View allAll Photos Tagged AlpineFlora
[Please enlarge and move around the landscape.]
After a very tiring afternoon's work I climbed into my car to make the descent back home. The narrow dirt road winds through a rugged rocky landscape. It's a small valley that runs between two higher regions, Markham Heights on the left and the Hamilton and Whymper Crags on the right. You can see the road clearly as it is marked by snow poles with very bright red tops.
But I haven't put my camera away just yet.
On the central plateau of Ben Lomond/turapina there is a section known as the "Plains of Heaven". If that is where we are, then this obviously must be the "Garden of the Gods".
The mountain top has been wearing down for millions of years. These rocks for instance, are at least 180 million years old, having originally been spewed out of a giant volcano where Ben Lomond is today. In the background we catch a glimpse of a dry glacial river bed and lake which we'll look at more closely in coming days.
As the sun sets behind the low cloud cover, we get a lovely view of the ranges in the valley below Ben Lomond. The mountain Ben Nevis is in the clouds near the rocks of Watchtower Lookout on the right.
A final two shots to end my Ben Lomond series. These were both taken on the second visit to the mountain, centred on Carr Villa. After climbing a bit to get the shots yesterday, I settled back down at Carr Villa to take some sunset shots of Old Bill's Monument. It is quite extraordinary the way in which the whole landscape changes through a range of colours as the sun sets. In this shot you also get a feel for the rugged terrain and the alpine flora.
Given the limited time we had at Lake St Clair and the weather forecast, only the Platypus Bay Circuit Track was a reasonable hiking option. This track forms the final section of the Overland Track itself and traverses some interesting landscape anyway.
The alpine flora along the way was quite stunning, and nothing stood out as much as these gorgeous Pink mountain-berries (Cyathodes parvifolia). These beautiful pink berries only grow on the female plants. They are prized by birds who then help spread the seeds they contain.
We are still walking the central plateau across the top of Tasmania's second highest mountain, Ben Lomond/turapina. Up here the air is crisp and cold with ice in the shadows. We are surrounded by rocks and alpine flora. It really is beautiful.
The way up here leads to Misery Bluff. At the top of this ridge there is a sudden drop away in the escarpment. The cliff face is several hundred metres in height. Can you spot the rainbow?
Yesterday I gave you a view looking due south over what I called the "Roof of Tasmania". Well here we are looking north with the sun (just out of shot) getting very low in the north-western sky. The peak dead ahead in the clouds has another Scottish name, Ben Nevis.
There is only one point higher than this in all of Tasmania, the very rugged crags of Mount Ossa (5,305 ft) on the remote Overland Trek from Cradle Mountain to Lake St Clair. I think it is a fair assumption then, that at this moment I was the highest person in Tasmania. I was most certainly the last person to ascend on this afternoon, because I was at this stage genuinely concerned that I'd get down before dark. [Always carry a flashlight in case.]
This is one of the few private mountain cabins in the Ben Lomond National Park. It would appear the owner has a long-term lease, and this surely has the best views possible. The Ben Lomond village huts are lower down and face away from the valley. But this cabin looks right across the north-eastern ranges of Tasmania and even to Launceston and the Tamar Valley. One very lucky lease holder I'd say.
[Enlarge for best view.]
Taken from the West side of the valley. All the mountains around shrouded in cloud. Such a joy to be up so high with views of the valley, with the alpine flora adding colour to the landscape
Berg-Hauswurz in German, also called 'liveforever' in English because this succulent can survive in the hardest conditions, as here at 2650m on the Schneehuënderstock in the Swiss Alps.
I came across this Sempervivum montanum on our descent. These plants grow on rock and can stand a drought well. The German name is Berg-Hauswurz. I will generally use the German name of plants I photographed for the simple reason that I bought several German books about Alpine flora, because they are more detailed.
It could also be Sempervivum arachnoideum, which refers to the web-like hairs on its leaves. A bit hard to see here.
Diemtigtal, Bernese Oberland, Switzerland
Flowers are grateful motifs. Here is my small collection: flic.kr/s/aHsjeQiori
This is one of the last shots I took on the second afternoon visiting Ben Lomond/turapina with my camera. It shows a prominent feature known as "Old Bill's Monument". I have no idea where this came from, it may well have been an old trapper who lived in the area not long after the indigenous inhabitants had been removed to Flinders Island.
