Hummelsbütteler Moore

Summary

Die letzten Reste einer ehemals weit ausgedehnten Moorlandschaft gehören zu diesem Schutzgebiet.

Description

The landscape is characterised by nutrient-poor areas with birch swamp forests. The presence of dead birch trees does not indicate poor health of the tree population, but rather points to the high water table typical of peatland. This charming scene is complemented by lush stands of bog asphodels in the damp peatland meadows. Walkers will easily spot sphagnum mosses, cranberries, cross-leaved heather and cottongrass in spring, as these can be seen from a distance. Their inflorescences consist of spikelets made up of multiple flowers. The long floral bracts of the fruits form the characteristic white woolly tuft. Contrary to common belief, these 'cotton-like tufts' are not displayed by the plants when they are in flower, but when they are bearing fruit. Marsh cinquefoil, marsh speedwell and marsh gentian can also be found in the Hummelsbüttel peatlands. The Hummelsbütteler Moore Nature Reserve aims to preserve native ecosystems and provide a habitat for rare and endangered animal species. These include the moor frog, which turns blue during the spawning season, and the viviparous lizard. Moor frogs depend on permanently wet habitats and have suffered as a result of the large-scale drainage of wetlands that took place in the past. The quiet observer may also spot the black darter and ruddy darter.