Fascinating places

A traditional mixed orchard is a paradise for flora and fauna. The species-rich orchards are at their most beautiful in spring. With the first warm rays of sunlight, everything comes alive and makes itself felt. Fruit appears in orchards in summer.

Typical traditional orchard with mixed tree species. It is there, on the outskirts of villages and fields, that various animals find their ideal habitat all year round. In autumn, when there is plenty of food, and in winter, when animals go there to survive frosts and snowstorms.

Hudson Bay in northeastern Canada - here the ice begins to melt exceptionally late, but when it does, the bay becomes a paradise for animals during the short Arctic summer. Long before the drift ice completely melts, the first signs of spring appear on the coast. Migrants arrive in their millions and scatter across the coast in search of food and a place to breed. Arctic terns, as we are talking about them, are a symbol of the far north.

We observe nature, which manages to survive in all seasons. When snow and ice cast a spell over the land, winter in Central Europe shows its most beautiful face. Meanwhile, white splendor has its dark side, as many animals struggle to find food in winter. The mice snuggle comfortably under the snow carpet. It protects them from icy temperatures and hides them from predators. Meanwhile - the deer has no protection against the elements. The fox too. How can he find his prey in an endless sea of ​​white? The world in winter seems like a quiet, isolated place. It's hard to imagine finding anything to eat here. Meanwhile, Mother Nature provides animals even in the harshest winter.

Winter has many faces: unyielding and harsh, but also fascinating and beautiful. Although it is demanding, many animals adapt to cold and ice surprisingly well. The world seems enchanted, but it is only water in the form of ice, frost and snow. Even sharp, exuberant wild boars succumb to the romantic charms of winter. For animals and plants, winter is definitely the most difficult time of the year.

In this episode we will go to the area of ​​Ticino, also known as Ticino. It is the southernmost canton, proud of its majestic mountains and almost Mediterranean climate. It is a region of contrasts and beauty. In the upper parts of Ticina, near Lake Maggiore, the landscape is dominated by dense, virgin forest.

In this part of the series we will look at nature in the Jura Mountains all year round. This mountain range stretches for 340 km from the Rhône arc around Brégnier-Cordon in the southwest, to Baden and Dielsdorf in the Rhine Valley in the northeast.

In this episode we will get to know the Bernese Region, which is one of the most charming regions of Switzerland. It is a habitat for various protected species of animals and plants. The peaks of the Alps regulate the climate, the air from the humid Atlantic collides with the mountain slopes, releasing rains. One of the most beautiful effects of this are mountain lakes.

On the southern side of the Alps, only 3.5 hours' drive from Basel, lies Ticino - a Swiss enclave on the border with Italy, located on Lake Maggiore. Only one fifth of this area belongs to Switzerland, the rest is in Italy. Ticino has Swiss federal law, Swiss francs and prices comparable to national ones. Everything else, however, is Italian: the language, cuisine, culture and temperament.

The Swiss Jura Mountains are more than just a canton, because the mountain region stretches from northeastern Switzerland to Lake Geneva. This is a rugged, unspoilt area that is sparsely populated compared to the rest of the country, and you can certainly find a lot of peace and quiet here.

Graubünden, a region in eastern Switzerland, attracts skiing and snowboarding enthusiasts. It's a picture-perfect winter here - full of sun, frost and snow. It is a treat for people, but a real survival school for animals. Living on a rocky land perpetually covered with ice and snow requires good preparation. However, representatives of fauna are masters of adaptation.

The Bernese Mountains are one of the most charming regions. The Aare River has its source here. It is the longest river, the entire riverbed of which is within the borders of Switzerland. Every year, nearly 260 cubic kilometers of water flows down from the Alps. This is more than 5 times more than in Lake Constance. During the Ice Age, water from the melting Aare glacier carved out as many as seven deep gorges in the rock plateau. One of these gorges is now the bed of the Aare River. For some, this is a disturbing place: the gorge is considered the home of a legendary dragon.

In early March, the nights in Central Europe are still frosty and the trees are bare. As the sun gradually warms up, nature comes to life. The chill of winter can still be felt in the air, but the animal and plant world is already preparing to come to life. The first flocks of returning birds signal a new beginning.

In this episode, we will witness the spring awakening of nature, which, together with the cherry blossoms, appears in all its glory every year in Central Europe. Nature wakes up and signals the time of a new beginning.

In this episode we visit Hudson Bay in Canada. In these parts, polar bears live on pack ice in winter. However, after a long, cold winter, the drift ice begins to break, which means the disappearance of their hunting grounds for polar bears. So what do they do as the temperature rises and the ice melts? How do they spend their summer?

After months of darkness, the sun finally appears. Animals know well that it is worth taking proper advantage of the short Antarctic summer. On many Antarctic islands - including on South Georgia, 2,000 km east of the South American continent, snow and ice are beginning to disappear.