Urho Kekkonen National Park, also known simply as UKK, was founded in 1983 and covers an area of 2,550 square kilometers. It is Finland's second largest national park so there is plenty to see and…
Trekking at Urho Kekkonen National Park, part 1
Category: Autumn
Nature encounters at Bergvik nature trail in Salo
Bergvik manor and its nature trail in Kruusila village in Salo municipality in Finland has been on my list of interesting nature destinations for a long time. Finally I had a chance to visit it…
Food from the nature – luscious lingonberries
Lingonberries are red and juicy berries that are slightly acidic. Picking season for lingonberries is from September to October, so now is the perfect time to go find them. On average year about 250 million…
Out in the Nature Quiz – Can you match the autumn leaves to the trees?
Autumn leaves are falling down. What a month ago was beautiful fall foliage is now turning to bare trees as deciduous trees are shaking off their leaves and getting ready for winter. Walking on a…
Hanikka nature trail has ancient tombs, glacial erratics, and views by the sea
The extraordinary Hanikka nature trail runs by two narrows and one bay area in the southwestern corner of the capital area, more specifically in Soukka, Espoo. The varied trail prides itself with long, winding duckboards,…
Piilolammi is a gate to ravishing Kytäjä-Usmi
Piilolammi recreational area is part of Kytäjä-Usmi, which is an exceptionally large forested area in Hyvinkää in southern Finland. We met at Piilolammi this summer to spent a day outdoors exploring some trails and catch…
Rock church of Korsvik
Getting to this rock church in Korsvik, near Loviisa, was a labour of Hercules. This incredible rock formation made us work for the right to see it even though (officially, mind you) you only have…
Örö – Military history and a fragile ecosystem
If you are interested in visiting an island, which has been a military area and nowadays is part of Archipelago National Park, and is actively preserving endangered species and ecosystems and is promoting sustainable tourism,…
Deer keds that annoy the crap out of you in the autumn
Deer keds (Lipoptena cervi) are usually found on deer, elk and moose, but occasionally bite humans and domestic mammals. They are those annoying little insects that fly directly on to you in autumn forest, crawl…
Out in the Nature Quiz – How well do you know Finnish mushrooms?
Do you think you can recognize many Finnish mushrooms growing wild in the forests? There are over 2000 mushrooms in Finland, and roughly 10% of them are edible. Are you a beginner in the mushroom…