Can anyone identify this wild flower in Finland

Last post 04-09-2008 7:20 AM by M&MBM. 29 replies.

• 03/09/2008 10:56 AM	In reply to
  M&MBM Location: Essex Joined on: 16 Apr 2008 Posts: 42	Reply | Contact This was also taken at the volcanic park. It shows striations ground out by the glacier. " mce_src="" alt="" border="" hspace="" vspace="" width="" height="" align="" />

• 03/09/2008 10:58 AM	In reply to
  M&MBM Location: Essex Joined on: 16 Apr 2008 Posts: 42	Reply | Contact The wood ants' nests are amazing.   " mce_src="" alt="" border="" hspace="" vspace="" width="" height="" align="" />

• 03/09/2008 11:03 AM	In reply to
  M&MBM Location: Essex Joined on: 16 Apr 2008 Posts: 42	Reply | Contact Look at the size of this lichen. Nephroma arcticum " mce_src="" alt="" border="" hspace="" vspace="" width="" height="" align="" />

• 03/09/2008 11:05 AM	In reply to
  M&MBM Location: Essex Joined on: 16 Apr 2008 Posts: 42	Reply | Contact " mce_src="" alt="" border="" hspace="" vspace="" width="" height="" align="" />

• 03/09/2008 11:09 AM

  In reply to

  M&MBM Location: Essex Joined on: 16 Apr 2008 Posts: 42

  Reply | Contact This is in norway (I think) Arctic tundra. That's crowberry (the heather-like leaves) and dwarf birch. I sometimes wonder if dwarf birch would grow here and stabilise slopes, ort at least, make good bonsai plants. A couple of years ago in Sweden, we were walking on a plateau, and I was struchk by the number of fungi normally associated with woods. Then I twigged... we were walking through a wood... of these trees. I love this plant. " mce_src="" alt="" border="" hspace="" vspace="" width="" height="" align="" />

• 03/09/2008 11:11 AM	In reply to
  M&MBM Location: Essex Joined on: 16 Apr 2008 Posts: 42	Reply | Contact Just to give an idea of the Tolkeinesque scenery, this was taken from the fell in Levi" mce_src="" alt="" border="" hspace="" vspace="" width="" height="" align="" />

• 03/09/2008 11:15 AM

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  M&MBM Location: Essex Joined on: 16 Apr 2008 Posts: 42

  Reply | Contact There seems to be a national sport; berry-picking. The bilberries are everywhere. There are also bearberries (I think) and crowberries (Though I don't think crowberries are edible). The bilberries are picked using a scoop with metal or plastic prongs. The berries still need sorting, though, as the odd stranger gets in. I saw some Herb Paris cgrowing nearby, so was very careful.   (Moderators; I'm sorry re the double pictures. I don't know what i'm doing wrong.)   " mce_src="" alt="" border="" hspace="" vspace="" width="" height="" align="" />

• 03/09/2008 02:32 PM	In reply to
  Susiq Location: Northumberland Joined on: 16 Feb 2008 Posts: 3,125	Reply | Contact Lovely pictures, I've never seen birches bent like that - do they survive?

• 03/09/2008 03:02 PM	In reply to
  little nibbling bunny Location: Joined on: 01 Sep 2008 Posts: 27	Reply | Contact Yes they do suvive but they are going to be bent like that now... My hubby informs me they get bent like that when they are saplings and then it snows and melts when it gets to 0 degrees with the wet snow weighing a lot and the trunk can't take it. There are birch trees all over Finland like that- it's normal to see them like this.

• 03/09/2008 05:04 PM	In reply to
  M&MBM Location: Essex Joined on: 16 Apr 2008 Posts: 42	Reply | Contact I have seen pines bent over like this too. It seems to happen quite randomly, though; one in a group. Perhaps their individual growth habit makes them susceptible to more snow and ice on top than their neighbours... though once they have bent, you might expect that susceptibility to change. Perhaps it's an additive effect. I'm very curious about it.

• 04/09/2008 07:20 AM	In reply to
  M&MBM Location: Essex Joined on: 16 Apr 2008 Posts: 42	Reply | Contact Mystery solved.(ID mystery that is.) Someone said it looked like a tiny snapdragon to them, so I looked through the Scrophulacea, and I think it's cow wheat. Probably common cow wheat, which my book says is very variable. I don't remember the lip being quite so prominent in the one I saw, but it looks right to me.

• 04/09/2008 11:43 AM

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  Silver surfer Location: South Wales. U.K. Joined on: 09 Jun 2008 Posts: 1,399

  Reply | Contact I believe it is Linnaea borealis. Common name twinflower. It is in Caprifoliaceae.See.....   http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.rolv.no/images/planteleksikon/L/linnaea_borealis.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.rolv.no/urtemedisin/medisinplanter/linn_bor.htm&h=351&w=283&sz=47&hl=en&start=25&um=1&usg=__hUbT839wS3RiuHDxounEKaKTXU0=&tbnid=NTxzRRM2ucbtiM:&tbnh=120&tbnw=97&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dlinnaea%2Bborealis%26start%3D18%26ndsp%3D18%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26rls%3Dp,com.microsoft:en-gb:IE-SearchBox%26rlz%3D1I7SUNA%26sa%3DN

• 04/09/2008 11:47 AM

  In reply to

  Silver surfer Location: South Wales. U.K. Joined on: 09 Jun 2008 Posts: 1,399

  Reply | Contact I believe it is Linnaea borealis. Common name twinflower. It is in Caprifoliaceae. See.....   http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.rolv.no/images/planteleksikon/L/linnaea_borealis.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.rolv.no/urtemedisin/medisinplanter/linn_bor.htm&h=351&w=283&sz=47&hl=en&start=25&um=1&usg=__hUbT839wS3RiuHDxounEKaKTXU0=&tbnid=NTxzRRM2ucbtiM:&tbnh=120&tbnw=97&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dlinnaea%2Bborealis%26start%3D18%26ndsp%3D18%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26rls%3Dp,com.microsoft:en-gb:IE-SearchBox%26rlz%3D1I7SUNA%26sa%3DN

• 04/09/2008 03:46 PM	In reply to
  Silver surfer Location: South Wales. U.K. Joined on: 09 Jun 2008 Posts: 1,399	Reply | Contact Ignore suggestion of Linnaea. The leaves are wrong! Sorry.

• 04/09/2008 06:32 PM

  In reply to

  M&MBM Location: Essex Joined on: 16 Apr 2008 Posts: 42

  Reply | Contact I have found out what it is; cow wheat. A friend said it looked like toadflax in miniature, so I looked through the scrophulacea and found it. I did post this this morning, but it obviously didn't pass moderation (I linked to a piccie of Cow wheat... perhaps I made a mess of it.)   Anyway, mystery solved.   I did see some twin flowers, not many, but a few. They are pretty, and the leaves are rather attarctive.