The spring is time when growing season starts and all organisms which
were not active during winter are awakening. The broadleaf trees burst into
leaf, the fruit trees blossom and after that burst into leaf, the grass grow
green again and the flowers star blooming. The most of awakening happens within
one month of time, when many various colors appear. In Slovenia lowlands and
hills it often starts depending of the season from start of to mid April and
ends from start of to mid May when greenness riches its full potential. The
awakening starts at similar time beneath 1000 meters above sea level with the
difference of a week or mostly two between lowlands and top of the hills. Higher up in the mountains there can still be
much snow in April and the winter is still ending, so above 1000 meters growing
season starts in May in mountain forests and In June above 2000 meters. Lower
down in April and May, the land completely changes in around a month of time.
From bleak appearance after the snow melting everything grows green, the grass grows and the meadows start blooming.
The setting is not the same every year or every season, but differs
among them and is very dynamic. Sometimes the awakening starts at the start of
April, other times after mid April. Consecutively the full greenness can be
reached already at the start of May or not before the end of May. Everything
around it depends on winter, when it ended and what sort of the start of spring
is. It is important whether the winter was dry or there was enough
precipitation. It also counts if the precipitation was mostly snow in the
lowlands or rather rain. The next very important factor is when the snow and
cold end and when the warm weather starts. When spring starts it is important
if there is enough sunny weather and precipitation at the same time or there is
rather dry weather or not enough sunshine. Even mostly cloudy weather without
much precipitation is not excluded. Spring frosts are also important factor.
They have the most effect if the spring starts early since they can occur till
mid May. Sometimes in lowlands the spring and warm weather may starts at the
end of February, other times the winter is snowy with a lot of precipitation,
partly colder and lasts till the start of April. In case that after the end of
snowfall not before the start of April warm and sunny weather suddenly occurs
the rich water supply in shape of snow melt only then, the soil absorbs them in
just two weeks after the end of winter weather the trees grow green. So the
weather and climate in Slovenia are very various and dynamic. The main reason
behind that is that it lies at the crossing of four geographic: The Alps, the
Dinaric Alps, the Mediterranean and the Pannonian basin.
The oscillation mentioned is the highest among forests trees like
beeches. The difference among the starts of the tree blossom may also be high
among seasons. Those trees may already blossom already at the start of April or
not before mid May. The oscillation of the start of grass growth and flowers
blooming is usually smaller in general. All those occurrences may not start at
the same time and the time of their occurrence may differ much. So the peak of
spring in second half of April and the start of May might differ a lot. Sometimes
the young leaves of beeches bud first and not before they mature fully the
fruit trees start to blossom. Other times may also the opposite happen. The fruit trees may blossom almost a month
before the beech leaves bud and even their leaves grow sooner. The most
colorful are the seasons when at the same time forest canopies are covered with
fresh young light green leaves, fruit trees blossom, the grass grows rapidly and
the meadows start producing the colorful flowers. Most of the processes of the
growth season depends on the day length because in plant genes it is written
that at the certain day length it warms up enough and the frosts are not too
severe anymore. However other two
important factors are the current air temperature and the amount of water
available in soil so that is why the oscillation appears among seasons.
I will try to present all this beauty, variety and dynamic of spring in
my home Šmohor hills. Šmohor hills (in Slovenian Šmohorsko hribovje) is a not
well known name for the northeastern part of Škofja Loka hills (in Slovenian
Škofjeloško hribovje) between Kranj and Škofja Loka. There hills like Križna
gora, Planica Jošt, Špičasti hriba and the tallest Mohor are located. Among
them are more villages and some smaller valleys. The hills are not very tall
reaching between 700 and 950 meters of height, as tall as Mohor is. This is a typicall height of the hills in
central and a part of western Slovenia with exception of the tallest peaks.
Šmohor hills are one of geologically most various regions in Slovenia. The
carbonates which cover most of the upper layer of central and western hills are
pretty scarce there. They are present only at the upper part of the ridge
between Jošt and Špičasti hrib and even there it is mostly dolomite, not
limestone. Elsewhere there are many other rocks, among them keratophyre on
Mohor and the surrounding area, one of the rare locations of this rock in
Slovenia.
