The swamp awakens to spring, stretching

Do you remember the smells and tastes of the bog? On a hot day, a sweet, juicy golden red lingonberry or cloudberry in your mouth. The blue splash of a darkening crowberry in September. As sour as a red cranberry in early winter. The nature of the Riihimäki region is not just the hum of ridges, but the bog peeks into your paths closer and more often than you think.

On a city break to the Hatlamminsuo nature trail? What could be better, it's within easy reach of the city centre. There are options. Along the Peuranpolku trail, on the Lopella Pikku Samo trail, you can walk along the trail to the shore of Luutalammi. In early summer, you have the opportunity to see the white flowers of the sedge, turning reddish. One day I'll make a new trip, walking to Mustinsuo for a change. There, hikers who know their own paths can try their hand at plant photography, and even get a shot of the rare sedge moss.

By May, the gurgling sound of grouse has subsided, and cranes and waders walk in the marshes, familiar small birds can be seen in the thickets along the edges, and a hawk hovers over the open field.

Light has a power that carries away

In spring, it's worth heading to the bog for the light, because the magic of the north is here. The days are getting longer, so if you want to catch the morning twilight or the evening twilight, planning your trip schedule is easy. You can catch the sunrise and sunset times by checking the weather forecast. In mid-May, in the Riihimäki region, the first rays are seen at half past four, and it gets dark at ten in the evening.

Sounds from tightness to crane cries

Head to the bog early in the morning and you will hear a spring concert like no other. Try it once, set the alarm early and walk to your camping spot. You have planned your route the night before at the latest and your lunch is waiting in the fridge. In Loppe you can do a long or short cross-country tour in just a few hours. By hiking or by bike. Stop and breathe. You may hear the long, mournful cry of the lynx in Loppe's Mustinsuo.

The stocky appearance of the Kapustarinna is suitable for the fell plain or the Ostrobothnian aapa bogs, and not many people see it in the south, especially not when it is nesting. It is a pleasant surprise when the bird returns from its migration to Hausjärvi Kilpisuo in April. You will already be sure of the identification if you manage to see the bird's side facing you. The dark underside and brown upper side are illustrated by a pure white border that looks like the letter S. The thrush-sized bird delights with its spring instrument, chirping "kilyyrria-kilyyrria...". If you stray too close to the winged bird's habitat, you will hear it whistle a sharp "hyy-hiiyy" as a warning.

 

 

A mouthful of berry juice and vitamins

Even in May, you could pick a handful of cranberries in an instant. The shiny red berries are super delicious, packed with vitamin C. Kilpisuo surprises you; in the fall, you would have picked up liters of cranberry jelly ingredients there. By May Day, the bog had only melted on the surface, and in many places you could feel the weight of ice and frost under your feet. The black-gray bark of crowberries lay on the mounds left by winter.

 

Small is beautiful, and at least fascinating, or entangles itself in its traps like a spider in its web.

Do you prefer to look up close and at small details? The world of mosses fascinates. Many of us recognize the flat, sprawling wall moss, with which generations of yore used to patch the gaps between the logs of their dwellings. It is worth bending down and looking at the surface of the sphagnum moss for a while. Soon a tiny insect, a zebra hopper, a larger striped tarantula or perhaps some other spider will cross the field. In the past, reindeer and forest deer munched on lichen, and sphagnum moss was used as bedding. On the deer trail, you can almost hear the clatter of the feet of the antlers of the past. At least by the evening campfire.

To make everything perfect, it's worth continuing with the theme. So you sit down after your hike, even if you get a mud-brown layer of caressing your skin in a pedicure or peat treatment. The moment you spent in the swamp will come back to you when you indulge in a pampering that tickles your senses in one of Riihimäki's wellness and beauty treatments. It's worth trying, by the way. Relaxing at the same time. You might remember something surprising from your trip.

Johanna Heikkilä, PhD

The author enjoys nature, is enthusiastic about everything, and always wants to go on a trip.