Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
General Subjects => Travel / Places to Visit => Topic started by: ranunculus on July 20, 2009, 11:59:49 AM
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Just back from another splendid spell as wildflower walk leaders for Collett's Mountain Holidays based in Corvara, Northern Italy. We spent two and a half weeks under warm Italian skies, walking through meadows, screes and on mountain trails burgeoning with flowers. The heavy snow of winter 2008-2009 lingered long in this wonderful part of the Dolomites and the late flowering of many species resulted in a heady mix of snowmelt, late spring and early summer species all blooming in one incredible orgy of colour.
Took over 2700 images during the break, so many hours will be spent in assessing and resizing them all prior to posting, but I can start by posting a few images captured with the Nikon 995 through the tiny windows of our RyanAir flight from Liverpool to Treviso. Enhanced and cropped these images illustrate my delight at seeing the ethereal world above the clouds ... many more shots of the landscapes and flowers to follow when time and tide allow ...
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Good to see that even with a "budget" airline, the views are still "first class" !! ;D
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Wow, what a wonderful start to you trip, Cliff - putting us on cloud 9 ( the next in the series of cloudscapes? ) in anticipation of more fabulous photographs to come - andiamo! 8)
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Stunning cloud images, Cliff. Awesome!!!!! :o
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Several images to restart this thread (after a lengthy break in bed with a stomach bug) ... many, many more images to follow when I can face the prospect of manipulating them all ...
VIEW FROM OUR CHALET BALCONY IN CORVARA
CORVARA - CHALET BRACUN IS PALE YELLOW AND JUST LEFT OF CENTRE
INCREDIBLE MEADOWS
ORCHID PARADISE
ORCHID/CAMPANULA BARBATA
BLUE BUTTERFLY
ANEMONE BALDENSIS
PORDOI PASS
VAL GARDENA CHURCH
STAINED GLASS (ESPECIALLY FOR MAGGI & IAN)
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Just a couple more for this evening ...
GENTIANA VERNA
LAIR OF THE KING
ERITRICHIUM NANUM
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Good to know you are out of your sick bed, Cliff. I hope you did not smite the rest of the family?
These photos are so crisp I feel as if I'm really there....... I'm sure I hear cowbells in the distance.... ;D
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Cliff,
Glad the tummy bug has passed. I was looking forward to your photographs from this summer's outing. Great start.
Paddy
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Cliff, such gorgeous photos from the Dolomites and stunning views from every angle - can't believe the colours in the meadows, they are so concentrated! Your Gardena church photo shows a great relationship between the tower and the peaks pointing up to the heavens - I assume the stained glass window was in the church?
Hope you're feeling better soon...
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Cliff what plants are growing on the balconies? It used to be Pelargoniums but I see a lot of yellow
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INCREDIBLE MEADOWS
Glad that you finally came down from the clouds. Thank you for showing the following pics - the meadow looks like a painting!
Gerd
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Many thanks everyone ... lots more images to post over the weeks to come.
Sorry Mark ... I sat on our balcony most evenings, but didn't really notice the individual flowers in the balcony tubs opposite - the Dolomites were all around me and took precedence. Perhaps Martin Rogerson (who is out there at the moment) might be more observant ... are you reading this Martin?
Well. I have opened with a few gems from the first memory card I accessed (i.e. not - as usual - in any logical or chronological order), so perhaps it might be wise to continue with that particular card and see where the rambling takes us?
FIRSTLY - FOR THE SRGC (AND MAGGI) - DRYAS OCTOPETALA
DRYAS OCTOPETALA
ACINOS ALPINUS
ALPINE MIX
CORVARA HOUSE
BLUE BUTTERFLY
CAMPANULA MEADOW
ASTER ALPINUS
COLFOSCO CHURCH
CLEMATIS ALPINA
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Next batch from that particular memory card ...
ACHILLEA BLOOM
CAMPANULA BLOOMS
CAMPANULA ARRAY
CAMPANULA CLOSE
CAMPANULA FACES
EIDELWEISSERHUTTE
EIDELWEISSERHUTTE FOAL
BUTTERFLY FEEDING
GARDEN LIKE ROCK
GENTIAN/GLOBULARIA
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Final batch for this morning ...
CAMPANULA IN CHALET GARDEN
TINY GENTIAN PROBABLY UTRICULOSA
CLOSE-UP OF ABOVE
LOTUS CORNICULATUS
PAEDEROTA BONAROTA HABITAT
PAEDEROTA BONAROTA HABITAT 2
PAEDEROTA BONAROTA CLOSE
WOOD ON ROCK
VIVID POTENTILLA NITIDA RUBRA
SUPER GLOBULARIA CORDIFOLIA
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Glad you have recovered Cliff. Super photos, what meadows :o and I love the globularia picture. I look forward to your future postings, it makes us feel as though we were there with you.
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What lovely things in your latest batch, Cliff.....Campanula Faces made me smile but altogether the atmosphere of the place comes through in your images and it becomes a real-time view - looking forward to next postings :)
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Many thanks Brian and Robin. So pleased you are enjoying these initial images.
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Cliff,
you brought with you great photos from Dolomites. They have really fantastic nature. I must admit, that some species grow even in much higher number than in my country. Maybe because they are much bigger and higher mountains. Some species are the same as in Tatras, but some do not grow in my country. I think, that when I get know everything in Tatras, I will have to go to Dolomites. :D
Cheers,
Chris
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I am flattered by your "gifts" of the Dryas and stained glass, Cliff.... gratefully received.
With the beautiful markings on the butterfly wings, one is tempted to think of them as being stained glass art, too.
Photos are fab....... the mountains seem as clear as if one were actually viewing them.
Must remark about Garden Rock from reply 12....... that mini garden is as perfect as if Johnnny Dower has been up there planting them! ;D
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Many thanks Chris and Maggi ... Johnny D.'s garden would have had more height! ;D
Another couple of postings for this afternoon ...
Firstly ...
Globularias - large mats - cordifolia and repens
Helianthemum cushion
Phyteuma/Leontopodium alpinum
Phyteuma in crevice
Phyteuma/Leontopodium alpinum 2
Pinguicula leptoceras
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Cliff, my first thought about the Pinguicula is P. leptoceras. But I will try to identify this plant for you. :)
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Thanks Chris ... but it was already identified in the text above.
Second batch for this afternoon ...
Trollius europaeus 1
Trollius europaeus 2
Timber garden
Thymus blooms
Rustic decoration (on the side of a barn)
Potentilla/Achillea
Potentilla nitida rubra close
Potentilla nitida rubra decay
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Final batch for today ...
