SRGC Pontresina trip

[cohan]

great stuff, peter! love the pulsatilla meadow, and great to see the semps, among others!

[Ragged Robin]

It's great to see and hear about other people's reflections and thoughts of the same place as we're going along - a scene or plant jogs the memory and can be re-visited 

Thanks for your memory jog in Reply 27 link Maggi:

.... had to take the chance to share those pix again!

What an incredible journey!

[Peter Maguire]

One I did see was Geum reptans in classic boulder strewn habitat.

- Tony, we saw Geum reptans also - this will appear later. Too bad you were too late for the crocuses  , but it was interesting to see Fuorcla Muragl without the snow.

[Peter Maguire]

Finally managed to get some more photographs put together, so here's the third day of the Pontresina trip. As the weather had improved dramatically to glorious blue skies (with afternoon cloud becoming evening thunderstorms, a pattern that persisted for the rest of the week), the plan was to go up the Diavolezza cable car, which lies further up the Bernina Pass from Pontresina, to just under 3000m for the views - we didn't expect to see many plants at this altiude due to the snow cover. Then we aimed to descend back to the valley and explore the side valley of Val da Fain opposite the cable car. Due to the fact that I hd developed a heavy cold, I opted to stay up at the Diavolezza top station to potter about and take scenic photos (I got to Val da Fain later in the week on our 'free' day). There shouldn't have been many plants at that altitude, but I still managed a good day as you will see.

1. Before we got on the train up the valley, I was pointed in the direction of ......, yes, another orchid. Corallorhiza trifida, the coral root orchid, is saprophytic (I think), and certainly does not have any leaves to aid in spotting it in the pine forests. not the showiest of orchids, but the flowers, when seen in close-up..
2. ... are quite attractive.
3. This view, looking east from the top cable car station shows the Val da Fain in the middle distance, just left of centre, where the rest of the party would spend a very hot afternoon. The mountains in the back ground stretch away into Austria.
4. Before lunch, I was mainly taking scenic pictures as Diavolezza looks over the head of the Morteratsch glacier to some spectaculer mountain scenery, here Piz-Palü, with some spectacular hanging glaciers.
5. To the right of this view is Piz Bernina, the highest in the area at 4000m+
6. There were some plants, however (and what plants). Firstly Hutchinsia alpina, looking far better than it ever does in a sea level garden.

[Peter Maguire]

7. Primula latifolia was here also, tucked under a rock as usual.
8. In the vicinity of the cable car station were some fine Ranunculs glacialis, again tucked away in crevices mainly, possibly because of the heavy foot traffic in the area.
9. Close-up of the flowers
10. After lunch I wandered north along the ridge and discovered a scree slope with hundreds of Ranunculus glacialis. Of many photos taken, this was the biggest plant.
11. Just a little further along the ridge it steepened, as this was as far as I was able to drag myself, but it was worth the effort. Geum reptans was here.
12. As were some stunning examples of Androsace alpina.

[David Nicholson]

Terrific pictures Peter.

[Peter Maguire]

13. Another Androsace alpina.
14. Saving the best till last, this small outcrop also held Eritrichium nanum  
15. Close-up. On the show bench, this could be a Forrest medal winner (of course it's utterly impossible, no-one could produce a plant like this at sea level).
16. For a grand finale, ther was even a white one  

That's all I was able to do for that day, returning back down the cable car and then to the hotel, however, had I been at home, I probably would have been able to drag myself out of bed.

[tonyg]

Oh Boy!  The more I see the more sure I am that I will revisit this area.  I missed the Androsace alpina and the white Eritrichium although I did take a similar path to you after having my lunch!  I wonder if my 'biggest one' is the same plant as yours?   Pity about the heavy cold, when I arrived in Pontresina I was suffering from a gastric bug so I know how it feels to have to curtail the activity when you desperately want to keep going.
There is a great article introducing the plants and some walks in the Pontresina area in the July edition of The Rock Garden .... almost too much of a good thing

[hadacekf]

Peter,
Super plants and pics.
I think the Dianthus gratianopolitanus is D. silvestris and Soldanella montana is S. alpina.

[Paul T]

Oh, Peter!!!!   

I just caught this little walk of yours!  Stunning.  From the Pulsatilla meadow to the Loiseleuria procumbens and the wonderful Ranunculus glacialis.... too many wonderful things to wax lyrical over.  Wow!!  Thank you for the tour.

[Ragged Robin]

It gets better and better Peter, as you say, what wonderful images of alpine plants clinging to rocks, in crevices and on scree with not another sign of anything growing under the mountain sky!  This is a magnificent world that lifts one's spirits, even if feeling a little under the weather - thanks for your efforts to show us these plants in situ 

[Peter Maguire]

Franz,

I think the Dianthus gratianopolitanus is D. silvestris and Soldanella montana is S. alpina

Many thanks for picking up my deliberate mistakes  
Actually I had got the Soldanella correct in the text, but the caption was wrong :  Maggi has fixed them  .
As for the Dianthus, I was going from the original, provisional, identification on my voice recorder at the time. The name has been changed on Julia's final plant list, but I missed that correction (perhaps I was in the bar at the time)  Oh well, the senior moments seem to be coming thick and fast these days.

Day 4 will follow later this evening, watch this space.....

Peter

[Anthony Darby]

Good gracious, it's like having the best spring show in a natural setting. What a thrill to see all these spring flowering plants in high summer!

[ranunculus]

Absolutely magnificent plants, landscapes and images Peter (and Tony) ... true alpines in a high mountain setting.

[Peter Maguire]

Thanks for your repair work Maggi 

To proceed to day 4. Because I had seen Eritrichium and Androsace alpina, whilst no-one else had  , I think that Julia was keen to try and find them today, so it was time another trip in a cable car to 3000m to assess the situation. The plan was to go to the top station of the Corvatsch cable car (actually on a shoulder of Piz Murtel at about 3100m), admire the views, with coffee in hand, then return to the middle station to botanise. We were 'certain' to find Eritrichium there, because Julia had an advance copy of Michael Almond's article (in the current edition of 'The Rock Garden') and it was fairly precise about where we would find it.

1. We started with a slight hiccup and missed the fact fact we had to change buses to get to the cable car. Hurriedly dismounting in the pretty little villlage of Segl Maria, I found this splendid old weather station in the village whilst waiting for the connecting bus which would take us to the cable car station.

2. Ascending in the cable car gave splendid views of the upper Engadine valley.

3. The views from the top station were again stunning - this shows the other side of Piz Bernina than that we had previously seen, with Piz Roseg on the right. There were virtually no plants up here, only a couple of small Saxifraga oppositifolia tucked under the radio dishes of the top station and perched over an imressive drop. (They were identified through binoculars, no photos taken!)

4, 5, and 6. Returning to the middle station, there was still extensive snow cover, but the melt water irrigated carpets of Primula integrifolia, which provided a perfect site for lunch.