Mountain meadow trail in Altastenberg

Did you know that mountain meadows belong to the most species-rich plant communities in North Rhine-Westphalia? The colorful mountain meadows, the so-called “Goldhaferwiesen,” are something very special. In their characteristic composition, with all the mountain herbs, they can only be found at high altitudes in the Eifel and Sauerland regions.

The blooming splendor of the mountain meadows unfolds particularly magnificently from mid-May until mowing in July. At that time, cranesbill, meadow knotweed, and other species shine. But even during the hay harvest, the secondary bloom, and the Indian summer, the meadow landscape continues to offer a lot of sights into autumn.

For butterflies, grasshoppers, and many other animals, the flower-rich mountain meadows and pastures are a true paradise.

Bristle grass swards are the “grazed brother” of mountain meadows. The rough bristle grass, shunned by livestock, gave this unique habitat its name. Here blooms a well-known medicinal plant with bright golden-yellow flowers: Arnica or mountain arnica, as it is also called. It and many other species of mountain meadows and pastures can reclaim their habitat again with the support of the LIFE project “Mountain Meadows near Winterberg.”

The heaths on the barren soils of the mountain summits were created by centuries of grazing. With the help of the LIFE project, goats and sheep are once again acting as diligent landscape gardeners here, thus preserving the heaths.