The nature of Šmohor hills: The chosen sights: Episode II – The Suha valley

Hello,

Between Kranj and Škofja Loka there is a very interesting area of rolling terrain where Šmohor hills start in the east from the edge of Sora fields. The longest settlement there is Bitnje consisting of Zgornje, Srednje and Spodnje Bitnje (meaning upper, middle and lower Bitnje). Western from Bitnje the real hills do not begin imidiatelly but there is a small ridge at the beginning where terrain does not yet rise above 500 meters of altitude. This ridge mostly rises only up to 100 meters above the basin. It is mostly covered with forest. There is mostly mixed pine forest with many broadleaf trees among pines. The main peak is Brezgalica or Žibar. The ridge is covered with Triassic clay and sandstone. Between this small ridge and the rest of the hills a small beautiful and interesting valley lies. Through the valley stream Suha with one major affluent flows. They divide the valley into two parts. Between them reaches another small ridge from Čepulje that slowly drops from the village down to the valley. A path leads from Bitnje to Čepulje across that ridge. It is known by red soil containing high quantities of iron. That ridge consists from Paleozoic sandstone. The Suha valley is one of three main valleys in the hills. The larger and main is Bukovščica valley. The other main valley besides Suha is the valley of Besnica stream with one main affluent. The affluent there joins not earlier than at the foorhills so there are rather two valleys. Those valleys are the parts of the hills where there are river deposits on the surface. There is mostly alluvium on the bottom of the valleys.

The Suha valley is like other valleys a warmer part of the hills. Average annual temperature in Suha valley is around 9°C, average January around -2°C and average July temperature around 19°C. There is annually around 1500 to 1600 mm of precipitation. There are a bit less than 2000 hour of sunshine due to common morning fog, especially in the autumn and winter. It is less common there than on Sora fields and it often falls apart sooner. So there are more hours of sunshine than on Sora fields but less than higher up on the hills. Snow cover remains in average for 70 days. If snow often mixes with rain at the bottom of the basin, there is often much less snow in the valleys then higher up in the hills. On the other hand if there is enough snow in the valleys as well, it may remain there for long.

On the hilly terrain around Suha valley there is a united forest with not much clearings. Cutting down individual trees is more common there. In the valley there are many meadows around streams. The meadows are partly wet due to impermeable rocks and surface on the bottom of the valley. That creates wet surface when there is no drought. The meadows in the valley are harvested sooner than on the hills. They are often harvested first in late May or the beginning of June. There are also some smaller fields at the end of the valley. The forest in the valley is mixed. There are not just beeches in the forest, but many oaks and hornbeams as well. By streams and wet meadows there are also parts of wet forest where willows and alders dominate. There were many spruces introduced as well in the past, some firs may also appear. However firs are more common on the top of the hills. Pine trees do mostly not grow on the bottom of the valley but start growing right at the start of the foothills. All this variety of vegetations means there are many various habitats on a pretty small area. Many habitats feel like small versions of those on vast plains. The life in the valley is also very rich and various. The valley and the hills around or better to say the eastern edge of Šmohor hills belongs among Natura 2000 areas.

Now let us head into this valley and have a look what it may offer to us. We will start at the point, where the path from Čepulje arrives to the valley. We arrive to the affluent valley and continue to the united lower valley. First we will visit the last meadow of the affluent valley. We are at the end of April.

From the Čepulje we arrive to the foothills of the valley in sunny pine forest (the first photo). This forest reaches right to the edge of the foothills. The main trail through the forest is a forest track used by foresters. Among pines there are many broadleaf trees, beeches as well. When we arrive to the valley, we reach the last meadow (on the second photo) if we turn right and follow our way through the forest by the stream. This meadow is wet like most of the valley by the stream. The upper part of the meadow by the foothills is a bit drier. There are many spruces around the meadow and they dominate the beeches there.  Towards the Čepulje ridge pine forest dominates at the foothills. If winter was snowy or the beginning of spring wet (sometimes both), much water may gather on the meadows on the impermeable surface, so the surface is very wet then. There some plants which prefer wet meadows grow. At the pine forest edge where there is drier other plants that prefer drier surface may grow even though there is still enough moisture.  

Violets (Viola) found their home on that meadow as well. There snow may remain for long so they still flower at the end of April after snowy winter. Because summer started instantly at the end of April those violets are already pale. Because of sudden start of summer they may stop blooming sooner than usually even though there winter was snowy. They often still flower in May except on very sunny spots. However, only some species of violets flower mostly in early spring and stop blooming at its end. Some others bloom from May to July.

Among the most common plants on the meadows are crucifers. Among them bittercresses (Cardamine) are common. There are many species of them. They grow in numbers on this wet meadow in spring as well.  Some species prefer wet surface (meadows, swamps and river banks). Among them is cuckoo flower (Cardamine pratensis). This flower often covers vast areas in numbers and is much spread. They may have white, pale pink or pale violet flowers. On those plants froghoppers often leave foam on them.

