Delicate Glacier buttercup
Chosen as the emblem of the Malla Strict Nature Reserve, the glacier buttercup (Ranunculus glacialis) is a plant that grows in mountain ranges and Arctic regions. In Finland the only place where the glacier butter grows in in the high fells of Enontekiö. The glacier buttercup is a threatened species of plant that grows in snowbeds and meltwater creeks of the alpine and subalpine zones. It survives in harsh conditions like few other vascular plants can. Indeed, the glacier buttercup has set records in the elevation and northern latitude of its growing sites. In the Alps, the glacier buttercup can grow at elevations of over 4,000 metres. The glacier buttercup is a protected species and picking them is prohibited.
The glacier buttercup is well prepared for the slow onset of summer in snowbeds. Its buds are ready to open the moment that its bed is finally exposed. The snowy white flower turns red as it ages.
Climate warming is a problem for this high fell species. The glacier buttercup has adapted to life in the subalpine zone without having to compete with other species. When the climate warms, other species will begin spreading to higher elevations, but there are no higher growing sites in Finland.
Read more on the range of the glacier buttercup in the Atlas of the Distribution of Vascular Plants in Finland (luomus.fi, in Finnish).
The rare Labrador tiger moth
The rare Labrador tiger moth (Apantesis quenseli) also appears on the emblem for the Malla Strict Nature Reserve. It can be seen flying about the Malla Fells on sunny days in June-July. The species can be easily identified by the light yellowish net pattern on its dark forewings.
Like the glacier buttercup, the Labrador tiger moth is a species found in the Alps and northern fell regions, but its habitat is at a lower point above the treeline and at the top of fell birch zone. The Labrador tiger moth spends two winters as a larva and one as an adult. The larvae feed at least on the Alpine lady's-mantle, but not all of the plants it normally feeds on are known.
Swedish naturalist Conrad Quensel discovered the Labrador tiger moth in Enontekiö in 1791. The discovery was the first in all the world. In 1793, Swedish entomologist Gustaf von Paykull also described the Labrador tiger moth as a new species and named it Grammia quenseli. The species name is a tribute to the first discoverer of the moth. The determination and naming of the species were a success, because the Labrador tiger moth is known by its original name to this day.
Read more about Labrador tiger moth (perhoset.fi, in Finnish)