FLORA

The large expanses of wilderness forests are characteristic of Lapland. Lapland has a wide variety of different habitats abundant with species from the shores of the Bothnian Bay right up to the northernmost Lappish subarctic bare fell highlands. Landscapes typical for Lapland other than the grand fell sceneries are the flark-like aapa bogs rich with birdlife, various hilly regions and varying highlands.

The pine tree is the most dominant species for Metsä-Lappi (Forest Lapland), with the spruce being much rarer. Lichen is also common in sparsely wooded pine forests. In Tunturi-Lappi (Fell Lapland) the landscape is dominated by treeless fell heaths. The most common plants of the fells are the alpine birch and dwarf birch. On dry forest heaths you can spot Lapland’s most beautiful flower, the mountain avens. The most distant districts of Finland’s arm differ from the rest of Lapland by flora due to the rich abundance of mountain plants. For instance, the moss campion can only be seen in the northernmost regions.
Lapland’s swamps are mainly aapa bogs with the wettest part being the centre with vegetation mainly comprising sedge. The northern Fell Lapland region also has permafrost palsa bogs that typically have giant frozen tussocks called palsas. The bog terrain and bogs have a very large number of different species of bog flora. For instance, sphagnum mosses thrive on the bogs.

Lapland’s nightless night and pure nature are growing areas for an abundance of vitamin-rich berries. It is worth searching the cloudberry from the bogs in late July and early August, the blueberry can be found from the drier land of the bogs in August, and September is the time for picking lingonberries. Mountain cranberries can also be found in the autumn, but they are at their tastiest in the spring after being bitten by the freezing temperatures of winter.


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