At the base of the imposing Spanjaardduin, you’ll find Paelsteenpanne: a wet dune slack with a unique mix of rare fauna and flora. Paelsteenpanne offers an oasis of peace, miles away from civilisation. Nature has free rein here due to the tall dunes screening this area.
A walking paradise brimming with rare plants
In winter, this dune slack is completely under water. In other words, this is the time to see lush banks of full of seaside brookweed and centaurium. Even the reed orchid, a rare type of orchid, is in its element here. Beach morning can also be found on the surrounding foredunes: small pink flowers that bravely stake their claim amid the abundant beachgrass.
And that’s not all: make sure you also keep an eye out for bold splashes of dune pansies and goldmoss stonecrop, a bright yellow flower that loves nothing more than to grow on inclines. Gorse also does well here, and the many types of mosses complete the spellbinding decor.
What’s a-flutter?
Aside from rare coastal flora, there’s plenty of fauna to see too. If you hear something that sounds like the chirp of a cricket, a common grasshopper warbler might be nearby. This protected songbird hides in the sea buckthorn thicket to breed. Plenty of other feathered friends visit this area too: make sure to keep an eye out for lesser horned owls, willow warblers, lesser whitethroats, common whitethroats, nightingales, common linnets and European stonechats.
Butterflies feel at home here too: the common blue, brown argus, Essex skipper and small skipper and the less-well known grayling and Queen of Spain fritillary can all be found fluttering around this habitat.
With a little help from Natuurpunt Middenkust
The area is managed by Natuurpunt Middenkust, whose main tasks here include tackling encroaching vegetation and mowing the grasslands. In doing so, they give nature a helping hand and enable rare species to develop.
If you’d like to visit the area with a guide, more information is available here.