Guldheden’s Valley: Anemones, Woodpeckers, Dead Trees
One of the 400 Experiences: To Do, To Know, To See in Gothenburg aka Göteborg (1621–2021) in Sweden
Swamps, dales, pathways of crisscrossing the semi-forest floors, sightings of hares and deer and skunks, brooks winding down and many such elements of wilderness abound in a valley in the heart of Gothenburg in Sweden. The valley is a microcosm of a forest: deciduous trees, swamps, streams, small ponds, fauna and birds; it is a habitat that provides a living space for a large number of plants and animals.
The valley is named Guldhedsdalen: Guldheden’s valley. One can access the valley from Sahlgrenska Hospital or from the bus- and tram-stop of Medicinaregatan or from Dr Fries Torg. Dalen in Swedish means the Valley: dalen is definite singular noun of ‘dal’ and dalens is the definite possessive singular of dal — apostrophe the punctuation mark is an alien in Swedish language.
DEAD TREES FOR WOODPECKERS:
A type of woodpecker, mindre hackspett, is found here, which is one of the threatened bird species. It needs dead trees and branches to hack out its nest, and it finds dead trees in Guldhedsdalen. Because the City of Gothenburg’s Park- och naturförvaltningen keeps the dead trees in the valley.
Dendrocopos minor is the scientific name of the woodpecker that is found in Guldheden’s Valley, and the common name is ‘lesser-spotted woodpecker’.
Woodpeckers are seen in Guldheden’s valley as there is no shortage of food for the birds, in in the form of insects. So, the nesting birds like woodpeckers thrive in the swamp forest. The humid areas that already exist are usually allowed to develop freely.
The woodpeckers found in the valley are the smallest woodpeckers; they grown about 15 cm long. Their back side is black with white cross straps over the wings and back, the front is white with thin dark longitudinal lines. The male birds have red spot or red speck on their heads unlike the female woodpeckers. The woodpeckers live in the mixed woods, feed on insects and are dependent on dead or dying trees.
ANEMONES:
In the season of spring, one can find Anemone nemrosa, or visippor in Swedish, adorning the floors of the valley. The white flowers also give the valley a nickname — vitsippsdalen or the valley of wood anemones.
HISTORY OF GULDHEDEN:
Most of the land in Guldheden was previously part of Stora Änggården. In the early 1900s, there were a few small wooden houses in the south-eastern part of the area, and archaeologists have found traces of a settlement from the Bronze or Iron Age. In 1949, Södra Guldheden witnessed construction and people began moving into the area especially into the high-rise apartments. The apartments in the area reflect the architectural idealism and the vision of the 1950s. The area was adapted to the needs of residents and architecture was blended with the hilly terrain so that there is considerable green space between buildings. The city plan is an early example of continuous green lanes that are completely separate from traffic, where the lanes were laid inside the green area. Because of this area’s proximity to Sahlgrenska Hospital, many doctors and nurses lived in the area, and streets and lanes reflect their names.
GULDHEDEN VALLEY:
The Right of Public Access is asserted by residents and visitors in the area like in the Swedish countryside.
A notice informs, ‘For everyone to be able to enjoy the countryside, we need to take proper care of it and the wildlife it supports and to show consideration for landowners and other visitors. This can be summed up in the phrase: ‘Don’t disturb — don’t destroy’.’
SWAMP:
Swamp forests are a unique environment for many animals and plants, and Guldheden’s Valley has swamps.
Swamps usually contain more species than other forests because of the wide variety of habitats formed by the different humidity conditions. Some of the trees in the swamp forest risk dying because they get no air when the water covers the entire root system. But the dead trees attract living insects that eat and build nests in the wood. Birds also benefit from the swamp forest as they are easy to makes holes for nests.
In the valley, a new swamp forest has been created by making a small dam across over a stream at the bottom of the valley. It also helps to prevent flooding in the area and to have a breeding ground for woodpeckers.
Deciduous forests and mixed forests have declined sharply in southern Sweden, so are the numbers of old deciduous trees. The direct impact of this is that the number of ‘lesser- spotted woodpeckers’ have shrunk; they are rare birds. But Guldhedsdalen provides a habitat for the birds to survive and therefore it is important to have deciduous forests and older deciduous trees.
DEAD TREES:
Guldheden’s Valley has some dead trees. A dead tree is immediately filled with new life. Animals, plants and fungi thrive in the dead trees. They are used as food, housing, for defence and protection, and as a breeding ground for various creatures: wood beetles, ants, fungi; and also moss.
It may take a hundred years for the dead tree to completely disappear, but since many of the species thrive in the dead trees during a certain part of the degradation, newly-dead trees are allowed to remain as they are.
A natural forest should look a bit messy with dead trees: young, old, and dead trees engender biodiversity.
HAZELNUT TREES:
The valley has hazelnut trees. The branches of the trees are used to make baskets for their wood is smooth and tough.
Corylys avellana, the hazelnut tree, usually grows as a bush and grows from 3 to 10 meters in height. The hazelnuts are popular to consume for both humans and animals. They are easy to store and have been found at many archaeological sites because the hard shell is well preserved. A notice informs in the valley: Hazelnuts are not included in the public right and must not be picked from the bushes by anyone other than the landowner!
A visit to the valley is one of the 400 experiences to do, to know, to see in Gothenburg aka Göteborg (1621–2021) in Sweden.
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