A few more shots of Potentilla nitida rubra on the path to Puez from Eidelweisserhutte ...
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Cliff,
As always, the photographs are beautiful; the next best thing to actually being there. That potentilla is simply outstanding, a real beauty.
I know there are more to come and I look forward to them.
Paddy
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You did it again Cliff !
You're upgrading The Dolomites once more ! They should give you a statue over there ... (or a free stay... ;D )
The flowers are immaculate, the views are stunning !
Don't let me keep you from posting (lots) more !!!
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Lovely pictures Cliff, and you seem to have had fabulous weather as well. At least I can now plan next year's holiday destination ;D.
The butterfly pictures are impressive - I suspect some time was spent stalking them? Incidentally, they weren't identified; the blue butterflies (upper and lower views) seem to be the Cranberry Blue (Vacciniina optilete). The other one could be one of a number of Fritillary species, possibly Heath Fritillary (Mellicta athalia).
Peter
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Thank you very kindly gents!
Peter, I really appreciate your butterfly identifications and I'm sure that the Dolomites would welcome you with open arms next summer - if you need any advice then please don't hesitate to ask?
In the past I have taken you all to one of our favourite spots - Cinque Torre - a maze of dolomite towers, cliffs, screes and meadows - well, we went back again this year and it was magnificent. The next six postings (and other postings later probably) will all feature images captured at this wonderful site, which also features a superb open-air trenches display and a welcoming rifugio for drinks and cakes (down Maggi).
CINQUE TORRE AND A FEW OF THE PLANTS TO BE FOUND THERE
ALLIUM SCHOENOPRASUM ssp. ALPINUM
CLEMATIS ALPINA
GAGEA FRAGIFERA
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Still at Cinque Torre ... (by the way - it can be found on the road from Arabba to Cortina, about two miles further on than the Laguzoi cable car).
DACTYLORHIZA MAJALIS - HUGE COLONIES NEAR THE MELTING SNOW BANKS
GENTIANA ACAULIS
HEDYSARUM HEDYSAROIDES
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Final batch for this morning ... still at Cinque Torre ... there is a chair-lift up to the rifugio for those of a less athletic nature!
HORMINUM PYRENAICUM
NIGRITELLA RUBRA
PAEDEROTA BONAROTA
POTENTILLA NITIDA RUBRA
GENTIANA VERNA
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Cliff,
You always seem to have good weather when you go to the Dolomites. It this the case or are your photographs selected to show the best?
Paddy
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Good morning Paddy,
Without trying to put a curse on future trips, we always seem to get reasonably good or tremendous weather when we go to the Dolomites. We get occasional thunderstorms and some torrential downpours, but they usually occur in late afternoon or evening (usually as we are about to leave the chalet to give a lecture or go for a meal) and normally well after the end of that day's walk. Temperatures vary greatly, but I seldom (if ever) need a jacket or pullover (though, I must confess, I seldom do at home).
I don't tend to take pictures in drizzle or mist and certainly wouldn't think of getting my camera out in a downpour.
This year we arrived to rain - had isolated showers on the first two days - glorious sun and an isolated shower for the rest of the two weeks plus and then the most tremendous thunderstorm throughout the night before we left. We donned protective tops on two occasions (once in a storm on a chair lift) and once mainly as a precaution.
Vic and Janet, who are the first to lead out the guests in early June, can suffer tremendously with storms, snow, winds, etc. but they still return each year so the overall weather can't be TOO disappointing.
We always tell people that these are high mountains, anything can happen from one hour to the next, storms dissipate in the blinking of an eye and the sun can be intense. It just makes one appreciate even more the strengths and fortitude of these little alpine gems.
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Just as an illustration of the above, Paddy ... these three shots were all taken on the same day at Cinque Torre. We arrived to mist and the possibility of a storm, the clouds soon disappeared and we had a glorious few hours for the walk and then, as we sat outside the rifugio with our hot chocolates and cake, the storm approached from another direction (only to disappear again as quickly as it had come).
Silene acaulis at Cinque Torre
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What moody photos to end your last batch with, Cliff, the weather can be so different above and below - whilst we were experiencing thunder and lightening at 1,200 metres the other day up by the lake at 2000 metres they had sunshine without a drop of rain!
Your landscape shots of Cinque Torre are so dramatic and set the scene for all those alpine treasure you found - groups of Potentilla, Globularia, Phyteuma, Allium, Hormonium, Nigritella Rubra...all look so happy in their own spots decorating the rocks and alpine slopes. No wonder you go back to the Dolomites to rediscover what they have to offer, thanks so much for bringing it all close up to study and enjoy :) :) ;)
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Many thanks Robin ... whilst we are discussing 'moody' images and the weather in the mountains, here are four shots that I captured during a transitory moment between full sun and a short sharp downpour. Rainbow over Corvara ... probably the best rainbow shots that I have ever captured.
RAINBOW OVER CORVARA
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Many thanks Robin ... whilst we are discussing 'moody' images and the weather in the mountains, here are four shots that I captured during a transitory moment between full sun and a short sharp downpour. Rainbow over Corvara ... probably the best rainbow shots that I have ever captured.
RAINBOW OVER CORVARA
Where's the close-up of Sue digging frantically at the end, then?? ;D
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Your landscape shots of Cinque Torre are so dramatic .........
thanks so much for bringing it all close up to study and enjoy :) :) ;)
These comments from RR saves me the labor of translation my thoughts -
(in German). Cliff, you are an excellent photographer!
Gerd
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Cliff,
bravo - it is always a delight to view your postings! 8) 8) 8)
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RAINBOW OVER CORVARA
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Where's the close-up of Sue digging frantically at the end, then?? ;D
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She is still there, Maggi ... I will have to get her a shovel! :D
Many thanks Gerd and Armin!
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Cliff,
Many thanks for the weather information. It seems that July is a great month for the Dolomites. Your third photograph, "Storm approaching...." has the most brilliant light, loved it.
Back to the flowers and the mountains, Mr. Ranunculus.
Paddy
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She'll need more than a shovel if she's up in the gondola Cliff (rainbow 2 photo) but maybe she could pin point the rainbow's end from there which is the main problem, as it always seems to move ::)
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Thanks again kind friends ... now on with the show ... more images captured at Cinque Torre ...
POTENTILLA NITIDA RUBRA
PAPAVER RHAETICUM
POLYGALA CALCAREA
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... And there's more ...
