RUNNER-UP CATEGORY PLANTS AND FUNGI 
Audun Rikardsen|Natures eatable Arctic gould

Name: Audun Rikardsen
Picture title: Natures eatable Arctic gould
Category: Plants and fungi
Nationality: Norway
Occupation: Professor in biology and nature photographer

Technical information
Camera: Canon 5DIV
Lens: 15mm f2.8 Macro Ilowa, flashes
EXIF: 1/40 sek, ISO 1000, f22
Accessories: 2x Canon 600 flashes

Audun Rikardsen says:

Cloudberries are a circumpolar boreal plant, occurring naturally throughout the Northern Hemisphere. In Europe, they grow mostly in the Nordic countries where they are a highly regarded delicacy, often termed the eatable Arctic gold. In earlier times people were protecting their berries in every possible way on their properties and always kept it a secret where they could find them. This is still the case today, but usually in a more civilized way than in previous times…

Despite great demand as a delicacy in the Nordic countries, the cloudberry is not widely cultivated and is primarily a wild plant. In the inland they are usually found up in the mountains and highlands, but at the coast of Northern Norway you can find them all the way down to sea level, as here, on a remote island in the Vestfjord close to Lofoten. Because of the light summer nights in the north, you may pick them also at night, like in this picture. I personally love the taste of these berries, my absolute favorite, and they were all eaten after this picture was taken!

There is no other special relevant information about the photo, rather than using two plaches and a macro wide angle lens.