Troldeslugten, "The Troll's Ravine", Hald, Viborg district.

Niels Bugges Kro

The trip to Troldeslugten starts at the parking place by Niels Bugges Inn.  The first part behind the inn is the pond where you might see birds like the grey wagtail, the white-throated dipper and the kingfisher, but they don't show their present right now, so we'll continue on the path along the ravine with the crooked trees. Troldeslugten ("the Troll Ravine") is like the whole area - which surrounds the big lake at Hald - created by the ice and the glacial rivers during the laste Ice Age. Most trees here are up till 300 years old beech trees. The place looks like some kind of Nordic jungle, but it is a natural forest and as such an "untouched forest" = the forest takes care of itslef. In the bottom of the ravine are several springs, which feeds the pond at Niels Bugges Inn.


The path is steep in some places, and the trees are very crooked, leaning across our heads.  It must be a spooky place at night, but here in the sunlight with the light green leaves of May it looks very friendly.
   

On the bank was a violet with the Danish name Krat-viol. English name = Common Dog violet also called Wood violet, a perennial herb of woodland, grassland and hedge banks.Viola riviniana was voted the County flower of Lincolnshire in 2002. It is the food plant of several Fritillary butterflies.

A very big fungus, one of those which are as hard as stone. I think it is called a fomes fomentarius when I compare with other photos. Known as the tinder fungus, hook fungus etc. tghe species sypically live on trees long after they have died, they change from a parstie to a decomposer. Nature is really amazing!
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F. fomentarius was used as the main ingredient of amadou, a material used primarily as tinder, but also used to make clothing and other items. The 5,000-year-old Ötzi the Iceman carried four pieces of F. fomentarius, concluded to be for use as tinder. It also has medicinal and other uses. The species is both a pest and useful in timber production.

 And here is a fine little Aurora butterfly. The English name is Orange tip. and it is dressed in white with a pretty orange colour.  The Aurora is usually very restless at this time of the year, but this one was sitting quietly in the grass, maybe taking a little warmth from the sparse sunshine.  The weather is cold and there aren't many butterflies out in these days. Some Large White butterflies were bathing in the sunbeams  in the shelter of dried beech leaves from last year.   

photo Hald, Troldeslugten May 2012: grethe bachmann