Knalla, Naturreservat

In Knalla Nature Reserve you can walk through dry rocky areas as well as lush deciduous forest. A varied and species-rich forest area stretches along the shores of Lake Viksjön. In the spring, the ground is covered in bluebells in places, and in the fall there are plenty of mushrooms.

Old forest

In the past, people have used the forest to collect firewood and fell individual trees, but it has never been subjected to modern forestry. As a result, the forest has become old, with plenty of older trees and a lot of dead trunks lying around.

Watch and listen to conservation biologist Rolf Wedding talk about Knalla Nature Reserve:

Habitats for many species

The forest is varied with conifers, deciduous trees, dead wood and boulders. Thanks to this, the reserve has a large number of different biotopes, i.e. habitats that have a particular plant or animal life that thrives there.

Troll's grapes

If you head for the southern part of the area, you will come to a forest with many deciduous trees, small cliffs, rock walls and outcrops. The terrain is a bit adventurous to navigate, but there is plenty to discover. If you see fallen deciduous trees, it could be the beaver that has been on the move. Here and there you'll find hazel bushes, wood anemone and witch hazel, which indicate that there is lime or greenstone in the bedrock. However, don't eat the black berries of the witch hazel - they are poisonous and perhaps only the trolls can tolerate them!

Forest grazing

The fungal flora is interesting and rich in species, including thorn mushrooms and bladderworts. Hagwax fungi usually grow on land where animals have been grazing. In the past, it was common for cows and sheep to graze freely in the forest, which is perhaps why these fungi are found here. The animals probably belonged to the two crofts that were in the area, the name Andersbo in the southern part of the reserve still reminds us of one of them.