Bl**dy hell!! What sort of weather is it??

[Conifers]

So NW Scotland we get very soon a transition from a cool wet Atlantic climate to a cold dry steppeforest climate with a forest of mainly Pinus sylvestris and a few very hardy deciduous trees like some arctic willows, Sorbus and Betula. And open steppelike vegetation between those trees.

Errr . . . that's exactly the native vegetation already found there

I wonder what one is to read into that??

[eddie]

http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/tundra.htm

This tundra thingy is found on our latitude......

[dk]

So NW Scotland we get very soon a transition from a cool wet Atlantic climate to a cold dry steppeforest climate with a forest of mainly Pinus sylvestris and a few very hardy deciduous trees like some arctic willows, Sorbus and Betula. And open steppelike vegetation between those trees.

Alexander

What have you against pinus sylvestris?

It is one of the most beautiful trees IMO, and in the right location very reminiscent of some exotic locations in the med, Greece in particular. Equally good looking as an evergreen street tree...

Pictures taken at ~230m asl a few days ago in the glorious sunshine we've been having. Rather cold though, days only reaching 6 degrees and night down to minus 3. But its improving day by day!

[cordyman]

So NW Scotland we get very soon a transition from a cool wet Atlantic climate to a cold dry steppeforest climate with a forest of mainly Pinus sylvestris and a few very hardy deciduous trees like some arctic willows, Sorbus and Betula. And open steppelike vegetation between those trees.

Alexander

What have you against pinus sylvestris?

It is one of the most beautiful trees IMO, and in the right location very reminiscent of some exotic locations in the med, Greece in particular. Equally good looking as an evergreen street tree...

Pictures taken at ~230m asl a few days ago in the glorious sunshine we've been having. Rather cold though, days only reaching 6 degrees and night down to minus 3. But its improving day by day!

Pinus sylvestris 1.jpg

Pinus sylvestris 2.jpg

DK that is one stunning location! the mountains and landscape any more pics?

[Conifers]

Ditto from me, fabulous!

Gives some insight into why I like conifers

[dk]

Thanks cordy and conifers! I've got a lot more in my Flickr-gallery

[Exotic Life]

This is why I want to visit Scandinavie once, what a beautifull part of the world!

[Alexander]

This is why I want to visit Scandinavie once, what a beautifull part of the world!

But you should go arround 20 of June, midsummer. And certainly not during winter, uneless you like cold and snow!

Alexander

[Alexander]

So NW Scotland we get very soon a transition from a cool wet Atlantic climate to a cold dry steppeforest climate with a forest of mainly Pinus sylvestris and a few very hardy deciduous trees like some arctic willows, Sorbus and Betula. And open steppelike vegetation between those trees.

Alexander

What have you against pinus sylvestris?

It is one of the most beautiful trees IMO, and in the right location very reminiscent of some exotic locations in the med, Greece in particular. Equally good looking as an evergreen street tree...

Pictures taken at ~230m asl a few days ago in the glorious sunshine we've been having. Rather cold though, days only reaching 6 degrees and night down to minus 3. But its improving day by day!

Pinus sylvestris 1.jpg

Pinus sylvestris 2.jpg

Well Pinus sylvestris we get also plenty downhere. But only Pinus gets a bit boring. Well it looks beautifull on those pictures. Typical a boreal forest vegetation. In Scandinavia thats mainly Pinus sylvestris with so Picea abies.But I rather live in a climate where you can grow Pinus sumatrana. Well Pinus canariensis is also a sign of a good climate.

And I prefer a more diverse flora to be honest.

Alexander

[Alexander]

Well taklking about pinetrees and pineforest. La Coto Doñana is very nice with lots of Pinus pinea. And many springflowers this

A much nicer tree then P. sylvestris to be honest. Planted a lot for mining wood in the past. Those boring pine plantations.

And P. pinea is hardy here in the Low Countries, well in my area at least.

Alexander

[Alexander]

So NW Scotland we get very soon a transition from a cool wet Atlantic climate to a cold dry steppeforest climate with a forest of mainly Pinus sylvestris and a few very hardy deciduous trees like some arctic willows, Sorbus and Betula. And open steppelike vegetation between those trees.

Errr . . . that's exactly the native vegetation already found there

I wonder what one is to read into that??

But that vegetation will spread south and in Scotland down to sealevel.

[dk]

Well Pinus sylvestris we get also plenty downhere. But only Pinus gets a bit boring. Well it looks beautifull on those pictures. Typical a boreal forest vegetation. In Scandinavia thats mainly Pinus sylvestris with so Picea abies.But I rather live in a climate where you can grow Pinus sumatrana. Well Pinus canariensis is also a sign of a good climate.

And I prefer a more diverse flora to be honest.

Alexander

Yes the flora is not particular diverse here but that has to do with much colder climate to the east. Plants have to make its way over here mainly over land so there are lots of barriers to cross after an ice age.

But we have lots of holly growing in among these woods, and beech, hazel, juniper, oak and the odd spruce "plantation". I much rather have these beautiful pine forest than more of those aweful betulas that have sprung up everywhere since farmers stopped taking care of their land. Horrible trees when it takes over entire fields. I cherish every tree that is evergreen, makes it much more tolerable living this far north!

Btw, spruce is not a native to these regions, they were planted here for timber in the last century...

This is why I want to visit Scandinavie once, what a beautifull part of the world!

You're more than welcome. If you can cope with cooler temperatures the best time to visit weather wise is in late spring from mid April through May. The summer weather is like a lottery, you have to expect wet rainy weather but you will see sunshine every other day with a few sunny days inbetween. Spring is much more sunnier and drier. Whatever you do, don't go in autumn. It can rain for a month nonstop

[Conifers]

So NW Scotland we get very soon a transition from a cool wet Atlantic climate to a cold dry steppeforest climate with a forest of mainly Pinus sylvestris and a few very hardy deciduous trees like some arctic willows, Sorbus and Betula. And open steppelike vegetation between those trees.

Errr . . . that's exactly the native vegetation already found there

I wonder what one is to read into that??

But that vegetation will spread south and in Scotland down to sealevel.

Native Scots Pine already grows at sea level on the west coast of Scotland! I have stood on tidal rocks at Shieldaig to collect cones off branches that are only a metre above sea level at high tide

Go to here on google street view: 57.514716° -5.645970°

Also Betula pendula and Sorbus aucuparia there.

[Exotic Life]

This is why I want to visit Scandinavie once, what a beautifull part of the world!

But you should go arround 20 of June, midsummer. And certainly not during winter, uneless you like cold and snow!

Alexander

Of course I like snow and cold, otherwise I asked my mom never let me born in Holland anyway. Getting depressed every day now when I woke up and there is no snow, and with all the heat we having now. It's even a bigger shame that all those plants wake up now, it's soooo early! Wearing shorts since January or so, am I so different to you all then?

[Exotic Life]

This is why I want to visit Scandinavie once, what a beautifull part of the world!

You're more than welcome. If you can cope with cooler temperatures the best time to visit weather wise is in late spring from mid April through May. The summer weather is like a lottery, you have to expect wet rainy weather but you will see sunshine every other day with a few sunny days inbetween. Spring is much more sunnier and drier. Whatever you do, don't go in autumn. It can rain for a month nonstop

Thanks, then it looks like late spring will be the period. In matter fact, at the moment we experience a quite scandinavian start of spring I guess. It's very dry, quite sunny from time to time and relative cool/frosty at night.