We do know that John Batman (the founder of the city of Melbourne) climbed Ben Lomond from this point with artist John Glover in 1833. Glover had just established his farm "Patterdale" not far from here, and he is reputed to have made numerous sketches.
But this photograph of mine is about something and some people much older than these colonial times. Those of you familiar with central Australian landscapes would not think this view out of place there at all. In fact it reminds me of some of the wonderful watercolours by Albert Namatjira.
I won't tell you Namatjira's tragic tale here (I'll save that for my last shots in this series), but it will break your heart. But here I want this photograph to speak for Namatjira and his ancestors - the ancestors of the intrepid people who, some 40,000 years ago, made their way across the landbridge from the mainland to settle on what became the island of Tasmania.
To these indigenous people turapina was sacred (as were most mountains in the world for most people) and the air was thick with a sense of the numinous. When you stand here and watch the sun's rays change the colours of the rocks as it sets in the valley below, you do have a very palpable sense that we stand in the midst of "a great cloud of witnesses" (Hebrews 12:1).
Une espèce emblématique de la flore alpine : l'edelweiss
An iconic representative of alpine flora : the edelweiss
Diemigtal, Bernese Oberland, Switzerland
(EN: heath spotted-orchid, DE: geflecktes Knabenkraut)
The dactylorhiza maculata is widespread in mountainous regions across much of Europe.
Flowers are grateful motifs. Here is my small collection: flic.kr/s/aHsjeQiori
This is an ancient landscape. Granite can be found over the mountain plateau, but by far the most predominant rock formation is dolerite from the Jurassic era (180 million years ago).
Tasmania has the largest exposure of dolerite in the world and it forms the characteristic features seen on many of its mountains ("The Organ Pipes" on Mount Wellington in Hobart for instance, and yesterday I showed you "Old Bill's Monument" here on Ben Lomond). These rocks are in fact the magma from huge volcanic activity that spread across the "island". en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geology_of_Tasmania
Ben Lomond/turapina was also the only mountain in Tasmania to be crusted with a glacier, but more of that in coming days. But all of these extreme events led to the development of highly adaptable alpine plants, which are showing beautiful shades of green. orange, red and yellow. The colours actually remind me of some Persian carpets. In spring, when the wildflowers bloom, this is truly a magical place.
"Ben Lomond National Park protects a representative cross-section of Tasmania's north-east alpine plant communities. Although much of the plateau is stony with areas of low and often stunted forms of vegetation, the remainder of the mountain contains a wide variety of habitats ranging from alpine moorland to dense forest. A total of 222 plant species have been recorded on the Ben Lomond plateau, represented by 152 dicotyledons, 62 monocotyledons, 1 gymnosperm and 7 fern and fern ally families. The five most common families (Asteraceae, Poaceae, Epacridaceae, Cyperaceae and Proteaceae) account for about half the total number of species recorded. Most families, however, are only represented by one or two species. Some introduced plants have naturalised on the plateau from introduced grasses, clovers and straw used to stabilise soil and revegetate areas affected by slope grooming, road works and other site disturbances. The most common native species recorded on the plateau are the herbs Poa gunnii (tussock grass) and Gentianella diemensis, the shrubs, Richea scoparia, Orites acicularis and Pentachondra pumila, Baeckea gunniana and Epacris serpyllifolia. Cushion plants are abundant throughout the plateau. One species, the rock cushion plant Chionohebe ciliolata, is known only from a small localised area within the Park. Other rare and threatened species include the rare endemic Oreomyrrhis sessiliflora, and the endangered Colobanthus curtisiae." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Lomond_(Tasmania)
In these final two photographs posted today, we are looking at the remnants of a dry glacial river bed on Ben Lomond/turapina. This glacier was probably in the final stages of melting at the end of the last Ice Age 14,000 years ago.
Here we can see where the glacier carved out what is now a dry river bed. That gap between the clouds and the rocks is where the walker emerges onto the central plateau of Ben Lomond coming from Carr Villa.
But I'm sure you can imagine it was once like a slow glacial waterfall hanging over the edge of the mountain. In the final days of this series I will return to Carr Villa and show the way these rocks were carved by the glacier as it "fell" over the side of the north face.
