Railway Bridge comes to Life after 100 Years.

A very special project with the initiative from Horsens municipality has been carried through in 2014 near Vestbirk in East Jutland. 

A dam was built in 1929 in order to cover a railway-steel-bridge between  the town Vestbirk and Bryrup in connection to the necessary extension of the railway tracks. At that time it was decided to let the steel grid bridge be kept under the earth of the dam.  The bridge was a sleeping beauty for more than a hundred years, but now it is re-established. The project is economically supported by EU and by the Danish  ministeries of environment, food, agriculture and fishing.

The purpose of this  project is to create a free passage for fish in the river Gudenaa. In connection to the digging-work it has shown that the steel of the bridge is in a very good condition - and it is quite  unique that there is now a possibility to recreate the water flow conditions as they were in 1899.

The fish today - first of all the sea trout and the stalling -  have difficulties in passing the stretch at Vestbirk, but the problem is solved now by removing the dam and open the passage at the river Gudenaa . The water restoration is not only good for the fish - also for bats, insects, frogs etc.

The pretty red-painted railway bridge (a height of 15 meter)  is situated at the most beautiful railway stretch in Denmark and the place will probably be a great attraction to people in general - also in connection to the various nature paths in the area. The bridge can be used by pedestrians and bikers. It is about 50 meter long and can carry a weight of 50 tons.


Source  Horsens Kommune, Vibeke Juul

photo 2014: grethe bachmann 

Fish keeps the brain sharp ....

News about Health




New studies from USA have concluded that fish keeps the brain sharp. It is not news that fish keeps the brain sharp however, it is the way we prepare our fish, which makes the difference in relation to prevent dementia. If you eat baked or cooked fish at least once a week, you'll have a five times lesser risc of developing Alzheimer's demens - over a five year period. The test from USA has proved that persons who did eat baked or cooked fish at least once a week, had more grey mass in the regions of the brain, which are involved in memory and learning. The test persons who had fried fish, had in return seemingly no protection against the feared disease.






source: Nyt om sundhed; Søndags Sundhedspanel, Kvindemagasinet Søndag, 2012.

photo 11 March 2007: angler at Djursland's coast, grethe bachmann

Dark Mullein/Mørk Kongelys
 Verbascum nigrum

Vokslev Kalkgrav, Dark Mullein

Vokslev Kalkgrav, Dark Mullein

Dark Mullein is a wild perennial with a strong upright growth. It forms first a leaf rosette, and from there sprouts up the tall stem with many yellow flowers. The species is drought tolerant and often used in drought plant beds. The stem is square in cross section , pale reddish and almost hairless. The ground-leaves and the bottom stem-leaves are egg-shaped, the other stem-leaves are elliptic. All leaves have a sinuous toothy edge, dark green and almost shiny upper side, but light grey-green and hairy underside. The flowering is in July -August where the flowers are gathered in the upper part of the single stem. The single flowers have yellow petals and violet stamens.The fruits are capsules with many seeds.    

Djursland, Dark Mullein

The root system is a strong deep taproot with many side roots. The seed dispersal is very effective.

Dark Mullein has a natural spread in Sibiria and most of Europe. It is common in most of Denmark, but rare in West Jutland. The species is connected to open or lightly shaded habitats in a soil, which is lightly  moisty or a little dry and rich in humus, calcium and nutrients. It is therefore often found in uncultivated land, banks and pastures.In the heat-characterized oak woods like in a National park west of Warsaw the species is found together with Vincetoxicum hirundinaria, Festuca, Anthericum ramosum, Lilium martagon, Digitalis grandiflora and Silver birch




Great Mullein/ Filtbladet Kongelys 
Verbascum thapsus
 

Jydelejet, Møn, Great Mullein.

