden to:

• damage fixed natural objects or surface formations ,
• bring unleashed dogs or other loose pets ,
• pick or dig up plants, pick mosses, lichens or wood-living fungi,
• deliberately break up, or collect and remove dead wood.

Without written permission from the County Administrative Board it is forbidden to:

• collect invertebrate animals, e.g. beetles,
• place out alien objects (e.g. geocaches or similar).

Furthermore, without permission from the commissioner for nature conservation it is forbidden to:

• put up boards, signs, posters, paper strips or similar, or make inscriptions.