Slovenia: woodland and meadows near Stopnik

[Tristan_He]

Stopnik is a little village between Cerkno and Tolmin; we stayed in a holiday house (Tilnik Farm) there that I can thoroughly recommend provided you do not mind driving up a 1km track. It had a stunning view of the surrounding hills:


and a beautiful meadow in front full of Salvia verticillata(?)


More than half of Slovenia is covered in woodland (though at times this felt like an underestimate) and the area around Tilnik is no exception.


This provided habitat for many familiar garden plants including hellebores, Cyclamen purpurascens, Asarum europaeum, Pulmonaria, Hepatica and Campanula spp.

Helleborus niger in particular was very common and must be spectacular when in flower.

[Tristan_He]

The beautiful sky-blue flowers of wild chicory rival any gentian.


Unlike in much of Europe, most of the meadows were flower-rich and unfertilised. Most of the meadows had already been cut, presumably in July, and were showing a good second flush of flowers.


Asperula cynanchica? New to me, though I think it's a British native.


Dianthus monspessulanus? Pretty common in rocky places.


Looks like an Arenaria of some sort.

[Tristan_He]

Some more photos of the woodlands.

We only saw this interesting umbellifer once. Anyone know what is is?



Here are the leaves.



There were edible dormice, Glis glis, frolicing in the walnut trees outside the house at night. They were pretty vocal and argumentative, but not shy at all, as you can see. Beautiful creatures and bigger than you would think.


Veratrums were local but not uncommon. This is V. nigrum, but seems to have unusually narrow leaves.