Horsehead (nature reserve)

Coordinates: 51 ° 34 ′ 42 "  N , 10 ° 57 ′ 29"  E

Horse head​

Saxony-Anhalt

The horse head is a nature reserve in the municipality of Südharz in the district of Mansfeld-Südharz in Saxony-Anhalt .

The nature reserve with the registration number NSG 0103 is 9.71  hectares . It is part of the FFH area and EU bird sanctuary "beech forests around Stolberg" and the conservation area surrounded "resin and flood plains". The area has been under protection since May 1, 1961. The responsible lower nature conservation authority is the district of Mansfeld-Südharz.

The nature reserve is located north of Stolberg in the Harz / Saxony-Anhalt Nature Park and the Karstlandschaft Südharz biosphere reserve . It places natural beech forests on the predominantly south-facing upper and middle slopes of the horse's head that gives it its name under protection. The forests are pronounced as woodruff beech forests with single-flowered pearl grass on the upper slopes and wood fescue or grove on the middle slopes. Due to the location of the slopes, colline floral elements can penetrate the submontane beech forest communities. Forest rennet , chickweed and wild strawberry can be found here in the shrub layer , while whorleaved white root as a montane species is only found in a few places. In addition to the woodruff beech forests, there are also toothroot, pearlgrass beech forests, hornbeam and red beech forests with numerous oaks, as well as forest riding grass and wood fescue and rennet, sessile oak and hornbeam forest.

A rich avifauna is native to the nature reserve . 44 species of breeding birds have been identified here, including the cave-nesting gray and black woodpecker and stock dove . Various mammals are also native here, e.g. B. dormouse , dormouse and wildcat .

The nature reserve is almost completely surrounded by forest areas. Only to the south are grassland areas .

Web links

• Horsehead , State Administration Office Saxony-Anhalt