Vretaholm Oak Woodland

At Vretaholm just north of Gränna, the contrasts are big between the large arable fields closest to the lake and the hills deciduous forests. In the western slope above the old highway there are pastures, and beautiful woodland areas located. Pasture has a tree layer of oak in which several of the trees are very old and rough.

Vretaholm Oak Woodland is located in the area known as East Vätterviksbadet cliffs, a unique area that stretches from Tenhult in the south up to Omberg in Östergötland in the north. Eastward the pasture transcends into a hardwood forest dominated by coarse low growing oak that alternate with the younger lot, where the element of aspen, birch and alder are larger. Some of the steepest parts are dominated by elm, ash and maple. Several of the oaks are has previously stood in an open ground.

There is also coarse specimens of elm, birch and spruce. The shrub layer is also varied. The area is relatively untouched, and there are a lot of dead wood in the form of dead trees, stumps and trunks of varying size and age. Quite a few species of land snails have been found here. Several of them are typical of older deciduous forests with long continuity. The coarse precious trees, especially sun-exposed specimens are valuable for lichens and various insect species. There is such a large number of both rare and common species of wood beetles. Hornet, Småland landscape insect is common in the reserve's old hollow oaks.