A surprise awaits in this grove: The most beautiful and natural ditch in Lindenholt. Stand at the front of the ditch for a moment and try to discover where water wells up from the sandy bottom, so that there is a current. After a rain shower, a stream may emerge from under the culvert on the right. In addition to seepage from the canal, the ditch mainly contains water from the slope of the Neerbosscheweg. It flows all year round and is crystal clear, except after a heavy shower. The municipality leaves this as is and no chimney is used. Due to the abundant plant growth over the course of the year, the water is oxygen-rich and contains, among others, sticklebacks and roaches, amphipods, leeches and backswimmers, but also caddisflies, etc. (The species diversity here is remarkable and you can challenge yourself by, for example, 15 different want to see trees and shrubs, or plants or insects. Even birds and sound counts too.)
In addition to 25 native trees and shrubs, the robinias that were once planted here stand out. The leguminous tree named after Jean Robin, the personal physician and court botanist of French King Henry the Fourth, imported the tree species from eastern North America in 1601 and planted a number of them in the gardens of the Louvre. Due to special flowering, beautiful bark and fantastic wood quality, the tree species found its way in Europe. In our country, the oldest is at Doorwerth Castle (1678 Treaty of Nijmegen). Also note the variegated maple and the Gelderland
rose and the dog roses. Already after the first leaf development, the silk moth can infest the shrubs on the slope, especially the dogwood, which then starts to grow again.
Another special feature is in the ditch. In addition to star rose, the spicy and tasty leafy vegetable real watercress, also called cress, grows there. There is a nursery for this purpose in Beek, but here the plant grows exuberantly in cool running water. Sometimes it is harvested.
(Also note the abundance of birds. In addition to wood pigeons, magpies and jays, you can also hear or see the wren, the blackcap, the chiffchaff and, if you're lucky, the kingfisher. The summer-flowering plants such as loosestrife, royal herb, hairy fireweed and hedge bindweed attract butterflies and insects. Small grasshoppers, thorns, accidentally jump into the water in their enthusiasm and paddle out just as easily.)
At the end, the ditch disappears under a culvert to a large water feature like the ones you will see in our neighborhood.