Zermatt 2024 Day 5: Blauherd and Stellisee

Sadly, that was not the case when we visited.  We got out of the gondola beneath grey miserable skies, with mountains emerging, and then disappearing back into the mist.  The cable car which would take us up even higher to the Rothorn did not appeal.

Tussilago farfara

However, as we walked down the ramp to exit from the cable car station, my eye was drawn immediately to the massed golden blooms of a bank of Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara), by the top of the ski piste.

This is a plant I have long wanted to photograph in good conditions, but it is surprisingly uncommon in my local area, and our trips to the Dolomites have never been sufficiently early in the season.

Before long, I had found a second, denser grouping, and it took a while for the others to tear me away.

Draba aizoides

There were a few other plants in the well-trodden area around the cable station.  Draba aizoides was flowering out in the middle of the piste, in well-compacted soil.

Pulsatilla vernalis

Again on the edge of the piste, we found a scattering of Pulsatilla vernalis flowers.  These were almost the last we would see on the holiday; they go over very quickly.

Matterhorn

At times, the Matterhorn loomed out of the murk, then disappeared again.

Views of Ze Segwjinen Mountain Lodge

But we did have great views of the Grunsee, the Ze Segwjinen lodge, and the walk we had done on our third day.

Hieracium villosum

As we set off down the track down to the Stellisee lake, Hieracium villosum was flowering on the bank above us.

Arabis ciliata

Beside the path were more Thlaspi sylvium, becoming a familiar sight, and another little crucifer.  I think this was Arabis ciliata; most of the leaves you can see do not belong to it.

Primula farinosa

Soon we started to find the Birds-eye Primrose, Primula farinosa, where damp seeps ran down to the path.

Looking back west, beyond the cable station, we could just see the peaks on the other side of the Mattertal valley.

Polygala species

We found a pretty pink milkwort, but the picture in the gloom isn’t good enough to tell which species.

Soldanella alpina

There was no mistaking the little bells of Soldanella alpina, however.

Most of the interesting flowers were 5, 10 or even 20 metres up the bank to our left.  I was clambering up and down like a mountain goat.

Gentiana acaulis

This bank was clothed in large clumps of Gentiana acaulis, which looked almost violet, although the colour may have been affected the rather curious light.

Pulsatilla alpina subsp apiifolia

Among the gentians shone yellow highlights from Pulsatilla alpina subsp apiifolia.

Ahead of us, a small group of tourists passed carefully on the other side of the track from a family of goats.

Helianthemum alpestre

There were clumps of the little yellow rockrose, Helianthemum alpestre, looking rather bedraggled.

Pulsatilla halleri

We found a few late specimens of Pulsatilla halleri blooming among the gentians; most had gone over.

Pulsatilla alpina subsp apiifolia

Always delightful.

Silene acaulis

Where larger boulders nosed out of the bank, big mats of Silene acaulis flowed over them.

Viola rupestris

In shady nooks there were violets (Viola rupestris).

Androsace carnea

I was very pleased to find a slightly stronger pink form of Androsace carnea.

Sempervivum arachnoideum

Crevices in and between the larger boulders were filled with house leeks, both Sempervivum arachnoideum and S. montanum, chickweed (Cerastium arvense), and thyme.

The weather was as gloomy as ever, but we could see wonderful glacial moraines in the bottom of the Findel valley to the east.

Saxifraga exarata

A few small clumps of Saxifraga exarata (possibly subsp moschata) grew in tiny cracks in the rocks.

Goats

We were a little puzzled that we hadn’t passed the goats we saw earlier, but then we saw them on the top od a rocky outcrop above us.  They weren’t enjoying the weather much either, though the kids seemed to be happy enough, gambolling around.

Linaria alpina

We saw two different colour forms of Linaria alpina, one violet with white throats, and the other with bright orange throats.

Herniaria alpina

This was a real puzzle, and the lousy picture doesn’t help much with identification.  A Sedum perhaps, or other Crassulaceae, or even a saxifrage, I thought.  It had rosettes of pointed, hairy leaves, and hairy buds which opened to pale cream or yellow five-petalled flowers.

Fortunately Google Lens on Helen’s phone was up to the job.  It is Herniaria alpina, in the Caryophyllaceae, i.e. a relative of Dianthus.

