シュペンゲの天然記念物・トップ20

The Teuto - always worth a hike.

The rare liverwort blooms here from the end of March to April.

High up along the ridge path, the landscape changes from typical deciduous forest to beautiful heathland: Enjoy one of the last natural occurrences of fragrant juniper heath here.

The local juniper plants used to be the basis of the world-famous schnapps production in Steinhagen. Today there is only a small remnant on the ridge path of the Teutoburg Forest. In Steinhagen there are still numerous field names (including Deterts Heide, Hasenheide, Voßheide), which are reminiscent of the poor sandy soil and the time when the juniper heaths almost reached the village. In general, the slopes of the Teutoburg Forest used to be completely heathed - heathland was still to be found along the Hermannsweg in the first half of the 20th century. The juniper is a cypress plant that is widespread in Europe and North America in many species. Special abilities were ascribed to juniper as early as Germanic mythology and medieval popular belief. It should offer protection against magic and evil spirits and drive away the plague. The "berries" contain a lot of sugar and have been used in a variety of ways for centuries, for example as a kitchen spice or in game dishes. Even if the beginnings of the juniper distillery in Steinhagen are in the dark, a drink made from juniper berries is said to have been produced in the area as early as the late Middle Ages. Based on the knowledge gained over the following centuries, the farmers then initially produced juniper brandy for their own use. Source: https://www.teutonavigator.de/de/teutonavigator/streaming/detail/POI/p_100077797/wacholderheiden-am-petersberg-wanderwege-steinhagen

The Teutoburg Forest is a to 446.4 m above sea level. NHN high low mountain range in the Lower Saxony highlands. It is now in Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia and stretches from the Tecklenburger Land past Osnabrück and through Bielefeld to Horn-Bad Meinberg in the southeast. Until the 17th century, the mountain range with the Eggegebirge to the south-east was called Osning and is sometimes still called that today. The Teutoburg Forest is known nationally above all for the Varus Battle (also known as the Hermannsschlacht or Battle in the Teutoburg Forest) between Romans and Germans in 9 AD. Tourist attractions include the Hermann Monument, the Externsteine and the Dörenther Cliffs. The highest mountain is the Barnacken. In addition, it is the longest ridge in Germany. (Source: Wikipedia)

There, in the very early spring, a special natural spectacle takes place when the short but magnificent flowering of the liverwort begins. More than a million of these warmth-loving plants then illuminate the still barren forest and its soil, which at this time is still leafless and without flowers waiting for spring.

A particularly large number of these small flowers can be found on this section of the Hepatica Trail.

I've never seen so many liverworts at once. But other small flowers can also be found here in the forest.