After the visit of first meadow we continue through forest where we came back to the forest track from Čepulje. We follow a pretty shay forest where spruces dominate mixed with some beeches and also some alders on wet ground. Dark contrasts express really beautifully in the forest and only little sunlight reaches the forest floor. The undergrowth is also very scarce beneath spruces. Spruces do not dominate everywhere. By the stream there are more broadleaf trees, among them oaks and hornbeams as well.

Young ferns started to grow on the forest floor in dense vegetation. This are wet forest floor, thus the vegetation is very dense do to a lot of grass. The photos are most beautiful when we stress the dark contrasts in the shade with almost none sunrays. Ferns are still unrolling young fronds.

We spot another member of the crucifers on the way. This is the relative of cuckoo flower belonging to the same genus (Cardamine). Some bittercresses grow in the forest. The most known in Slovenia is coralroot (Cardamine bulbifera) known by its vegetative reproduction. We can often spot five-leaflet bittercress (Cardamine pentaphyllos) as well. Those plants have pale pink flower, like the one on the photos.

In the forests especially in broadleaf forests periwinkles (Vinca) often overgrow the forest floor. There are two main species in Slovenia: lesser periwinkle (Vinca minor) and greater periwinkle (Vinca major). They are most known by flowers similar to ship propeller. It is a perennial plant. It was introduced into Europe from Anatolia. They grew it in gardens during middle ages and it escaped into the wild from there. It reproduces vegetative forming large clonal colonies while spreading along the ground and rooting along the steams so it spreads very quickly. It is poisonous, the alkaloids cause cardiac disturbance.

Later let us continue along the stream. The stream becomes wider when the valley flattens. It is still very shallow though. Forest down the stream becomes lighter letting more sunlight through and there are much more sunny spot now. There is less spruces and more broadleaf trees. Beeches, oaks and hornbeams are common now and many alder by the stream.

We soon arrive in wet forest among the alders. Willows start to appear as well. Since those trees burst in leaf later than beeches there is still plenty of sunlight at the end of April. The greenery contrasts are a bit lighter, but peaceful. The undergrowth is now covered with dense grass with ferns and horsetails among. Some other plants of wet forests grow there as well.

Among most known wet forest plants is definitely marsh marigold (Caltha palustris). That is a distinctive plant with glittering kidney-shaped leaves and yellow flowers. It may grow in numbers somewhere on wet floor. It is poisonous and may cause stomach ache and cramps.

On wet floor we can also spot white hellebore (Veratrum album). This plant does not bloom yet at the end of April. It blooms from June to September. It is a pretty tall plant growing from half to two meters tall. It blooms only after several years, till that time only leaves grow. It is very poisonous it contains many alkaloids which may also cause disturbance of axon terminals in mucous membranes.

As we continue down the valley we arrive to the mosaic of many meadows. They are still party wet by streams. We are now close to the confluence of both streams. The yellow addition to the meadows is made by buttercups. At the foothills by some meadows pines still dominate in the forest (the first photo). At the edge of the forest alders may grow. By streams there are already many willows (on the second photo in the middle by the spruce).

As we continue across those meadows we can again spot a small alder forest. It is still in the lively spring color since leaves have just burst. That is a new section of wet forest in the valley. By the stream there is again many cuckoo flowers (the whiteness on the first photo) and also some greenery of grasses and sedges (the second photo).  

Now let us dive into that light green spring wet forest from forest floor to the canopies. This forest also has very dense undergrowth and the canopies with young leaves still let much of sunlight through. In the canopies lively spring greenery mixes with the light blue color of the spring sky.

We should not forget to look into the greenery in the shade of Suha stream. After the streams in the valley join into one the terrain flattens even more and the flat bottom of the valley grows wider. The stream also becomes even wider. On those spots some dragonflies will be chasing sunny spots to catch insects in the summer. There is still too early for that at the end of April.

For the end we arrive on the largest meadow of the valley. The meadows are separated by tree lines as the one behind on the photo. There is the affluent of Suha before it merges with it. In the middle of the meadow are the tracks of tractor. The farmers already checked the meadow or did some other work.

To the west the hill Krajčič rises from Suha, the far end of the eastern Planica ridge (the first photo). Its altitude is around 550 meters. The eastern Planica ridge is mostly covered by conifers but on Krajčič broadleaf trees dominate instead. In front of the hill are many cuckoo flowers whitening the meadow like a milky way on the night sky. For the end let us look across the meadow towards the south, where there is the edge of Sora fields behind the forest edge. On this part of the meadow there are rather many buttercups.

When we finish the trip through the Suha valley it feels like we explored tenths of kilometers. But actually only around a kilometer and a half is behind us proving how various and rich this valley is.

Till next time, Aljaž