Photos Arne Ader
Translation Liis

Meadowsweet

Meadowsweet     Harilik angervaks       Filipendula ulmaria

Sometimes we come across ”meadowsweet forests” growing in the moist soil at the banks of rivers, brooks and lakes. They may be the height of a ”small man”, one and a half metres, and can be a thicket that is quite difficult to get across.

The overwhelming density of plants occurs in suitably moist soils, and the several propagation modes of meadowsweet (a mighty rhizome, numerous seeds) fend off other plants from the area. In sites with less moisture it will not be quite as powerful.

An international photography contest, dedicated to historical sacred natural sites, is commencing. The goal of the contest is to commemorate the cultural and natural heritages of sacred natural sites, to record their current state, as well as to encourage people to visit and care for the sacred sites.

The theme of the contest is historical, natural (not built) sacred sites: sacred groves and hills, water bodies, trees, stones and other natural objects where our ancestors used to pray, heal, sacrifice, commune and perform other rituals.

Photo Arne Ader

Translation Liis

Caraway

Caraway    Harilik köömen         Carum carvi

The biennial caraway plants flower modestly everywhere with small elegant inflorescences in umbels.

In Estonia they are quite common but keep close to humans and grow in biotopes influenced by humans – near settlements or farms, in meadows, the verges of roads … 

The stem of the plant is shorter and thinner than that of other umbellates, growing only some tens of centimetres high in poor growing conditions and less than a metre in favourable ones – so it is difficult in autumn to find the places where caraway grows for collecting caraway seeds.

Image from webcam captured by  Birdfriend, LK forum
Translation Liis

Male feeding the storklets

Black stork     Must-toonekurg        Ciconia nigra

The interruption in transmission lasted for a couple of days; from Wednesday the system works again and transmits data to us.