Page under constructionPage under constructionOur apologies to those of you who can only access the Web using equipment / programs with no (or poor) graphics. You must use your imagination, or go someplace else for something less visual. Apologies also for not knowing / taking the trouble to find out the English names in some cases where such names may exist.
Tysbast is an attractive and fairly rare shrub that blooms with bright,
violet flowers on bare branches soon after the snow is gone in the
early spring. It is fount in forest land with chalky soil, and is
known to be quite poisonous. This picture was taken in Ringerike
northwest of Oslo late April 1994.
This plant is often found in forest and pasture land, and is quite
characteristic with its large, bell-shaped flowers, color ranging
from deep to light blue or even white in rare cases. Its Norwegian
name is "fagerklokke", which means "beautiful bell". Picture from
the North Forest, near Tømte, early July 1994.
Mjødurt is another forest plant, blooming typically late in
July. It can become quite tall, up to ~1.5m. It's flowers are
yellowish white, many small ones clustered together in what may
look like small balls of cotton from a distance. It is characterized
by its strong, sweet, fragrant, spicy scent, resembling that of the old
Norwegian drink "mjød", a sort of ale, which dates back to
the Viking era. The plant is believed to have been an ingredient
in "mjød" in the early days. Picture from Kamphaug in the
North Forest.
Prestekrage (daisies) are common in lowland pastures. Ildsveve
(orange hawkweed) is not quite as common in Norway, but bright
and colorful when found. This picture is from our own "wild" garden.
The flowers of the mountains can be divided into two main categories.
1 ) Those that are unique to the mountains, and
2 ) Those that are found in forest land as well.
The above picture from a mountain meadow at about 1500m above sea
level, illustrates the latter category, with an attractive display
of mainly violet skogstorkenebb, yellow sveve and rosenrot. The colors
of such flowers in places like this are often more intense than further
down. The picture was taken near Leirvassbu in Jotunheimen late July
1994.
Marisko is a spectacular and quite rare orchid, found in the warmer
lowland forests, and only where the soil contains a substantial
amount of calcium (CaCO3). Picture from Ringerike northwest
of Oslo June 1998.
