Two days ago we left the birch forest of northern Norway. Today, we walk on the tundra of Bear Island. This isolated island in the Barents Sea is the southernmost island of the Svalbard Archipelago. There can be no doubt that we are in the Arctic now! The vegetation forms a mat scarcely rising above the ground surface, but get down on your hands and knees and you find the most beautiful miniature garden of tiny tundra plants. The tundra is rich in species of saxifrage. Three of them are shown here: the tufted saxifrage (upper left), purple saxifrage (lower left) and snow saxifrage (right). We also saw delicate Svalbard poppies and prostrate mats of polar willow. We marvel that these seemingly delicate plants can endure the rigors of the severe arctic climate, but endure and flourish they do.
- Daily Expedition Reports
- 16 Jul 2000
From the Caledonian Star in Arctic, 7/16/2000, National Geographic Endeavour
- Aboard the National Geographic Endeavour
- Alaska
Bjornoya (Bear Island), Svalbard
Sign Up for Daily Expedition Reports
Fields with an asterisk (*) are required.
Enter travel details to receive reports from a single expedition
Send Daily Expedition Reports to friends and family
*By clicking the submit button, I authorize Lindblad Expeditions to email me; however, I am able to unsubscribe at any time. For more details, see our Privacy Policy.
Please note: All Daily Expedition Reports (DERs) are posted Monday-Friday,
during normal business hours. DERs are written onboard the ship only and do
not apply to land-based portions of expeditions.