Ostra Góra nature reserve - a forest and geological nature reserve located in Poland, in the western part of the Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in Chrzanów County, in in the Trzebinia commune south of the road connecting villages Myślachowice and Psaryin the area Of the Chrzanów Forest District. It is the only facility of this type in the commune of Trzebinia.
Geographic coordinates: 50 ° 10′31 ″ N 19 ° 30′24 ″ E
One of the smaller nature reserves (7.59 ha [7.22 ha in older literature]), established on November 25, 1959 to protect Carpathian beech forest on the top of a forested Triassic hill Sharp Mountain 438 m above sea level characterized by a sharp ridge (hence the name). The steep slopes are covered with thick, hollow trees beeches at the age of 150-200 years, some of them up to 250 years.
The oldest trees, the hollow ones, mainly in the western part, relatively low and decaying, reach a diameter of over 100 cm in the breast height diameter. Occasionally, it is also found in the beech stand Pine. The shape of the old trees shows that in the past they grew as free-standing trees exposed to gusts of wind, strong sunlight or damage caused by animals grazing nearby. This was due to the intensive logging of trees used to burn the local lime kilns (stone was obtained from this area until the end of the 19th century), as a result of which the hill was almost completely stripped of the forest. When the exploitation of the stone was completed, the spontaneous afforestation of Ostra Góra took place in the 20th century.
The Carpathian beech forest, surrounded by coniferous forest, is extremely interesting here due to the presence of many protected plants (botanists have recognized the presence of 15 species in this reserve): live glandular, hepatics, quadrilateral, forest violet, hoof, creeping bugle, ivy, spotted eagle, broadleaf helleborine, red grenadier and swordleaf, andsweet frost, wolfberry, ground elder and permanent rush. There are also over 100 species of medicinal plants.
In many places there is only a thick layer of mulch on which species of small mushrooms grow. Hat mushrooms sometimes form regular circles, colloquially known as "devil's circles".
The species composition of the plants occurring in the reserve corresponds to the lower montane forests.
It occurs in the undercoat layer juniper, mountain ash and hawthorn.
Of the animals, it is not difficult to observe wild boars, deer, roe deer, hares, foxes, partridges, pheasants, various species of lizards, snakes and over 30 species of migratory and local birds.
In addition to the fauna and floristic values, this reserve is also interesting for geology enthusiasts, because here and there on the northern slopes there are limestone rocks, on the southern slopes dolomite rocks, which are separated by a ridge running latitudinally, and in the north-west there are so-called zlepieniece Myślachowice. In the reserve, along the ridge of the hill, there are traces of former excavations and heaps of rock fragments.
This place also has its own mysterious history. There are very mysterious ruins in the reserve. They bear the usual name of "Owczarnia" and have never been archaeologically examined.
The ecosystem occurring in the area of the reserve was created as a result of repeated regeneration after the abandonment of various forms of human activity (felling, litter removal, grazing sheep and other animals).
It is a partial reserve.
Due to the beautiful, varied landscape and the multitude of nesting birds, the reserve should be especially protected against all threats posed by the immediate vicinity of human settlements and moving people. Therefore, special care should be exercised during walks.
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