My favourite place to hike in the Alps in winter? A coniferous forest, without a doubt! When tree branches bend down, heavy with snow, and the forest floor is covered with a fresh layer of …
Continue reading “Needles versus Leaves – Wintry Challenges for Trees in the Alps”
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If you’re in the Alps in the winter, you’ll notice that surviving in the mountains requires flexibility, especially in winter. When winter arrives in the Alps, some birds migrate south and many other animals (such …
Continue reading “Bend or Break – Wintry Challenges for Trees in the Alps”
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The Italian Val Ferret is one of the wildest and most beautiful parts of the Tour du Mont Blanc and around this time of year larch trees in the valley show their beautiful autumnal colours. …
Continue reading “Flora in the Alps – Junipers and Dwarfism”
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Above the tree line, conditions are so incredibly hostile that trees can no longer win the battle with the elements. Yet, every year many species of alpine plants flourish and alpine meadows turn into colorful …
Continue reading “Flora in the Alps – Adaptations to High Altitude”
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It’s been exactly a year ago that I’ve published my first story on the Alps Hiking Blog. Edelweiss – The Symbol of the Alps, a short story on how perfectly adapted these tiny furry flowers …
Continue reading “A Wonderful Year of Nature Stories”
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It’s mushroom season!!! Fall is almost here which means it’s time for mushrooms!!! Mushrooms come in all sorts of shapes, sizes and colours and you can’t help but appreciate their diversity while hiking through the …
Continue reading “Mushroom Season”
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One of my most favourite plants in the Alps is the houseleek (Sempervivum). It’s a succulent, making the rosette of this alpine plant look more like something belonging in the desert. Its thick succulent leaves …
Continue reading “Flora in the Alps – The Incredible Houseleek”
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At this time of year, colourful eyebrights (Euphrasia) brighten up many hiking trails in the Alps, but don’t be fooled by these cute little flowers. Eyebrights are little thieves and parasitic plants. They use their …
Continue reading “Flora in the Alps – Little Thieves and Parasites”
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