Ars Bioarctica

My father is a botanist, and he has spent several years of his life studying, among other things, the genus pinguicula in Mexico. In fact, he has been studying this genus for more time than I have been alive, and sometimes I go with him in his field trips, some times in search for pinguiculae. So it was a big surprise to recognize during a trip to the store this little flowers :

It was like seeing a familiar face... in the opposite side of the world to where you are used to see it. It turns out that this plants are fairly common in Europe, though not in as many varieties as in America. I think this ones are pinguicula vulgaris. Edit: I have learned now that white ones are P. Alpina, while blue ones are P. Vulgaris. We made a stop in our trip to the shop to photograph them. I like them because they are beautiful and because they remind me of good things. But today I liked them even more because THEY EAT MOSQUITOES, and mosquitoes are the only annoying thing I know about in Kilpisjärvi. It's true, they are carnivores. They trap small insects in their sticky leaves and then digest them slowly. If you want to find them in Kilpisjärvi, look for them next to the road. They like to have running water somewhere near, but no too much. A steady flow of melting snow is ideal for them, and the run-offs that lead to small rivers.