Switzerland June 2007

[tonyg]

After seeing Ian M s pictures from Bhutan this is going to rather tame!

Perhaps other travellers can post their swiss trip pics here and we can follow the season of flowers.

We took a family trip to Wengen 30 May to 7 June.  After a very warm period around Easter which melted most of the snow below 2000m the weather had been cooler.  However just 48 hours before our visit the area had its heaviest May snowfall for many years.  The snow, which fell thickly right down in the Lauterbrunnen valley, was around 30cm in Wengen with double that higher up.  As we arrived there was still snow cover in Wengen and the prospects for flower hunting looked bleak   But for the children .... 

Here are some pictures to give a flavour of the first few days

[tonyg]

The only hope was for a rise in temperatures .... and the before and after pictures below show how quickly things can change.  Just one week between them.

I'll close for tonight with the promise of some flower pics next time I post.

[Paddy Tobin]

Fabulous scenery and good fun anyway, Tony.

Paddy

[Armin]

Tony, where are exiting pictures from the crocus vernus ssp. albiflorus meadows?
Usually they are in blossom May/June in high altitude.
Nothing around there this time due to snow fall? What a pity

[David Nicholson]

Lovely pictures Tony, wish my kids were that age again (you probably wish they were older?).

[Susan Band]

Tony, You certainly had more snow than we did when we were meant to be skiing in Jan. We ended up taking walking and train tours. Unfortunatly not many plants were showing

[tonyg]

The impact of the heavy snow was greatest at lower levels.  Meadows lush with wildflowers were flattened.  Deciduous trees which rarely get more than a dusting of snow while in full leaf were sometimes severely damaged.  Saplings with soft woody growth especially were seen bowed down even after the snow had been gone for a week.  In extreme cases the top half of some young trees was simply snapped off by the weight of snow.  When the snow fell the broken branches from trees caused the closure of the railway system for many hours.

Higher up, although the snowfall had been greater (and topped up while we were there) the plants are better adapted to cope with summer snow although some coped better than others!

The pictures below should be self explanatory if you check the file names.   All are correctly aligned - even if some don't look right!  The Ranunculus alpestris is growing on the edge of the ridge in the evening promise pic.  Yes Armin, there were crocuses - more of them later when the snow melts!

[Lesley Cox]

A great start Tony, more please though. I think it's a great idea to put all the Swiss pics here though the seasons and so give a really good idea of the alpine flora of the whole country.

Even though it's sad to see the snow damage, the great thing with alpines is that even though damaged beyond repair this year, they spring back and are fine again next time round.

I think young Chris and Celine would like those first pictures

[tonyg]

There are more flower pics to come but it was a family holiday, which with the  snow  means there are more pics of the children than the flowers

Here are a few more, the flowers are from a walk taken between Wengenalp and Allmend (just above Wengen.)  The signpost said it should take 45 minutes but what with lunch and exploring it took us around 3 hours!  Meadow flowers aplenty once the weather warms up.  Many, many more species were budding up nicely last week.

The Viola calcarata  buds must have opened within 24 hours of the snows retreat.  I especially like the combination of the lime green alchemilla with the blue veronica.  The dandelion clocks are in a meadow in Wengen itself, close to our chalet.  These seed heads were the first things to rise in the flattened meadow.  By the time we left (1 week after snowmelt) much of the vegetation was again reaching for the sky.

[Lesley Cox]

Yes, a pretty combination and one it would be easy to replicate in the garden. I must try it.

[Maggi Young]

Lovely to enjoy this holiday with the Goodes, Tony. And how super to see Jacinta there, looking SO well!

[tonyg]

As the snow receded the flowers on the Mannlichen above Wengen emerged, remarkably unscathed by the week of winter weather.
Crocus vernus albiflorus grows in vast quantities below the upper section of the Mannlichen-Grindewald gondola lift.  It is not exclusively white though. 
Pulsatilla vernalis is most prolific on the ridge above but some seed has blown down to give isolated plants among the crocuses.

[I.S.]

    Tony! just I was thinking that you should feel wind of crocuses...
 I have fallen in your pics.
    They are realy magnificent.....

    ibrahim.

[Armin]

Tony,
Crocus pics simply beautiful. In the early 90th I saw the crocus meadows in Switzerland, close to Grand Berhardino, the first time. An ever lasting impression and motivation to have my own crocus meadow one day!

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Nice way to extend your Crocus season Tony !
Beautiful pix ! Nothing beats plants in their own habitat !
Thanks