The Jura mountains, that mark the western border of Switzerland, peter out as they move west through Baselland and on to Germany in the north. This land is called the 'Jura Table'. The walk from Anwil to Tecknau provides a slice of the villages, agriculture and nature which typify this habitat.
The walk meanders through limestone outcrops and sandstone, reflected by village construction.
Baselland is known for its pome and stone fruits. Last week, when I was in Bordeaux, and out of harm's way, storm Eleanor battered parts of Europe including Switzerland, breaking off branches and trunks.
Between Anwil and Oltingen lies the Tal nature reserve. A wooded and humid valley with a feel of the Jurassic. In fact the Jurassic is named after the Jura, where limestone from this period was first identified.
The warning sign says take this path at your own risk, as there is a chance of falling trees. They're not wrong.
Storm Eleanor was a kitten compared to storm Lothar in December 1999. In an act of environmental enlightenment, the fallen trees from this storm were not cleared but left to rot - to become home for insects and other animals.
The colonized mosses now provide strips of iridescent green across the rotting brown beech leaves of the forest floor.
And there are other winter greens. Bunches of Hart's-tongue fer
ns (Asplenium scolopendrium) luxuriate in damp limestone crevices. 'Hart' is the Old English name for a mature male Red Deer, as in 'White Hart Lane' - the home of Spurs football club. The pattern of sori, where the spores are held, which you can see under the leaf, are thought to look like centipedes - thus the latin name scolopendrium.
Between Wenslingen and Tecknau there is a high waterfall, behind which Brown Long-eared Bats (
Plecotus auritus) roost in the limestone cavities. I need to return in summer to see them fly.
