In my home, the Vinschgau Valley in the west of South Tyrol, it rarely rains. And when it does, it is little – it is one of the valleys with the least rainfall in the entire Alps. This and the constantly blowing wind create the best conditions for fruit growing – according to www.vinschgau.net there are around 20.5 million apple trees here. Time to look for particularly beautiful blossoming specimens.
Before you read, please note: this post was translated with the help of Deepl.
If you find any errors – please have fun first and then give me a hint.
A large part of these millions clings to less aesthetic concrete columns and thus becomes “alberum betonicum”. The trunks, which are only centimetres thick, are at most self-supporting, it seems to me. The plump fruits of autumn thus become a problem. In addition, protective nets against hail and thin hoses for drip irrigation need to be attached – so there is a lot of technology involved. Anyway: today I’m looking for forgotten trees – those that stand free, wild and somewhere on their own. And at best, they are in blossom.
I will no longer find such plants on the intensively cultivated valley floor. How good that with my SR/F from Zero Motorcycles I have an inconspicuous vehicle for the small – and sometimes closed – back roads of the mountain slopes. I start my search behind the house, ride up my MTB training slope towards Tarnell and let the Zero surf through the slippery hairpin bends of this small farm feeder road that would lead all the way into the Laas Valley. It’s a steep climb and there’s plenty to see – just no flowering trees. I must be too high.
Alberum betonicum –
apple trees with support corset
While turning around, I discover St. Martin’s Church not far from me, standing high above Laas on a moraine hill. Until today I have only seen and photographed it from my garden. Until today. I use the momentum of the descent and ride my Zero up the opposite Sonnenberg towards Allitz. But here, too, I find no blossoms on the trees, instead numerous nests of the pine processionary moth: caterpillars with stinging hairs that can cause lasting itching and allergic reactions when touched.
So I quickly leave again. I roll along the Vinschgau cycle path for kilometres, westwards to Tschengls. The village on the mountain, where a stream has cut its deep gorge, is said to have few hours of sunshine – I doubt this every time I pass it. From the castle high above the village, I look down on the biotope of the Tschengls Au, which is surrounded by extensive apple orchards.
A gravelled farm track leads through the middle of the meadow – there the finely dosed SR/F is completely in its element. I find several strong photo motifs, but no wild trees in blossom here either.
Memories of
crazy Supermoto times
Again, I switch to the other side of the valley, remembering the crazy actions of earlier Supermoto years, which took us up to Tanas via old, overgrown paths. It was always a bit illegal, but – at least for us – endlessly entertaining. Years later, I tried my hand at mountain biking here and failed painfully. But: I find a mighty tree in full bloom where my strength once left me on the bike. Whether it will bear apples, pears or chestnuts in autumn, my non-existent botanical knowledge unfortunately does not tell me.
Wow – a really powerful fellow above Eyrs
I come to rest on an abandoned bench in the middle of the village – in the shade of another blossoming tree. Not far away, on the valley floor, the long lines of the apple industry draw centimetre-precise lines – the tree behind me is allowed to grow as it pleases.
I take the old road to the east; since the construction of the “Laas Straight”, it is only used by apple farmers and insiders who want to avoid the traffic jam on it. But here, too, my search is fruitless. So I take a break at the “Spöttersäulen” – a grateful photo motif.
In the meantime, the sky has closed in and the garage at home is calling louder and louder. Still at an angle, I spot something in bloom out of the corner of my eye, at the foot of the Sisinius-Bichl in Laas. Well, I could have stopped by right at the beginning …
So they still exist, even in the highly thought-out apple country of Vinschgau: old, crippled, bent and wildly grown blossom wonders. The most beautiful one, by the way, is 10 metres from my garage – even if it’s a pear tree. But it doesn’t matter whether it’s an apple or a pear – the main thing is vegetables!
Picture
gallery
And then – right in front of my flat, a blossoming pear tree
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