Nature on Texel

Approximately one third of the surface on Texel is protected nature reserve. Many unusual plants and animals are also found on the cultivated land. Every year, new species are reported throughout the island.

The following nature areas are found on Texel: the Razende Bol (Noorderhaaks), the Hors, the Mok Bay, the Texel's beach, the Geul and the Horsmeertjes ( Hors lakes), the Moksloot, the dunes between De Koog and Den Hoorn (with the Bollekamer, the Westerduinen, the Seetingsnollen and the Bleekersvallei), the Dennen, the Alloo, the Muy, the Korverskooi, the Slufter, the Eierlandse Dunes, the Hanenplas, the old marsh creeks in the polder Eijerland, the tidal marsh (wad) coast on Texel, the Schorren (salt marsh), Drijvers Vogelweid de Bol, Waal and Burg, Zandkes, Dijkmanshuizen, the Hoge Berg, Ceres and a few other small nature reserves along the south-eastern coast of the island. An important part of Texel's dune region is in the process of being established as a National Park.

The North Sea

The Netherlands' largest nature area, the North Sea, borders Texel in the west. For the visitor to the island, the sea divulges its richness particularly in the form of washed up articles on the beach. That does not only mean shells but sometimes unusual seaweeds and occasionally a spectacular stranding of a marine animal, such as porpoises and white-beaked dolphins. Living nature from the sea comes to shore in the form of seals looking for a place to rest and foraging and migrating birds.

Salt marshes around Texel

Salt marshes are pieces of land (usually) located outside of the dike, which only flood during extremely high tides. They contain a unique vegetation of plants that can resist salty baths. The marshes turn purple from the flowering sea lavender in the late summer. The largest outer dike marsh is the Schorren, northeast of Oosterend. The Slufter is even larger and also overgrown with salt marsh vegetation, although it does not lie outside of the dikes. Small pieces of marsh can be found to the north of De Cocksdorp and along the edge of the Mok Bay, in the vicinity of the TESO harbour.

Wadden (tidal flats) around Texel

The true wadden landscape begins north of Oost. The flats between Texel and Vlieland are relatively undisturbed and attract many seals and wading birds. Exploration of the flats is possible by the Krassekeet (near Oost) and De Cocksdorp, however it is forbidden (and dangerous) to go onto the flats with groups larger than six without an experienced guide.

The dunes of Texel

The history of Texel's creation has produced four different kinds of dune regions on the island. From north to south, there are the old Eierland dunes, the young dunes south of the Slufter, the old dunes between De Koog and Den Hoorn and the young dunes on the Hors. The diversity in the various formations and vegetations together with their natural riches were arguments for turning the whole area into a National Park.

The Eierland dunes in the north are old and contain very little calcium. There is a large variation in wet and dry dune grasslands, in which lots of moss and lichens grow. The dunes are grazed by sheep and horses.

To the south of the Slufter, at the same height of the former sea inlet between Texel and Eierland, is a region with young dunes, dams and grasslands rich in birds. In the center of this areas is the nature reserve the Muy, originally known for its spoonbill colony. It now also houses a cormorant colony and the number of spoonbills vary every year. The dune valley the Buitenmuy lies to the west, where one can find various orchids when the season is right.

The old original dunes of Texel lie between De Koog and Den Hoorn. The dunes themselves are relatively tall. Sea buckthorn grows profusely in the youngest most westerly lying valleys. Lots of heather grow in the sheltered easterly valleys. The dunes further to the east have changed into scanty, sand-blown 'mient' grounds. When the Dennen woods were planted, this landscape evolved into a very different habitat.

The youngest dune landscape lies southwest of Den Hoorn, formed after the sandbar Onrust attached itself onto Texel in 1900. This led to the formation of the Hors, where the process of dune formation can still be followed; the Geul also formed in this period, an impressive valley with a large spoonbill colony and many botanic curiosities.

Woods on Texel

Texel has one large woods and several smaller ones. The large woods is called the Dennen and was planted in the beginning of the 20th century on the eastern side of the dunes and on the 'mient' grounds between Den Hoorn and De Koog. The planting had two goals: to protect the agricultural grounds lying beyond from wind-blown sand and to grow coniferous wood for the mining industry. There are meadows, playgrounds and open nature areas between the wood lots. Two of the smaller woods are the Krimbos near De Cocksdorp and the Doolhof on the Hoge Berg, both planted for recreational purposes.

The lateral moraine of Texel

A rolling landscape extends from the Klif in Den Hoorn in the west to the village of Oost in the east. It is a lateral moraine dating back to the next to last glacial period. Southeast of Den Burg lies the widest and tallest part of the moraine, its highest point being the Hoge Berg. This piece of Texel has the longest history of inhabitancy. Several examples of cultural historical monuments from the past three centuries can be find in this countryside : garden walls (tuinwallen), drinking holes (kolken), sheep sheds (schapenboeten) and old farmhouses (stolpen).

The old polders

Texel was at its smallest land-wise in 1300. The sea had eroded away all of the peat grounds surrounding the island. However, it was in this period that the residents of Texel began damming in pieces of the marshes, starting by De Koog. Later on, polders were added to the south and east of Texel's lateral moraine. The largest of the old polders is Waal and Burg, reclaimed in 1610. The old polders in the west are covered with drift sand, making it suitable for growing bulbs. The other old polders are used mostly as meadows.

Many of these lands lie low and therefore are too wet for intensive grazing. However, the conditions for meadow birds are excellent, as seen in Waal and Burg, Dijkmanshuizen and Büttikofers Mieland.

The new polders

Around 1830, the marshes north and south of the old land of Texel had grown so large that they were suitable for impoldering. The polders Eijerland, Prins Hendrik, the Eendracht and 'het Noorden' were developed in the course of 70 years and gave Texel its present shape. The land allotments in these young polders are large-scale and usually rectangular in shape. The farmhouses in the open landscape are often surrounded with trees, which were harvested for conveniences in the older days. Many lots are suitable for arable crops.

The brackish inland lands

A series of areas where there is lots of salt water seepage from under the dike lies on the landside of Texel's wadden dike. This makes the ground unsuitable for agriculture however is all the more interesting for nature lovers. To name a few examples, the brackish conditions are responsible for the richness in fish and birds in the Roggesloot, the fields of orchids in the Bol and an excellent forage and nesting area for terns and avocets in Waagejot, Ottersaat, the Petten and 't Stoar.

Plants on Texel

Each of the various nature areas on the island accommodates a characteristic flora which are described in more detail by the individual nature areas. For example, one will find sand couch and sea sandwort (the first dune-formers) on the beaches and beach plains. Marram grass, sea holly and sea rocket grow in the beach ridges. Many rare plants such as gentian and orchids grow further inland, in the young dune valleys. The older dunes are mostly covered with heath or trees. Typical tidal flat vegetation, for example salicorn and sea lavender, grows in the Mok Bay, the Slufter and on the Schorren.

Insects and spiders on Texel

During an insect count on Texel in June 2005, more than 1117 species were counted; in total, 81 species of spiders, 543 species of beetles, 279 species of bugs and 424 species of butterflies. During the count, the following new species were found: predator flies and hoverflies, four species of cockroaches, ants only found in Limburg (Myrmica gallienii) and a water mite. The island has a special insect reservation, the Zandkuil.

Source: de Vleet, Ecomare