Before fertilizers and new farming methods modernized agriculture, meadows were a common feature of the Swedish landscape. This is reflected in the saying "meadow is the mother of fields", an expression that also says a lot about how agriculture worked right up to the major changes in the 19th century.
The availability of meadowland determined how much winter feed could be gathered for livestock. If the winter was long and cold, the animals could be forced to starve and the number of livestock had to be limited to the winter feeding possibilities. Manure from the animals was spread on the fields to increase the harvest. In other words, if you had plenty of meadowland, you could house many animals, get a lot of manure and ultimately richer harvests. The meadow was managed according to a recurring pattern. In the spring, the meadow was cleared of dry grass, sticks and last year's leaves and burned. In high summer it was time for mowing. The grass was cut with a scythe and dried. After the hay had been gathered, the cattle were often let out to graze. Today, much of the former meadows are fields, pastures or forest plantations.
The fact that there are still traditionally managed meadows left is largely due to voluntary efforts. This is also the case with Malmviksängen. Since the mid-1960s, the Åtvidaberg Nature Conservation Association has been responsible for the management of the meadow, and the hard work has yielded great results. More than 200 vascular plant species grow here. If it hadn't been for the annual mowing, several of these species would have been quickly outcompeted. If you visit the meadow on a summer's day, you can see orchids such as Virgin Mary's keys and night violet crowded with buttercups, meadow rattle, pig's-foot, clustered fibula, snake's-foot, cross-leaved cowslip, common chickweed and meadow vetch. The rich flora also means that there are plenty of beautiful butterflies and other insects. Together with the large oaks and hazel bushes, Malmviksängen's environments are very appealing to both plants and animals, and also to us humans! Malmviksängen is part of the EU's network of valuable nature, Natura 2000.
There is no grazing after haymaking here, nor does it seem to have occurred in the past, as the meadow was used for fodder production by forestry workers' families until around 1940. Now the meadow is fenced off to keep the wild boars away. But a little way in from the parking lot next to the old road there is a device to step over the fence and a little further along this road there is a gate where you can enter to explore and enjoy the diversity of the meadow. If you want to help with the care of the meadow, contact the Nature Conservation Association in Åtvidaberg.
