Swiss Wildflowers: The Amazing Botany of the Bern Canton, Switzerland

by Susan Libonati-BarnesPosted onAnnouncements
Seebergsee. K. DeCamp.
Seebergsee, Switzerland, is one of Ken DeCamp's all-time favorite areas for wildflower hunting. This photo not only illustrates a variety of wildflowers, but also the scenery in the Spillgerte, which is a protected botanical area. Photo by Ken DeCamp.

Here’s an exciting presentation, sponsored by Shasta Chapter CNPS and Shasta College, that would be a great way to kick off your Earth Day 2022 celebrations!

Photographer extraordinaire Ken DeCamp is documenting the wildflowers of the Bern Canton, Switzerland. Working with amateur botanist Franz Wiedmer and orchid expert Doris Schmeid, he has shot thousands of photos of Swiss flowers, mushrooms, and lichens. Like our Klamath Range, the Swiss Alps lie at the epicenter of a geographic collision, producing something of a botanical miracle.

“Am I in Middle Earth?” asks Ken.

Cobwebby houseleek. K. DeCamp.
Cobwebby houseleek, Sempervivum arachnoideum, is a Swiss wildflower with deep cultural significance. Tradition has it that, when a new house is finished and the family is ready to move in, one of these flowers is placed on the roof’s ridgeline as a way of protecting the house from lightning and to bring good luck to the new home. This custom dates back to the earliest times in Swiss history. Photos by Ken DeCamp.

Join us for a look at the plants of this fabulous region on April 21, 2022, at 7 pm, in Room 1425 on the Shasta College campus, Redding. ~Susan Libonati-Barnes