Some plants I encounter in Norway.

[Hoy]

Trond,

Thank you for the information concerning the mountain elevations.

It appears that early spring is finally arriving in the low lands near the ocean? Or at least much of the snow is finally gone?

Robert,

the spring has arrived in the lowland. The snow has gone and most of the frozen soil has thawed. We are back to normal weather conditions which means we still can have frosty nights, especially after clear days. The spring flowering is a couple weeks later than normal though.

[Hoy]

Yesterday, March 8, the weather was nice but a little cold. -3C during the night and +5C during the day. We took a walk on the island of Bokn, 1/2 hour drive south of us.

Looking east, to the mainland, where the oil and gas refinery of Kårstø can be seen in the distance.



Junipers (Juniperus communis) cover much of the pastures.



The non-native Sitka spruce is planted a lot. Scots pine is native here though.



Huperzia selago is common here and many places it is the only green plant at this time of the year.



Sphagnum moss and Lycopodium annotinum in the shade.

[Hoy]

The landscape looks barren. From old the heather has been burnt on a regular basis and huge flocks of sheep are grazing here all year.



Tree like junipers are common. Also small rowan trees are common here.



It is a lot of skerries and small islands here but also larger ones like Karmøy in the distance.



It is also many freshwater lakes and small tarns here.



The bogs are covered by sedges and purple moorgrass (Molinia caerulea) but the tan colour on the far side of the tarn is due to dead bracken fronds.

[Hoy]

The heather is badly damaged by the cold and dry winter. It is not dead though but will regenerate. The birch trees are formed by the wind that always blows here.



Rowan trees and blueberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) shrubs.






The northern point is close.



The headlight of Boknahåve (head of Bokn), the northernmost point. A salmon farm is in the sea.

[Hoy]

Rowan trees (Sorbus aucuparia) and eared sallow (Salix aurita).



Arctostaphylos uva-ursi



Pin cushion moss (Leucobryum glaucum).

[cohan]

Nice place to have an outing!

I recently photographed something that may just be a 'longer' moss than I usually see, or something Lycopodium-ish, will have to post some photos.. I've never seen any such things (if it's not moss) on the farm before..

[Leena]

Trond, your landscapes make me wish I could just walk around there and sit on rocks and watch the sea. Really beautiful and different from what is here.

[Hoy]

Nice place to have an outing!

I recently photographed something that may just be a 'longer' moss than I usually see, or something Lycopodium-ish, will have to post some photos.. I've never seen any such things (if it's not moss) on the farm before..

Cohan,

Yes - and it's the first time we visit here but not the last!

[Hoy]

Trond, your landscapes make me wish I could just walk around there and sit on rocks and watch the sea. Really beautiful and different from what is here.

Leena,

It is nice watching the sea when the sun shines but yesterday we had a rainstorm with strong wind. Not that funny to sit at the seaside at that time! Not for long anyway

Do you have a photo of your landscape?

[Leena]

I love most in your pictures the feeling of space there is by the sea or in the mountains (also here in northern Lapland and in the coastline).
Where I live it is mostly cultivated fields or forests (spruce mostly and pine) and only in national parks the forests are old and diverse, and beautiful. Most of the forests are used for industry and they don't have time to grow very old (over 60 years) before they are cut down.  I do love old and diverse forests but they are only in small patches.
This picture is from last April when I was with my husband (who took the photo) looking for Hepaticas couple of kilometres from our house. Hepaticas grew there by the edge of the forest.

[Hoy]

Leena,

We still have much open space here but it is rapidly decreasing. Both in the mountains and at the coast forests are steadily increasing. Until about 50 years ago huge areas along the coast were burnt on a regular basis to get grazing areas for livestock and farmers kept livestock on pastures high in the mountains during summer. Climate change also make it easier for forests to increase, especially in the mountains.

Old forests are getting rare here also. Only a few percents are protected. I like forests too as I grew up with forests close to the door although I lived in Oslo!

Your photo shows more hills than I expected! Somehow I expected a flatter landscape Anyway it looks nice. Hope you will find hepaticas soon!

[Robert]

Trond – Leena

This is an interesting discussion you have started.

Here in California the situation is similar. In the last 170 years many ecosystems in California have been, more or less, obliterated. For example, the various low elevation native bunchgrass, annual/perennial forb ecosystems are gone or have been reduced to fragmented remnants. Here in California, the Eurasian annual grasses that have replaced the native bunchgrasses compound the explosive wildfire dilemma we currently face each fire season. In addition, these altered grassland ecosystems are much less effective as carbon sinks, or this is our current hypothesis. This question (effectiveness of various grassland ecosystems as carbon sinks) is part of an additional research project that my brother and I are pursuing.

From a horticultural perspective, the loss of biodiversity in California is devastating. The actual losses are unknown, however the genome from which new native plant varieties can be created has been reduced dramatically. In the new scenario of rapid climatic change and shifts, the need for a diverse and extensive gene pool to draw upon to create resilient new varieties (both ornamental as well as food, forage, and fiber crops) is needed, now, more than ever. Personally, I am not placing my hopes on CRISPER and other forms of biotechnology to rescue humanity from an increasingly dire dilemma.

In the mean time, I too watch as the old growth forests (and much more) rapidly disappear within my lifetime.

[Hoy]

......

Personally, I am not placing my hopes on CRISPER and other forms of biotechnology to rescue humanity from an increasingly dire dilemma.

In the mean time, I too watch as the old growth forests (and much more) rapidly disappear within my lifetime.

Biotechnology, including CRISPR, can't save us from devastating the nature. I am afraid we will lose most of the wild and unspoiled nature in most of the World in my time.

[Leena]

Your photo shows more hills than I expected! Somehow I expected a flatter landscape Anyway it looks nice. Hope you will find hepaticas soon!

Well, you are right that mostly the south-western Finland is more flat with more fields:), but near where I live there are more forests and low hills (rocky so they haven't been made to fields).
In the map of Finland the darker green is forests and lighter green is fields so there are lots of forests. Our area (marked in black) has quite big forest area.

[Hoy]

Leena,

So you live in the extreme south-west "corner" of Finland. I suppose the climate is milder there than inland?