I will try to present the spring in Šmohor hills in three seasons: the
years 2016, 2017 and 2018. I will distribute every season in three phases of
spring.
Before that, let us go through what was happening in the winter and
spring of 2016 in Šmohor hills. The winter was dry in its first half and richer
with precipitation in its second half. The first snow fell in November and it
was followed by dry and except in lowlands very warm December without snow even
in the mountains. From January to March there was more precipitation periods, the
most in February when also there was most precipitation. In lowlands there was
very little of snow, because February was warm and it was often rain or snow
mixed with rain. However just a bit higher in the hills, like Šmohor hills,
snowfall was more often and snow cover was thicker. A true snowy weather with
deep snow cover was in the mountains. After the 10th of March the
precipitation period ended and warm sunny weather followed till the end of
March. In mid March the snow in the
hills was mostly gone. However the true sudden and distinctive warming occurred
at the beginning of april. The snow melted pretty fast even in the mountains
and was somewhere gone pretty quickly since most of it fell only in February
and March. Due to rich water supplies the water flow because of snow melting in
the mountains the growth of vegetation started rapidly. The forest trees
quickly grew green and soon after that the fruit trees blossomed.
In Šmohor hills the last snowfall occurred at the beginning of March.
The snow was quickly gone in mid March. The grass turned green due to warm and
sunny weather at the end of March. This happens with just little oscillation at
around that time there if there is no snow cover, otherwise if later, right
after the snow is gone. The rest of vegetation awaited the truly warm weather
with higher morning temperatures constantly above freezing. That change
occurred at the start of April when spring truly started. The biggest awakening
occurred after first April rain. I documented the first spring phase at the 12th
of April. There was many warm and sunny days in April, however some short
rainfalls were crucial for the awakening to continue. That first phase was so documented after the
first rainfall in April. Forest trees,
as beeches, burst the leaves in just 10 days before that and gained the fresh
light green color of young leaves. Those were yet still small and immature, so
there was still more light in the forest and some other trees were yet to
burst. The fruit tree were still bleak, most of them just started to burst
flowers and just a few of them already blossomed. The grass was fully green and just began to
grow as well. However it was still short. The first spring flowers like
violets, primroses, hellebores, snowdrops and crocuses mostly stopped blooming
in the lower zone of the hills. They were mostly present only on the top of the
hills and in shady spots. The other flowers were yet to bloom, so there were
very few flowers on the meadows except maybe some first dandelion individuals.
Now let us head into this spring
greenery of Šmohor hills. We start before the Pševo village at the monument of
war victims. Pševo is the first village we reach if we go into the hills from
Kranj. From there we will go to surrounding areas and other villages across the
hills.
Before the village of Pševo there is a monument to war victims. There
the road that leads from Kranj, more precisely Stražišče to villages on Jošt
slopes, flattens for the first time for a 100 meters as going uphill when going
across open meadows on gentle slopes. There a beautiful view on Pševo and
towards the top of Jošt opens (the peak itself is hidden). On those slopes
there are many meadows in the middle height zone of the slopes. The grass at
this time is short, but freshly green. The fruit trees are awakening. Some lone
individuals may already blossom, but most of them ar just opening the buds.
Around meadows, especially in the upper zone of the hill, beech forests
dominate with fresh light green color of young leaves.
On grassy slopes there are also some small plains. There are meadows
enriched with orchards or individual fruit trees and some hayracks. A part of
horizon in the back is enriched with the rest of the hills and Polhov Gradec
hills behind in the distance.
Beneath the monument there is already one meadow and fruit garden below
the road. This is the first meadow that opens below the road while going to
Pševo. From the road there is fantastic view on the orchard with Ljubljana
basin and Sora field in the back and Šmarna gora in the distance as a lone hill
in the middle of the basin. Those trees are just awakening. None of them
blossom yet, but some of them are just opening the buds.
On the first meadow of the eastern Jošt ridge, which is also the first
meadow that opens above the road towards Pševo, the view on Ljubljana basin
with Sora field opens even more. The view also opens on the forest at the
eastern edge of Šmohor hills, covering lower terrain between Jošt and Planica.
