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Salix reticulata  

Everyone knows that there are no trees in the Arctic. At least not trees that we usually imagine... However, there are several species of willow and even one species of birch indigenous on Svalbard and again, as everyone knows, they are trees! They are very small, dwarfish, creepy, but still have wooden stems and branches. This specimen of net-leaved willow (Salix reticulata) is really exceptional because it dared to grow upright despite the harsh conditions of Arctic climate. Such willows can also be very old, because they grow only a few milimeters per year. When their leaves turn reddish yellow they make tundra shine with beautiful autumn colours.

Martina Pichrtová (photo: Tomáš Hájek)

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