Alps Hiking

One of the most exciting aspects of looking at alpine flora is the close relationship with insects. In our mountain meadows you can see colourful butterflies and buzzing honey bees frolicking around from flower to …

Continue reading “Butterworts and Sundews – Insectivorous Plants in the Alps”

Stage 2 – Sargans to Weisstannen Along the Via Alpina trail, both Sargans and the adjoining town of Mels straddle the autoroute and are known locally for its sprawling shopping center. Make no mistake—we’re in …

Continue reading “Stage 2 – Sargans to Weisstannen – Hiking the Via Alpina 1”

The animals in our mountains leave traces everywhere. Signs of their daily activities give interesting clues about their life style and behaviour. Unfortunately, many of these signs go unnoticed by most of us mountain hikers, …

Continue reading “Woodpeckers, Integral Birds in the Alps”

Stage 1 – Vaduz (Gaflei) Liechtenstein to Sargans, Switzerland What an adventure! Hiking across Switzerland from Liechtenstein on the east to Lake Geneva on the west. It’s 370km/230 miles conveniently cut into 19 scenic stages. …

Continue reading “Stage 1 – Vaduz to Sargans – Hiking the Via Alpina 1”

“As I’m descending, I’m letting it all sink in, the bird sounds, the colourful flowers, the magnificent views, and of course the….”

Many of our mountain flowers depend on insects for pollination and many insects depend on flowers for nectar and pollen as food. On sunny days, this intimate relationship between insects and flowers causes beautiful scenes …

Continue reading “Flora in the Alps: Pollinators in High Elevations”