Finland

[Maggi Young]

Oh! More light.... I must make researches, Thomas, sorry! 

[Panu]

To be honest, I have never heard of Korpiklaani. Word "korpi" has few meanings, first of all it is a spruce mires (heterogenous type, photo of one type below), backwoods or just a remote civilized place. Klaani means clan.

Here´s few picture of aapa mires (which is a complex type) fall 2009.

1) Puolanka, Saarijärvi nature reserve
2) Puolanka, Vellisuo nature reserve
3) Muhos, Räkäsuo (Räkä means snot and also a nickname for Kimi Räikkönen )

[Panu]

...

[Panu]

Dactylorhiza hybrids from Puolanka, Saarijärvi. They have features from D. incarnata and D.traunsteineri. However, I didn´t find D. traunsteineri from this mire, only D. incarnata ssp. incarnata and D. maculata

[vivienr]

So far Finland for me only meant Nightwish, Lordi and Korpiklaani.
Thanks for bringing a new light onto your country.

Wasn't the Lordi song about Rock Gardening......

Hard Rock Hallelujah......
......In God's creation supernatural high?? 

[Maggi Young]

Well, I'm finding all sorts of information here: I see now that Lordi are just a sort of sad band who are lost from a Star Trek convention, though Nightwish is okay and Korpiklaani are quite fun but old fashioned!
And... from this :

Räkä means snot and also a nickname for Kimi Räikkönen

I discover that Finns do have a sense of humour... which from watching Kimi Räikkönen and other Finnish racing drviers being interviewed, I would never have guessed!
All this and plants... very good indeed! Thanks, Panu!

[Panu]

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[cohan]

welcome from another northerner! some similarities in parts of our landscapes, although even though i am 90minutes from the mountains, i am around 1000m..
interesting introduction to your area, looking forward to seeing more

[Panu]

Thanks Cohan, I think we are in the same vegetation zone, boreal (coniferous) forest, so that explains the similarity?

An ancient seashore, formed after last ice age at Pudasjärvi, Puolakkavaara.

[Panu]

Another hobby of mine, just emerged from hibernation 4/2006.

[Maggi Young]

whoa! Dangerous hobby

[cohan]

Thanks Cohan, I think we are in the same vegetation zone, boreal (coniferous) forest, so that explains the similarity?

An ancient seashore, formed after last ice age at Pudasjärvi, Puolakkavaara.

yes, i'm just on the edge of the boreal forest, where it mixes with aspen and then a little bit east starts to open into aspen parkland..

this ancient seashore is very interesting--is it  a large area? there is nothing growing in there?

this is a wild snake? i have only seen snakes here, in my immediate area (garter snakes) once or twice in my life..

[Panu]

...

[cohan]

Those boulder fields aren´t that big, largest are maybe tens of hectares. There are virtually no vascular plant species.

that's interesting--do you have any idea why plants don't colonise it? if i put a pile of gravel or stones in my yard, the plants would be growing in it in no time..of course it would take time for the plants to build up in a large stone area, but i'm surprised they are not working on it from the edges and seeds being blown in or carried by birds..

[Panu]

Sorry, I don´t know. I need to ask somebody wiser than me. They are often called devil´s fields And yes, the vipers above are from the wild.