A unique flora and fauna is waiting to be explored in the Attemsmoor in the market town of Straß in Styria. On the secured moor path you can walk through the wetland and observe the flora and fauna close to the paths and from the lookouts. Information boards along the path explain everything worth knowing about the formation and the inhabitants of the moor.
Flora & Flora
Typical plants such as sphagnum moss, narrow-leaved cotton grass, spotted orchid, marsh iris, blood and loosestrife, and also sundew (which belongs to the carnivorous genus) can be found in Attemsmoor. Different species of frogs, grass snakes, various insects, including beautiful dragonflies, and a variety of bird species, such as tail tits, reed buntings, and also the cuckoo, can be observed. A special highlight is the moor frog, whose otherwise brown males turn a spectacular bluish color at the peak of the mating season.
Formation
The Attemsmoor is a flow-through bog that originated from a flooded bog, and is the only extra-alpine bog in the Mur valley. It extends over almost 15 hectares, of which 8 hectares are fen. Groundwater emerged from the alluvial gravel soil (alluvial fan formed by the glacial flow). A flood bog developed and from it this flow-through bog of the Linden Brook was formed. A groundwater flow just below the surface of the bog creates a fast-growing, loose peat with a high expansion capacity. This causes that when the water supply changes (precipitation phase), the surface of the bog can go with it and therefore the groundwater never comes to the surface. Actually, the climate in southern Styria (lower Mur valley) is not ideal for the formation of bogs. The formation of bogs is bound to cool humid climate - therefore this pre-alpine bog in southern Styria is particularly interesting. In the Austrian mire protection catalog, the Strass Attemmoor is therefore assigned national importance.
Tip: The Attemsmoor is located on the Auen- und Moor cycle path.