Sheep herd Leersum

Sheep and heathland: inextricably linked

Heather cannot exist without sheep. If heathland is not grazed, everything would soon become overgrown with grasses, shrubs and eventually even large trees. The heather would disappear completely within ten years... Sheep keep the heath open with their grazing. They eat grass such as the pipe grass between the heather and devour tender, young trees before they have a chance to grow. They also like to nibble on the heather bushes themselves, but that's a good thing. It stimulates growth. Heather and sheep have a good relationship together. A real win-win situation.

Cows lend a hand

In the Leersum field, there is a herd of Piedmontese cows all year round. They also graze on the heath. Nevertheless, sheep are indispensable here. The terrain is too large for the cows to graze completely. The cows also roam freely, while the shepherd can determine exactly where, when and for how long the herd grazes somewhere. Are there a lot of unwanted plants in a certain area? Then the shepherd makes a temporary fence of flexinets and stays there until the sheep have eaten away all the unwanted vegetation. The sheep have to 'eat their plate completely', as it were!

Many animals benefit from the heather

Because sheep maintain the heathland, they also contribute to the conservation of many animal species. For example, the beautiful butterfly, the heather blue, the viviparous lizard and birds such as the stonechat and the woodlark, all live on the heath. The grass snake also loves the heather. In the spring, he warms himself in the open area in the sun. And in August, when the whole heather turns purple/blue, it is a real paradise for bumblebees and bees that extract the nectar from the flowers.

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