Terwolde, Epe and Vaassen

The Wisselse Veen used to be far from civilization and the fairytale stream that originates in the area is therefore called the Verloren Beek. The terrain that the Wisselse Veen contains is very valuable. On the adjacent high, dry Tongerense Heide, heathland, forests and here and there a fen alternate, but as you go towards the centre of the Wisselse Veen the soil becomes increasingly wetter. Marsh and open water are becoming more common. To the north, the landscape becomes smaller and you can clearly see the hand of the inhabitants: streams are trained and woods and hedgerows are surrounded by grasslands. The wild plants that grow on the transitions from high to low are very diverse. Poor-flowered water-rush and water strawberry grow on thick carpets of peat moss and brown beak-rush, ivy-water crowfoot, knotweed pondweed, various types of glossy algae and galingale thrive in the area. Marsh clubmoss, the rare marsh gentian, spotted orchid and delicate whorl leaf are also common. Fish such as the common 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 soil and the diversity of plants. They in turn attract breeding birds: the common snipe, water rail and reed bunting can be found in the heart of the peat, while the yellowhammer shows itself on the grassy meadows.