POTENTILLA NITIDA RUBRA
WITH PAEDEROTA BONAROTA
PRETTY PALE GENTIANA VERNA
PULSATILLA ALPINA
PULSATILLA ALPINA ssp. APIIFOLIA
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Cliff,
Many thanks for the weather information. It seems that July is a great month for the Dolomites. Your third photograph, "Storm approaching...." has the most brilliant light, loved it.
Weather withstanding, Paddy ... I would always choose the last two weeks of June for (in a 'normal' season) optimum flowering ... if lucky, one can catch snow melt gentians by the millions, cypripedium calceolus, orchids (also by the millions) and an array of high level, woodland and meadow alpines that have to be seen to be believed.
Next batch from Cinque Torre ...
PULSATILLA ALPINA ssp. APIIFOLIA
RHODOTHAMNUS CHAMAECISTUS
SILENE ACAULIS
SOLDANELLA ALPINA
SUPERB POTENTILLA NITIDA RUBRA HABITAT ROCK
TINY PULSATILLAS
TROLLIUS EUROPAEUS
VIEW BACK TO THE PEAKS
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Final batch for today ... we will leave Cinque Torre behind for a day or so and journey into the forest edges ...
THE GORGEOUS LITTLE MONESES UNIFLORA (LESS THAN 5CTMS TALL)
THE EQUALLY DIMINUTIVE ORTHILIA SECUNDA
TINY WOODLAND CAMPANULA
BUTTERFLY
BUTTERFLY
ATMOSPHERIC LANDSCAPE
SKYLINE
HELICOPTER OVER SASSONGHER
VIEW FROM CINQUE TORRE
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Cliff, your Potentilla CU's and rock shots are tinglingly (just a feeling) good! the colour combination of petals and stamens is lovely and its these close up views that I love too of the woodland plants I have never heard of let alone seen:
THE GORGEOUS LITTLE MONESES UNIFLORA (LESS THAN 5CTMS TALL)
THE EQUALLY DIMINUTIVE ORTHILIA SECUNDA
Hope there are more photos to enjoy tonight ;)
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Not tonight Josephine ... Oops, Robin! ... but certainly by Tuesday at the latest. ;)
Your very kind comments make any small effort worthwhile ... and you would probably be able to see that lovely little Moneses uniflora in pine forests near you. I have attached another close-up just for you! (Don't tell the rest). It was the first alpine plant that I ever saw in the wild, on our first visit to Austria, and it has remained a firm favourite since then. (and no everybody, it wasn't still part of Austro-Hungaria at that time)! :D
MONESES UNIFLORA
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One after another great photographs - of course, of beautiful and interesting flowers.
Great show, Cliff.
Paddy
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Thanks Paddy.
Lots more images to post ... will start on the high plateau, screes and mighty cliffs of Le Valun above Corvara ...
LE VALUN
GENTIANA BAVARICA
MYOSOTIS ALPESTRIS
SOLDANELLA MINIMA
SOLDANELLA ALPINA
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Cliff,
wonderful plants, super pics. thanks
Gentiana bavarica = G. terglouensis a very nice gentiana!
There is a picture of G. bavarica on my website.
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Absolutely magical photos! What a wonderful travelogue - thanks for posting it!
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..and you would probably be able to see that lovely little Moneses uniflora in pine forests near you
Thanks for the extra edition of this lovely plant, Cliff, I will look out for it here.....
Your next batch has me intrigued with a feeling of another world/planet! Lovely Myosotis Alpestris, so fresh, pale and dainty in your BCU shot
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Many thanks for your kind messages and welcome assistance. We move across the valley now to the Pralongia plateau and some magnificent meadows ...
SOLDANELLA ALPINA
ANTENNARIA DIOICA
PRALONGIA MEADOWS
PLATANTHERA BIFOLIA
NIGRITELLA possibly DOLOMITENSIS
ORCHID CLOSE UP but which please?
PLATANTHERA BIFOLIA
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More from Pralongia plateau ...
Pseudorchis albida
Saxifraga bryoides (Suggestions : Minuartia sedoides (Thanks Tony) & Sax' sedoides (Thanks John)).
Silene acaulis
Veratrum flower stem
Veratrum close-up
Tiny pale blue gentian
Could this be Gentiana schleicheri?
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Perfect for a rainy day - thanks cliff.....I really like the Veratrum, close packed flowers on the stem and the combination of greenish flower with painted green throat and fountain of anthers - how tall does it grow and does it like damp?
Sweet pale Gentiana, whatever-it-is, it's lovely to see it springing out from the cushion of leaves :)
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Hi Robin,
Thanks once again - the Veratrum can grow up to 1 1/2 mtrs tall and it seems to prefer moisture at it's roots (but not to extremes). The meadows are obviously very wet in late spring/early summer.
Final batch for this morning ...
Orchids at Pralongia
Close up of meadow
Silene acaulis
Thlaspi rotundifolium
In tub at the front of our chalet
View from Cinque Torre
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Wow, what fantastic view caught in such dramatic light :D
Thlaspi rotundifolium is a perfect example for me of crevice self-planting; it's so understated but blushing with pride in its home ;)
Just realised that this is my 1000th post - what better thread to have it on than Cliff's, who encouraged me to join the SRGC in the first place? ;D
A thousand thanks Cliff 8)
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You are more than welcome, Robin ...
A thousand posts deserves a special image ...
One of the best shots from the Dolomites 2009 - Silene acaulis
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What a way to celebrate - a stunning shot of Silene acaulis - I love it :)
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Cliff,
It is again Gentiana terglouensis ssp. terglouensis.
Gentian terglouensis ssp. schleicheri grows only in the Maritime Alps and Switzerland.
There is a picture on my website.
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NIGRITELLA possibly DOLOMITENSIS
It isn`t Nigritella spp., it is xGymnigritella, an intergeneric hybrid between Gymnadenia and Nigritella, probably
xGymnigritella suaveolens ( Gymnadenia conopsea x Nigritella rhellicani )
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Cliff, thanks for all the pre trip advice...Gerhard, thanks for identifying the Orchid. I too saw this last week in the same area and the combined brains of several people and 3 books were stumped!
Photos to follow when work, grass cutting and a number of other little chores like downloading all the images and sorting them are completed. Look forward to some shots of 'extreme plant hunting'!
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Many thanks Gerhard ... I was fascinated to find this lovely orchid in the meadows but couldn't identify it from the books available.
Welcome back Martin, hope you had a wonderful holiday ... looking forward to your images.
Very grateful to you as well Franz ... your input is always welcomed and much appreciated. Is it quite unusual to see such a pale Gentiana terglouensis ssp. terglouensis?
