Bargerveen

The Bargerveen Nature Reserve, where these photos were taken yesterday, is part of the Bourtanger Moor-Bargerveen International Nature Park and is located on both sides of the border between the Netherlands and Germany. The sparsely populated landscape consists of large peat areas, heather, and small lakes. Bargerveen, on the Dutch side, has a size of 21 km² (8.1 sq mi).
Instead of following one of the marked walking trails we made our own route, and passed several large fields of veenpluis (´cottongrass´ in English), a plant that grows so well on peat bogs.

Beehives

Bargerveen Nature Reserve.

Huisje van Uneken

The ´huisje van Uneken´ (Uneken's home) is an old farm house in which the Uneken family lived until 1967 and it has been left empty since. It is located in the nature reserve 'Bargerveen' in the south east of the province Drenthe. But instead of tearing it down, Staatsbosbeheer (a Dutch government organisation for forestry and the management of nature reserves) bought it and they transformed it into a giant 'insect hotel'! Window openings were closed with loam, and hundreds of holes were made into the walls for insects to enter. Small animals like mice and hedgehogs find a home here as well.

The house is closed for visitors, but it is possible to walk around it and there are footpaths and cycling routes nearby. A few weeks ago we made a nice walk in the Bargerveen area and we had a look here. It was lovely with all the flowers!