Iceland and arctic flowerplants in juni 2018

[Harald-Alex.]

In 12.6.18 we started the "Great Nordland Cruise" with the fine motorship Albatros in Bremerhaven and reached after thwo stormy sea-days Iceland and the Heimarey- or Westmänner-Isles. The nature with the vulcanos, icefields, geysires, isles and fjords was fantastic, but very surprising for me was the flora of this arctic area. We found a green land with many flowers!
At first we saw the blue landscapes of flowering blue lupinus, imported from Alaska to improve the soil after vulcano-eruptions for other plants. But the Iceländers see in this lupinus now also problems, because they are very invasive and replace the small, slowgrowing Iceland plants in untouched areals too.
Here the first fotos of Heimarey with the botanical and Icelandic names:

Foto 1: The stone-grasprotected houses of the first farmers of Iceland
Foto 2: blue-white Lupinus nootkaensis - Alaskalupine or Baunagras in front of the newest vulcanoeruption of 1973
Foto 3: Arneria maritima - Geldringaknappur in an natural meadow
Foto 4: Cardamine nymanii - Hrafneklukka with white-rose shortstem flowers
Foto 5: Silene dioica - Lamdagras - red flowering plants between lava-stones in Heimarey-Isle south-East of Iceland-mainland

[Harald-Alex.]

From Heimarey the Albatos  shipped to our first stop in the Iceland-Mainland was in Hafnafjördur, west of the capital Reykjavik. From here we visited  the Gullfoss-waterfalls, the place of the Geysires and the area of one of the oldest parliaments of the world - the Thingvellir. The last place is from great geological interest, because here the american and the europaen plates differ every year 2 cm from another. We found wonderful and rare plants in all of this stations:

Foto 1: Trolle and Elfen are common in Iceland and there is a special "Elfen-Commision" as part of the governement
Foto 2: The loneliest weekend cottage on an seebird-rock
Foto 3: Silene acaulis - Laundagras in common all over lavafields of Iceland, here with Salix shrups
Foto 4: Bartsia alpina - Smjörgras wit darkviolett flowers is a halfparasitic plant
Foto 5: Dryas octopetala - Holtasoly. The white anemone-like flowers are to seen in millions of exemplares allover Iceland

more in the next days.

[Harald-Alex.]

Around the huge Gullfoss-Waterfalls many arctic plants grow and flowers well:

Foto 1: Dryas octopetala - Holtasoly near the Gullfoss - Waterfalls
Foto 2: Silene acaulis -  Lamdagras over the Waterfalls
Foto 3: Armeria matitima - Geldingssaknappur with red flowerbuds
Foto 4: Silene acaulis and Armeria maritima - like in a good stonegarden
Foto 5: Salix arctica - with honey and pollen for bees over the Waterfalls

[Harald-Alex.]

A hotspot of geologie and flora of Iceland is the area of the Geysires. Instead of the fomous "Geysire", whis sleeps since some years, the "Strokkure" has now the part of hotwater-eruptions every 5 minutes. And because the soil of this area is warm, many rare plants grow here well:

Foto 1: the area of the Geysires with green meadows, blue lupinus and waterdamp-emissions near the feet of the vulcano-hill
Foto 2: Thymus praecox - Blodberg between the hot water areals, a mediterrian plant!
Foto 3: Pinguicola vulgaris - Lufjagras , a meateating plant with blue flowers, see many insects on the yellowgreen leaves
Foto 4: Viola canina - Tysfjola with blue-white flowers
Foto 5: Tofieldia pusilla - Sykegras with white flowers together with blue Pinguicola and Salix arctica with haired leaves

[Harald-Alex.]

actually the highest geysire is the "Strokkur", which erupts very 5 minutes, fotographed by many tourists. In the warm soil of this area we found several terrestric orchids with white and violett flowerstems:

Foto 1: Plantathera hyperbora - Friggargras, a terrestric orchid with white flowers
Foto 2: a violet orchid with dark-pointed leaves and 3 flowerstems - Foto: Editha Burock, Berlin
Foto 3: Arabis alpina - Skridnablom grows in moist gravel-soil
Foto 4: Prunella vulgaris - Blakolla
Foto 5: the Geysire "Strokkur" in action!