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NIGRITELLA possibly DOLOMITENSIS
It isn`t Nigritella spp., it is xGymnigritella, an intergeneric hybrid between Gymnadenia and Nigritella, probably
xGymnigritella suaveolens ( Gymnadenia conopsea x Nigritella rhellicani )
I saw something very similar near Kleine Sheidegg in Switzerland last year. I had a good clue that it was a hybrid as Nigritella nigra and Gymnadenia conopsea were both growing very close by. Like Cliff I was stumped for the name even though I guessed the parentage. What x name would you give my plant?
http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=2062.180
The pictures are in reply 14 of this link (Switzerland 2008)
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NIGRITELLA possibly DOLOMITENSIS
It isn`t Nigritella spp., it is xGymnigritella, an intergeneric hybrid between Gymnadenia and Nigritella, probably
xGymnigritella suaveolens ( Gymnadenia conopsea x Nigritella rhellicani )
I saw something very similar near Kleine Sheidegg in Switzerland last year. I had a good clue that it was a hybrid as Nigritella nigra and Gymnadenia conopsea were both growing very close by. Like Cliff I was stumped for the name even though I guessed the parentage. What x name would you give my plant?
http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=2062.180
The pictures are in reply 14 of this link (Switzerland 2008)
This is xGymnigritella suaveolens too.
Your shown Dact. incarnata is Dact. alpestris ( majalis ssp. alpestris)
The plants in the wet flush belong to Dact. fuchsii
There aren`t Nigr. nigra in Central European, it is a plant described from Scandinavia, because it is triploid. All Nigritella spp.with black flower belong to Nigr. rhellicani (diploid) and Nigr. austriaca ( tetraploid, apomoctic).
In my opinion your shown Nigritella are Nigr. austriaca, but to see the differents it is necessary to scrutinizize it ( labellum and leaves). The time of flowering is 2 weeks earlier as in Nigr. rhellicani, little differents in shape of the infloreszenz and the colouration of the flowers.
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Three more batches of images for today ...
Thlaspi rotundifolium habitat shot
Self-catering accommodation?
Gentian habitat shot
Pedicularis close-up
Potentilla nitida rubra habitat shots
Dryas and gentian
Saxifraga oppositifolia habitat shot
Thlaspi rotundifolium habitat shot
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Cliff, I like the natural composition of Dryas and Gentian together in photo 8 - even the shadows of the stamens make one look deeper into the image ;)
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NIGRITELLA possibly DOLOMITENSIS
It isn`t Nigritella spp., it is xGymnigritella, an intergeneric hybrid between Gymnadenia and Nigritella, probably
xGymnigritella suaveolens ( Gymnadenia conopsea x Nigritella rhellicani )
I saw something very similar near Kleine Sheidegg in Switzerland last year. I had a good clue that it was a hybrid as Nigritella nigra and Gymnadenia conopsea were both growing very close by. Like Cliff I was stumped for the name even though I guessed the parentage. What x name would you give my plant?
http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=2062.180
The pictures are in reply 14 of this link (Switzerland 2008)
This is xGymnigritella suaveolens too.
Your shown Dact. incarnata is Dact. alpestris ( majalis ssp. alpestris)
The plants in the wet flush belong to Dact. fuchsii
There aren`t Nigr. nigra in Central European, it is a plant described from Scandinavia, because it is triploid. All Nigritella spp.with black flower belong to Nigr. rhellicani (diploid) and Nigr. austriaca ( tetraploid, apomoctic).
In my opinion your shown Nigritella are Nigr. austriaca, but to see the differents it is necessary to scrutinizize it ( labellum and leaves). The time of flowering is 2 weeks earlier as in Nigr. rhellicani, little differents in shape of the infloreszenz and the colouration of the flowers.
I have copied this information into Tony's post 14 in the Swiss thread: http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=2062.msg50930#msg50930
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Thanks Robin and Maggi ...
Second batch of images for today ...
Soldanella alpina in habitat
Saxifraga oppositifolia close-up
Silene acaulis in habitat
Gentian in crevice
Across to the Kostner hut
Gentian turf
Saxifraga oppositifolia
Soldanella alpina scenes
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Third and final batch for today ...
Soldanella alpina
Gentian close-up
Anemone baldensis close-up
Viola biflora close-up
Silene acaulis in scree
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i knew this thread was here, and just hadn't had time to get to it, great stuff, cliff!
i'm only on page three, so will be a while to catch up
...the clouds are great--love to look at the sky, so its lovely to be in it..
the eritrichium with semps is it? on bare rock(king's lair) are wonderful, as are all the other exquisite compositions of flowers and foliage on rock..
so many heavenly blues, like the tiny gentian on the first(?) page...
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too many glories to comment on all of them!
the misty shots are beautiful--i'm always happiest on an outing with some wandering clouds for landscape views..
interesting to see some of the same woodland species we have--moneses, orthillia...
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Many thanks, Cohan ... so glad you are enjoying the thread. Many more images to post over the weeks to come (and shortly to be joined by Martin who has just returned from Arabba).
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... And, of course, dear Kata, who has also been hiking in these magnificent mountains ... did you bump into each other Martin?
Three more batches today ...
Pinguicula alpina
Orchid close-up
Saxifraga cushion
Botrychium lunaria
Brooding sky
Botrychium lunaria
Tempting rocks
Pseudorchis albida
Leontopodium alpinum
Platanthera bifolia
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Second batch for today ...
Rhododendron ferrugineum
Veratrum spike
Mountain view
Allium schoenoprasum ssp. alpinum
Silene acaulis
Listera flower head
Orchid close-up
Twayblade (Listera) full plant
Paederota habitat
Lush meadow in full bloom
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Third and final batch for today ...
Dryas octopetala
Orchid meadow
View across boulder area
Tofieldia calyculata
Phyteuma close-up
Nigritella close-up
Campanula display
Cirsium spinosissimum
Campanula array
Gentian and silene
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Lovely last set of photographs, Cliff. Looking forward to the rest of the report.
Paddy
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Many thanks Paddy and my apologies for what may be a lengthy delay in posting the remainder of my Dolomites 2009 images ... they will all have to be resized again and manually filtered in case of subject/location duplication.
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Cliff, how many photos did you take? Did they fit on one memory stick?
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It's well worth the wait Cliff, super photos as always and that Veratrum is really yummy.
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Thanks folks.
Mark, I took well over 2500 shots during the two and a half weeks and used about eight different memory cards, but I also had my laptop in resort (for my digital presentations), so I also backed up all the photos on that. I retained the images on the cards so that I could put them straight onto my main computer when I got home. I used to take an X-Box with me if I didn't take my laptop and backed up my cards on that.
Your comments are much appreciated Brian.