[As with all my shots it is best viewed enlarged where you can move around within the landscape.]
Diemigtal, Bernese Oberland, Switzerland
Flowers are grateful motifs. Here is my small collection: flic.kr/s/aHsjeQiori
The sun was shining brightly, but the air was crisp and cold. Our sun might be a small star by the standards of the Milky Way galaxy and the Universe as a whole, but it is OUR star. All life on earth depends upon it.
In 5 billion years it will be in its death throes as the hydrogen runs out. It will expand to completely engulf the earth. Of course any living thing will long be gone from this planet by then. Will we be remembered?
When we think our planet is enduring harsh conditions and fears of climate change abound, just remember this: It has been much worse in the past and it will be in the future too. We are currently living in a sweetspot. Even our planet is located in what scientists call "The Goldilocks Zone". Just right for life.
And yet some people seem to suggest this is just a pure accident of cosmic randomness that literally came out of nothing. And WE are accused of magical thinking!
Enlarge this photograph and take a close look at this natural garden. Remind you of Eden? I love Japanese gardens because they have the appearance of being totally natural and yet they are 100 percent cultivated.
But this alpine flora is totally adapted to the changeable conditions. The colours are gorgeous and earthy. They reflect the Tasmanian palette that artist Max Angus promoted in his long art career as a painter of the Tasmanian wilderness. Max was influenced by his photographer friend Olegas Truchanas, and they in turn shaped the way Peter Dombrovskis saw the Tasmanian wilderness - with pure unadulterated joy.
One final point. At the moment I have the arduous job of weeding my own garden. But look closely here. Do you see any weeds? Any plants out of place? No need for weeding in a pure natural environment. There's a real lesson here for all of us!
On the way to Lai da Tuma we walked through meadows and slopes full of wildflowers, such as the "Türkenbund" lily in this photo. The German name "Türkenbund" and the English 'Turk's cap lily' both refer to the open flower's likeness to headwear worn during the Ottoman empire.
Turk's cap lily can become up to 120 cm in height - I think this one must have been close to it.
I described a pure natural garden yesterday, and here's another example. Not a plant out of place up in the mountains.
Another view of the Strickland Gorge on the eastern edge of the Ben Lomond plateau. The mist is all around.
I've shown you Citadel Rock, like a fortress guarding the top of Jacob's Ladder in the final push to the summit of Ben Lomond. Well not far away this pile of huge rock shards in the mist looks for all the world like a natural embattlement. In the world of fantasy literature, such natural structures make the mind run wild with theories of ancient wars.
If you're like me you find something moving about those ancient monuments we call "Standing Stones" They're everywhere in the British Isles, and of course the best known of all is Stonehenge. I was fortunate when I visited Stonehenge in 1982 still to be able to walk among the stones. Now this is no longer the case.
One of the last books the psychologist M. Scott Peck (best known for "The Road Less Travelled") wrote before he died was "In Search of Stones". www.nytimes.com/1995/04/30/books/sermons-in-stones.html Peck went on a pilgrimage back to his roots in Britain and felt a kinship with the Neolithic people who built these incredible monuments. I can understand that, because that is precisely where my roots lie too.
So you can imagine my delight when I came upon this natural rock formation. Nature too stands in testament to the wonder and mystery of our creation.
These were the only Gentiana clusii I saw on my trip to Switzerland. They each have one very large flower, large in comparison to its extremely short stem. They are a lovely blue.
The alpine terrain surrounding the volcanoes of the central plateau is home to some beautiful and sturdy plants able to survive the harsh climate and volcanic soil.
See www.josbuurmans.nz/Blog/Visual-Stories/September-2020-Tam... for the full story.
Rhododendron ferrugineum (alpenrose, rusty-leaved alpenrose) is an evergreen shrub that grows just above the tree line in the Alps, Pyrenees, Jura and northern Apennines, on acid soils.
Thank you for your visits / comments / faves!
Amazing, what floral beauty one can find on such a barren place as the Fuorcla Pischa in Graubünden, Switzerland on more than 2800 meters above sea level!
The Strickland Gorge runs deep and marks the eastern boundary of the Ben Lomond Plateau. This is wild country.
