Saturday walk in the forest Tennebekk

 Saturday walk in the forest!

Gathering Myrica gale!Bog-myrtle

An insect repellent herb

Peoplein old time have had a strong belief that this aromatic growth could repel fleas and other pests, which has also proved to be a reality. In many places they have therefore had it in their beds. Pors was otherwise used against garbage and to remove insects from the houses. Pors was often brought into the house for the sake of the good smell, or bundles of pors were hung up on the outdoor toilets. It is also known that a strong decoction of cooked pors was used to wash against external parasites, or that the walls were washed with it to crack bed bugs. Simon Paulli (1603-1680) recommended the buds of pors cooked in wine against scab, and the leaves cooked in butter as scab ointment. You could have pors in the bathing water if you had shingles, and from Lyngdal it is reported that it was used against hair loss, which is also known from Sweden and Iceland.Branches with leaves, buds and flowers can be used, but it is primarily the leaves that are used. These are gathered in the summer. The squeegees, which contain a lot of essential oil, are collected in the spring. The fruits are collected when they are ripe, and boiled to extract a wax for light production. The herb is otherwise used in the form of extracts, decoctions or spirit extracts (tinctures). Pors differs from the willow species, however, in that it is a very aromatic plant, and when you walk through the bush of pors on a sunny hot summer day, you can almost be stunned by the strong scent. In the same way as gray alder (Alnus incana), porcupines coexist with microorganisms that live in tubers at the roots and which can bind nitrogen from the air. Therefore, pors can grow in rather nutrient-poor growing places.

 Pors has also been used extensively as a mosquito repellent, perhaps especially by anglers who often have easy access to the plant near rivers and water. The essential porcelain oil is now recognized as an effective remedy against insects (especially mosquitoes). In a Scottish experiment, volunteers allowed the mosquitoes free rein on their arms. One arm was covered with a jelly with essential oil of porcelain. After 10 minutes, the protected arms had an average of 1.6 stings, while the unprotected had 9.4 stitches.

 Folk medicine use of pors

Medically, pors was supposed to have a blood-soothing, wound-healing, diuretic and stomach-strengthening effect. Pors was used on particularly malignant wounds in Rana. Both blade, squeegee and bark could then be used. And when the plant juice was dripped into the ear, it should dry out earache. Crushed pors in vinegar laid on the head, set nosebleeds. In his book Plants and Tradition, Høeg also states other uses of porcelain, e.g. to "fetal expulsion," "who prayed for gout," and "boiled to a brown, fragrant guild, especially to cattle badly damaged by bear claws."

Warnings, side effects and contraindications

Pors is considered to be abortifacient, and must not be taken by pregnant women. The strongly fragrant essential oil extracted from the seeds of pors is considered toxic and must never be used internally. In food and beverages, pors should be used only in small amounts, as otherwise it may cause headaches and other discomfort.

 Today it is not necessary with such remedies but it is fun to pick a bouquet or two and take home.It is also interesting to know about the healing plants.This little water there are not many who visit.It can take hours or days before someone is here on a walk with the dog. Lots of roots everywhere so you have to take care of every step you take. In winter it is very beautiful here with all the snow. Little birds. Some thrushes and titmice. Took no pictures of them. Was concentrated with the road and get me home unscathed.

Erica tetralix

Erica tetralix, the cross-leaved heath, is a species of flowering plant in the family Ericaceae, native to western Europe, from southern Portugal to central Norway, as well as a number of boggy regions further from the coast in Central Europe such as Austria and Switzerland. In bogs, wet heaths and damp coniferous woodland, E. tetralix can become a dominant part of the flora. It has also been introduced to parts of North America. In the coastal area of Western Norway, bell heather has been collected and used as a pot scrubber. Powerful plants are tied on a stick to a broomstick. The name Erica was already in ancient Greece the name of a tall heather. probably it was already then this species that had this nannet. Tetralix comes from tetra = fire and helix = screw - square.

Habitat: The bell heather grows in humid places with low pH, peat bogs and heather moors.

From the trip today. Nice!

Old trees increase the species diversity in the landscape - the occurrence of dead wood is important for a number of organisms. The amount of dead wood in a forest is therefore an important indicator of good environmental condition.

 The road is long and heavy to walk home. 

 Fortunately, there are lots of blueberries to pick!

Forest trip and trolls in the Canadian forest Marsh - a hidden treasure in itself very rich species diversity in hollow oaks, which is an important reason why they are protected by the Biodiversity Act. This protection is badly needed, as there are fewer and fewer of these types of trees. The fact that there are 1500 different species found in one hollow oak probably also says a bit about how important it is to take care of these. By protecting the hollow oaks, one also protects several rare and endangered species - both lichen, fungi and insects - which depend on their domestic cavities with deep roots and hard wood to survive.

Twig mounds and twig vines are good for biodiversity.
Twig mounds function as one large insect hotel and
provide housing for bees, bumblebees and small birds and many other species

Here lives Tussar og Troll
Valuable cavities as
Beetles, flies, millipedes, scolopenders, spiders, mites,
 bouncing tails and many other small animals.

 Many of these old trees were natural works of art, with gnarled branches, faces and curious cavities. One was so hollow that only the outermost bark was left. Another had developed a sensational "wheel" where a branch was broken off. A third was smoothed by countless children's hands that had climbed, not outside the tree, but inside. The most impressive thing, however, was the one-eyed troll - so true to nature that you would almost turn around and run for your life! Who would have thought that we had such adventurous treasures in the forest around Bergen?

Thank you for watching!