Top 5 Natural Monuments in Bellebroek En Dendermeersen Tussen Oudegem En Wieze

If you see movement here...summer is coming.

This work of art by Thijs Van der Linden tells the story of the origins of the well-known “Dikke Eik” (fat oak) from the village square in Wieze, which was once planted on the corner of 4 roads to indicate the access road to the now disappeared wooden corn mill. Planting different types of wood in the immediate vicinity of a mill to incorporate them was also common at the time. This oak could therefore have been planted there to be used as the sails of the mill. On the way to this mill there is also a miller’s chapel, which was once erected to pray for a good harvest. At the bottom of this work of art there is a miller’s stone that can also be used as a bench. In this concrete form, oak branches have been worked vertically into it as filling, which will decay over time. A random summer oak has been planted in the centre of this miller’s stone, onto which branches of the “Dikke Eik” will be grafted at a later stage. The tree itself is surrounded by a steel construction in which the miller's chapel and the disappeared mill are depicted. This work is located on a walking path towards the village and therefore the Oude Eik van Wieze from where the story will hopefully be told further by the local population and passers-by. (Thijs Van der Linden)

Indeed Dirk, stork's nest thank you.

It is indeed a stork's nest and not a heron's. That is why a name change is proposed...

This road (Derdebochtstraat] runs further along next to the Molenbeek but is not maintained for a short distance and is overgrown with nettles etc. Then along the meadow to the next path (Banhoveweg). Then you can continue on the original road next to the Molenbeek.

This imposing pedunculate oak stands in the eastern corner of the village square of Wieze, right next to the café 'Den Dikken Eik'. A church path used to leave from here to the mill and Molenkapel. The oak forms a defining element in the village center of Wieze. The tree has been protected since 1951. Source: https://www.lebbeke.be/dikke-eik

Pupils from the local schools helped with planting the honey forest, setting up a wall of branches and making "bee hotels". Natuurpunt has also built a cozy picnic spot in the Wiestermeers, on an old Denderarm where a honey grove was also planted. The Wiestermeers nature trail was also constructed a few years ago. The trail passes through a forest complex that is very old and valuable. The trees and shrubs are the descendants of trees and shrubs that settled after the last ice age, 13,000 years ago. The path offers a view of the right bank of an Oude Dender, rows of pollard willows and passes a castle park and a historic farm. Source: https://www.natuurpunt.be/natuurgebied/beneden-dender-bellebroek-hannaerden-wiestermeers-hoekske-en-hogedonk

A prime location for welcoming swallows. Near the Dender River in Denderbelle, not far from the lock crossing, you can see a large swallow house. This swallow house was installed by the Waterways and Sea Canal. The house was placed there due to major works on the nearby lock. The lock needs to be modified because the Dender is being widened and deepened to allow for heavier vessels. However, the lock modifications also mean the current lock houses will have to be removed, which is bad news for the house martins. For years, the birds have been building their nests against the facades of these buildings. Swallows are protected birds and very sedentary. The disappearance of their nesting site is seriously disrupting the swallow's habitat. To give them the chance to continue living and breeding nearby, an alternative is being provided. The Waterways & Sea Canal Department and the Scheldt-Durme Regional Landscape hope that the swallows will find a new home at the swallow house before the lock houses disappear. Swallow calls are played on the swallow house to attract them to their new location. Hopefully, they will find their way to their new hotel. Tip: Take a moment and enjoy the swallows' aerial acrobatics on summer evenings. Swallows are champions at eating insects. More information can be found on the information board at the Swallow Hotel.