[Harald-Alex.]

a historical and geological highlight of Iceland is the Thingvellir, the place where is one of the oldest parliaments of the world. This place is located in an big gorge, where the crevises opens yearly + 2 cm between the American ahd the European plates diagonal through Iceland from North-East to South-West. Some of them are very broad, filled with water or lava, over some new tourists can stand with one leg on American and the other on the European plate. For the old members of the Thingvellir this was a place with great impression.
Here we found some fine arctic plants too:

Foto 1: The historic Thingvellir with the stonewall of the "american side" of the gorde
Foto 2: new crevises between the American and European plate near the Thingvellir with view to south
Foto 3: over many crevises Irish moos grows grew-green
Foto 4: Dryas octopetala - Holtasoly and Salix herbaceae near the Thingvellir
Foto 5: Coeloglossumviride - Barnarot (?) - a violet terrestic orchid with green leaves, Foto from Editha Burlock, Berlin

[Harald-Alex.]

next station: Isafjördur - the Icefjord - The north-west of Iceland with many arctic flowers:

Foto: 1 The consulat of Danmark in Isafjördur!
Foto: 2 Papaver nudicaule - Iceland poppy in several colours
Foto: 3 Alchemilla alpina - Ljonslappi and Botrychium lunaria - the "Mondraute", an alpin/arctic fern
Foto: 4 Vaccinium uliinosum - Blaberjalyng flowers
Foto: 5 Roof of the fisher-houses of Osvör- Fishermuseum with many layers of turf-sodes

[Yann]

great report, as you mentionned many species are also found in the Alps (not only). It's very tempting to explore

[Harald-Alex.]

great report, as you mentionned many species are also found in the Alps (not only). It's very tempting to explore

Thank You, Yann, this great northland cruise was wonderful, but most surprised I was about the rich arctic flowers!

[Harald-Alex.]

Near Isafjördur we visited Osvör with fishermuseum and Osvör-kirkje:

Foto 1: The small church of Osvör in the outher north-west of Iceland
Foto 2: arctic Succisa pratensis (?) and Botrychium lunaria, a alpine fern
Foto 3: Bartsia alpina - Smjörgras with dark-blue flowers, a semi-parasitic (?) living plant
Foto 4: Vaccinium oliinosum - Blaberjalyng, in german: Preiselbeeren.
Foto 5: landscape between Osvör and Isafjördur with blue lupines, yellow Ranunculus acris and roseflowering Cardamine -meadows

[Harald-Alex.]

Our last station of Iceland was the north-Iceland Acureyri, from which we visited the Godafoss - waterfall:

Foto 1: The Godafoss - waterfall - like a huge waterarena! Arctic plants opens their flowers directly near the falls.
Foto 2: Plantathera hyperborea - Friggjargra, a terrestic orchis and Tofielda pusilla - Sykigras, small white flowers left in the back
Foto 3: Bistorta officienalis - in german: white Schlangenknöterich
Foto 4: Festuca alpina vivipara - Blavingull, a gras which has seeds and new viviparens plantlets in the flowerstems
Foto 5: a green Iceland-vegetation with blue Bartsia and white Dryas

[ashley]

Harald, did you visit Jan Mayen en route between Svalbard and Iceland?

[Harald-Alex.]

round the Godafoss - waterfall developed a rich vegetation:

Foto 1: Landscape under the Godafoss - waterfall with Salix lantana and Dryas octopetala
Foto 2: Polygonium viviparum - a arctic polygonium with viviparens propagation (unsharp Foto)
Foto 3: Caltha palustre - deep-yellow flowers, mostly grown near small waters
Foto 4: Dryas flowers between Iceland moss!
Foto 5: great yellow-shining meadows with Ranunculus acris - Brennisoley, one of the typical Iceland flowerplant allover the country
(last foto from the bus!)

[Harald-Alex.]

Harald, did you visit Jan Mayen en route between Svalbard and Iceland?

Hallo Ashley, we passed the volcano-island Jan Mayen during "night" and fog without stopping. We could see the shore and the waves on the rocks:
Foto 1: the north shore with vulcano-hills.
Foto 2: the south-west shore with some vegetation
Thank You for visiting my foto-series
Harald

[Anders]

Great photos. By the way, I think your Platanthera hyperborea from Acureyri may actually be Gymnadenia albida.

Anders