A Lower Rhine floodplain sanctuary that protects softwood forests, wet meadows, and a rich community of waterbirds and meadow species.
Die Spey Nature Reserve
Die Spey is a protected nature reserve and Natura 2000 site situated on the left bank of the Lower Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It lies in the so-called Deichvorland, the low-lying floodplain immediately in front of the main flood dike, on the border between the city of Krefeld and the city of Meerbusch in Rhein-Kreis Neuss.
The reserve forms a characteristic slice of the historic Rhine floodplain, where forest, meadow, wetland, and open river shoreline come together within a single relatively small landscape. It is notable for its mosaic of softwood floodplain woodland, river valley grasslands, tall herb meadows, reed and sedge beds, and open sand and gravel banks along the Rhine.
Ecologically, Die Spey is significant as a breeding, resting, and feeding area for waterbirds and meadow birds, as a stepping stone for migratory species, and as habitat for threatened insects such as the dark knapweed blue butterfly. Despite being administratively split between two municipalities, the two halves together form one of the larger, still relatively well preserved floodplain relicts of the Lower Rhine region.
