Bold Cliffs
The islands of Vaajasalo and Mäntysalo make up most part of the area of the
National Park. In addition, there are small islands and rocky islets, and a few
areas on the mainland. The narrow bays and straits surrounded by sheer cliffs
form a labyrinth inside the main islands. The continental ice sheet carved the
deep lakes and the high rocks. At its deepest there is 47 metres of water in
Kolovesi. The surrounding water areas and shores are included in the National
Shore Conservation Programme.
The shores of the park are rugged rocky shores. So
called Devil’s fields consist of boulders and rocks, and were formed after the
Ice Age by the great changes in the sea level. The individual profiles and
crushed forms of the rocks are unique to Kolovesi. The forms of the shores vary
from rocks with pine trees to heaps of angular boulders and sheer cliffs.
The Eurasian Eagle Owl (Bubo bubo) and the
Common Raven (Corvus corax) nest on the cliffs. The Red Fox (Vulpes
vulpes) and the Eurasian Badger (Meles meles) can be seen between
the boulders, and sometimes in the winter even the footprints of the Lynx
(Lynx lynx) are found on the snow. Fishing in
the clear water live the Saimaa Ringed
Seal
(www.metsa.fi) (Phoca hispida saimensis) and the Otter (Lutra
lutra),
which is also quite rare.
The Rare Inhabitants of the Old-growth Forests
On the islands, behind the shoreline cliffs with stubborn pine trees, there
are overcast, quite luxuriant depressions with mixed-wood forests dominated by
spruce but also growing Birch (Betula), Aspen (Populus
tremula) and Pine (Pinus sylvestris). In damp places there are
spruce bogs, and in some places under the cliffs even small herb-rich forests.
In the corner of some bays there are flood meadows dominated by sedges
(Cyperaceae), which have been mowed in the old times.
The old forests of the park are a habitat for many
species of old-growth forests, which have become rare, such as hole nesters,
beetles living on deadwood, and shelf fungus (Polyporaceae). In the old mixed-wood forests live also
the Greenish Warbler (Phylloscopus trochiloides) and the Wood Warbler
(Phylloscopus sibilatrix).
Of the threatened species, the
Black-throated Diver (Gavia arctica), the Red-throated Diver (Gavia
stellata), the Osprey (Pandion haliaetus), the Lesser Black-backed
Gull (Larus fuscus), the Northern Hobby (Falco subbuteo) and
the Red-breasted Flycatcher (Ficedula parva)
have been seen
in the park.
The abundance of rare species shows the value of the
old-growth forests. Therefore Kolovesi is an important conservation area for the
forest ecosystems of Southern Finland. More than half of the National Park´s
forests are over a hundred years old. Even more interestingly, succession of
forests of different ages can be found in the park. The forest ecosystems are
complemented by former commercial forests, which are young, dense and dominated
by deciduous trees. There you can hear the exotic whistle of the Golden Oriole
(Oriolus oriolus), a bird with yellow and black
colours, which sounds like a flute.
