Hello everyone,
it is hard to show anything new, especially when I almost found everything what was to find in Tatra Mountains. There are still few species I haven't found yet, but hopefully one day I will manage to see them.
This year I also was in the mountains, but I am not sure whether I will go there next year too. I also had to slow down with uploading photos on my Photobucket account, because it began to get full and I need it for other photos as well. I thought that it would be a good time to see something else. Probably I will got to Augustow search for rare and unique nature there.
For now I have some new photos for you. As always there will be some new species I found, some new photos I made of the old ones. I hope you enjoy them.
I will start my photo journey as it was in real time and the plants I fund each day on each track. I started everything with finding a single plant of Malaxis monophyllos (a good start) near my favourite bank not far from my accommodation. I have never seen it there, but it isn’t anything strange. This plant has about 5-7 cm high and when it does not flower it can be mistaken with many species for example Maianthemum bifolium, which also grows in many areas of Tatra Mountains. It was a good time for this species to flower, so when I found one I started to look after others in different Valleys. All will be shown later.
Malaxis monophyllos
Because, I already photographed most of Tatras species I didn’t waste time for making photos of those I already had photos. This is Androsace obtusifolia from the Ciemniak peak. I searched for it some time, but I knew it was right time for it. I found maybe 20 flowering plants. It is very rare plant in Tatra Mountains and I was happy finally to see it in the nature. Also thanks to Giles help I got this species seeds and I have this year 4 fine seedlings.
Androsace obtusifolia
A. obtusifolia (left) A. chamejasme (right)
Cortusa matthioli in Mala Laka Valley, unfortunately after flowering, but I also found Malaxis there, three plants.
Place/habitat where I fount those above.
Veronica alpine – I must say that I like photos of this one.
Saxifraga ascendens
Senecio capitatus – I fund I nice population of this one between Kondracka Kopa and Malolaczniak. But still it was about 30 flowering plants. I also managed to buy this species in Tatranska Lomnica this year so I can also grow it. We shall see how it will go in lowlands.
Pedifularis hecquetii – I knew location of this species population, although I have found few plants till now. This year I found about 100-200 flowering plants and it made an impression on me.
Juncus triglumis – it was growing in a spring, just a few plants and caught my attention. Pretty attractive, won’t you say?
Chamorchis alpestris - of course it would be impossible not to visit this one. I also managed to find one new population, although much smaller, so already I know 3 (4) different locations. One is on the same mountain.
Pseudorchis albida – this was a good year for this species. When in previous years I found just a few flowering plants in one place, this year I found about 18 near the path and also found a great population in new location.
Dactylorhiza fuschii/traunsteineri?? – to be honest I think it is the first one, but from my information in this place also grows the second species too. The problem is that the first one, wile being “starve” form can look like the second one. But it was a magical place. A cold water flowing through sphagnum moss. I was moving there on bare feet. It is hard to express that pleasure. I found there many interesting species. It was a real discovery this year. I was searching for Lingularia sibirica, unfortunately it probably extinct there.
Gymnadenia odorotissima
Litera ovata – a fly with a stamen stuck to its tongue. When it tried to get rid of it, it got even more stamen stuck.
Botrychium lunaria in fine lichen
Traunsteinera globosa – 5 plants clump, that does not occur often, so I made a photo.
Salix retusa heaving seeds
Pedicularis verticillata alba – next day it was gone, so there won’t be more plants of this form in area…
Pseudorchis albida – that new location
Gentiana punctata – fine population
Some rock art by myself ;-)
Senecio aurantaicus – new better photos from this year.
Rupicapra rupicapra – just by accident I found this herd, they weren’t much scared of people, but I also could not approach too near. Then the mother with her young saw me, they all started to recede slowly. The light was poor, so I couldn’t make fine photos, sorry.
Aster alpinus – fine clump
Ophrys insectifera – as I remember I found 3 plants heaving their very last flowers and counted about 30 all together.
Epipactis atrorubens - normally it has intense rubin-line color, this was different.
Some nice intense color Lilium martagon
Orobachne flava
Since that day the whether broker down and it was raining for nest 6 weeks In whole Poland, but I stall manager to make some nice photos In different places.
Mustela nivalis – this funny and energetic animal was playing in this wood, hiding, running and showing, approaching and running away from me. That took few minutes until some NICE tourists showed up and scared it away. I really won’t forget that one for sure!
Listera cordata – I finally could make a nice photo of this one. It took me over 40 minutes and all people was kindly staring on a weirdo crawling on the ground and making photos of something pretty much invisible for them. Oh, yeah.
A fog in mid day.
I think it is enough photos for now, but I still have what to surprise you with. That is about half (maybe more) that I have to show. I will add rest soon, maybe tomorrow.
