Notes from Norway

[Hoy]

50 years ago it was open meadows and pastures here. Almost all the inhabitants lived off the land and had sheep, goats and cows. No nobody does any longer so the open landscape disappear very quickly. Birch is the first tree to establish. Seeds from the birch blow far and have a tremendous capability to germinate. But also rowan, aspen, maple and other trees like crab apple find their way.




The light shade from the birches is perfect for wood anemone (Anemone nemorosa), the commonest spring flower here.




Also the wood sorrel (Oxalis acetosella) is common. I still taste the leaves when I am out!




Another showy species is marsh violet (Viola palustris).

 

[Chris Johnson]

An evocative collection of images, Trond, thanks for sharing.

That's a spectacular showing of Gymnosporangium clavariiforme - little chance of me finding it here.

[Hoy]

A little further the landscape opens. Here the soil is absent and the bedrock appears  everywhere. The bedrock is hard and nutrient poor and only few plants grow here, like this bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi).






Lichen shows up everywhere, of course.




Also crowberry (Empetrum nigrum) is common.




Bog asphodel (Narthesium ossifragum) is a typical plant for the nutrient poor wet areas. This plant is from old accused of causing at least two kind of injuries to grazing animals. As the Latin name suggests (ossifragum) the animals easily break their bones when eating this plant. However, it is not the plant itself but the general lack of calcium due to the very poor soil. Another illness is  saut/plochteach (Norwegian alveld) which is caused by the plant or possibly some other agent like blue green algae in the same environment. It is very showy in flower but late to appear. Here is the remnants from last year.

[Hoy]

An evocative collection of images, Trond, thanks for sharing.

That's a spectacular showing of Gymnosporangium clavariiforme - little chance of me finding it here.

Thanks Chris

Is the fungus rare over there? Here it is extremely common although hawthorns are rare. I suppose you don't need any ?

[Hoy]

At the "summit"
Although not high we have a wide view.

Due west. The North Sea is not far away but it is one fjord, another peninsula, a channel and a long island between us.



The landscape still looks grey and that is because the plants (grasses and sedges) are very late. The only native conifer here is pine but Norway and Sitka spruce is planted. As mentioned, the soil is shallow and most of it burnt in a wildfire about 50 years ago. In spring it is often very dry and the grass easily catch fire. In old times they deliberately set fire to the heath and grass to improve the pastures but only when the soil where saturated and frozen.

South-west. The ocean is just visible in the horizon.




Due east. We are in fact on an peninsula, and it is several fjords between us and the still snowclad mountains far away.

[Maggi Young]

Oh yes! That is quite a view - superb.

[Hoy]

Oh yes! That is quite a view - superb.

We had our lunch up here today. While we sat down the clouds disappeared completely

[Hoy]

Back home. Sunshine. My lawn! I don't cut it until midsummer







Some rhodos. One is Rh roxieanum, not as floriferous as last year, the next one is a seedling I got and the third is one I don't remember - quite common though.

[Robert]

Trond,

Thanks for all the fantastic photographs! I can start to get a feel for the land. It is somewhat different than I imagined. Somehow I thought that it would be densely forested with conifers like the Pacific Coast of the U.S.A. - something like Washington States rain forest or the Southeastern Alaskan rain forest. How different - but very beautiful.

I do have a few questions.

Here the native Equisetum species can be a major pest in the garden - more or less impossible to eradicate. Is one cautioned with this plant in your part of the world?

I was very fascinated by the Bog Myrtle, Myrica gale. Is this the same plant used by the Old Norse raiders as an intoxicant?

Thank you so much - looking forward to your next outing.

[Chris Johnson]

Is the fungus rare over there? Here it is extremely common although hawthorns are rare. I suppose you don't need any ?

Not rare nationally, Trond, but here in the Outer Hebrides we only have fragments of natural tree vegetation.

[Hoy]

Not rare nationally, Trond, but here in the Outer Hebrides we only have fragments of natural tree vegetation.

But you do have junipers?

[Hoy]

Trond,

Thanks for all the fantastic photographs! I can start to get a feel for the land. It is somewhat different than I imagined. Somehow I thought that it would be densely forested with conifers like the Pacific Coast of the U.S.A. - something like Washington States rain forest or the Southeastern Alaskan rain forest. How different - but very beautiful.

I do have a few questions.

Here the native Equisetum species can be a major pest in the garden - more or less impossible to eradicate. Is one cautioned with this plant in your part of the world?

I was very fascinated by the Bog Myrtle, Myrica gale. Is this the same plant used by the Old Norse raiders as an intoxicant?

Thank you so much - looking forward to your next outing.

Robert, you are very welcome!

This part of the world would have been densely forested if not mankind had intervened! The forest had contained a lot of different deciduous trees and pines. Spruce had probably not crossed the mountains. You don't need to go far away however, to find mature pine forests but mature hardwood forests are rare as they would have developed on arable land which of course are used by people.

Horsetail species are a problem but not so much in big scale agriculture as in private gardens. We had problems with one species when we had a kitchen garden at our summerhouse. I have read that Equisetum arvense have edible corms that were eaten in the spring.

You have read Snorre?
Myrica gale was used to flavour spirits (some still use it). http://www.nrk.no/telemark/arcus-henter-vikingenes-krydderurt-1.7654062
I have tasted it myself. The plant is called pors in Norwegian.

I hope it is not too long til my next outing!

[Chris Johnson]

But you do have junipers?

Only fragments, Trond, and with no stature. It would establish well but we are overpopulated with deer.

[Hoy]

Only fragments, Trond, and with no stature. It would establish well but we are overpopulated with deer.

I have a few to spare - both deer and junipers

[Hoy]

On the road again! To check our cabin. It is almost 400km along the roads, and not he best ones!

Along the Sørfjorden (South fjord) through the fruit district in Hardanger. I took the pictures through the window while my wife drove. We didn't stop. The cherries have just started flowering but the apples are late. They should be in full bloom now.