Belgium and Luxembourg (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

Landscape and Wildlife

Belgium has a misleading reputation for

being a flat country. This is only true of

the northwest, where polders of drained

coastal marshes form large expanses of

rich green pastures. The central band

of the country features undulating

farmland, while to the southeast, the terrain rises

progressively into the dramatic hills and scenic forests

of the Ardennes. The rivers Sambre and Meuse slice

through central Belgium, forming a natural northern

boundary to the Ardennes. Belgium’s wildlife reflects

this diversity in landscape with a full cross-section of

North European flora and fauna, from deer, wild boar

and eagle owls in the Ardennes to the huge flocks of

migratory birds that visit the coast.

20 INTRODUCING BELGIUM AND LUXEMBOURG

THE COAST

Along Belgium’s North Sea shore, sandy

beaches slope gently to the sea, creating a

long tidal reach. Resorts now line the coast,

protected by high dykes, but the old dune

landscapes at the eastern and western ends

have been preserved as wildlife sanctuaries.

RICH FARMLANDS AND POLDERS

Just inland from the coast, fertile arable land,

interspersed with woodland, rises towards

a central band. Grain, sugarbeet, vegetables

and fruit are grown here. The Pajottenland,

Hageland and Haspengouw regions pride

themselves on their agricultural produce.

The pink-footed goose

(Anser brachyrhynchus) is

among the seasonal visitors

to the coast, overwintering

to the south of its breeding

grounds in the Arctic.

The red squirrel

(Sciurus vulgaris)

is seen around

the woodlands,

where it nests in

conifer trees.

The brown hare (Lepus europaeus)

likes open country, farmland and

orchards. Living alone or in pairs,

it feeds on grasses and twigs and

raises its young above ground.

The grey seal

(Halichoerus grypus)

lives in the North Sea,

and occasionally

comes ashore.

Rosebay willowherb, or

fireweed (Epilobium

angustifolium), is a

tough perennial that

lends colour to the

fringes of farmland.

Sea lavender (Limonium

vulgare) dapples the dune

landscapes with mauve when

it flowers in summer.

The common

heath moth

Limestone caves at Han-sur-Lesse

in the Belgian Ardennes