Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
General Subjects => Travel / Places to Visit => Topic started by: Mick McLoughlin on September 04, 2007, 09:09:06 PM
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Returned back from first visit to the alps at the weekend. In the Kitzbuhel area of Austria.
As a fairly newcomer to alpines and an alps virgin I'll leave most of the identification to you people, so feel free to chip in at any time.
Weather was bright and sunny for first three days so struggled with the light levels at first, my excuse for poor photos :).
First two general views looking over Niederau, where we stayed, don't understand the fascination of jumping off a mountain though.
Next a couple of flowers seen at the top of the Markbachjoch ski lift.
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A few more from the top of the Markbachjoch.
First is this what an outcrop rock is supposed to look like in my rockery?
2. Sedum species
3. ???
4. Gentian sp.
5. Gentian close up
6. Campanula
7. Centaurea?
8. Carlina acualis
9. Fern
10. Silene sp?
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Welcome back Mick...hope you enjoyed your initial alpine trip....the first of many I hope.
Lovely shots. You asked for assistance with identifications, I know that Franz will give you more precise names for many of 'his' Austrian plants, but to help you get started.....from the first batch you have photographed a cardamine, a potentilla, a euphrasia and a veronica.
Your sedum is a little indistinct, mixed in as it is with mosses and selaginellas, the yellow flower really needs a clearer shot of the foliage but I would suggest Leontodon autumnalis, Gentiana asclepiadea, Campanula rotundifolia and the Silene is S. vulgaris.
Please keep posting.
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... don't understand the fascination of jumping off a mountain though.
How about going down the mountain with plank's of wood on your feet, which was my first experience of Kitzbuhel ;D.
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Second day we decided to try the other end of the valley. Took a ride on the local transport, better than the bus and a sightseeing commentary as well.
Went up the ski lift at Auffach to 2,700 ft I believe.
There didn't seem to be as many different plants here, or maybe the fresh air was making us tired.
Not sure of any of these or if they're good enough for ID.
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Just a few more for today.
First hows this for a full size crevice garden (no jokes about the legs please).
All the houses had a good pile of logs outside.
3. Thistle
6. Dianthus sp.
7. Home for the week Hotel Vicky
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Looks like you were pretty lucky with the weather, Mick, it seems lovely.
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Wait till we get to Wednesday Maggi. But yes we had good weather overall and a great time.
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Mick,
I think you enjoyed the plants, people and mountain. Lovely shots
Cliff, already recognized many plants.
auff2 geranium - robertianum
4. Gentian sp. - G. asclepidea
5. Gentian close up - G. asclepidea
6. Campanula - C. rotundifolia
Silene sp - s. vulgaris ssp. Vulgaris
Mar2 - Ranunculus sp.
mar3 - Euphrasia alpina
mar4 - Veronica sp.
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Good pair of Yorkie legs there Mick. Keep the pictures flowing I'm enjoying them.
My one and only visit to Austria was in 1962 when I was of the age to consider that the important things in life were beer, food and girls (in that order) and mountains and flowers scarcely considerable at all. Ah-the follies of youth :(
You sound like you enjoyed the trip.
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May I ask you to most kindly have another look at Mar2 please Franz?
I would still suggest potentilla rather than ranunculus, but would accept your judgement as you are much more familiar with the area. I could not attribute it to any ranunculus that I am familiar with from the Alps. The nearest would be Ranunculus montanus but it certainly isn't that.
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Cliff,
Thank you. Sorry, I did not look exactly. mar2 is Potentilla erecta.
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Many thanks Franz,
It just shows how difficult it can be for newcomers to the mountains (like Mick on his first trip to the Alps), to positively identify such similar looking plants. We all learn so much and promptly forget even more. :)
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Thanks for the responses so far everyone
Cliff
It just shows how difficult it can be for newcomers to the mountains (like Mick on his first trip to the Alps),
This was the reason I didn't attempt positive IDs. Is there some advice on books or sources for a novice to use, to give them confidence?
David,
Good pair of Yorkie legs there Mick
The legs happen to be from Nottingham David. Just been weathered in yorkshire for 30 years. Came as a missionary to educate northern hill tribes and stayed.
Thanks again for the IDs Cliff and Franz. Will try an post some more tonight, if I can prise daughter off MSN.
Regards,
Mick
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Great pics Mick - we can never have enough of those !
Do have a word to your daughter so that we can see more soon
Thanks
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David,
Good pair of Yorkie legs there Mick
The legs happen to be from Nottingham David. Just been weathered in yorkshire for 30 years. Came as a missionary to educate northern hill tribes and stayed.
