Heathland Information Board: Calluna and Erica

The heather plant that is primarily found in the Lüneburg Heath and characterizes its landscape is the common heather - "Calluna vulgaris". It is also often referred to as heather. The bell heather (Erica tetralix) usually blooms a short time before the common heather and prefers swampy areas such as raised bogs.

With their bite, the Heide-Schnucken ensure that the heather plants do not become lignified, but remain young and fresh, and they also crush the cobwebs between the heath areas. As a result, bees cannot get caught in it and can pollinate the flowers undisturbed and collect nectar. On the other hand, the tasty shoots of the common heather serve as food for the snails. Since Heidschnucke sheep cannot do anything with honey, humans are the beneficiaries of this symbiosis.

The 3rd stage of the Heidschnuckenweg also runs along here. All information about the Heidschnuckenweg can be found under the following link: heidschnuckenweg.de/etappen (as of July 21, 2024).