The Oppenwehe Moor () is a

raised bog Raised bogs, also called ombrotrophic bogs, are acidic, wet habitats that are poor in mineral salts and are home to flora and fauna that can cope with such extreme conditions. Raised bogs, unlike fens, are exclusively fed by precipitation (ombro ...

in the

natural region A natural region (landscape unit) is a basic geographic unit. Usually, it is a region which is distinguished by its common natural features of geography, geology, and climate. From the ecological point of view, the naturally occurring flora and ...

Diepholz Moor Depression The Diepholz Moor Depression''Stemwede: Oppenweher Moor''
Retrieved ...

(''Diepholzer Moorniederung'') in North Germany. It covers a total area of around 870 ha''Naturschutzgebiet Oppenweher Moorlandschaft.''
In: ''Schutzgebiete unseres Kreises'', No. 3. 4. Auflage. Kreis Minden-Lübbecke (publ.), 2011, retrieved 25 May 2016 (pdf; 885 kB). and lies in the northeastern part of the German state of

North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia or North-Rhine/Westphalia, commonly shortened to NRW, is a States of Germany, state () in Old states of Germany, Western Germany. With more than 18 million inhabitants, it is the List of German states by population, most ...

as well as in

Lower Saxony Lower Saxony is a States of Germany, German state (') in Northern Germany, northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ' of the Germany, Federal Re ...

. It is one of the most important bogs in Northwest Germany and is one of the ten most important

wet meadow A wet meadow is a type of wetland with soils that are Solubility, saturated for part or all of the growing season which prevents the growth of trees and brush. Debate exists whether a wet meadow is a type of marsh or a completely separate type of ...

reserves in North Rhine-Westphalia. It is part of the

Dümmer Nature Park The Dümmer Nature Park () in North Germany is located in the Lower Saxon districts of Diepholz and Vechta and the North Rhine-Westphalian district of Minden-Lübbecke. It is about northeast of Osnabrück and lies between Diepholz and Bohmte, B ...

The actual area of bog within the state of North Rhine-Westphalia covers 215 ha and has been a

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...

since 1974. The landowner of most of the real estate is the district of

Minden-Lübbecke Minden-Lübbecke is a ''Kreis'' (district) in the northeastern part of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Diepholz (district), Diepholz, Nienburg (district), Nienburg, Schaumburg, Lippe, Herford (district), Herford, Osnabr ...

, which has bought up the plots of land with the support of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. In spite being formerly

drained ''Drained'', ( Portuguese: ''O Cheiro do Ralo'') is a 2006 Brazilian dark comedy film based on a novel by Lourenço Mutarelli. It was directed by Heitor Dhalia, and stars Selton Mello. The film was produced by Geração Conteúdo, Primo Filmes ...

, the bog forms a habitat for a large number of endangered plant and animal species. Important plants on the Oppenwehe Moor include

peat mosses ''Sphagnum'' is a genus of approximately 380 accepted species of mosses, commonly known as sphagnum moss, also bog moss and quacker moss (although that term is also sometimes used for peat). Accumulations of ''Sphagnum'' can store water, since ...

cottongrass ''Eriophorum'' (cottongrass, cotton-grass or cottonsedge) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cyperaceae, the sedge family. They are found in the cool temperate, alpine, and Arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere, primarily in the mi ...

and

cross-leaved heath ''Erica tetralix'', the cross-leaved heath, is a species of flowering plant in the family Ericaceae, native to western Europe. Description It is a perennial subshrub with glandular leaves in whorls of four (whence the name). Appearing in summe ...

. The peat mosses are responsible for the growth of the bog and are the most important plants in the raised bog; they can store more than twenty times their own weight of water. Their lower layers die off and become

peat Peat is an accumulation of partially Decomposition, decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, Moorland, moors, or muskegs. ''Sphagnum'' moss, also called peat moss, is one of the most ...

. The best-known and most striking plant is cottongrass. In spring the cottongrasses turn large parts of the raised bog into a sea of white. The cross-leaved heath is a typical heather plant of raised bogs. It prefers wet locations and blooms in summer. Four circular walks run through the nature reserve and enable visitors to see rare animals and plants. In the ''Moorblick'' ("bog view") information pavilion the history of the bog and interesting information about the creation and importance of bogs is displayed. The nature reserve, ''Am Oppenweher Moor'', borders the raised bog to the south and is 275 ha in area.

References

{{Reflist Bogs of Lower Saxony Nature reserves in Lower Saxony Diepholz (district) Stemwede Minden-Lübbecke Bogs of North Rhine-Westphalia