Bumped meadow

From the Pocar Homestead, we take a short walk in the direction of Mojstrana. Just after the first bend, after 80 meters of walking, a view of the Krma Valley opens up before us. The shape of the valley immediately tells us that it is of glacial origin.

We are exploring the heritage of the glacier, so we continue our journey. After 200 meters of walking, we reach a torrent bed surrounded by forest. It is easy to see how the forest is occasionally flooded by the torrent. At times, the water is so high that we need to cross it using a simple wooden bridge. Further along the path, we can observe meadows that people mow or use for grazing livestock. The fields are also interesting, as they are full of stones. These fields lie on material deposited by the glacier (moraine). The soil is full of both small and large rocks.

Soon we arrive at a meadow that, at first glance, stands out from all the others around. It is a bit less green than the neighboring meadows, the grass is not as tall, and among it, we find a wide variety of plant and animal species.

It is precisely because of these bumps that we call these meadows BUMPED MEADOWS. They were formed from the finest glacial material, which water, together with chemical processes, slowly shaped into small hills and valleys. The bumps are about 1 meter high and 1 to 3 meters wide. Due to farming and easier mowing, many bumped meadows in alpine valleys have been leveled by people. While this makes it easier to mow the meadow with a mower, it destroys the characteristic alpine appearance of the meadow.

The bumped meadow below the Pocar Homestead is cared for by the Triglav National Park rangers. But not in a way that they guard it from wrongdoers—rather, they mow it once a year. If the meadow were left to grow freely, it would gradually become overrun by woody plants, and the patch of grasses would slowly transform into a forest.

Bumped meadows are also interesting because they are home to various plant species, and consequently, also to a wide range of animals- especially the smaller ones, such as insects, arachnids, snails, and the like. Among the plants, we find species that usually thrive much higher in the mountains, such as the Clusius' gentian. The blue beauty is also a protected plant species in Slovenia.

On the meadow we also find Alpine bistort. This mountain plant reproduces in a very special way. The seeds germinate already on the mother plant and new small plants start to grow on the plant itself. The buds then fall off and take root. This is one of the adaptations to the long winters, strong winds and thin, poorly fertile soil of the Alps.

DO YOU KNOW?

1. Where the bumped meadows have been leveled, the bumps begin to reappear after a few decades. The material and natural processes are the same as before, and in fact, there is no reason why it shouldn't be this way.