Ruiterskuilen Pond

The Ruiterskuilen are two fens in the Ophovenerbos on the Kempens Plateau in the Belgian municipality of Opglabbeek. The fens are characterized by the brown color of the acidic water. The area is protected throughout Europe as part of a Natura 2000 area.
Like other fens in this region, the Reiterkuilen were created by sand dusting and are fed exclusively by rainwater. Archaeological research has shown that the podzol soil in the area around the Ruiterskuilen contains an important legacy from the Steen period. In the more recent past, this fen was used as a resting place for horses. In 1798, hidden Lotlings found a suitable hiding place here.

* Origin history:
Like the other fens, Ruiterkuilen was created by sand drifts and is exclusively fed by rainwater.

* Sand drift
The sand that has been blown up into dunes comes from somewhere: in addition to places where the sand accumulates, there are also places where the sand is blown away. This is how bowl-shaped depressions arose. If there is still a layer below that that does not allow the water to pass through, the rainwater can no longer drain and a pond is created that is called a "ven" in the Kempen. How this layer is formed differs from place to place: sometimes it is a layer of clay, but usually it concerns humus particles that have become caked together, which are washed through the sand by the rain. They clump together at a depth of less than a meter.

* Acid rainwater
The pits gradually filled with rainwater and acidified because it contains no nutrients. The plants that occur there are adapted to that natural environment, but still remain extremely vulnerable. However, the brown color of the acidic water makes a pond a very attractive habitat for dragonflies and damselflies. The blue glazier is such a typical dragonfly that you can spot here.

A pretty lake in the woods.