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Thlaspi rotundifolium
View from Cinque Torre
i'll have to agree with robin on both of these--the thlaspis are really nice, and i love the sort of lighting in a landscape that makes it look like a painting...
these mountains have a very different feel to ours....somehow softer, and definitely more inhabited feeling... of course i wouldnt say that if i were in one of the major park centres here...lol
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31°C out here today - very "unbelgianlike" and far too hot to my liking to be outdoors !
So, perfect timing to plunge myself into the coolness of the sunny, floriforous Dolomites once again !
Thanks again Cliff - this IS an awesome thread !! :D :D
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Just about recovered from two wonderful weeks in the Dolomites and a return to work. It will take some time to sort out the pictures, check some plant identities, etc, etc..............but I couldn't resist posting a picture of this wonderful specimen of Phyteuma comosa. Like all good things it appeared when hope had been lost (on our last day) and involved hard work getting uphill and a significant amount of exposure on steep ground and narrow ledges. We were wearing helmets and gripping cables at the time this appeared!
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Notice you said "we" Martin. I take it Mrs R was tempted to mountaineer too :P
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O.K. Martin ... you do realise that we have been to the Dolomites at least eight times and have only ever seen foliage of the Devil's Claw? If I didn't grow and flower it in the garden or hadn't seen it at the shows I would seriously believe it to be a figment of your imagination! Location details of your find will certainly be requested by Kata and yours truly (but NOT by Sue who has already read the words 'helmet', 'cables' and 'exposure)'
Lovely shot by the way!
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David, Mrs R was indeed tempted, this climb involved tunnels as well, right up her street!
Cliff, location, location, location....well for a small fee ;D
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Quite incredible.....so pristine, so unusual, so well photographed! :)
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David, Mrs R was indeed tempted, this climb involved tunnels as well, right up her street!
Cliff, location, location, location....well for a small fee ;D
Well, if tunnels and cables are involved then it is probably at Laguzoi, up above the ruined military hospital perhaps, on the route to the Via ferrata? We have certainly seen large sprays of foliage there, but never in bloom.
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Just about recovered from two wonderful weeks in the Dolomites and a return to work. It will take some time to sort out the pictures, check some plant identities, etc, etc..............but I couldn't resist posting a picture of this wonderful specimen of Phyteuma comosa. Like all good things it appeared when hope had been lost (on our last day) and involved hard work getting uphill and a significant amount of exposure on steep ground and narrow ledges. We were wearing helmets and gripping cables at the time this appeared!
wow--its a really amazing plant, and heroic photographic efforts, sounds like!
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Come on, Cliff,
Let's see some more.
Paddy
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He's away this week Paddy.
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He's away this week Paddy.
To the dolomites ?? ;D ::) ;)
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Cliff,
I am being tantalised by your wonderful photos. I am on dialup internet at home and are am becoming somewhat frustrated by the slow downloading so I have been sneaking a quick look at work. Fantastic scenery, wonderful plants and stunning photos: you are without peer!
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He's away this week Paddy.
That explains it, David. I can only wait with patience.
And, Southern Hemisphere David, great to see you are enjoying the northern postings. Cliff always has the best of photographs and it is a delight to look through them. But then, we always enjoy your posting so very much here. After all, it is relatively easy for us to get to the Dolomites but I am most unlikely to get to see your flora in the flesh something which makes your postings so very interesting.
Paddy
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He's away this week Paddy.
To the dolomites ?? ;D ::) ;)
UK based this time Luc.
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One or two of you seem to be suffering from withdrawal symptoms so I'll break off from cataloguing my pictures and post a few from our first day's walk.
First you have to realise that the flowers are always further up the hill!
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Now for some flowers and the odd bit of scenery.
Firstly Gentiana punctata
Trollius eurpoaeus
Orobanche sp.
Sas de Pordoi
Marmolada View
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Great start and I'm not even out of breath ;D ;D ;D
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And finally for tonight
Cirsium spinosissimum
Linaria alpina
Gentiana sp.
Pulsatilla alpina ssp apiifolia
Soldanella pusilla(?)
And please all, I could do with some positive identities for the plants just given as sp. although that may be difficult without more botanical detail and of course corrections when I get it wrong. It has been known ::)
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You may not be out of breath yet Ragged Robin but just you wait :P
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Thanks Martin, delighted to see my all time favourite Linaria alpina is in the first few, great shot :)
I'm on the step machine as I speak :P :P :P
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Great start and I'm not even out of breath ;D ;D ;D
All very well for you, Robin, ....but I've had to sit down for a flask of tea and a lump of cheese ..... I think Martin walks faster than Cliff........ :-\
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Martin - the gentiana sp in the latest batch might be G brachyphylla - difficult to be sure but the calyxes in the one flower where we can (nearly) make them out, appear to be wingless which is a diagnostic feature for that one.
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Thanks for getting started Martin !
We couldn't stand a week without new Dolomite pictures ! ;D
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Good on you, Martin. We needed that!
I love the pulsatilla, such a beautiful yellow. Great shots. Easy to understand why people so enjoy their visits to the Dolomites.
Paddy
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Thanks Tony for the Gentian suggestion. I've looked at the original picture blown up and the best I can say is 'you're probably right'. Hopefully as I process the rest of my pictures I'll come across a G verna and be able to complete the comparison.
cheers
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Day 2. This was an easy day as we sort of overdid the walking on day 1 :P We went back to Porto Vescovo, briefly visited the previous day, but this time it was Gondola up, wander about, Gondola down. Great area with some acid volcanic rocks instead of just Dolomitic Limestone so the flora was diverse. One or two of the pictures are poor but are included to let you know what can be seen in this locality. There are also some quiz questions = I haven't a clue!
First Bartsia alpina
Campanula scheuchzeri. Now here is an intersting conundrum. While walking along the Viel dal Pan path on day 1 I was very conscious of this Campanula growing on one side of the path and C. barbata on the other. Not once did I see either on the other side of the path. An ecological change in 3 feet! On other occasions I did see the two growing together. A PhD study there for someone.
Now for some wildlife. We fed the local Choughs some bits of apple and a family turned up. The fully fledged young wouldn't pick up the apple but did they make sure mum & dad knew they were hungry, what a racket.
And finally in this batch an unidentifed crucifer. Help!
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Next two portraits of Eritrichium nanum.
This was the first time I'd seen this in the wild. I was underwhelmed :( After all the hype this was nothing more than a neat cushion forget me not. Maybe the colour form in this area isn't the best.
Gentiana acaulis. One of the few Gentian pictures I have where you can actually identify the species, in this case by the shape of the calyx.
