I was very saddened yesterday to learn that my friend Helge Finnøy has passed away after a very long illness :cry:
Helge was a gentle, modest, intelligent man and we shared an interest in particular in plants and insects and he reintroduced me to the music of Ray Davies (Kinks) and we were both at his memorable performance at Trondheim Torvet (town square) on October 11th 2014. I’m not one for sending flowers (at least not at this time of year), so I’ve put this little gallery together of my colourful memories of Helge! I have fond memories of visiting Helge (and Randi) and his garden at Torp (incidentally right next to Granly, where we rented a flat when we first moved to Norway i 1981). Takk for alt, Helge! Kondolere Randi Stubban og Sunniva Stubban Finnøy <3
Helge was passionate about the things that interested him and that included butterflies. He told excitedly of seeing two peacock butterflies (dagpåfugløye) in his garden at Torp (a few km east of my own garden) in 2004. Two years later I had them in my own garden (picture). It turns out that Helge’s observation was the first ever of this species this far north. I checked our species reporting system artsobservasjoner.no and his observation was missing, so I’ve just added it on his behalf!
Helge was also passionate about trees and shrubs and was chuffed when he managed to grow plants that shouldn’t be possible here…in that way he inspired me to try despite what people said :) Buddleja (sommerfuglblomst) was one of them and he grew several colour forms to attract butterflies, including a particularly fine form, Royal Red. This picture is of a Brimstone (sitronsommerfugl) which finally turned up in my garden.. Helge told me this would happen!
This creature turned up in another garden Torp and the owner brought it over to me hoping I could ID it…. I asked Helge and he could tell me it was the larva of the pussmoth (stor gaffelstjert)…this was in the days before it was easy to do an on-line identification!
Rhus typhina (Stag’s horn sumach / hjortesumak) is one of the plants Helge gave me and 15 years on it’s still thriving, despite this being one of the plants that shouldn’t be hardy enough for Malvik
Helge recommended this album that had just came out when we saw Ray Davies play in Trondheim in 2014 and it still is a favourite which I incidentally played just a few days ago for the first time in a long time… The set list: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/ray-davies/2004/torvet-trondheim-norway-73da9ab5.html (now playing). Prior to this I’d seen the Kinks play on the Schoolboys in Disgrace tour in 1975/1976…when I was at uni in Exete
Buddleja in my garden from a cutting from Helge
…and this is another Helge helped me with, moorland clouded yellow (myrgulvinge), the first time this species was recorded in Malvik kommune in 2008 (there have been 3 more observations in the last 3 years).
I received my PDC after completing the course mainly taught by Jan Bang at my house in Malvik during 3 long weekends in 2017. My project report was about how I designed my own garden using permaculture design principles (without having read about them). The report can be downloaded below:
A small number of goldfinches spend their winter holiday in the lowlands around Trondheimsfjord, a very good choice I would say! I’ve never seen them in summer here . I heard the characteristic twittering flight call this morning for the first time this winter and then saw 4 of them this afternoon on burdock (borre) seed heads next to my outhouse (see the two videos below). Goldfinches have long and thin bills allowing them to extract seeds from burdock, other thistles, sunflowers and teasel /kardeborre (Dipsacus), although they have never shown any interest in the teasel I’ve grown for them.
You can read how my growing burdock as a vegetable attracted them to my garden , at that time a rare bird in this area: http://www.edimentals.com/blog/?p=8810
The map below shows the concentration of sightings of flocks of goldfinches in Malvik in my garden and elsewhere nearby from Malvik to Midtsandan, on the southern shores of the fjord (only flocks of more than 20 birds are plotted).
Yesterday I had a walk in the steep north facing woods east of Malvikbakk only 5 minutes by bike from home. I’d found a lot of edible fungi here on my last visit a month ago when we had a mini-drought (north slopes dry up last). It’s still very dry in the fungisphere despite recent rains and there’s not much winter chanterelle (traktkantarell) in the woods… No luck this time, but good to be in the woods for 2-3 hours….
Another great long PDC weekend here in Malvik lead by Norway’s Mr. Permaculture, Jan Bang! Some pictures from the last meal for this time….before we all meet again in October :)
