Something More Than Trees
June in the Finnish forest and the guardians who never left
Hi friend,
What strikes me every year is how difficult it is to say exactly when spring ends and summer begins.
Here in the Nordics, after winter, spring feels obvious when the snow melts and the first leaves appear. And shortly after, the birds return, and the first flowers begin to bloom. Yet the transition into summer is much harder to pinpoint.
One day everything is still emerging and unfolding. New leaves are all shades of green, but feel unfinished somehow. Then, almost without noticing, the forest changes and the greens are deeper, more coherent in their shades. The undergrowth thickens. What was growing now simply is.
Even the weather refuses to give a clear answer. One day it is 12°C and feels like spring. A few days later it is 22°C and the air feels definitely summery. Then the temperature drops again and you find yourself reaching for a jacket and raincoat! The calendar says it is early June, with Midsummer yet to come, but the forest seems to be following its own schedule.
Perhaps that is why I never noticed the exact moment summer arrives. It doesn’t arrive all at once. It gathers slowly around us until one day you step outside and realize that spring has already gone and summer has arrived.
A Green Curtain
Insects are already humming through the fresh air. Life has returned in full force. And with it, the mosquitoes. It is difficult to feel romantic about them. I always feel they limit my freedom to roam the forest.
Birds call non-stop from hidden branches. We even have a few nests in the trees directly surrounding the house.
I spent some time this week simply standing outside - while trying to not get bitten - looking at the forest that surrounds our home. The house itself seems almost hidden now. What was visible in spring has now been almost obscured by leaves and branches as if summer has drawn a green curtain around our house.
The Guardians
Standing there, I found myself thinking about the old stories. When you are surrounded by this much life, it is hard to escape the feeling that the forest is something more than just a collection of trees.
The old Finns spoke of Tapio, whose domain was every tree, path and shadow of the wild wood - and Mielikki, his wife, healer, protector of animals, and a figure of quiet but formidable power in her own right.
Tapio and Mielikki were not distant gods living in another world. They belonged to the forest itself. They were a way of expressing respect for a place that provided shelter, food, and mystery.
Perhaps those stories endured because they reminded people that they were visitors here. We are guests inhabiting this land, and that’s how living in our 100-year old house surrounded by forest makes me feel as well.
And today, when sunlight filters through the birch leaves and the faint scent of spruce drifts through the air, I sometimes feel a trace of that old understanding.
The forest does not belong to me simply because I live in it. I am only passing through, sharing space with countless living things that call it home.
The birds know this.
The insects know this.
The mosquitoes most definitely know this!
Summer in Finland is generous with sights and sounds. It offers long evenings, endless green, birdsong, wildflowers, and forests that seem almost enchanted in the golden evening light.
But every gift comes with a reminder. The mosquitoes arrive on annoyingly buzzing wings to inform us that we are not alone here.
Perhaps they are guardians of the forest too?
From the Finnish Forest with Love,
Iona
I was transported 😍❤️🔥🌲🌲🌲🌲thank you! Mosquitoes don’t like vanilla extract : )
Beautifully said, this really summarize the feeling of Nordic "summer", I was completely in it, here in Sweden is exactly the same. Thanks for sharing, ciao!