Where the pine's sprout acted like a shield, there the snow piled up, moved by the chilly strong wind from the last days. On the sides of what, perhaps, will one day be another drop in an ocean of forest, tiny dunes bloom, whose surface is not just snow, but rather an icy and dull crust, shaped by the wind and glazed by snow particles blown at high speed. The resulting material reflects the light in a soft and peculiar way, with an overall effect similar to a satin veil. Roe deer is widespread in the forest areas; the graceful animals come to the villages at night, especially in winter, and therefore they are a quite familiar presence. Nevertheless, it is not common to spot them: in general you must be pleased to find their footprints left in the snowy gardens. People here make hay and specific feed (sold in the town) available to help them overcoming the coldest times, but I'm beginning to think that it doesn't only depend on the generosity and love for animals typical of Swedes, but also on the attempt to protect those who, in a few months, will become desired game animals. As much as it may seem strange, especially to a vegetarian like me, here the two things go hand in hand.
It's been a good beginning of March. The night of the 1st the northern light has showed up in Särna, the very first one since we moved here (almost 4 years now). Nope, you won't see it in these Chronicles: sometime you have simply to "be", you have to enjoy the moment without thinking about to "get", to take a photo (you can still see it in a time lapse at this link: the display is exactly the same, just in a different location). While I was with my eyes up, a Tengmalm's owl started singing. What else ask for? In the following days the weather has been mild, even with temperatures above zero: March is mad at this latitude too, and, in spite of good weather, for a couple of days a strong wind raged, giving a taste of desert storm to the mountain.
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All site contents are: © Vitantonio Dell'Orto, all rights reserved worldwide. The Chronicles of Särna, and other stories from the North.
I live in Sweden, in Särna (Dalarna). The Chronicles are a photo diary about the nature (but not just) here around and from all the Scandinavian areas where my photo job takes me.
My book: "My Sweden - Tales from an Italian photographer in the North" is available in the bookstores and by the publisher.
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