Nature in Poland
Poland is a beautiful country placed in the middle of Europe. Poland is known for delicious food, for example dumplings or bigos, amber route and incredible diversity of nature.
In our country we can find amazing landscapes by the sea, in the mountains and by the river.
The most typical types of trees in Poland are birch- tree, beech, chestnut and linolen. Plants and trees are very important things in our life, because they produce oxygen and have therapeutic properties and also affect the mood of humans.
When I hear the name of my country , I imagine Polish sea, the mountains, and other beautiful places. Poland is an unusual country with cool capabilities.
Save the marine mammals!
It was a cloudy day. Peter was walking with his dog on the beach of Groningen. Suddenly his dog ran away and started to bark. Peter got his binoculars and tried to see where his dog was going. There was a very young seal lying unmoving near the shoreline without any adult seals. Peter called back his dog, put on a leash and tied the strap around a parasol. As fast as he could, he phoned his nephew, Tom, who worked at the seal centre Pieterburen.
Seals in trouble
There are a lot of seals in the Netherlands. They’re very interesting and beautiful to see. Unfortunately, seals can get in trouble when they’re doing their daily activities. It isn’t uncommon that a seal get stuck in a net or that a young seal loses its mother.If something like that happens, the seal needs a helping hand. Most of the time a seal isn’t able to free itself from a net and a young seal can’t live without a mother because it won’t get food anymore.
Keep your distance
The baby seal found by Peter had lost its mother, too. Peter had some knowledge of seals and what to do when they need help. That’s why he leashed its dog first. It’s very dangerous for the young seal if a dog comes in front of it. A dog can infect the (little) animal. Also, people must keep their distance or they might scare the seal. So Peter requested passers-by to stand back. After a while, Tom arrived.
The seal centre
Tom examined the seal. He found that the seal didn’t have any injuries and it didn’t look ill. However, baby seals can’t live without a mother, so Tom took the animal with him to the seal centre where it had to stay for quite some time. At first, the vets fed the seal, but after a few weeks it needed to learn how to hunt. Actually, it needed to learn everything about living in the wild.
The release
After a few months, the seal had grown up. By now, it’s able to hunt and live on its own. Today the seal will be released into the wild where it can live for the rest of its life. The vets transport the seal in a wooden case to the beach and place it in front of the shoreline. After that, they open the case and release the seal. It’s free!
SOS Dolphin
There are also other kinds of marine mammals living in the Netherlands. These can also get in trouble and might need help. Take the porpoise for example. This is a common mammal in the Dutch seas and sometimes it washes ashore. When you see something like that, you need to call SOS Dolphin. This is a special organization for mammals with a fish tail. Those sorts of mammals can expect the help of SOS Dolphin when they’re in trouble. Orcas, for example, don’t live in Holland. When you see one in the Dutch seas, you need to call SOS Dolphin, too. The members will investigate the reason why it’s here and help the mammal to find its way back home.
Written by:
Daniël Drost,
The Netherlands
NATURE IN OUR COUNTRIES
What is your country known for?
Finland: lakes
Norway: High mountains, deep valleys and northern lights.
Netherlands: tulips, there aren’t any hills or mountains. That isn’t very common in the world.
What is the most typical species of tree in your country?
Finland: pine tree
Norway: Birch
Netherlands: oak tree
Which mammal is the most typical in your country?
Finland: Myodes glareolus (bank vole)
Norway: Moose
Netherlands: wild boar
What do you first think of when you hear the name of the country (if you think of nature)?
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Finland:
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Norway:
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Sweden:
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Portugal:
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Netherlands:
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Finnish:
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Fjords/ deep valleys
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Bears
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Football and hot temperature
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Flowers/ tulips
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Norwegians:
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Huge lakes
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Dutch:
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bears / huge lakes
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The Fjords
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glaciers
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The sea loads of fish
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Pictures:
Finland:
ⓒJari Kanerva
ⓒCOLOURBOX
Finnish people go swimming in the ice cold water.
Norway:
Netherlands:
I didn’t manage to add pictures, so please click on the descriptions and you’ll be sent to the pictures on the Internet that I wanted to add.
Wild boars are the most common animals in the Netherlands.
This is oak fruit from the oak tree.
These are the typical Dutch tulips but you won't find them in the woods or fields.
Made by: Lauri and Ellimari from Finland,
Forests in the Netherlands
When you think of the Netherlands the first things that come to mind are the well-known tulips, cheese and boring polder landscapes and dikes. You wouldn't think that the Netherlands has beautiful forests, but it has and they're very different from each other!
Veluwe
For example in the east of the Netherlands (Province Overijssel) a magnificent forest is situated called the Veluwe. It is very big for Dutch proportions, and it is a pine tree forest. It has wonderful walking routes. If you have been to the Ardennes it looks very similar to that. When you're walking you can spot a variety of animals like swines, deers, foxes and many more. So if you ever visit the Netherlands I would strongly recommend siteseeing the Veluwe!
Oostvaardersplassen
In Lelystad (my hometown), you can visit the Oostvaardersplassen. It is a large man-made nature reserve. It houses many wild animal species like wildhorses, cattle, red deers and sea eagles. You can observe these animals from a close distance. What makes this nature reserve so special is that it doesn't feel Dutch but looks more like Kenia. It is a combination of savanne and forestland. If you want to see something very special I would recommend the Oostvaardersplassen.
Kaapse Bossen
Situated in Utrecht is the Kaapse Bossen, this forest is not as popular as the first two forests but I personally think this one deserves a place here too! The Kaapse Bossen is known for its stunning walking routes. There is also a watchtower with a beautiful view of the forest scenary.
Written by:
Nick Overwater from the Netherlands