A cushion of Silene acaulis with a Gentian flowering through it. No Gentian leaves visible at all.
Gentiana species x 2. If anyone can separate G. clusii & acaulis from these let me know.
Gentiana verna. I think.
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Geum, or is it? Does anyone recognise this bicoloured form of what I assumed was Geum reptans
Two more pictures of Geum reptans although I'm less sure about the second one.
Lloydia serotina.
Polygonum viviparum. Probably the most common flower on our holiday and not large. Close up, however, I think it has loads of charm.
A view of the Porto Vescovo Gondola station. I loved the way most of the lifts in this area stopped for lunch.
Primula minima. Apologies for the dreadful photo.
Ranunculus glacialis. One of my favourite plants but we didn't see any clumps of the size we've seen in the interlaken area.
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Now it's quiz time. Four pictures of Saxifrages. Anyone hazard to guess a species name for any/all of them?
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And finally for day 2
Silene acaulis
Soldanella pusilla
Soldanella species. Is it S. minima or a variation on S. pusilla?
Vitaliana primuliflora, if that is the current name.
That's all till I process day 3.....only 12 to go 8)
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Martin, thanks for showing your lovely finds on day 2 - the G. verna group in the grass look magnificent and the Geum reptans is sweet huddled up by the rock - the only disappointment is that you took the Gondola up AND down as I imagined ::) you clinging on to the cliff edge :o to capture some of these Alpine beauties ;D
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Patience, things will get higher and steeper.
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Great report, Martin. Many thanks, Paddy
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Martin.
Great plants and pictures. thanks
Gentiana verna = G. terglouensis ssp. terglouensis
Gentiana sp. = Gentiana acaulis
Saxifraga 1 = Minuartia recurva
Saxifraga 2 = S. bryoides
Saxifraga 4 = S. depressa
Crucifer 1 = Arabis alpina
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Thanks Franz
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Very interesting that the Choughs were taking apple which isnt a natural food
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Why isn't apple a natural food.... there must be fruit trees nearby in the lower areas..... I thought corvids would be as likely to eat windfalls as any other opportunisitic critter?
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The Choughs near some of the cable cars have adapted just like seagulls. I reckon they'd eat just about anything that can be got without work!
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such a wealth of species there! the yellow pulsatilla is a real eye opener!
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And finally.....Day 3. The muscles were stilling feeling the effects of Day 1 so we took our little Fiat 500 and drove over the 4 passes round the Sella Group. We lost count of the hairpin bends and the suicidal motorcyclists and didn't meet too many buses on the bends. A few scenery pictures to start with and then an alphabetical list of plant portraits. These were mostly taken in the Pordoi pass area either on the road from the pass to the German war memorial/grave or by the roadside as we descended back to Arabba.
Firstly Sassongher which dominates the view above Corvara.
Next two views of part of the Sella massif above Colfosco, one distant and one close up. Those of you who have been following Diane Clement's postings from her Austrian trip will have seen the discussion of the sanity levels required to undertake a trip on a Via Ferrata! The bridge photograph in that thread is of the bridge you can see in the close up view below. I am sane. Really I am 8)
Finally two pictures to show how your viewpoint changes the look of a mountain. The Sassolungo from two distinct viewpoints.
Flowers to follow.
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Achillea macrophylla(?)
Adenostyles alliariae. Two shots of a plant I'd never even heard of but it was locally common in woodland edges. Not one I want in the garden though, a bit weedy looking.
Astragalus alpinus
Centaurea uniflora(?)
Dianthus superbus. One of those plants you think you'll have to really hunt for and there it was lining the road round several hairpin bends below the Pordoi pass.
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Extreme fasciation, quite impressive
Gentianella gemanica
A grasshopper. Hopefully Anthony will tell us which particular one this is.
Hieraceum pilosella
Hieraceum alpinum (?)
Knautia dipsacifolia (?)
Lilium martagon
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Wonderful scenery, Martin, and doesn't Hieracium alpinum redeem the multitude of indistinguishable hieraciums one normally encounters.
Great show.
Paddy
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And finally from Day 3.
Absolutely no idea what this one's name is. Help!
Onobrychis montana(?)
Polygonum bistorta
Succisa pratensis
Thymus sp.
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Paddy, I think both examples redeem the family. The acid yellow of H pilosella stops me in my tracks every time.
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"Absolutely no idea" looks like a centaurea species ... in bud? See the earlier centaurea pic with flowers open. Below is a pic from the Saas Fee area of a centaurea species in bud.
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Spot on Tony. Thanks. Doesn't say much for my powers of observation :'(. Clearly I need to spend much more time in the mountains getting used to identifying plants with no labels......now where is that lottery ticket?
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Tony, you are right, it is a Centaurea in bud. Without flower it is not possible the species identify.
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Thank you fore all the lovely pitcures. I have also been in the Dolomites whit our RV car this summer. Just a few days, and we were not hunting flowers. But I saw many anyway. :)
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It seems a little quiet on this thread, so I will post a few more of the many hundreds that I have available. I don't wish to hijack Martin's wonderful posts or deter Kata from posting her much anticipated Dolomite images ... so just twenty images today ...
From Sella Pass
Soldanella alpina & Pulsatilla
Pulsatilla vernalis
Sax' on the Sella
Pulsatilla alpina ssp. apiifolia
Sax' close-up
Silene acaulis
Sax' close
Dryas octopetala bun
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Second contribution for today ...
Very dark Clematis alpina
Array of gentians
Dolomite fungi
Rhododendron ferrugineum
Dolomite fungi 2
Pedicularis growing through fungi
Leontopodium alpinum
Cirsium spinosissimu
Paederota bonarota
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Thank you fore all the lovely pitcures. I have also been in the Dolomites whit our RV car this summer. Just a few days, and we were not hunting flowers. But I saw many anyway. :)
Did you drive all the way from Norway, Anne Karin?
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Q: Why is it that every time I see the spiky peak pix I think of Sandy Leven, Peter Maquire and Harley Milne? ::) :P
A: They are all dentists! ;D
The Rhodos are lovely, Cliff, a definite favourite... with the Dryas!! ;)
I feel rather sorry for the orchid held in that vice-like grip/embrace by the fungus...... :(
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I feel rather sorry for the orchid held in that vice-like grip/embrace by the fungus...... :(
Not actually an orchid, Maggi ... it's a Pedicularis that is being slowly strangled by a fungi (should this section be X-rated)? :D
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Thank you fore all the lovely pitcures. I have also been in the Dolomites whit our RV car this summer. Just a few days, and we were not hunting flowers. But I saw many anyway. :)
Did you drive all the way from Norway, Anne Karin?
