Österplana hed - Nature Reserve
Kinnekulle

The tending of the area is mainly annual grazing and cleaning at need. The reserve is situated on Kinnekulle's limestone plateau the so-called “ortocerkalk” that is 50 meters thick. The bottom layer of the ortocerkalk consists of red limestone, which is a marked red limestone cleft that can be seen around Kinnekulle. The red limestone cleft is the boundary for the reserve in the east with gorgeous waterfalls and precipices covered with fallen stones and rocks.

Flora

The location of the limestone bed with a thin covering of soil, the annual grazing for years and the mild climate have created special conditions for this kind of flora. This type of nature is called “alvar” and can only be found at a few places in the world. In Sweden it can also be found around Falköping as well as on Öland and Gotland. In spring the Early Purple Orchid grows in large amounts in the moor at the church. The plants growing in this earth layer are usually small and creep along the ground e.g. Wild Thyme and different kinds of Stonecrops. Her you can also find the little, rare Arenaria Gothica with white flowers that can be found only here and on Gotland. In the reserve there are deciduous forests and swamps too.

Cultural History

Almost the whole reserve has been meadows and pastureland except for some fields close to previous farms and cottages. The pasturage was meagre on the thin earth layer and in dry years the cows were starving. Every homestead owned a piece of the so-called soapstone bed in the limestone where the owners could quarry building stones for household requirements. Large areas that earlier were open land are overgrown today and many old fields are planted with spruces.