SRGC Pontresina trip

[Peter Maguire]

7. For lunch, we had to be careful to find a comfy boulder that did not involve crushing primulas to reach it. Note the SRGC mugs in use!

8. There were some very nice examples of Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara) just emerging through the dead grasses here.

9. Also in the same area were more sheets of Loiselueria procumbens, and this small patch of Lloydia serotina.

10 & 11. Although it seemed unlikely, due to the snow cover, that the local Eritrichium would be in flower, some of us went trekking into the basin below the Fuorcla Surlej to see what was around. There were no Eritrichium to be found, but there were some fine Saxifraga oppositifolia specimens.

12. Even up here, traffic was a problem, with some workers driving back to the valley after their shift (the cable car loked safer!)

[Peter Maguire]

13. This small mountain sorrel, Oxyria dignia, looked quite attractive at about 10cms height, but there were larger and coarser examples around, and this would probably be it's fate in garden conditions.

14. During the trip, we were generally too late for Pulsatilla vernalis, with most plants being in seed, however there was the odd plant to be seen on most days. This was one of the better ones.

15. Another plant seen most days in small numbers was Veronica bellidioides, a lovely blue colour.

16. Where the Eritrichium should have been the snow had only just melted, and there were even very few soldanellas, but in the basin below the Fourcla Surlej were hollows where willows grew. I had the impression that the first snows of last winter had covered them before theri leaves were shed, and they just dropped to the ground around the plant.

17. Browsing through Michael Almond's article in the Journal which arrived today, he has a picture taken in almost exactly the same spot showing Geum reptans - we were struggling to find anything remotely green (just like the 'first green shoots' of the economic recovery).

18. Trekking back to the cable car the sun re-appeared, but the Eritrichium remained elusive.

19. Last picture for the day: we had seen Campanula thyrsoides just behind the lower cable car station on the way up. With the sun out, there was just time to dash round for a quick photograph before the bus came.

[David Nicholson]

.............7. For lunch, we had to be careful to find a comfy boulder.............

Peter, you mountain walkers must be pretty hard, a sandwich is about all I can manage   Fantastic set of pics, thanks for posting them

[ranunculus]

There are always rock cakes, David ...

[Peter Maguire]

Ok, Day 5 of the Pontresina trip is prepared, so here's some more photos from earlier this month (this thread is becoming increasingly less topical!).
For this day we went again to 3000m on Piz Nair, hunting the elusive Eritrichium, this time with more success, as we were on a south-facing slope and the plants were that little further advance than the dormant ones below Fuorcla Surlej from the previous day. In fact we even saw Eritrichium from the cable car. The ascent from St Moritz begins up 2 funiculaur railways, before changing to a cable car for the last ascent.
1. This view from the upper cable car station looks down the length of the cable to Corviglia (the top of the funicular and to where we later walked - although over half the party returned down the cable car and botanised further down). The cable car passes close to the cliffs along the ridge, and Eritrichium nanum stood out like small blue jewels against the orange-coloured rock of the ridge. Pontresina can be seen in the middle distance on the righr of the photograph.
2. Looking south from Piz Nair over the lower reaches of the valley we descended into (we approached from the right and contoured around Piz Nair to the Corviglia station). On the skyline is Piz Bernina on the left and Piz Corvatsch just left of centre.
3. Finally everyone was able to observe Eritrichium nanum at close quarters, and our tour leader, Julia, all smiles again  . Incidentally, although this clump of Eritrichium was the biggest and best around, it still took a couple of minutes 'gardening' with a pair of tweezers to get it looking like this.
4. Looking down the ridge, which doesn't quite give the sense of exposure that was present where we found these plants. Shall we say that they must have had good air movement around the cushions  .
5. and Saxifraga exarata.
6. There were also other plants in the area at the top of the east ridge, here is Gentiana bavarica verna?.

[Peter Maguire]

7. This is the SRGC party at the top of the east ridge (we did not descend it - there is a path, which may have looked attractive to mountain goats and similar alpinists) and the cable car station was just over the skyline. Eritrichium can been seen scattered around the scree on the left.
8. Ranunculus glacialis was here as well, and although the clumps may have been smaller than on Diavolezza, the rusty-coloured scree made for a very photogenic topdressing.
9. As it did for Androsace alpina.
10. Once we had despatched a group back down the cable car for some gentler walking, about 8 of us set off down a track down to the Suvretta pass to the north of the peak. being on this side, there was still a lot of snow (it was possible to glissade down the track using walking poles for balance) and with clouds around the peaks, I had looked longingly at the sunshine around the bottom cable car station at Corviglia. I was, however, soon glad to have made the choice of the longer walk. Just about 0.5km down the path, the rock changed to a very shattered slatey material, with many Ranunculs glacialis, Androsace alpina, and some attractive Linaria alpina, shown here.
11. There was also more Gentiaina bavarica - here showing the characteristic leaves overlapping on the stems.
12. Many of the individual plants were not as neat, or as showy as on the other side  of the peak, although it has to be said that many of the best were probably inaccessible, as this view looking up the cliffs overlooking the track shows. Several of the plants have been circled in red (there is a particularly fine Androsace alpina on the right), and I have probably missed several more, like the Eritrichium at the bottom of the picture. Getting up to these plants was not considered to be an option 

[tonyg]

Feel as if I'm almost up there with you!  Weatherbeaten plants are a feature in the garden as well as in the mountains ... in fact I reckon they generally fare better in their own home than in ours   Thanks again.

