Huxstein nature reserve

The Huxstein nature reserve with a size of 5.58 hectares is located southwest of Westheim in the urban area of Marsberg in the Hochsauerlandkreis . It was designated as a nature reserve (NSG) in 2008 with the Marsberg landscape plan . The southern border of the NSG is also the state border with Hesse . To the west is the Rotes Land conservation area and the Westheimer Diemeltal conservation area to the north . The nature reserve Büchenberg and Platzberg near Hesperinghausen are already located a little to the east in Hesse . 4 hectares of the NSG form the Huxstein FFH area (DE-4519-304).

description

The NSG comprises a limestone lawn with large areas of shrubbery on a steep slope exposed to the northwest. The limestone grasslands continue on Hessian territory. In the NSG you will also find a small disused quarry, rocky areas, poor pastures and more intensively used grassland. In the spring aspect, many cowslips and orchids bloom. The image of the NSG is determined by a steeply rising rock nose in the western part of the area. The approximately 8 meter high rock face is home to species of the brick wall society. At the foot of the rock there are smaller deposits of Ruprechtfarnes on limestone gravel in a group of trees. Finger stone breakers grow on the raw soil of the rock head. These go into gentian-Zwenken lawn. From the edges, especially in the upper slope, a blackthorn and hawthorn bushes pushes into the limestone grassland. Individual groups of trees in the grassland areas and semi-arid grasslands structure the area. Apart from a few open areas, the former limestone quarry is occupied by a pioneering forest company. The remaining Gruenländer are to be classified as red fescue and white clover pastures and are grazed by cattle or horses. The grazing of the poor grasslands by cattle leads to severe soil erosion in some areas . At the same time, the cattle grazing does not prevent the bushes from pushing forward.