Photos from last summer

[luzula]

Well, I thought I would post something not related to my current fannish obsession, so: some photos from last summer! I suppose this post could double as some sort of "Visit Sweden's Beautiful Nature" commercial. Which is fine; do come visit! : )

Here's one of the campsites from when I hiked in the mountains. The map had the symbol for archaeological finds--yes, prehistoric people, I understand why you also made your campsite here!


A moss which only grows on poop, in this case reindeer poop. It's some sort of Splachnum, don't have a flora right now since I'm on a train.


Another mountain campsite, this one more bleak. I spent three or four hours here searching for the rare plant Carex bicolor but failed to find it.


Here's a rare plant I did find. In Sweden, Arenaria humifusa only grows (so far as anyone knows) on this one mountaintop in Padjelanta. I found it after two hours' searching; it is tiny! I mean, that's my fingernail in the photo.


A more showy plant: purple saxifrage, Saxifraga oppositifolia, found in polar and mountainous regions around the northern hemisphere.


Another lovely view: Lake Virihaure in the evening.


I looked at insects a lot last year. Here's a very cool moth larva: Orgyia antiqua, which in English seems to be called rusty tussock moth.


And finally, here's a climbing photo from September, with me going off the side of a bridge. I love climbing, but my shoulder's been wonky since November, but getting steadily better. So towards spring I should be able to get back to it.

Comments

[abbylee]

These are so beautiful, thank you for sharing!

[luzula]

Glad you enjoyed! : )

[regshoe]

What a lovely contrast between those gorgeous wide views and the tiny little plants—nature is beautiful at every scale. :D And that little plant that only grows on one mountain must have been a really satisfying find.

Ooh, I remember finding an Orgyia antiqua caterpillar in my parents' garden a while ago. I had to go and look up what it was, which was a fun bit of research—they're certainly distinctive to look at!

[luzula]

Awww, a fitting icon. I didn't think of it like that, but yes, that's a lot of tiny things juxtaposed with big things.

Yes, the tiny plant was satisfying to find! Since it's so small, I really wonder how it was found the first time.

[isis]

So much water! Water + mountains is my favorite.

[luzula]

Yes, a lot of water! I went skinnydipping every day on that hiking trip, so your icon is very appropriate. : )

So much beauty!

[jesse_the_k]

What fabulous landscapes. What temperature are those lake waters?

The moth larva looks like it's wearing Samurai cosplay!

The first person to find Arenaria humifusa was certainly dedicated, near-sighted, and patient.

The moth larva looks like it's wearing Samurai cosplay.

If I squint, your one-person tent looks like a landing pod for a friendly botanical alien tourist.

Re: So much beauty!

[luzula]

The lakes are pretty cold! It's pretty much: get in, quickly get out, soap up, get in and wash the soap off as fast as possible, and then get out again. : )

I love my one-person tent--it is the best designed tent I have ever used. Light but still spacious, with lots of room for my backpack, easy to erect, and works well in bad weather.

[mergatrude]

Lovely photos, and such an interesting summer! Thanks for sharing it with us. ♥

[luzula]

Glad you enjoyed! : )

[seascribble]

Very pretty! Would visit!

[luzula]

Alas, also far away...

[karanguni]

Sweden does look incredible and I now want you to teach me how to survive outdoors in it xD

[luzula]

...I guess it's like hiking anywhere? Lots of mosquitoes in early-mid summer, though. One good thing about Sweden is that it has right of public access on all land (well, except for people back yards and crop fields and stuff) so you can camp anywhere you like!

[chestnut_pod]

These are beautiful! If it is a Sweden's Beautiful Nature commercial, consider me sold. I'm so struck by the contrast between these sweeping riverine flats and the mountains.

[luzula]

It is very beautiful! The Scandinavian mountains are pretty old, as mountains go, so we don't have the steep slopes of the Alps. They're a bit worn down and eroded, which I guess is how we get those lovely wide stream valley.

[toft]

What beautiful photos!

[luzula]

Thank you! : )

[hyarrowen]

They're all beautiful pictures, and either Luzula is a giantess or that's a really tiny plant. I love the wide, sweeping vistas - the mountains are more or less how I imagined them, very old-looking. And purple saxifrage! I remember seeing that in flower on Ben Lawers, on Tayside! As for the poop-moss, that made me laugh - it's so pretty for something that grows in a rather gross place.

Lovely photos.

[luzula]

Glad you liked! : ) It's a really tiny plant, I promise. And yes, very old mountains--in fact part of the same mountain range as the Scottish mountains, geologically speaking.

[hyarrowen]

Must be some strong evolutionary reasons for the size... not eaten by reindeer? But how do its leaves get enough sunlight? I bet that tiny plant is really old in its own right.

Northern Scotland has the same look about it. Sutherland is similarly worn-down-looking, apart from mountains like Suilven which shout, "look at me!!!" despite being quite small. It's all wonderful on a sunny day. Less so when it's cold, wet, rainy, foggy... But according to the calendar pictures it's always sunny, so that's OK.