Notes from Norway

[Hoy]

In my opinion the net willow (Salix reticulata) is one of the best ones. It is common around here also in the mixed forest of birch and spruce when it is not too dense but always on calcareous soil.




You will find scattered specimens of round-leaved wintergreen (Pyrola rotundifolia) many places in the forest. Sometimes they are quite abundant.






Another wintergreen which is very common here is the one-flowered wintergreen (Monese uniflora). The nodding flower is not easy to picture!

[Robert]

Trond,

Your wildflowers are most beautiful. The Pyrola rotundifolia is most attractive. P. picta is our most common species. It grows locally in the higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. It is one of 6 species that grow in our area.

Maianthemum is another familiar genus. Of coarse other species grow in our area.

Orchids are generally quite lovely too and yours are fragrant! On my last outing I found Sierra Bog Orchids, Platanthera dilatata var. leucostachys, in bloom. I will be reporting on this soon.

At one time I grew Salix reticulata. It was one of my favorite Salix species.

Pinguicula vulgaris is something that I am completely unfamiliar with. Annual or perennial? I will have to look this one up. The flowers seem most attractive.

Once again thank you for sharing the photographs. They certainly help me to expand my horizon on plants.

[Hoy]

Thank you Robert.

Did you have a nice time at the Market?

From pictures it seems that Pyrola picta has very nice leaves. The leaves of P rotundifolia are more plain. We have about 5 species of Pyrola. Here is another one, P minor.



The flowers don't open more than this.

Looking forward to the Platanthera! One species is common at home and around the summerhouse but not up here.
The other common species here is Coeloglossum viride.



It is tiny and anonymous but I always enjoy finding it (which happens quite often in fact .

Another very attractive Salix species is S lanata:




Pinguicula vulgaris is perennial. It is very common but a bit hard to picture on the thin waving stems. It is a carnivorous plant and the leaves are sticky and glandular. The Norwegian name "tettegras" reflects that it has been used to curdling milk. Here you can see the foliage:



(The whey was and still is used to make the Norwegian Brown Cheese.)

http://www.tine.no/merkevarer/brunostene-fra-tine/artikler/brunostens-historie

[Hoy]

Sunday we had a long outing. The weather was a bit cloudy and the wind was cold (14C) but it was nice to walk so we spent 7 hours on the trip.

We have to walk through a birch forest on the first part of the trip. The birches have had a hard time: Some years ago they were attacked by moths in millions two years in a row. Many died. Last winter weighed them down with big amounts of snow. Several couldn't stand it.

 

The result is a very messy wood!

Higher up (1100m) the wood opens and you get a view of the landscape.




The path looks like this:





This path is "much" used. We actually met about 10 people on this Sunday. On an everyday we usually meet nobody.
The summit of Dyna ("The Duvet"). It is only 1212m but the highest point around here.

[johnralphcarpenter]

"It is only 1212m but the highest point around here"

That's a mountain by British standards! The highest mountain in England, Scafell Pike, is 978 metres!

[Robert]

Trond,

Pyrola picta has very beautiful marbled foliage. P. aphylla, also a native, has no leaves at all and survives on organic material in the soil. P. minor is reported from our area, however I have never seen it (yet).

Our native orchids are an interesting group. Some can be very showy and, like yours, some are tiny yet are still quite charming.

In your vista photographs I see snow covered mountains in the distance. Do you ever visit them? Maybe they are very far away and there are no roads and few trails?

The farmers' market was slow for everyone on Sunday. More sub-tropical moisture has moved in making conditions very uncomfortable. It is also hot, about 94 F (34 C) during the day, and about 70 F (21 C) for a low temperature at night. It may rain today or tonight with a flash flood warning for the Sierras. This is very strange weather for us. Rarely do we get this type of sub-tropical moisture and this has occurred frequently so far this summer.

The farmers' market may have been slow, however the market manager will save my spot for the week 3 week until I can return again. I have had the same spot at the market for the last 15-20 years. I am glad that I will not have to move to a new location at market or not be able to attend as the market is full of vendors at this time of year. Care giving starts for me again on Wednesday. I have been frantically trying to get things done and earn some livelihood before Wednesday as care giving is 24/7 now. This is sucking the life out of my wife and I. We have no money and I am lucky to get anything done even when the hired help comes for about 6 hours for 4-5 days during the week.           

I look forward to your next outing. They are interesting and a delight for me. I will do the best I can to get out in the next 3 weeks. During care giving, getting out is a much needed mental health day for me. 

[Hoy]

"It is only 1212m but the highest point around here"

That's a mountain by British standards! The highest mountain in England, Scafell Pike, is 978 metres!

Then our cabin had been almost at the summit of that mountain

What is it like, up there? Rocks or heather?

[Hoy]

Robert,

Not much subtropical here! It is rather chilly for the season

I am very sorry for your situation. It seems to be very difficult for both of you. Hope it will not last too long. And I sincerely hope you'll have time to relax occasionally.we


I have been visiting some of the mountains a couple of times. The highest ones are about 1700m and although they usually have some snow all summer it is more now than normal.

When you look out at the landscape like in my photographs you can't see the valleys. Several million years ago this was a plane about at sea level. Upheaval in west (which created the higher mountains there) resulted in rivers running from west to east and then south. During the several glaciations the river valleys were widened and deepened but you barely see them from the plain. It takes about 1 hour to drive there. Maybe we will take a trip there later this week.

[Hoy]

Some plants from Sunday's outing.

Cardamine pratensis paludosa. The common cuckoo flower is very abundant at home but up here grows ssp paludosa and angustifolia.




Rainwater and meltwater ponds are everywhere. Different species of sedges are common, and so is cottongrass, Eriophorum vaginatum.




Astragalus alpinus. Native and common.




Ajuga pyramidalis and Viola canina




Diphasiastrum alpinum

[Hoy]

Vaccinium uliginosum can be showy in flower.






Salix lanata. The female catkins are almost ripe while the male plant has just been rid of the snow cover.






Salix glauca male catkins.

[johnralphcarpenter]

Then our cabin had been almost at the summit of that mountain

What is it like, up there? Rocks or heather?

Mostly rock. Lots of information here: http://english-lake-district.info/scafell-pike/scafell-pike.html

[Hoy]

Last ones from Sunday.

We found Viola biflora for the first time here. It is abundant other sites and we have expected it to grow here but never seen it in flower. It blooms when the snow melts. Out of flower the leaves look quite similar to Viola palustris. We found about 10 tiny flowering specimens and were very pleased!




The ferns are late too. Here the fronds of Athyrium distentifolium unfurls.




The Creeping Azalea (Loiseleuria procumbens) is also late. Usually the flowers are long gone at this time.




The same with Phyllodoce caerulea. Here at 1200m it was plenty of them still in flower.

[Hoy]

Mostly rock. Lots of information here: http://english-lake-district.info/scafell-pike/scafell-pike.html

Looks very familiar. More like the rugged and bare fells in Rogaland county where I live than here in Buskerud county.

Rogaland Suldalsheiene.

[christian pfalz]

....the phyllodeuce looks great......
cheers
chris

[Robert]

Trond,

It appears that where you were hiking in Buskerud County was above the tree line.

I have to admit that I like many of the Viola species that are native to your region. Common or not, I certainly like Viola biflora. Phyllodoces can be beautiful too. Ours are all finished now. I saw masses of them blooming earlier, however my wife and I were on our "rescue mission" outing so there was no opportunity to photograph this beautiful site.

I appreciate that you take the time to photograph non-flowering or non-blooming plants. It all of considerable interest to me.