There are many water streams and small valley. This forest is mostly covered
with coniferous trees, especially pines. In the distance Polhov Gradec hills
open fully. On the edge of the horizon to the south, the light sparkles in the
spring sun. The fruit trees on the meadow are opening the buds. When the grass
on this meadow matures, it becomes a pasture for cows.
The village of Pševo is located on the southern slopes of the eastern
Jošt ridge. This time it is surrounded with light green forests and meadows.
Among beeches in the forests there are some spruces as well. On steeper meadows
there is still the dry grass of the previous season since the new grass has yet
to overgrow it. Those meadows are thus not green yet.
At the end
of the Pševo village there is a smaller quarry and behind it the road flattens
again, this time for longer (the first photo). Till text village of Javornik it
leads through the beech forest. Below the road other trees, especially willows
grow. Those will burst into leaf a bit later. this time they were opening the
leaf buds. Before the road flattens, a view on the meadows below with some
houses and huts opens. In the back Planica dominates. We will head on this
meadows now.
On the mentioned meadows there is also a small ridge, where the terrain
flattens. From there is a beautiful view on the main ridge of the hills from
Jošt to the west towards Mohor. We can see its beginning up to the village
Čepulje, where a second main ridge separates from it toward the south, where
Planica and Križna gora are. On the first photo there is a mosaic of houses,
huts, meadows and orchards beneath the quarry. This is still a part of Pševo
village. Above the mosaic is the prepeak of Jošt, whereas the main peak is
hidden behind. In the forest the beeches still dominate, whereas in the mosaic
there are many other trees that are just awakening, rare are green and none of
them blossoms yet. On the second photo we can see village Javornik on the
slopes. The forest there is more various, the light green color of beeches is
mixed with dark green color of spruces being more spread there.
On this spot the path leading from Bitnje village at the edge of the
basin to Jošt turns into a narrow road that leads to some homes there. There we
reach the mentioned mosaic beneath the quarry. Even though the fruit trees have
not yet blossomed, the white dots show that some of the flowers are already
opening. The homes there still belong to Pševo village, but most of them are
accessible from Javornik village.
Now let us follow the narrow road below the main one towards Javornik.
We cross the meadows along the way. In other orchards the trees do ne yet
blossom as well, but some of the also opened the flowers. On the first photo
there are some willows forming the forest edge above the meadows. Their light
green color is not only because of opening leaves, but also because of catkins
being open. In the warm sunny and mostly clear weather smaller cumulus clouds
often form and occasionally some stratus clouds as well.
Javornik and the mosaic surroundings of meadows, pastures, orchards and
forest lines. On the top of the ridge above the village there is a mostly pine
forest various contrasts of green sparkle beneath the light sky. Among bleak
fruit trees a lone individual that blossoms can be found. In the back on second
photo is Planica.
On the slopes beneath Javornik to the west towards Čepulje there are
many orchards on meadows as well. There is also a small dome-like meadow among
them where one of the orchards lies. If we look on it towards the sun, the sky
turns lighter and the green contrasts below on meadows turn darker. When there
is more moisture the sky may be lighter due to steam in the sky. After rain clouds
form more often if the sky is still humid and grow smaller as the sky dries.
The view from the meadow on the dome towards the hill. That is a ridge
between Jošt and Špičasti hrib. On the slope the forest is mixed with many
beeches, and on the top mostly pine forest. Thus there are many green contrasts
and even some brown of the trees that are yet to burst in leaf. Beneath there
are also some homes on forest edge. Most of traditional farms is in the middle
of the village, so most of those homes are newer. The sky opposite to the sun
is a bit cleaner, but still light blue.
There are very beautiful scenes across the meadow towards Planica on the
first photo and towards Čepulje on the second photo. Little clouds enrich the
light sky again the green contrasts are very beautiful towards the sun. Planica
is covered with more coniferous than broadleaf trees, so thus more dark green
contrasts.
On the first photo is Javornik on colorful light green spring slope.