Yes we were all the way down to Croatia.
Sweden, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Italy.
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What an incredible journey, Anne ... will all your lovely images feature on the forum ... please?
How long did your journey take and did you log the total miles (sorry kilometres)?
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Thank you fore all the lovely pitcures. I have also been in the Dolomites whit our RV car this summer. Just a few days, and we were not hunting flowers. But I saw many anyway. :)
Did you drive all the way from Norway, Anne Karin?
Yes we were all the way down to Croatia.
Sweden, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Italy.
My goodness...... that is quite some journey! :o
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I feel rather sorry for the orchid held in that vice-like grip/embrace by the fungus...... :(
Not actually an orchid, Maggi ... it's a Pedicularis that is being slowly strangled by a fungi (should this section be X-rated)? :D
.....in pic XX ? ...... oh, so it is.... hard to tell when the mushroom has it by the neck!
I think we can leave out the "X" rating, Cliff.... it seems that there are legal issues about the validity of such classifications for DVDs etc.......our readership will just have to monitor themselves!! :P
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Thanks Cliff for keeping it going. Work commitments may stop me processing more pictures before the weekend. Uncannily spooky that the set that are nearly ready are from the City of Rocks walk!!!
For those not intimately familiar with this part of the Dolomites that's where Cliff's latest pictures are taken.
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That is certainly spooky, Martin! I hope these images can simply act as a taster for your photos that were captured a little later in the season?
From the City of Rocks on the Sella Pass
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Next batch for this morning ...
From the City of Rocks on the Sella Pass
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Final batch for this morning ...
Starting at the City of Rocks
and concluding up on Le Valun with Soldanella alpina poking up through the snow.
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Hi Cliff,
Pic a11 shows a fabulous outcrop of rock - ideal for one's garden. Why didn't you take it home? It looks fabulous. Aren't those veratrums brilliant?
Great shots, Paddy
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I agree, paddy....I was thinking the same thing for image a5 - I love the natural "bonsai" on rock outcrops
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Some more plants from the City of Rocks. You must all tell Cliff & myself when you've had enough!!!
Ajuga pyramidalis (I think)
Bartsia alpina but what's that growing through it? It's not a quiz question, I don't know. I didn't even notice it till I looked closely at the photo
Coleoglossum viride
Erigeron neglectus(?)
Gentiana utriculosa
Gentianella germanica
Gymnadenia odoratissima
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Next...
Herminium monorchis
Paederota bonarota
Pedicularis verticillata
Phyteuma sieberi(?)
Potentilla crantzii
Primula farinosa
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Last set for tonight.
Saxifraga aizoides. Two pictures. I'm happy the first one is S. aizoides but not so sure about the second one. The plants were only a few feet from each other.
Silene acaulis. A remarkably loose cushion for this species.
Viola biflora, one of my favourites.
Moving away from plants two final shots.
First, men at work getting reasy for Winter already.
and finally.....what to do the next time your 6 year old won't do as he's told :o
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More lovely pics Martin and Cliff!
I have seen Saxifraga azoides with similar colouring in Switzerland. I'll try and find a pic later.
The bartsia plus what pic .... the what might be another frog orchid or perhaps Chamorchis alpina. Give us a closer look and someone will confirm.
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Saxifraga aizoides. Two pictures. I'm happy the first one is S. aizoides but not so sure about the second one. The plants were only a few feet from each other.
Martin, I understand that the colour deepens as the flowers are going over but have no idea how the whole plant can be so 'synchronised' ???
Fine pictures.
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Cliff and Martin,
Just caught up with the majority of this topic. Amazing!! Some awesome pics in here. 8)
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What an incredible journey, Anne ... will all your lovely images feature on the forum ... please?
How long did your journey take and did you log the total miles (sorry kilometres)?
We were away i 3 weeks. Driving nonstop (only sleeping) it took 2 and a half day to Croatia. 2500 km one way. Germany, Austria and Slovenia, we run only through.
I am sorry to say that I have taken to few images. Some of them not to relevant here. But they are on my homepage here (http://annesblomstersider.org/galleri/v/Turar/Ferien+2009/)
Next time we will spend more time in the nature. This thread is incredible.
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Some beautiful pictures on your site, Anne ... what a mammoth journey, but Croatia IS gorgeous! :D
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Tony, as requested a closer look at the stranger in the Bartsia picture.
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I'd say its a frog - Coeloglossum viride. I tend to notice them only when I sit down for a rest/lunch. They are quite well camoflaged!
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A close-up of Coeloglossum viride for comparison purposes ...
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Still looks like a frog orchid, Cliff, with the flowers yet to open fully.
Lovely pictures by the way, I can see that I've a lot of catching up to do after being away/offline for three weeks, I've only quickly skimmed through so far.
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OK, I've been accused of being insane so I thought I'd better display some insanity. Time for some Via Ferrata. This was my first trip onto steep rock for an awful long time.
For those who don't know, Via Ferrata are rock scrambles/climbs where you don't have to find and place your own protection while climbing. The very kind Italians have protected the routes using fixed steel cables held in place with large bolts, and when it gets too steep they add bolted in ladders and sometimes things called stemples (think of a large staple stuck in the rock face).
The great things about Via Feratta are hugely reduced risk relative to traditional rock climbing and no chance of not being able to follow the route. All you need are a harness, a helmet and two karabiners attached to short lengths of rope fitted through a magic device that absorbs the energy if you do fall off. Memories of carrying lots of metal gear and 150M of rope in my youth make me very grateful for this reduced weight version of climbing.
Today was the introductory route for people who'd never done this sort of thing and those, like me, for whom it was a distant memory.
I pinched Joan's compact camera for the day. I saw lots of good flowers on the cliff but not in positions I was prepared to get the camera out! I'm not that insane.
So here we have a short sequence of pictures leading up to the climb proper, the real climb starts when you reach the ladder and put the camera away. I did pause at one point though to photograph this lovely campanula but not at the point where there was more Edelweiss in one place than I have seen before or since.
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Martin, this is sufficiently in advance of my "three steps up the ladder test" for testing for vertigo, that you qualify wonderfully for my Medal for Valour.
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Gosh, and it was only four steps up the ladder 8)
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... I'd better display some insanity.
... steel cables held in place with large bolts
... large staple stuck in the rock face
... a magic device that absorbs the energy if you do fall off
Fantastic stuff, Martin, but I see you're hanging onto that cross.
I've never been brave enough to have a go.
