Arctic nature

Lapland belongs to the continental climate zone characterised by snowy winters and the Gulf Stream that allows for relatively warm summers. Precipitation in Lapland is approximately 500 mm a year. The Lappish countryside is unique and easily damaged. The huge climatic fluctuations and relatively low nutrient content of the soil in many areas place real challenges on the vegetation and therefore also on the wildlife. Here is told more about the wildlife and wilderness of Rovaniemi but also the Northern lights which is one of the most famous and interesting phenomena in Lapland.


The Northern lights
The Northern Lights is a phenomenon that is seen in the skies on clear dark nights in the northern and southern polar regions. They are typically created about 100 km above the surface of the earth when accelerated particles in the earth’s magnetic field collide with molecules of air, which in turn release some of their resulting energy as visible light.

The phenomenon is similar to how the picture is made on a television screen or to the glow from a fluorescent lamp. The common green-yellow and the rarer reds of the Northern Lights originate from the oxygen in the atmosphere; blue and violet come from the nitrogen. The particles that create the Northern Lights originate from the sun, which hurls them out into space at a speed of 1000 km a second on the so-called solar wind.

According to ancient Asian beliefs, a person that has once seen the Northern Lights will live happily until the end of his life. In Rovaniemi, the Northern Lights are seen on average every second clear night, mostly in September and October and in February and March. In Finland, the Northern Lights are known as the Fox’s Tail. This name comes from an old Sámi myth in which a fox was running across the fells when its tail hit a snow bank and threw sparks - the Northern Lights - into the heavens.

Satellite observations of solar activity and the solar winds are the main source for forecasting the Northern Lights. The Northern Lights can be seen on the surface of the earth a few days after an expulsion of particles from the sun is observed. Nowadays, it is possible to make forecasts three days in advance, but these forecasts are rather poor. However, they do give us a pointer - the Northern Lights are a somewhat unpredictable phenomenon.


Northern Wildlife

The bear is Finland's national animal, and may be found troughout the country. Finland has over a thousand bears and the Province of Lapland is home to 23 % of the whole bear population. The bear has always ben taken on with mixed feelings of fear and respect, so much so in fact that the utterings of its Finnish name (karhu) was often avoided, and new names such as Otso, Rietas, Kontio, Mesikämmen and King of the Forest were used. At least by its size, it deserves respect, and is quite suitable as the King of the Forest. The females weigh 45-170 kilos and the males 47-300 kilos. People say that bears like to live alone, but they can also be seen travelling in pairs during dusk and nighttimes. The primeval spruce forests, steep rocky slopes, open bogs, and fells are the places they like to roam. Cubs are born in the period of Jnaury to February and follow their mother for about the first year. Bears make growling, roaring, bellowing and whistling noises. You may be able to hear a whistling bear on a berry-picking trip, if so, you may like to firget the berries.

The wolverine, altough resembling the bear, belongs to the weasel family. The weight of a fully-grown adult wolverine is around 10-28 kilos with a height of less than a metre. The wolverine is the wanderer of the northern coniferous forest zones of the wilderness and may travel tens of kilometres in a single day. During times of thick snow cover, it travels a great deal less. The wolverine is very clumsy in deep snow, but then again in the springtime the snow can hold the weight of the wolverine but not the vulnerable reindeer, making hunting easy for the wolverine. In the winter, the wolverine digs itself a den deep in the snow and may stey at the end of its snow tunnel for extended periods of time. In the den, the female has its litter in February - March that follow their mother right through to the autumn. The wolverine is a hermit, only during the mating season do they put up with other wolverine individuals.

The wolf is rarely seen in the wilds as it is timid and avoids people. There are about 150 wolves throughout the whole Finland and the beast is protected to ensure its survival. There is indeed plenty of space in Finland for much larger population. 

The lynx is Finland's only wildcat. It wanders at night and in dark times, and is not that keen on meeting people. The whole population of lynxes totals 900 - 1000 animals, around 5 % of which live in the reindeer management areas. 

The elk, dwelling in the forests and bogs is quite a festive looking animal when met feeding on the edges of aapa bogs. There are large numbers of elks in Finland, so many in fact, that thay cause significant damage to forest growth by devouring young saplings. They also put motorists at risk on main roads where elk collisions occur frequently, especially during early autumn. The population is controlled by hunting methods, the hunting season runs froom September to December.

The arctic fox is rather rare in Lapland even though it has been a protected species from the 1940s. The red fox is rather common, as is the hare and other small mammals, the lemming, is perhaps the best known. When the lemmings are in their migration year, they can be spotted on swarms of hundreds or thoudands dashing around the fells in search of new habitats, during these times they can also be seen in towns and villages.

All in all, moving around the Lappish countryside is a safe pastime. You don't really have to worry about snakes, even though Finland's only venomous snake, the adder has spread to Southern Lapland. 

Lapland is home to nearly three hundred species of birds, approximately 150 of wich nest here, the remainder are resting their wings on their migratory trip to the Arctic regions. This is a good time for spotting some very rare species, which get the bird spotter on the go. Lapland's own nightingale, the bluethroat is also the provincial bird of Lapland. It spends its winters in the Mediterranean countries to return in May when its vivacious song fills the mountain birch groves. The bluethroat is good at making variety of sounds, and sometimes its song may even resemble the sound of a bull reindeer's bell. So much so in fact that the Sámi call the bluethroat the "bellbird". The majority of our bird populations spend the winter under the southern sun, to return once more in the springtime. There are around 40 species of birds that stay all year round. Whooper swans, geese, cranes and a number of waders dominate the bogs of lapland during the springtime. Lapland also has Finland's strongest numbers of golden eagle that may be spotted around vast artificial lakes. If you look up into the sky, you may also spot the fishing eagle, roughlegged buzzard or gyrfalcon. There are also a number of species of owl that inhabit the wildernesses of Lapland.

Mosquitos are part of Finnish Lapland, in just the same way as in other parts of the world were the countryside has not had to bow down to people constructing asphalt roads and brick constructions. The mosquitos have even moved away from the town cantre of Rovaniemi as the living spaces have expanded.

Bogs
Finland has more bogs than any other country in Europe, of the complete land area 31 % is bog. In the more southern regions of Lapland, there are regions where the amount of bog represents over 70 % of the land area. As the Finnish name for Finland is Suomi, and Suo- means bog, could this be where the name of Finland originates? Following the last Ice Age, when the first people stepped on Finnish soil, they probably got their feet wet in the watery fens and trudged through the wilderness bogs. As the Finnish word for "my" is "minun", this land then quikly adopted the adaptation of a word that means "my bog" or Suomi. 



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