[Peter Maguire]

Nearer the pass, the scree became less shale-like and more consolidated as it flattened out, particularly to the left of the track where there was a condiderable level area before the ground fell away to Val Suvretta da St Murrazan. This was a fabulous area for plants.
13. Not the best Silene acaulis, but something was presumably living underneath it (burrow next to the rock) and had obviously nibbled away at the base of the cushion, I assume when there was still snow covering the area.
14. Pedicularis kerneri is fairly common in this area - small plants, but a brilliant pink in colour.
15. This gives some idea of the richness of the plant life. You can see Eritrichium naum, Silene acaulis, Saxifraga exearata......
16. some plants we hadn't seen before: Potentilla crantzii
17. and more that we had: Gentiana bavarica?/verna?
18. Draba alpina Draba aizoides

[Peter Maguire]

Weatherbeaten plants are a feature in the garden as well as in the mountains

It wasn't just the plants that were weather beaten, the afternoon thunderstorms were entertaining as well, resulting in weatherbeaten walkers   Actually this day we were missed by the storms, altough they were on surrounding peaks, however the nest day I was thoroughly soaked........

19. This area was so good, we just had to pick our way carefully between the Eritrichium cushions and find a place for lunch. This was taken between bites of a sandwich and shows Piz Güglia in the background. If you don't recognise the plant in the foreground, you really haven't been paying attention.
20. Both these Gentian were identified as Gentiana bavarica by Julia (admittedly from the screen on the back of the camera), but examining the photograph at home I'm fairly sure that the one on the left is Gentiana brachyphylla as you can just see the different leaves. The one on the right seems to be Gentiana verna upon closer examination.
21. Just below the pass, we followed a path that contoured around the south side of Piz Nair back to Corviglia. The weather was dull. with light rain over this stretch, with thunder echoing from Piz Güglia on the other side of the valley, and many of the plants we had seen previously, but there was a fine clump of Prinula integrifolia just below the pass.
22 & 23. Also some nicely coloured Daphne striata along the track.
24. As we approached the meadows above Corviglia (the only area we saw to have been badly cut-up by the winter activities of the skiing fraternity) there was a wet snowmelt area with large numbers of  Soldanella pusilla

[Peter Maguire]

25. There were also small numbers of Soldanella alpina amongst the grasses in slighlty drier areas.
26. Draba alpina aizoides was down here as well - this was a fine clump.
27. Approaching Corviglia funicular/cable car interchange, this strange site greeted us, having been overlooked on the way up. At first I thought that the boat at 2500m was making a statement about global warming and projected sea level rises, but apparently it is used for weddings  . It takes all sorts....
28. We had seen many marmots from the funicular on the way up, and I thought that this picture might be the best marmot photograph that I would get. You will have to wait for day 7 for better ones.
29. Having returned to Pontresina following a 'refreshing' heavy shower in St Moritz, the weather improved, so I went for a walk around the village and into the local woods. This Sempervivum archnoideum was part of a colony in a retaining wall on the way to the station.
30. A new plant to me  (and one that I found all by myself   - although we later discovered that the woods at the bottom of Val Roseg were full of it) was Linneaea borealis, here growing across a tree stump.
31. And finally for this day, a Knapweed Fritillary (Melitaea phoebe) on Phyteuma sp.

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Stunning pictures Peter !!! 

Some of the best clumps of Eritrichium nanum I've ever seen !

Thanks so much for showing !!

[Peter Maguire]

Thanks Luc, I'd never travelled at the right time (or to the right place) to see Eritrichium before, but I think that I made up for lost time 

There are many more Eritrichium photos (and Ranunculus glacialis, and.....), but I'm trying to limit the numbers. I wouldn't want the site to crash because I had overloaded it, Maggi would be cross!

[Ragged Robin]

Great shots Peter, I love the Linaria alpina - cute alpine tucked away 

[Maggi Young]

There are many more Eritrichium photos (and Ranunculus glacialis, and.....), but I'm trying to limit the numbers. I wouldn't want the site to crash because I had overloaded it, Maggi would be cross!

Funny you should say that, Peter.... Fred has just had to arrange for a further Band Width increase.... the last allocation arranged was enough for a long time.... or so we thought... it has been exceeded already and it has been necessary to increase once more.... this site grows faster than me on a chocolate binge!  What a success.... all these thousands of photos and discussions between forumists around the world.....This really is the biggest "group" of the SRGC.... and the one which reaches the widest "outside " audience..... give yourselves a round of applause, Forumists!!

[ranunculus]

More wonderful images, Peter ... many thanks once again.