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I'd been wondering what to do to celebrate my 50th in a couple of years time .... don't know if I'll share the idea with the family just yet though :o Better to show them the pics afterwards eh Martin?
The ladder looks like its up against a lump of tufa from the miniature gardens that one sees at shows .... only MUCH bigger :D
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The ladder looks like its up against a lump of tufa from the miniature gardens that one sees at shows .... only MUCH bigger :D
Oh yes, so it does
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Martin,
I'm pleased to see that in picture 5 you've clipped onto the cross at the summit, you can't be too careful. Did the divine safety device help deal with the exposed situation?
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Diane - that is VERY clever!
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not as clever as this
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Now THAT is showing off ;D ;D
What program are you using?
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Now THAT is showing off ;D ;D
What program are you using?
Just Photoshop Elements - cut and paste - its great fun to play!
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Diane, you clearly have too much time on your hands,, you could try entering these in the artistic section at shows ;D ;D ;D
Tonyg, I think you should take the wife and kids up as well :-X On second thoughts, maybe you're right.
Peter, if you knew me well you'd know I was unlikely to trust in divine intervention but when someone sticks a chunk of metal securely into a very small summit common sense prevails. The rucksack you can see in the bottom right corner isn't on the summit block. There was a bit of a drop in between.
This was actually the only really exposed bit of this short climb and could be bypassed by the nervous. Recommended for all except those who know they suffer vertigo.
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Diane, you clearly have too much time on your hands,, you could try entering these in the artistic section at shows ;D ;D ;D
HAHA. It was the five minutes in between repotting 500 pots of bulbs, ditto pots of cyclamen
... and checking 12,000 names for the seed exchange for our starting checklist this year.
The latter job was finished yesterday (hence the playing on Photoshop last night), the repotting goes on today.
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Tonyg, I think you should take the wife and kids up as well :-X On second thoughts, maybe you're right.
My youngest would get there first without any help but the other two would not even watch 8) 8)
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Continuing the Via Ferrata theme (we would, of course, have done them all ourselves if our wildflower walks hadn't ALWAYS fallen on the same days) - :D - please find below three images captured from Porta Vescova of an elevated (but slightly rickety) slatted bridge on one of these iron stairways in the sky.
VIA FERRATA IN THE DOLOMITES
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Diane, that is quite FAB!! You realise, though, that we'll never believe anything you show us, ever again!??? ;D
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not as clever as this
My God Diane, what a giant Gentian !!!! :o :P
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Cliff, how come you only photographed the easy bit of that route?
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VIA FERRATA IN THE DOLOMITES
it looks invitingly
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Finally a few spare minutes while listening to my favourite radio programme. Bet you thought you'd seen the last of this holiday ::)
This set of pictures were taken on the Pralongia plateau, an area easily reached on foot or by a number of cable cars. Once up there the walking is gentle on tracks through the meadows with plenty of coffee & cake opportunities at the various rifugios. The only problem being if you leave it too late in the season the flowers have been harvested to feed the cattle in winter.
First up is a 5 spot Burnet moth enjoying the flowers
Allium schoenoprasum and, for those of you in the UK, yes it is the Chives you grow in your herb patch.
A Chrysalis, perhaps Anthony can tell us more
Cicerbita alpina, a lovely flower but I'm not sure the plant is 'garden worthy'
I did figure this one out with some help but I've forgotten. So someone please put me out of my misery.
Some Horsetails
Lilium bulbiferum
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Orchis mascula (?)
Parnassia palustris. I've now seen this 'moisture lover' in what appear to be very dry conditions in the Dolomites and the far North of Scotland. I'm confused!
A view from the plateau
A handy rest spot
The flower harvesters at work
Pyrola rotundifolia. I though this was supposed to be a shade lover but there was precious little shade where this colony was found.
and finally the rather pretty but ignored brown clover, Trifolium badium
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New views are never dull!
I too have seen Parnassia in very dry places eg edge of the ridge above Wengen, right on the edge, thin soil. ... have to try it here then :D
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Lovely images, Martin ... your 'Help required' image is of Common Cow-Wheat - Melampyrum pratense.
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Diane I think we need a tutorial. What you did was brilliant
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Diane I think we need a tutorial. What you did was brilliant
Thank you! I'll keep it short, seed donor forms are piling up here :-[ :-[ :'(
1. Started with a picture of JohnnyD's minigarden (my picture) taken at Harrogate show and cropped it down
2. Pinched the picture of the Via Ferrata ladder from earlier in the thread. Drew round it using Lasso tool and pasted it onto minigarden (or use the clone tool)
3. Pinched the picture of Martinr from this thread
4. Drew round Martin on Photoshop elements and lightened him up a bit, then pasted him onto minigarden
5. resized the whole thing for web
Back to the seed donor forms ....
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I can not resist adding a couple of photos which refer back to Martin's post 120 on 23/8/09 showing the high footbridge on the north side of the Sella massif. It is at the top of the Via Ferrata known as Brigata Tridentina. Here is one of me on the bridge, which is very cleft and has a vertical drop below of many hundreds of feet. Also one of the view down to the hairpin bends on the road below from where Martin's photo was taken.
Just for good measure I did manage to pull out my camera on a flatter bit of the climb to get this Potentilla nitida, and
here is a Physoplexis comosa from across the valley. Also a final couple to show what a magical place the Dolomites are at night.
PS It was a fantastic Discussion Weekend for a first-time attendee, so I shall return next year. I also promise to be a more active forumist and not to just spend my time lurking!
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I also promise to be a more active forumist and not to just spend my time lurking!
Great set of pictures Richard !!! :o
Not exactly a spot to fear heights is it ?? ;D
By the way, we'll take you up on your above mentioned remark !!
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Great shot down the ravine to the mountain road, Richard, presumably from that rather precarious 'bridge' :o
Also really like your shot of the Potentilla nitida, looking so relaxed on the rock face!
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Great pictures, Richard... even if the view "down" has quite put me off my supper! :P
Potentilla nitida is one of my favourite plants and to see it so perfect in it's home is a delight, thank you! 8)
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Diane,
Print and send the picture to the SRGC competition at the AGM at the beginning of Nov. There is always a class for digitally enhanced photos, you're sure to win :) Details are in the yearbook, I think it is Cathy Cauldwell you send them in to or anyone going to the AGM. You just win notoriety I am afraid, no fancy prizes.
Susan
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"and lightened him up a bit"
What are you trying to say Diane ???
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"and lightened him up a bit"
What are you trying to say Diane ???
just a touch of digital enhancement, Martin
you won't feel a thing,
;D ;D ;D
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Phantastic photos - don't allow to go to bed in spite of late night hours.