Tichelgaten at Buren

The Tichelgaten, also known as "the Put of Buren", is a special nature reserve, just outside Buren. There is plenty to discover in every season. Think of the residential, migratory and water birds, dragonflies, damselflies, butterflies and all kinds of other insects, mushrooms, mosses, lichens, trees and plants.

The Tichelgaten were created by clay and sand extraction. The map of Buren in 1890 shows the first buildings of the N.V. Waalsteenfabriek, along the Korne, Kornedijk and Hennisdijk, where construction company Van Kessel is now located. The clay was extracted on a ridge along the Hennisdijk. The site has been excavated by hand up to 1 meter. As a result, calcareous sand appeared. In the excavated areas, wet grasslands, thickets, alder forest and bushes were created. The lakes were created between 1922 and 1964 by sucking up sand. The large lake, from which the area owes its name "the Put of Buren", was dug between 1951 and 1954. At the end of the 1960s, the municipality of Buren had plans to build a new housing estate on the Tichelterrein, but these were blocked by people who saw the natural value. After 1970, the Forestry Commission bought a large part of the site. Later, a few plots and ponds will be added. Since that time, the Tichelgaten have been protected and managed.

The water level in the nature reserve is constantly changing. Sometimes it is dry and the water in the puddles is low. Other times, even some trails are flooded. The water in the puddles is crystal clear. This is thanks to the seepage water, which comes from the Utrechtse Heuvelrug and the Veluwe.

Because of the clay extraction, the management of the Forestry Commission, the water level and the clean water and the different types of soil – clay, sand and limestone sand – it is a very special area. For plants, dragonflies, damselflies, mosses, lichens and mushrooms. Some of the plant species you see here can also be found in dune valleys. Such as the parnassia, but also mushrooms such as the thimble and mosses such as the leathermoss. The fact that the area is also lime-loving can be seen from the orchids. The wet grasslands are mowed once a year. The clippings are disposed of to keep the soil as poor as possible.

Hedges, bushes and thickets include blackthorn, hawthorn, apple, pedunculate oak, birch, alder, poplar and willow. On the leaves and branches you will also find all kinds of galls in late summer. Depending on the season, you can enjoy a variety of flowering plants, from wood anemone to Solomon's seal, from large rattle to centaury, from meadowsweet to whole leaf. But there are also various types of buttercup, thistle, sorrel, water and shore plants.

Especially in autumn, there is plenty to enjoy in the Tichelgaten. From turkey tails to wax plates, from anise funnel mushroom to white coral mushroom, from real Judas ear to pearl pollen mushroom and much more.

The nature reserve of the Tichelgaten has open areas and water as well as thickets and trees. That makes it attractive to many birds and other animals. From waterfowl such as gadwall, shoveler, wigeon and little grebe to 'forest and thicket birds' such as great spotted woodpecker, nuthatch, blackcap and cuckoo and various birds of prey such as buzzard, marsh harrier and tree falcon.

The flowering plants in the area also attract many butterflies (including St. John's butterfly, peacock butterfly, Icarus blue and swallowtail) and insects (including bumblebees, bees including the sand bee, bugs, beetles and grasshoppers). And along the banks of the lakes and 'forest edges' you can find various dragonflies and damselflies (including glaziers, heather dragonflies, the common bank dragonfly, azure damselfly and the fire damselfly

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