Switzerland 2008

[Paddy Tobin]

Three gentians.

The first two photographs are of Gentians bavarica - I think, but would welcome a correction if it is in order.

Identification for the other two gentians would be very welcome. These latter were photographed in quite heavy rain, seemingly a common experience in the mountains and for that matter here in Ireland at present. A town in the south west of the country had the equivalent of four weeks rain in as many hours on Thursday last; the local river broke its banks; cars floated away; houses were flooded; electricity power lost; people rescued etc. Just a typical Irish summer day, really.

Paddy

[Paddy Tobin]

A few pink things for Maggi and the final photograph for Cliff Booker - Cliff and Diane Clements gave me invaluable information and advice before my departure which proved a great help on the holiday. I followed Cliff's suggestions for walks and was certainly delighted with the experience, missing only one which I truly would have liked to have done, that along the base of the Eiger. Diane posted excellent photographs of this area last year but the weather didn't permit the walk for us but then this is a good reason to return another year, I suppose.

Paddy

[Maggi Young]

Really nice pink things, there, Paddy, thank you....surely I can't be the only one grateful to see them? 

 Bit worried about you making Mary take a hang glider down the mountain so she could get to the bar quicker to order your schnapps.....


Have been reading about the Irish flood damage... very scary.... hope no lives lost.

[Paddy Tobin]

Hi Maggi,

Great to see you up and in touch. Hope you are improving as each day goes by. I know from my sister that this is an absolutely dreadfully annoying condition and so hope you mend quickly.

Of course, the pink things are for everybody but you had expressed an interest in the rhododendrons. They grew in profusion in the  mountains. On seeing the first one I was snapping furiously with the camera but soon there were so many as to become common place.

Yes, Mary became quite a dab hand at the parachuting. Indeed, Mary became quite dab hand at the mountain walking, going so far as to purchase a pair of those proper walking shoes, "Lowa" brand, something she would previously not have been seen dead in but she really enjoyed the walking and we put in long treks each day, a great treat. In my young days I spent quite an amount of time hill walking, camping out etc but this stopped shortly after meeting Mary. She was most certainly a "townie" and had no intentions of traipsing about in the mud. She came with me on one walk and camp out. We awoke high in the mountains completely fogged in, visibility at about ten feet and although I led her back down the mountain to where the car was parked, she never believed it was anything other than sheer luck and was too nervous to ever go up the mountains again. She is planning a spring break on the Burren at present so our trip to Wengen has had some excellent side effects.

Take care, Paddy

[Maggi Young]

I'm so pleased that Mary has been encouraged, in large part due to  seeing the great photos on this site, I hope, to get such fun out of a "flowery" holiday.... she'll be ready for a new trip every holiday time now, i hope! Do you both good!

[ranunculus]

Many thanks Paddy,
So very glad that you both enjoyed your time in those glorious mountains, makes the anticipation of your next trip even greater.

Just returned from our annual 'pilgrimage' to Arabba in the Italian Dolomites (leading wildflower walks for Collett's Mountain Holidays) and I'm delighted to say that the two and a half weeks of our stay were emblazoned with majestic meadows, stunning screes and perfect peaks ... the Dollies were as floriferous as ever.  Will endeavour to post some of the two thousand plus images when time and tide allow.

Maggi, please get well soon, 'rockers' worldwide send their love. 

[tonyg]

Nice pics Paddy.  I too saw Gentiana lutea, in fact here it is, as it featured on the Kleine Schedegg - Biglenalp walk that I am in the middle of here!
I have a tendancy to seek out and photograph the less common plants, often failing to properly record the abundant yellow jobs that light up the hillsides.  In the case of the 'dandelion mob' naming them is fiendish but here is an easy one, Anthyllis vulneraria including a pale form.
Abundant in lower meadows and mostly chewed by cows or cut with the silage at this stage of the season, was Campanula rhomboidalis.  Quite tall and with rhombus shaped leaves it is quietly attractive.

[Maggi Young]

WoW! look at the fringe on her... and on those charming ears! What a stunner and so well coiffed for the mountains... there must be a good local salon
Not to mention the eyelashes.... very glam.

[tonyg]

Hmmm
I had to walk through the herd.  They all seemed to have their backs to me actually ..... quiite threatening when the path runs through a steep sided gulley with you at the bottom.  I survived unsoiled (unlike the path ) and turned to look the last of the enemy in the eye

I had taken a turn off the beaten track at Biglenalp to visit the famous Slipper Orchid site.  As expected the flowers were long over, indeed the meadow had been visited by my bovine friends.  I did find Listera ovata, the common twayblade nestling up against a small pine.

[Lesley Cox]

A truly beautiful bovine lady. No-one would refer to her as "that old cow!"

Our friend Thomas is home from Switzerland so I expect there will be some competition soon, for space on this thread.

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Wonderful pictures Tony and Paddy !  Majestic scenery and great plants !
The fun you seem to've had shows from every single photograph !
Thanks a lot for sharing and I'm sure there's more where this comes from... 

[tonyg]

We'll soon be on to the Eiger Trail for Paddy. But first to finish the 'morning' walk.  There was a slightly different mix of plants on the glacial moraine above Biglenalp. In light woodland Platanthera bifolia, Lesser Butterfly orchid was a new find for me in Switzerland.  On close inspection it was apparent that plant in the wild can suffer from the same problems as those in gardens!  There were also some good stands of Gymnadenia conopsea, Fragrant Orchid.

[Paddy Tobin]

Tony,

Following on your remarks above about the more common plants, the many yellow blobs etc, which cover the ground in this area and your preference for the more unusual, it is only fair to say that for me it was all new and all so very amazing to see such a wealth of species and, as each was new, each was of great interest so that I spent my time with a camera seemingly permanently fixed to my face and snapped anything that wasn't green really. It was a tremendous experience, really, and I am still sorting out the naming of photographs and using your postings to identify some as I go along.

I saw these spreads of Gymnadenia conopsea which you have shown but dismissed them as yet another group of dactylorrhiza - god, how quickly one can become snobbish!

Here are a few of the flowers on the Mannlichen to Kleine Scheiddegg walk.

Circium spinosissimum was a very eye-catching plant, very plentiful in the area.

Pulsatilla apiifolia was all but gone out of flower and we only came on one patch where a few bedraggled blossoms still survived. The seedheads were in huge numbers and made us wish we had seen them in full flower. It really must have been a spectacular sight.

Ranunculus glacialis was uncommon but there was one good patch where they snow had only recently thawed.

Ranunculus narcissifolius was very common and in places made a great splash over the mountainside.

More later. Paddy

[johanneshoeller]

Are the names correct? Anemone narcissiflora and Ranunculus alpestris??

[Paddy Tobin]

Franz,

Many thanks for the correction and Johann, as I had mentioned in an earlier posting, I would welcome comments and corrections on my naming. This was my first time in this area and I most certainly struggled with the identification and would welcome any viewers of the photographs to comment on identification. Gradually, I will learn all the names. Re the Ranunculus narcissiflora - this is indeed Anemone narcissiflora. I took this name from the planting and labelling in the botanic gardens at Schinigge Platte (and then wrote it incorrectly, sorry) though it did strike me as odd how "narcissiflora" could apply in any way to this plant as I could see no resemblance in any part of the plant to a narcissus. I shall go back and make corrections to the names.

Many thanks, Paddy

Just by way of explanation: Franz's posting seems to have been withdrawn between my reading of it and my writing of the above.