Finse July 2016. Some plants from the central mountain area in Norway

[astragalus]

Beautiful photos, Trond. Thanks for the Tour. And thanks for the wonderful Ranunculus glacialis photo. Isn't that everyone's favorite alpine plant? It's so pristine.

[Robert]

Trond,

It is fascinating to see the water and ice work over and through the schist rock formations. Very 

In California many rare and/or endemic plant species are associated with serpentine rock. Are certain plant species associated with specific rock types in Norway? Also soils associated with a specific parent rock type can often create unique plant communities. Limestone is an obvious example. Maybe such conditions occur in Norway?

[Hoy]

Trond,

I have really enjoyed your photographic essay on the Finse region: you have covered mostly everything; landscapes, geology and plants. I liked the views of the plant associations with the snowbanks and glaciers; it is really interesting to compare them with the alpine regions of New Zealand. Perhaps your alpine vegetation is sparser and not so species rich but the plant associations are similar. We too have schist and the grass Trisetum spicatum is found here as well. There still seems to be a lot of ice remaining in your mountains compared to our schist block mountains where the ice is long since gone.

Beautiful photos

Thank you David.

The general view is that the glaciers were absent 8000-6000 years ago but came back and had a maximum AD 1600-1800. Now they are retreating again, even at Svalbard.

I hope to visit New Zealand once to compare!

[Hoy]

Wow!

 

[Hoy]

Beautiful photos, Trond. Thanks for the Tour. And thanks for the wonderful Ranunculus glacialis photo. Isn't that everyone's favorite alpine plant? It's so pristine.

Thank you Anne
I take a lot of pictures and have to discard most. I am grateful I don't need to use the old celluloid stuff! (I have never used that, though, but Ektachrome!)

[Hoy]

Trond,

It is fascinating to see the water and ice work over and through the schist rock formations. Very 

In California many rare and/or endemic plant species are associated with serpentine rock. Are certain plant species associated with specific rock types in Norway? Also soils associated with a specific parent rock type can often create unique plant communities. Limestone is an obvious example. Maybe such conditions occur in Norway?

Serpentine and olivine are common some places in Norway and are associated with special plant associations although few species are only found there. Most of S Norway are granite and gneiss which weather to acidic poor soils. It is therefore very interesting to visit the areas with other kind of rock, like limestone and schist.

Where the schist is "soft" it weathers easily and give a rich soil.

[astragalus]

Thank you Anne
I take a lot of pictures and have to discard most. I am grateful I don't need to use the old celluloid stuff! (I have never used that, though, but Ektachrome!)

Trond, I'm scanning a lot of old slides which I used to think were wonderful pictures, but I'm seeing now the difference between them and the pictures from my digital camera. The difference is huge. A lot of the old slides will end up being discarded.

[Robert]

Trond,

Thank you for the above information. Limestone, Gabbro, and Serpentine are most often associated with unusual plant communities in California. Many of our rare and endemic species are associated with Gabbro and Serpentine.

[Julia]

Great pictures thank you

[Hoy]

Great pictures thank you

Thanks Julia