Photos

Blåklokker over Bygdin

The easily recognizable "blåklokke" (Campanula rotundifolia) has the shape of a bell and is blue, hence its Norwegian name literally meaning "blue bell". The blåklokke is a short to medium, slender, hairless, rhizomatous perennial plant in the bellflower family Campanulaceae. Interestingly, the plant would also be known as “blue bell” in Scotland, whereas elsewhere in Britain "blue bell" would refer to another plant (Hyacinthoides non-scripta). Blåklokker are apparently found in many places in Northern Europe and in North America but I personally began to notice them in the Norwegian mountains where they can be present up to 2050 m above sea level.

The lake in the background is "Bygdin" in the south-east of Jutunheimen (a mountainous region in central southern Norway). Bygdin is ca. 25-km long and is at an elevation of 1058 m above sea level. In summer, a charming little boat (the MB Bitihorn, named after a nearby mountain) navigates on Bygdin transporting the tourists to cabins or trailheads, and those embarked simply for the joy of the ride.