Crepuscular rays in an autumnal Speulderbos 3

by Jeroen de Jongh Photography

The Speulder- en Sprielderbos is an approximately 3,300-hectare contiguous forest area in the northwest of the Dutch province of Veluwe, east of Putten.

The area lies in the northwest of the Veluwe, east of Putten in the municipalities of Putten (Sprielderbos) and Ermelo (Speulderbos). It is part of the Natura 2000 area, protected by European regulations. The area stretches roughly from the road between Putten and Garderen in the south to the village of Garderen and the Houtdorperveld, the hamlet of Speuld and the Ermelose heath in the east and north. The size of the area is approximately 3,300 hectares. About 300 hectares of the Speulderbos, especially in the area of the hamlet Drie, consists of trees that seem to dance because of their capricious shape. The Speulderbos is popularly called the forest of the dancing trees.

The forests in this area can be classified, for the most part, as sessile oak-beech forests and oak-birch forests. The old tree forests contain quite a lot of dead wood, which attracts a lot of animal life and causes a rich overgrowth of mushrooms and mosses. The fact that a large part of the forest is dark and dominated by beech with its heavy leaf fall means there are few opportunities for a varied herb layer.

The Speulder- en Sprielderbos is rather rich in food so that a lot of big game like red deer and wild boars can live there. Because of the high predator pressure the foresters sometimes fence off plots where natural rejuvenation of the fore