When I arrived on the mountain the sky was completely clear and that intense blue you experience when over 5,000 feet dominated. It was cold, as can be seen from the ice still present in the shadows. But there was no snow, despite this being the peak of the winter season.
After big snow falls last week, this would be a very different picture today. In fact I'm sure most of those ski huts are full of people making full use of the limited season in Tasmania. Several years ago the only hotel on the mountain was destroyed in an overnight fire. As one can imagine, there was no ready access for fire services.
I didn't have a macro lens with me on my walk, but this scene still reminds me of an aerial view common in central Australia. One could easily mistake the stones for rocky mountains and the tiny alpine plants for the colours of the outback. It is a wonderful natural carpet. I hope you can almost feel the texture.
We embarked on the trail descending from the Wiesbadener Hütte (2,443 m), a mountain hut nestled in the Silvretta Alps, to the Silvretta-Stausee (2,030 m), a reservoir, in Vorarlberg, Austria, on a misty and rainy August day. Typically, this trail is renowned for offering breathtaking vistas of the Alpine landscape, providing ample opportunities to capture awe-inspiring panoramas. However, on that particular day, the weather didn't seem to cooperate, shrouding the prospect of such picturesque views in uncertainty. Consequently, I had to invest extra effort in seeking out alternative compositions to document our hike. Here, I present a photograph taken upon our arrival at the Silvretta-Stausee. I opted for an almost abstract composition, focusing on lines, forms, and shapes, as the opposite side of the reservoir was barely visible. — Ischl, Tirol, Austria
A double Explore again, but the day after..
Nufenen Pass (Italian: Passo della Novena, German: Nufenenpass) (el. 2478 m.) is the second highest mountain pass with a paved road within Switzerland - after Umbrailpass. It lies between the summits of Pizzo Gallina (north) and the Nufenestock (south).
The pass road from Ulrichen in canton of Valais leads to the Bedretto valley in the canton of Ticino, linking Brig to Airolo. It is not the lowest pass between the two valleys, as it is located one kilometre north of a slightly lower unnamed pass at 2,440 metres, which is traversed by a trail.
The pass is of relatively recent construction, having been opened to traffic only since September 1969.
To the east of the top of the pass is the source of the Ticino River. Towards the north is a spectacular view of the Bernese Alps, notably the Finsteraarhorn and Lauteraarhorn while there is a view over the Gries Glacier to the south.
source: wikipedia
Now we come to two very telling photographs of the ancient geological history of this place. During the Pleistocene Ice Age, a small ice-cap existed on Ben Lomond, which was the only plateau in the north-east to be glaciated. The Pleistocene Epoch is typically defined as the time period that began about 2.6 million years ago and lasted until just over 11,000 years ago.
The most recent Ice Age in Tasmania ended about 14,000 years ago and the glacier crust on this mountain melted away (and contributed to the sea level rise that filled what we now call Bass Strait).
As I've mentioned before this mountain was formed at least 180 million years ago through dramatic volcanic activity. Australia is a very ancient continent, far older than most of Europe or North America. Most of its mountains have worn down through millions of years of erosion and glaciation. The highest mountainous regions of the world are actually the most recent.
So here we look out on what amounts to a dry glacial riverbed. You can imagine the glacier once moved very slowly carving out a path which we can still see.
Step by step spring is arriving in North Tyrol. One of its forerunners is the spring heath (erica carnea), which is wide spread over the northern limestone alps.
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Der Frühling hält ganz allmählich auch in Nordtirol Einzug. Zu seinen Vorboten zählt in den nördlichen Kalkalpen die Schneeheide (Erica carnea).
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We embarked on the trail descending from the Wiesbadener Hütte (2,443 m), a mountain hut nestled in the Silvretta Alps, to the Silvretta-Stausee (2,030 m), a reservoir, in Vorarlberg, Austria, on a misty and rainy August day. Normally, this trail is renowned for providing breathtaking vistas of the Alpine landscape, offering ample opportunities for capturing awe-inspiring panoramas. However, on that particular day, the weather didn't seem to cooperate, casting a shroud of uncertainty over the prospect of such picturesque views. As a result, I had to put in extra effort to seek out alternative compositions to document our hike. The photograph I've titled 'Meeting of Two Solitary Spirits' encapsulates the essence of that unforgettable excursion – Ischl, Tirol, Austria