Alittlebitoutoffocus

Another day and another great walk to a cabane with fantastic views.  Although the day started well, a veil of cloud soon descended to take away the bright sunshine.  It did not detract however from the enjoyment of the walk and the thrill of finally spotting some Edelweiss in the wild.  Yesterday was the first time in nearly 10 years that I’ve seen any growing naturally – and there was loads of it !

It’s a fascinating plant, for example, did you know that :
– Edelweiss is not really a flower as such, but a set of 500 to a thousand tiny florets grouped in several heads (between 2 and 10 of them) surrounded by 5 to 15 white velvety leaves ?
– It originally comes from the Himalayas and was practically unknown until the late 19th century?
– In former times it was used as a popular remedy for diarrhoea ?
Sources: Swissinfo.ch and the Swiss Alpine Club’s “Our Alpine Flora” book.