de Moeren Nature Reserve

De Reuselse Moeren is what remains of a largely excavated raised bog area on either side of the current national border. This was formed due to its location on a flat watershed, where water could not drain away easily. Traces of the relatively small-scale peat extraction that took place here can still be found. The Vaartloop, once dug to drain the peat, now features a number of weirs. These retain the water, ensuring that the groundwater level does not drop too low. Alongside dried-out peat remnants, the area features wet heathland, dry coniferous woodland and naturally occurring birch woodland. The extensive gorse thickets in the area are particularly striking. The raised bog is home to small cranberry, lavender heath, bog asphodel, bellflower gentian and sphagnum mosses, as well as small sundew. Breeding birds include the bluethroat, grasshopper warbler, eared grebe, stonechat and grasshopper warbler. The smooth snake and the moor frog can be found here. Butterfly species include the alcon blue, the variegated skipper, the comma and the green-veined white.