Right of the village is the sunny forest slope of Jošt on second photo. It is
clearly visible that above Javornik there are more coniferous trees, among them
pines to the left. Around Jošt there are mostly beeches. The scene is enriched
with the orchard below. There only one tree blossoms ye, the other will awaken
later.
The light green magic of early spring of the meadow and orchard below
the dome. The greenery is sparkling in sunlight towards the sun. That is one of
the most idyllic spots around Javornik enriched by small lodge and a hayrack. In
the back to the left there is Ljubljana basin with Sora field. In this orchard
none of the fruit trees blossoms yet, but most of them are opening the flower
buds.
At the small lodge on the lower meadow we can catch some really idyllic
scenes of light green beeches and some spruces in front of us with eastern
Planica ridge behind. The little cumulus clouds enrich the light sparkling sky
beneath the sun above the ridge.
Contrasts on the view uphill from the lodge are of course completely
different. We came there on a track in the middle. In the middle of the meadow
one fruit tree started to blossom a bit even though we could not see that from
the opposite direction from the dome. The chestnuts to the left are still bleak.
It seems they will burst in leaf later than beeches.
Some idyllic scenes can be found at Čepulje as well. In the centre of the
first photo lies a village of Strmica above the village of Bukovščica down in
the valley. Behind to the left is Škofja Loka Triglav – the peaks Stari vrh,
Mladi vrh and Koprivnik. To the right in the distance is Ratitovec, partly
hidden behind the hill in front which is Špičasti hrib. Špičasati hrib is in
the centre of the second photo. Its slopes are darker green due to coniferous
trees dominating beeches. Among them there are many pines as well. Below us
many broadleaf trees especially at the forest edge are still bleak. In the
mixed forest below with many spruces as well are not so many beeches.
Even livelier light green scene from Čepulje is the view on Ljubljana basin
and Sora field. In front of it beneath us are meadows with a double hayrack at
the edge of the forest. In the forest around the meadow beeches dominate. However
on the ridge that follows the meadows and is slowly descending towards the
basin, pine forest dominates. The ridge descends towards the village of Bitnje.
In pine forest there is a red soil expressing itself especially at the track
leading through the forest.
Beneath Lavtarski vrh, the west neighbor peak of Planica lies this
idyllic farm. There is one of the most beautiful panorama in šmohor hills
towards the north. The surroundings are embraced in various tree colors: bleak,
awakening white and light green of beeches. All this enriches the light green meadow.
The background is composed of northern main ridge of Šmohor hills from Jošt to
Špičasti hrib on this photo and Kamnik-Savinja Alps behind from Storžič to Grintovec
and Krvavec. On the sky above there are many cumulus clouds, some little ones
are dancing above the farm as well.
For the end let us visit the fairy bright green beech forest at that
time. One of the most beautiful spots is near Pševo. If we look towards the sun
in the forests the contrasts of bright green color are the most beautiful. There
are also some lone spruces among. The light sky is sparkling among the canopies
and some sun rays reach the ground through the canopies. Since the leaves are
still young and small they let more light through than later on in the summer
when they mature. However there is still much more shade than in winter or
before leave burst.
The gentle slopes are somewhere rolling (like on the first photo). There
are some small channels of water streams and torrents in the forest. Where the
beech canopies grow denser, the contrasts of the light green color are fuller and
darker because the canopies let less light through even though we are still
turned towards the sun. if we turn down the slope from an angle to the sun (like
on the second photo), the contrast are similar than of first two photos above,
a bit brighter again. Since the light is
coming from a different angle it is paler and less full. The light coming
towards us is missing.
And for the end there is the last scene of the forest from the path
descending through the forest towards Bitnje. On this spot beeches let much
more light through and contrasts are brighter. The light green color of young
leaves is stressed the most because the sunlight shines on the much fuller. The
amount of light on forest ground in beech forest is usually pretty small. When leaves
are still young they let more light through so this amount is not yet so low. That
is especially stressed on spots like this where scarcer canopies let almost
half of the light through.
As we could see even the first period of spring in Šmohor hills brought
a very various image of the land. We can expect even more of the continuation
of spring. More follows in the other two phases of the first seasons.
Till next time, Aljaž
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