A walk in the forest

Why a walk in the forest? Quite simply it can be two things, it can be simple walk in the forest, and it can be an analogy for learning. So I will start with a walk that is both of those things.

Ptarmigan tracks in the snow

Since this is an imaginary walk it will span landscapes and seasons. Out first encounter is with a ptarmigan, most likely a rock ptarmigan. These birds are fairly shy, so all we saw this time was the tacks, where it had walked in the snow and then took of, leaving  marks from its wings in the snow.

These birds change their plumage with the seasons, from a white in winter to a more brownish coat in summer. Speaking of summer, I really love summerr sunsets, in particular over boreal lakes. I can sit for hours and watch them, watching the colors develop.
That is one of the — many — nice things about living in the northern forests, the ability to spend an hour watching a single sunset. Due to the high latitude we get longer sunsers and sunrises than one gets at lower latitudes: this picure was taken north of the 70th parellel.

Sunset over a northern lake

We not only get late sunsets  — in summer they can be as late as 11 PM  — but they can also take up to an hour.

Many people when out walking only look a the big thbgs, sunsets mountains and trees. Those are important, of course, but you should not miss out on the oppourtunity to get down on the ground and look at the small stuff. There are berries and  flowers, fungi and lichens, and they all have their own story to tell about the land you are walking over. They can also be quite beautiful. Here is a small lichen, small and unassuming, but when you get down you will see unexpected things.

We also get to a marchland, where the Scheuchzer's Cottongras grows. They are not only nice to look at, but they are also useful: if you can make a spark they which "cotton" will readilly catch it and burst into flame!

If you want to see more of these pictures you can go to my photo gallery