Vogelmoos Nature Reserve

The month of July surprised people in Switzerland with a sudden change from hot and dry weather to heavy rain and lower day and night temperatures.The weather service documented an average temperature reduction of 0.4° C (0.7° F) for July compared to the period between 1980 and 2020. However the average yearly temperatures increased by about 2.5° C (3.5° F) since the 1980s after it began to rise from steady values between 1880 and 1980. 

About double the amount of rain fell in our region in the month of July compared to the same period of the last 30 years. July is historically a rainy month in Switzerland to the sorrow of children who start summer vacation then.  In June and up to early July, the beaches of the lake Luzern were well visited by locals and visitors – the water temperature reaching up to 24°C (75° F). Due to the cool and rainy weather the beaches looked abandoned after the first week of July.  

The flora, on the other hand, enjoyed this weather and the forests became almost impenetrable away from the paths and trails. The Vogelmoos Nature reserve showed lush greens, the shrubs and bushes were dense, grabbing any free space to grow. 

During my three visits of the Reserve I spotted roe deer families with young, but even with my camera’s zoom lens, they were too far away to take a good photo. The following pictures show other interesting sightings and impressions that I captured with my camera. 

This month of July was not what I imagined the beginning of summer should look like. Now, at the end of the first week of August, the weather feels summery again. We are moving towards temperatures in the mid 30° Celsius (approximately 95° Fahrenheit). The hiking trails will dry up quickly and allow for higher altitude hikes. I am excited to grab the opportunity to do so. However, rain is not the sole obstacle to wandering. Increasingly it is a cause of landslides that endanger people and make hiking trails suddenly disappear. At higher altitudes, the decrease of permafrost increases the risk of rockfall and major disasters for the population living in high valleys, as we have already seen last and this year in certain parts of Switzerland.

It all sums up that we need to come to grips with the perils of climate change and start acting accordingly.

I keep following man made changes in our environment whilst photographing the beauty of the landscapes so close to our homes.