The Höltigbaum nature reserve consists of the Höltigbaum, Stellmoorer Tunneltal and Ahrensburger Tunneltal areas. The so-called Hamburger Ring natural area has a total area of 1000 hectares, making it one of the largest nature reserves in the Hanseatic city. The ice masses that covered the area some 15,000 years ago have done their utmost to leave behind a beautiful landscape. In addition to the wide, semi-open pastures, you hike over drumlins - long stretched hills left behind by the ice age - and through tunnel valleys that have formed under the ice masses as a result of the condensation water running off.
Over time, humans also influenced the area through agricultural use. Extensive cultivation lasted for many decades. However, because fertilizers and pesticides were not used in the process, today there is a largely unaffected natural area in which rare species have survived.
For example, the red-backed shrike feels very comfortable in the Höltigbaum. The brute name belongs to a medium-sized songbird that impales its prey - insects, lizards or even a mouse - on the thorns of a tree. In addition, there are woodlarks and yellowhammers, various amphibian species such as sand lizards or crested newts and two endangered species, polecats and pygmy shrews. On a hike through the nature reserve, you will also come across Galloway cattle, sheep or goats grazing in the wild meadows.
The flora was heavily influenced by the military use of the area in the mid-20th century. Again and again, the heavy vehicles destroyed the vegetation cover, so that many pioneer plants settled, which were more resistant to the difficult conditions. The Kratt forests with their many-stemmed oaks and the wild apple and wild pear trees are also striking.