Some plants I encounter in Norway.

[Hoy]

Some nice sunny days lately but not very warm Warm enough though for the bumblebees.

[Hoy]

Another trip to the island of Bokn. This time to the southwestern end of the island.

Pasture for sheep and horses all year.




Boknafjorden




White capped mountains on the mainland.




The white boats are the ferries crossing Boknafjorden. This is the main coastal road so it is only 20 minutes between the departures.




This aquatic moss (Fontinalis sp) has found a little freshwater trickle close to the sea.

[Hoy]

I found a colony of sea spleenwort (Asplenium marinum) close to the sea. The first found on this island.






Some interesting lichens also.






The only flowering plants we saw were these lesser celandines in a holt.

[Gabriela]

Nice Trond! It seems there are many places available for exploration
Day trip I assume.

[Leena]

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

Yes:). From our place it is about 40km to the coast. Winter is not as cold or long here as in more middle or east of Finland, but the warmest part of Finland (for gardening) would be the coast line from Turku to the north, and also archipelago of Turku (to the north west from us). Here the minimum temperature this winter was -24C when in east of Finland it was below -30C (and in Lapland even colder), but of course there was more snow than what we have. Most of my garden is still under snow but soon it will melt:).

[Hoy]

March has been a dull month actually. Not many days above 10C but not many nights below 0C either. Flowering is delayed compared to the previous years. Here are some that flower now:

Heloniopsis orientalis




Heloniopsis kawanoi




Cardamine enneaphylla




Corydalis solida




Erythronium dens-canis

[cohan]

Lots of flowers, even if it is a bit slow   I noticed the first noses of Muscari azureum yesterday, have to hunt to see if any Crocus or Tulipa are starting to poke out.. still early here..

[Hoy]

Lots of flowers, even if it is a bit slow   I noticed the first noses of Muscari azureum yesterday, have to hunt to see if any Crocus or Tulipa are starting to poke out.. still early here..

Cohan,

the spring here has had a standstill all April so far. You will soon catch up!

[Hoy]

Out for a walk yesterday. The first decent weather in weeks. Spyssøy, a small island not very far from here and connected with a bridge so no boat needed. The spring is far behind schedule this year.

A sole dandelion in the road verge. Should be thousands by this time.




Also only one primrose in flower here but also grazing sheep are to blame, not only the weather.




Nice sunshine and almost no wind but only some small spring draba (Draba verna) in flower.




In the shade of the trees a little night frost still linger. No flower of the goldilocks buttercup (Ranunculus auricomus) or ramsons.




Mossy forest. This had no trees 100 years ago but was farmland. Now only sheep and deer use the former pastures. It is too many of them so nothing except moss survive.

[Hoy]

Thuja moss (Thuidium tamariscinum) is common here, but it is hundred of other moss species also.




A few ferns species can be found. Here is the maidenhair spleenwort which is rather common here. Several other species can be found on steep rocks but the sheep devour all they can reach.




A standing birch and a fallen pine.




Old walls.




and an old elm Ulmus glabra.

[Gabriela]

Out for a walk yesterday. The first decent weather in weeks. Spyssøy, a small island not very far from here and connected with a bridge so no boat needed. The spring is far behind schedule this year.

Mossy forest. This had no trees 100 years ago but was farmland. Now only sheep and deer use the former pastures. It is too many of them so nothing except moss survive.

I am glad to see good weather returned in your region Trond. It is certainly disappointing to see a long awaited spring turning back to winter-like.
We had experienced unusual high temp. (up to 24C!), everything has sprung into growth and now are returning to spring like temp (10-15C). All seems to be upside down.

I like the look of the mossy forests; it is mostly in the Western part of Canada that we can see something like this.

[Hoy]

Gabriela,

Yes, it is as it should be at this time weather-wise and will be even better in near future (above 10C). But most plants are behind schedule!

24C is unheard of here at this time of the year and is rare even in summer!

[Tristan_He]

I like the look of the mossy forests; it is mostly in the Western part of Canada that we can see something like this.

It looks exactly like some habitat in Wales - right down to the sheep!

[Hoy]

It looks exactly like some habitat in Wales - right down to the sheep!

Interesting. So I don't have to visit Wales then to know how it looks

[cohan]

After a mostly mild and dry March, April has seen a mix of warm and chilly with snow, but things are starting to flower.
I had to look up 'holt' a word not rare in people's names, but I have never (that I recall) seen it used otherwise- I got the definitions -a den, as for an otter; or archaic: a small wood, copse.. I kind of like this use, will have to remember it! I guess it was the latter where you found the buttercup?
I love old stone walls.. it would take a lot of hunting around here to find suitable rocks-- some fields turn up a lot of glacial stone, but they are mostly not flat, as you see in my rock gardens. There can be a fair bit of sandstone, but still , prob no more than 10% of the rocks, if that, I could maybe do a piece of wall a couple of feet long and a couple high with the sandstone I have...lol the other stuff would need mortar or some really patient fitting!