Great Mullein is a biennial plant with an upright growth. The first year the plant forms only a leaf rosette and the second year a stiff and strong stem sprouts up with propelled leaves and flowers in the upper part of the stem. The leaves ( both the ground-leaves and the stem-leaves) are egg shaped -elliptic with down-running  stalks, which brings the stem a "winged" look. The edge of the leaves have round points, and both sides are very grey-feltet. The flowering is in July-August, where the yellow flowers are gathered in a plume, which covers the outer half of the sprout. The flowers are a little irregular with three white-haired short and two long, almost hairless stamens. The fruits are capsules with lots of tiny seeds.  

The root system is a strong and deep taproot with many strong side roots.

The Great Mullein is naturally spread in a large area between the Canary Islands and West China and from the Mediterranean and up to Scandinavia and Sibiria. It is naturalized in North America, where the colonists introduced it as a medical plant, and in Japan, Australia, New Zealand and South Amercia. It prefers light-open or quite naked land without competition from other plants, and it grows best in raw and gravelled soil. At Gudhem klosterruin in Sweden the Great Mullein is found together with fx Common Columbine, Common Soapwort,  Common Toadflax, Satureja acinos, Mugwort, Lady's Bedstraw, Viola odorata, Perforate St. John's Wort, Rough Comfrey and Greater Celandine.  
 
The word Verbascum is possibly from the Latin barba which means beard, referring to the hairy leaves. The Danish name Kongelys refers to that the plant was used as a torch or to the similarity to a big candle. Konge means rising high.



Folk Medicine
Unconscious people were brought to life by sniffing to the smoke from the burning leaves of Verbascum. An essence from the flowers were used to bathe the body. Flowers were used in some expectorant "cough-tea", which among other things contained a sugar, which made the tea well-tasting. According to Henrik Smid (1546) the juice is good for smearing into the face "because it chases away those wrinkles which are in the forehead of old maidens". Henrik Harpestrens (+1244)  recommends it to cleanse evil liquids and Simon Paulli (1648)  was of the opinion that it was an excellent means when "the back of the intestinal goes out". 

 Superstition
The de-flowered stem was used for torches in order to keep the devil at a distance. The seeds contain a substance, which works as an anesthetic on fish, and monks used the stem as a fishing rod. The fish came up with the belly up and was easy to gather with the bare hands. The plant was used in love-charms. A finely divided plant, which had grown in the churchyard, gave the best medicine.

Today's use
The yellow flowers contain a softening mucus for the skin, and flowers and leaves are used in a tea to cure a dry cough.Modern examination and research have proved tuberculosis-retardant properties in extracts from the plant. The flowers can brake exema and heal wounds. The oil from the seeds soothes frostbites and cracked skin. Decoct from the root works diuretic - and when it is used in homeophathy it helps migraine and earache. 

Other use:
The hairy leaves from the Great Mullein were put into shoes to avoid frostbites

Source:  Anemette Olesen, Danske klosterurter, Aschehoug 2001. 

photo: 2007, 2008, 2011: grethe bachmann.

Environment, Dead Fish and Horse Chestnut

Horse Chestnut

Horse chestnut and to the right Sweet chestnut


Soapwort

It has been a mystery for years in the town Kolding in East Jutland. The environment technicians of the municipality wondered, why dead fish were found each autumn in a brook near town, but a common citizen drew the attention to that the death of the fish always happens, when the chetnut-fruits fall down. This indicates that it is that simple as that: chestnut trees are the reason, why about 300 fish in Skanderup Brook died in the week-end.

Close to the brook is a chestnut-avenue - it is the horse chestnut, Aesculus hippocastanum, which is related to soapwort. They both contain saponin, which is poisonous to fish.

The sweet chestnut or marron, Castanea sativa is from another family ( fagaceae).

Probably it is caused by that the chestnuts are crushed by cars driving by, and a heavy shower means that the poisonous stuff from the crushed fruits is flushed down into the brook with the rain water, says the environment technician. After having examined the subject, he found out that North American Native tribes have used the saponin to catch fish.

