Some plants I encounter in Norway.

[cohan]

Nice plants on those islands. Those patches of Silene are impressive! Is it larger (in size, besides numbers) in those fertilised spots?

[Hoy]

Cohan,

the skerries are fertilized by birds, lots of birds!

[Hoy]

I have a few months to catch up! These are from June 2021. We were visiting a friend  with a big garden close to a fjord 1 1/2 hours away by car.
He has several trees on his property, Sequoia sempervirens is one of them.



Another is Davidia involucrata.




Not on his property but in a deciduous forest close by we found Sorbus hybrida in flower




and some old gnarled Ulmus glabra specimens.




Menyanthes trifoliata was growing in a little tarn.

[Hoy]

Last June we took an excursion on Telemarkskanalen (the Telemark canal). It is 105km long and was started in 1854 and finished in 1892. It is 18 locks which lift the boats 72m from Skien at the sea to Dalen. Boats up to 31.4m long and 6.6m broad can pass the locks. The trip takes about 10 hours with the old canal boats.

Early morning.The old canal boat "Victoria" (1882) moored to quay in Skien before departure.




First part of the canal. The canal consists of several lakes and rivers. The locks were built where rapids and waterfalls prevented the boats to pass.




Seems other seafarers are waiting for their turn in the locks.




More locks

[Hoy]

Keep left. The waterfall is too steep.




Gates closed. Have to wait till the chamber fills up.




Many lakes are linked by rivers and narrow naturally sounds.




A beaver's home.




The lakes are narrow but very deep.

[Hoy]

The last lake in the link, Lake Bandak, 27km long, rather narrow and 325m deep.




Steep banks with pines..




..and elm, linden, oak and birch.





Screes...




.. and Hotel Dalen. We were brought by this bus Ford Fleur de Lys 1928 from the quay to the hotel.




This waterway were in use long before the locks were built. It is documented that whetstones were exported toEurope more than 1200 years ago.

[Hoy]

The warm, steep south exposed broadleaf forests along Lake Bandak support a lot of different plants.

Campanula cervicaria




Silene vulgaris




Actaea spicata




Paris quadrifolia




Vicia sylvatica

[Hoy]

The forest form of Ranunculus acris (R. acris is divided in several forms in Norway).




Polygonatum vertillcillatum




Polystichum lonchitis




Sanicula europaea




Neottia ovata

[Hoy]

Lathyrus niger




Geranium sylvaticum




Not a plant but sitting in the grass with the white clover, Parnassia apollo.




Hypochaeris maculata without spots.




Dactylorhiz maculata sp maculata or fuchsii

[Hoy]

At 550m ASL we found Caphalanthera longifolia. A new site for this species and the highest so far in Norway




It is a nice view of Lake Bandak.




Here the steep scree ends and the common spruce forest




The flora is different, Maianthemum bifolium




Vaccinium myrtillus (common "blåbær","blueberry" in Norwegian) and Chamaepericlymenum suecicum ("skrubbær", "wolfsberry" in Norwegian) dominate.

[Robert]

Trond,

Your posting depicts a very interesting bit of your Norwegian history. As usual the Norwegian countryside is incredibly beautiful. The plants featured are for the most part foreign to our part of California; however they must be well-known to gardeners and botanists in Europe. Thank you for sharing everything.

[Hoy]

Robert,

Most plants here in Norway are more or less well known in Europe. We have very few endemics due to the short time since the last glaciation that covered all Norway. Some plants are rare in the European lowland though.

[Hoy]

The return voyage. After two nights at the hotel we went back the same way as we came. A voyage, even only 10 hours on inland lakes, are very relaxing! These lakes are fjords that was cut off from the sea when the land heaved after the glaciers melted 10000 years ago. The uplifting here is about 100m and continues still.

Our ship, M/S Victoria.




It is rather narrow.




Still a few steps down.






Guess who is waiting for their turn!

[Nik]

We watched the Norwegian slow TV “ Telemarkskanalen – minutt for minutt” a year ago. It was so truly enjoyable! Nice pictures and thank you for sharing them!

[Nik]

For me, the “ Bergensbanen – minutt for minutt” was the best thought.. from the same slow TV series.