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Svalbard part 12 |
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4 Juli 2003: Today we had a real excursion day. We stopped a couple of times along the way to our destination in Bjorndalen. The first stop was to look at the magnificent flowering Polemonium boreale. This was in the middle of Longyearbyen! Polemonium boreale is a rarity on Svalbard and is only found in a couple locations in the Isfjorden area. (Isfjorden is the big fjord that Longyearbyen is a part of). It was for sure one of the most beautiful flowers I have seen on Svalbard. They grow in wonderful large groups together so there are entirely blue zones to be seen. 
"Polemonium borealeAfter this short stop we continued on our way to the airport for another short trip. Here we found Silene furcata. Again a magnificent plant. Silene furcata is a species that grows on dry places in the mountains and the arctic.  Silene furcata The next stop was Bjorndalen. There we found rich vegetation on the cliffs. The vegetation is so lush here because of the nutrients from all the bird guano(little auks over here). The last part of our day trip took us to Plateau Fjellet. This is a big flat area on the top of the mountain near Longyearbyen. In the picture you get an idea of the flat and rocky landscape. |
 The view on Plateau fjellet On the rocks we found a large number of different lichen species. On one stone we were able to find more than 20 different species. We also made a very nice discovery. Someone found the lichen Pilophorus robustus (see the picture). It was only the fifth finding of this species in the whole Svalbard. And the first finding for this location. The professor took the lichen home to give it a nice place in the museum of Tromso.  Pilophorus robustus (rarity!) 5 Juli 2003: Today we journeyed to Endalen. Again we learned a lot of different plant species. In this picture you see one of several remains of mining structures around Longyearbyen. On the way back we saw a Shell Duck on the other side of the dog camp. This is an extreme rarity on Svalbard! Back in Holland we see them quite often, but here on Svalbard, it was a very nice surprise!  Endalen |
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