But the trees will probably not be cut down. They still work on how to solve the problem next year in the environment section in Kolding.

North America:
Fish poisoned by saponin become stupefied and float to the surface where they can easily be collected. Indigenous tribes across the Americas used saponin poisons from many plants.
Survival Skills of the North American Indians.


photo horse chestnut & soapwort: grethe bachmann /photo sweet chestnut: vestrehus.dk)

Otter/Odder

Lutra lutra


The otter's slim body is about 1,2-1,5 m long including the tail. It belongs to the marten-family and has a good adaptibility in various climatic conditions. Undisturbed lakes and rivers are few in Denmark and the otter-population is rather small - today is the Otter-population ab. 1000 animals. It is almost impossible to see an otter in Denmark - it is out at night and is very shy. In Denmark the otter live especially in lakes and water streams in North- , Mid- and West-Jutland, but it has just been rediscovered at Zealand, a signal of an increasing population. In the beginning of the 1980s there were only about 100-200 otters in Denmark. Today we can enjoy the lively otter at Aqua Freshwater Center in Silkeborg.

The otter is adapted to water and moves elegantly in the water. Its fur is thick and dark brown with a lighter breast. It has a flat head and a strong neck and long whiskers. It has developed various traits which helps it in the water. 1) The nostrils close to keep water out. 2) The small ears close below water . 3) The whiskers register movements under water. 4) The otter has web among the toes which makes it a quick and steady swimmer.
The otter lives almost only of fish and swims several km at night when hunting. It hunts small fish and has no favorites, but takes prey easy to catch. During the hunt the otter localize the prey by help of its sight and the sensitive whiskers. A dive lasts average one minute but the otter can stay under water up to 6 minutes before it has to go up to breathe. Lesser prey is eaten in the water while the large prey is dragged upon land.



Old Norse name for Otter is otr; from sanskrit udra-h, indoeuropean udro-s = water animal. The Danish name Odder has been used as a personal byname since the 1300s - and is also used in several place names. Bones of Otter have been found in settlements from Denmarks early Stone Age. In 1479 is mentioned gloves made of otter skin. A man had in 1609 the king's permission to catch otters and in return yearly deliver five skins to the king. Several royal permissions were given in this way in the 1600s. The skin was in the 1600s and later on used for muffs. In 1864 it was called our most valuable furs. (in DK)

The otter was considered a terrible fish robber, it was mildly said not popular because it took fish in the fishpond and in the well boxes. People hunted the otter both for its skin and because it stole their fish. The contour hairs were used for hats, stockings and brushes. The night-hunting for otters were forbidden in 1922, and in 1967 the otter was totally listed.



Legend:
In an old Norse legend Oter caught a fish while he was in the figure of an otter; one day while he was sitting on the beach eating a salmon he was killed by Loke with a stone. The Ase-gods were happy for this catch and skinned the animal, but they were later caught by Oter's father and had as a penance and ransom to pay an otter-skin filled with gold and covered in gold.

Sayings:
People said that the eyes of an otter were like fire, which frightened the chickens at night, so they fell down and became its prey.
Eight days before Midnight's Eve or eight days after the otter stays on dry land when the sun shines warmly.
The otter has to arch its back three times before it can run.
Small children was kept away from the village pond because the otter was lurking for them in the water.

Addition: People must contact the game consultant at the local State Forest District, if they find a dead otter.

Protection: Habitatdirektive II+IV; Protected; Bonn Convention-list I; Natura 2000 etc.

Natura 2000 Status of Otter: Uncertain Status of Preservation.

Link:
AQUA Ferskvandscenter

Source:
Dyr og Vækster, Lademanns Naturfører
Naturguide Magasin
Natur og Miljø, Magasin
Skov og Ntatur
Folk og Fauna 3, 1985

photo from Aqua-Freshwater Center in Silkeborg, Jutland, March 2009: grethe bachmann