Żywiec Dziewięciolistny Nature Reserve

Nine-leaved toothwort is a plant of mountain beech forests, usually found in the Carpathians and the Sudetes. Yet in Zielonka Forest, a short drive from Poznań, it grows at its northernmost site in Poland – and the only documented one in the Wielkopolska region. A small reserve on the slopes of Lake Leśne near Łopuchówko, in the municipality of Murowana Goślina, protects it.

History and purpose

The reserve was established in 1974 by order of the forestry minister. It covers 10.51 ha, has a buffer zone of 0.78 ha and is under active protection, meaning conservation measures are allowed. It lies within Puszcza Zielonka Landscape Park, where forests cover as much as 78% of the area. The aim is to protect relict stands of nine-leaved toothwort (Dentaria enneaphyllos) in an oak-hornbeam forest – a member of the cabbage family that is a real rarity in the lowlands.

What to see

• Nine-leaved toothwort grows only in the northern part of the reserve, singly or in clumps of a dozen or so plants. It flowers in early spring, in March and April, before the beeches come into leaf.
• Beech woodland about 130 years old, mixed with oak, hornbeam and fir. A few pines, oaks and beeches are 180–200 years old; there are also some non-native red oaks and Douglas firs.
• The forest floor holds around 160 plant species, including liverleaf, common columbine, baneberry, sweet woodruff, lily of the valley and guelder rose.
• Lake Leśne – an 11-hectare lake up to 6 m deep, fed by the Goślinka stream, with shallows covered in yellow water-lilies. The reserve borders its southern shore.

Interesting facts

Lake Leśne used to be called Lake Hertha, after the wife of the forester from Zielonka who organised Midsummer celebrations here for local people. Apart from the fishing jetties, the only building by the water is an anglers' shelter set up in an old railway carriage; a local branch of the Polish Angling Association from Swarzędz looks after the lake. It is also part of the Natura 2000 site "Uroczyska Puszczy Zielonki".

Tripto tip

Come in March or early April, when the toothwort and liverleaf are in flower and the leafless forest is still full of light. Allow 30–45 minutes for a walk around the lake area. The plant is protected and its site is easily trampled, so stay on paths and trails and do not pick anything. The reserve has no car park or visitor facilities of its own.

Getting there and nearby

The green walking trail from Łopuchowo to Głęboczek follows the eastern and northern shores of Lake Leśne through a deeply cut ravine; the reserve is visible across the water. A local road from Łopuchówko to Głęboczek also runs not far from the northern shore. In Głęboczek itself you can see an oval medieval earthwork known as Pański Dwór ("the Lord's Manor"), reached by a causeway across a meadow, and the village lies on the Wolf Trail for horse riders.