Uroczysko Wrzosy Nature Reserve

The Uroczysko Wrzosy Nature Reserve lies on the Silesian Lowland in the Wołów municipality, between the villages of Wrzosy to the east and Wodnica to the west, about 5 kilometres north-west of Wołów. It is a forest reserve within the Jezierzyca Valley Landscape Park, established on 8 March 2000 by a regulation of the Lower Silesian voivode.

What the reserve protects

The reserve covers forests, flowing and standing waters, forest land and mid-forest meadows over a total area of 575.11 hectares. It was created chiefly to protect fragments of riparian forests, especially currant alder carr and ash-alder riparian forest, as well as the breeding grounds of forest and wetland birds. In 2010 the Regional Director for Environmental Protection in Wrocław enlarged the protected area and created a buffer zone of 397.35 hectares around the reserve.

Flora and fauna

The reserve's flora numbers about 470 plant species, 21 of which are under protection, including royal fern, whose population here is the largest in the voivodeship, as well as marsh pea, greater spearwort, early marsh orchid, spring snowflake and mezereon. The birdlife includes about 180 bird species, of which 120 are breeding species. The reserve stands out for its large concentration of monumental trees and wetland bird breeding grounds.

Landscape

The area lies entirely within the Dębniańskie Mokradła Natura 2000 site. The waters rich in hydrophytic vegetation here include oxbow lakes, breeding ponds at Wrzosy, mid-forest bogs, drainage ditches, streams and watercourses. The preserved alder carrs, with their hummock-and-hollow forest floor structure, rank, according to the reserve's description, among the most beautiful in Lower Silesia.

Practical information

• Address: Wołów municipality, the area between Wrzosy and Wodnica, about 5 km north-west of Wołów
• Access: public access to the reserve, the exact course of trails and entry points is worth checking before a visit
• What to expect: riparian forests, mid-forest meadows and waters, a protected area without tourist infrastructure
• Nearby, a few kilometres away, is the Castle in Wołów, and closer to the reserve the Jezierzyca Valley Landscape Park