Bellheim Forest

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Overview map: The forests between the Palatinate Forest / Haardt and the Rhine lowlands on the alluvial fans of the brooks (from the north): the Speyer forest on the alluvial fans of the Speyerbach and the Rehbach , south of it the Bellheimer Forest on the alluvial cone of the Queich , then the alluvial fan of the Klingbach and the whole in the south the largest of the forests, the Bienwald, on the alluvial fan of the Lauter . The two brown lines parallel to the Rhine mark the transition from the Hochgestade to the Rhine lowlands, the area in which the Rhine meandered, i.e. where the course of the river repeatedly relocated. The alluvial fans break off on this line, because the Rhine naturally easily transported sand carried along by the streams.

The Bellheim Forest between Landau in the Palatinate and Germersheim is a forest on the alluvial fan of the Queich , a stream that strives from the Palatinate Forest towards the Rhine . The eponymous place Bellheim borders directly to the south on the forest.

Geological formation during and at the end of the last ice age

From the foothills of the Upper Rhine Graben, numerous brooks strive towards the Rhine , including from the Palatinate Forest over the Haardtrand in an easterly direction. In the last ice age and with its decline, there was abundant meltwater available, which transported large amounts of rubble and sand from the mountains to the Rhine plain. The water was distributed in the plain and so gravel and sand were deposited there and formed so-called alluvial fans. The name comes from the triangular shape that extends into the plain towards the Rhine.

In the case of the Bellheim Forest, the starting point is the exit of the Queich from the Palatinate Forest near Albersweiler via the Haardt near Godramstein into the Rhine plain.

Because the predominantly sandy soil was of little interest for arable farming, because it was not very productive, forest areas were able to be preserved on these alluvial areas even after agriculture was established as an economic form, while the loess areas were cleared early .

Germersheimer dune

The further the streams flowed into the plain, the more the water spread and slowed down so that the material carried along could be deposited. The heavier material was left lying first. Smaller stones and sand were transported on until they too were deposited. At the end of the alluvial fan there are therefore particularly fine sands. During dry periods, these were partially blown to form dunes, some of which have been preserved, including on the eastern edge of the Bellheim Forest.

The Germersheimer dune called "Schindereck" is about 15 hectares. A complex of sandy and semi-arid grasslands has developed on the inland dune . One of the rare plant species found there is the five-male spark ( Spergula pentandra ). Extensive silver grass lawns are the habitat of the steppe bee ( Nomioides minutissimus ), which was only rediscovered in Rhineland-Palatinate a few years ago after an absence of more than 140 years. The woodlark, which is becoming increasingly rare in Central Europe, also uses the inland dune as a habitat. The song of the woodlark on early summer nights is considered one of the most impressive listening experiences in the nature of Western and Central Europe. On the Germersheim inland dune, 15 species of locusts, including endangered species such as the western biting insect ( Platycleis albopunctata ), green beach insect ( Aiolopus thalassinus ), blue-winged wasteland insect ( Oedipoda caerulescens ) and red-bodied grasshopper ( Omocestus haemorrhoid ) have been detected. The St. John's wort beetle ( Agrilus hyperici ), which is very rare in Central Europe , was also found.

The following protected animal species are found in the Bellheim Forest:

Bats

Amphibians

fishes

insects

Traffic routes

The forest is intersected in a north-south direction by the

The four-lane federal highway 9 cuts through the forest from Germersheim to the southwest to Bellheim.

The Schifferstadt – Wörth railway cuts through the forest in an east-west direction from Bellheim to Sondernheim .

literature

  • Keller, P. (2007): Model project in the Bellheimer Wald and Queichtal. Area management in the Natura 2000 area. GNOR Info 104: 31-34.
  • Keller, P. (2007): Model project for the management of protected areas in the Natura 2000 area "Bellheimer Wald and Queichtal" . Pollichia Courier 23 (4): 49-51.

swell

Individual proof

  1. ↑ a b Carola Schnug-Bögerding, Doris Herrmann: Speyerer Wald information board (set up at the forest recreation area) on behalf of the Speyer city administration, photographed on May 16, 2012

See also

further forests on the left bank of the Rhine on alluvial fans:

Web links

natural reserve

hike

Coordinates: 49 ° 13 '  N , 8 ° 18'  E