Terwolde, Epe and Vaassen

The Wisselse Veen was once far from civilization and the fairytale stream that originates in the area is therefore called the Verloren Beek. The area that contains the Wisselse Veen is very valuable. On the bordering high-lying, dry Tongerense Heide, heath, forests and the occasional fen alternate, but as you go to the center of the Wisselse Veen, the soil becomes increasingly wetter. Swamps and open water are becoming increasingly common. To the north, the landscape becomes smaller in scale and you can clearly see the hand of the residents: streams are trained and groves and ditches are surrounded by grasslands. The wild plants that grow at the transitions from high to low are very diverse. Poor-flowered water rush and cinquefoil grow on thick carpets of sphagnum moss and brown beak rush, ivy water crowfoot, knotweed pondweed, various species of kelp and galliana thrive in the area. Marsh clubmoss, the rare bell gentian, spotted orchid and delicate wreath are also common. Fish such as brook lamprey, brook lamprey and minnow swim in the clean streams and fens and insects, dragonflies and butterflies find their way to the Wisselse Veen through the swampy bottom and the diversity of plants. They in turn attract breeding birds: the snipe, water rail and reed bunting can be found in the heart of the peat, while the yellowhammer can be seen on the grassy grasslands.