The Quiet Picture

I was out looking for pale pasque flowers today, after a tip I received. The place was the Sånghussjön lake a few km south from Färila, I’ve never been there before but I’m glad I got there now. When I found the flowers though, it was all for naught - they were over.

The forest in this part of the lake is open pine forest, my favourite type of forest. These forests don’t have a lot of flowers to offer (lichens and mosses are plentiful though), but the few there are just stand out all the better (for example, I saw some tiny buds of green flowered wintergreens, and lesser butterfly orchid leaves, so I guess they will blooming in just a few weeks). The simplicity of an open pine forest appeals my eye, and it’s very easy to walk around thanks to the lack of vegetation. So I walked up and down the lake shore and then into the forest, hoping that I’d find some more of the pale pasque flowers, but I didn’t strike lucky. After a while though I didn’t care - it was a warm and sunny evening by a calm lake, with just the lonely call of a distant loon for company. And then when the wind picked up a little bit and I found my way to the beach, I could hear the waves gently rolling in the sand.

I didn’t find any photographs, but I did find something even better - peace for the soul.

The weather forecast can say otherwise, but for me this was a moment of summer.

Yup, that’s right. Someone has actually stolen an orchid - the rarest plant in Finland, at that.

Suomen harvinaisin kasvi varastettiin

The rare (and now stolen) orchid is a western marsh orchid (Dactylorhiza majalis). It is rare here in Sweden as well.

For the benefit of those who don’t understand Finnish, the article says that the theft was discovered by ornithologists visiting the home of this orchid, a remote island in Dragsfjärd. The site has a sign stating that this is the only flower of its kind in Finland and should not be disturbed. The theft has been reported to the police.

The thieves have thus erased this species from the vegetation map in Finland.

I’ve read about all sorts of things being stolen, but a rare orchid… I’m trying to wrap my brain around it. If you love orchids, then you should have respect for them. If you don’t love orchids, why steal one?

People are weird.