Never mind Mick I wont hold not having 'the birthright' against you. At least you are from North of Watford! ;D Get those pictures flowing.
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Daughters gone off to Barnsley for a few hours so managed to get on and resize some more pictures, only took 400+ in a week, don't worry I wont post them all.
Day three Tuesday, low cloud in the valley but clear at the top of Markbachjoch ski lift. Thought we would just have a stroll around the top then go back down on the lift. Three hours later we had walked back down to the village of Niederau.
1 Contented cow above the clouds.
2 Campanula not sure if it's different from earlier one?
3 is this the same Potentilla from earlier?
4 Close up
5 Euphrasia alpina (from Franz earlier identification) close up
6??
7 Even though it hadn't rained the three days we had been there, this shows the leaves retention of morning moisture.
8??
9 Daisy?
10 blackened fungi
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A few more as we continued our walk downhill. Hurts the legs just as much walking down as up, but easier on the lungs.
1-4 Not much idea of ID
5 Clover.
6 Blue butterfly
7,8 ??
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Strange shaped tree stump reminded me of an elephants head.
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As we made our way down 'more flowers' as Melanie would say. Who has just returned from Barnsley and tried to entice me away from the computer by telling me Gardeners World is on.
Finish this batch with a white thistle and an orange Fungus.
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You are most welcome Mick...please try to convince your daughter that she will have much more fun on the ultra hip SRGC (do they still say 'ultra hip' or has it joined groovy, 'bad', fab and cool in the sad bag)? I'm still trying to come to terms with garage, urban and grime....what if one actually owns a grimy urban garage?
As far as books are concerned Mick, many travellers take the Chris Grey-Wilson/Marjorie Blamey classic; 'The Alpine Flowers of Britain and Europe'...an illustrated guide that uses wonderful little ....illustrations.
I do use it abroad, but I must admit I much prefer photographs.
I now carry a superb book by Oskar Angerer and Thomas Muer (published by Ulmer Naturfuhrer) called Alpenpflanzen (there is a clue somewhere that this is a German book without subtitles....but more of this later). It contains 815 excellent photos of the most oft seen plants and is light enough to tote in a rucksack and interesting enough to mull over in the lounge with your lager and fellow guests (when they query what the little plant was that they saw as they descended the scree on their posteriors). As to the language difficulties, the plants are all identified by their Latin names and basically that is all you will need (Google to your heart's content when you return to the U.K. or in your hotel in the evening and you will obtain all the information or any confirmations that you might need).
Should your wallet be wide and expansive then please do be tempted by the MAGNIFICENT 'Flora Helvetica', a weighty tactile tome that will occupy many a winter's evening (with a port and two mince pies)....but DO NOT be tempted to take this one in your rucksack...it should have been published by Double Hernia instead of Haupt....it is though, quite simply, a wonderful volume of over 3760 superb photographs that covers the complete flora of Switzerland and, by coincidence (?), a great proportion of the alpine plants that one is likely to encounter in the rest of the Alps.
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Last few for tonight as we made it back to the bottom of the valley for tea and home made cakes at the hotel. They look after you in Austria Maggi, Austrians are very partial to cakes sorry no pictures though.
First a pair of leaf beetles are they Chrysomelidae Anthony?
Finishing off with a Scabious?
Must go now the Hemsworth teenage grapevine is buzzing calling for Melmo.
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Markt 16 is Parnassia palustris
Markt 26 looks like an Adenostyles
Markt 27 is Lycopodium clavatum
Have to go out now Mick, but will give you some more names later if Franz (or another willing volunteer ) hasn't taken over for me....
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This report seems to be taking ages to do, hope you aren't all getting bored.
Wednesday and we had decided to book a trip to Grossglockner, Austria's highest mountain and largest glacier. McLoughlin luck strikes again and the weather turns foul, raining hard and steady.
When we got to the top it severely restricted photo oportunities especially of plants, but I still had a go wonders of digital photography.
3 & 4 near the visitors centre found a bank of these in bud. I tried to get a good close up, but this was the best I could do.
5 & 6 two not very distinct plants blame it on the lack of oxygen at 3,000 mtrs.
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Last couple of dripping plants before leaving the glacier(gross10.jpg) behind.
Treacherous journey of 32 hairpin bends on the trip.
As we continued our descent we got a glimpse of the top of the mountain, guess what it had decided to clear up. Until when we reached Zell-em-see, for a coffee stop, it was fine and sunny shirt sleeve weather.
Yes Maggi the coffee stop did include cream cake.
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Melanie out this evening, eh, Mick?
Glad to see you displaying the true SRGC spirit... photos whatever the weather.... and aren't they nicely atmospheric?
Coffee break, Austrian cream cake... bliss!