Fauna and flora
What takes your eye? The white-tailed eagles soaring in the sky, or the meadows of globe flowers? Natural treasures abound on Seiland.
Flora
The luxuriant fjords on Seiland were previously used for hay-making and pastures for farm animals, and the area is still grazed today by reindeer, and in some places sheep. This has produced a unique cultural landscape featuring verdigris mountainsides dominated by grass, perennials and herbs. The barren mountain areas are home to snow buttercups, glacier buttercups, low sandworts and other mountain flora that are becoming increasingly rare in Norway due to climate change. It would appear that thanks to its northern location Seiland is still a safe haven for these plants.
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Bildetekst hentes fra tittel i slideshow
Many of the plants we encounter on our excursions were previously important everyday ingredients. Fresh angelica shoots (Angelica archangelica) were an important source of vitamin C in the early summer. The angelica was peeled and eaten like rhubarb, or placed on some glass and served as a vegetable with fish. Siberian chives (Allium schoenoprasum) were used to make “løkhau”: boiled fishhead stuffed with chives and liver. Common butterwort (Pinguicula vulgaris) was used to make long milk, by pouring milk over the leaves and letting it stand for a day or so. This gave the milk a more pudding-like consistency and a longer life. Leaves from common lady’s mantle (Alchemilla vulgaris) were used as bandages to clean infected wounds, and bark from downy birch (Betula pubescens) was used to waterproof traditional Sámi beak boots and leather clothes. Rootstocks from roseroots (Rhodiola rosea) were collected and given to the cows in early spring, when the animals needed vitamin C. The local names for roseroot are “calf dance” and “calf grass”.
Fauna
Seiland’s many desolate and steep mountain areas with numerous sea cliffs are home to several types of prey. White-tailed eagles and golden eagles nest here, together with gyrfalcons, merlins, the eurasian kestrel and the rough-legged hawk. Wading birds, such as eurasian curlews, common redshanks and common sandpipers thrive in the mountain lakes and along the shore, while seabirds such as great cormorants, black guillemots and razorbills abound on the coast.
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Bildetekst hentes fra tittel i slideshow
Reindeer and sheep are the only large mammals on the island, although moose have occasionally been known to swim across the strait. If you are lucky you might spot an otter playing on the shore, or a hare hopping in the heather. You will also find stoats, weasels, mink and small rodents on Seiland.