Rock garden

Some niches between the rocks became little rock gardens, with rockroses, thyme, sempervivums and multiple species of saxifrage growing together.

Vitaliana primuliflora

Every few yards I had to climb back up the bank.  First a violet flash, which turned out to be Acinos alpinus, then the tiny yellow Primula-like flowers of Vitaliana primuliflora.

Primula farinosa

The Primula farinosa were getting more and more numerous in the damp gullies running down the bank.

Fall

At this point, near disaster struck.  I can tell when it was, because instead of a plant photo every minute or two, there is a 10 minute gap in the photo sequence.

Coming back down from the bank, a little distracted, I stepped off the last boulders and onto a steep wet grassy slope, when both feet went from under me.  One heel caught on a small rock, and I ended up sitting in an inch or so of water in a wet gully at the base of the bank, with my right foot beside my hip.

Initially I thought that would be the end of my holiday.  I rolled off that leg, and straightened it out carefully, and then sat in the cold puddle for 5 minutes to get over the shock.  To my surprise, I didn’t seem to have sustained as much damage as I deserved to.  No ruined knee, not even a sprained ankle.  Eventually I managed to stand, and apart from a sore Achilles tendon I was fine, albeit rather sobered.

I am surprised in a way that there are no photos of me, sitting like Humpty-Dumpty.  But Helen was too concerned to get her phone out.

Pinguicula alpina

After that, it took a while to regain my mojo.  We found a good group of Pinguicula alpina, but the photos were rather perfunctory.

Miscellaneous species

Other species followed, but I was definitely in record-shot mode, rather than inspired.  They were mainly plants we had seen on previous days.  And I was confining myself strictly to what I could photograph from the track – no gallivanting. So here are:

• Aster bellidiastrum
• Antennaria dioica with Plantago alpina
• Euphorbia cyparissias
• Ajuga pyramidalis with fabulous red leaves

Wheatear

On top of one of the rocks, we saw and heard a wheatear (with Arnica montana flowers in the foreground).

As we approached the Stellisee lake, we encountered two young ladies hastily pulling clothes back on over their swimsuits.  They had just enjoyed a dip in the lake, on this miserable cold morning.

This was something which baffled us.  Every day we would meet ladies who had been swimming in the mountain lakes, even the one the previous day at Schwarzsee which still had snow in.  Certainly bracing, but you wouldn’t tempt me in.

Fluealp in the distance

Originally we had intended to continue to the mountain hut at Fluealp, which is the building you can see on the hill beyond the lake.  But it was another kilometer uphill, and with my bad ankle and the deteriorating weather, we decided to stop at the lake for lunch.

The overflow from the lake was gushing out down a stream which rushed down the hillside.

Oxytropis halleri subsp velutina

As always, my curiosity got the better of me during lunch, and I soon found a charming little Oxytropis.

Myosotis species

Nearby, on the banks of the lake, grew this little forget-me-not.

Trifolium pallescens

Finally, I photographed a little clover which didn’t look quite right.  I think this might be Trifolium pallescens.

By now, the drizzle which had been threatening set in in earnest, and we had to pull out our waterproofs, before heading back up towards Blauherd.  The Stellisee is the highest lake on the popular Five Lakes trail, and most walkers were heading on around that path – too far for us.

Stellisee

The tourist information website I included a link to earlier will tell you that “the Stellisee (2,537 m) is among the most famous of Zermatt’s lakes. The sight of the Matterhorn reflected on its mirror-like surface is breathtakingly beautiful, and is made for magnificent photographs”.

That famous and fabulous view is from the far end of the lake, and in the murk and drizzle we didn’t venture that far.

On our way back up the hill, we looked for the goats again, but there was no sign of them until we came into view of the cable car station.  The whole herd were lying under the shelter of the terrace for the restaurant, tucked out of the rain.

Hotel Alex

By the time we had travelled back down, and walked across town to our hotel, the sun was shining.

Google will tell you that this walk was no more than 1.3km each way, with less than 40m descent / ascent.  That doesn’t recognise that I walked it looking for flowers, zigzagging up and down the bank like a questing hound.

By the time you include the walk across town to the Sunnegga funicular, and other little excursions, Helen’s fit-bit still reckoned she had done 11,052 steps, 4.66 miles, and climbed 23 flights of stairs.