Ruska relief: 35 stunning photos of Finland’s autumn colors
Finland’s climate is notorious for skipping long intermediary periods of warmish spring and fall. Summer turns to… something else pretty quickly. That somefthing else usually happens in September, in Finnish literally “Month of Autumn” (syyskuu).
If you’re out and about in Finnish nature during late September throughout most of October, you might witness ruska. That’s a Finnish word for autumn colored foliage. In many places over the world, ruska puts up quite the show.
But due to the long, dark winter in Finland, ruska really is last call for enjoying nature. Unless you like stumbling around in the cold and dark. Which is totally okay, we’re not judging.
In any case, we went scouting Flickr’s community for some ruska goodness. This writer also pillaged his own archive if Instagram snapshots, for your enjoyment. So, whether you prefer the great outdoors in urban streetscapes or out in the middle of nowhere, we hope we can remind you to at least enjoy a few more strolls outside before the long grey dark sets in.
1. If you’re in luck puddles or lakes might remind you to look up at the trees.
Photo by Marko Ahtisaari2. Lapland is stunning during ruska.
Photo by Kari Siren3. But so are all the lush suburbs all around the country. This view is from a high-rise building in Vuosaari in Helsinki.
Photo by Timo Newton-Syms4. I prefer staying in my inner city hoods, around Kallio and Vallila. But not because of some pretense of hipness…
Photo by Thomas Nybergh5. …but because it’s going to retain a sense of place when ruska is over and fall is at its worst.
Photo by Thomas Nybergh6. To each their own. But the point is: nature lovers, don’t waste a minute of this.
Photo by Alexander Savin7. Anyway, you can’t get this in the cities.
Photo by Alexander Savin8. However, nothing will stop you from enjoying wild cloud formations wherever you can see the sky.
Photo by Alexander Savin9. Seriously, these skies are quite something.
Photo by Alexander Savin10. Let’s cut the BS though, we were talking about autumn colors, ruska.
Photo by Jaakko Hakulinen11. Again, available wherever they haven’t cut down the trees.
Photo by Thomas Nybergh12. Autumn colors are caused by the process during which chlorophyll levels decrease in leaves.
Photo by Nestori Virtanen13. Chlorophyll, the bringer of greenery, and an essential component of photosynthesis, is replaced by cork cells as sunlight and wamth decreases.
Photo by Thomas Nybergh14. Eventually leaves drop. Without photosynthesis, they’re redundant. So, unless you have matching facades, get your nice photos taken while the leaves haven’t yet fallen.
Photo by Anssi Koskinen15. Eventually, the end result is this: naked trees, with leaves in a slowly decomposing brown mess.
Photo by sushipumpum16. Luckily, some trees stay green.
Photo by Kallu17. So, if you notice moments post August 15 that pass for summer, be mindful and savor them.
Photo by Thomas Nybergh18. One week, you’ll be out and about and enjoying everything about your surroundings.
Photo by Thomas Nybergh19. Then, it’ll suddenly get rainy, in a way that just feels chilling.
Photo by Thomas Nybergh20. And before you know it, you’ll just forget to enjoy your everyday surroundings. Moving outdoors becomes a tiresome chore, one which requires preparation.
Photo by Thomas Nybergh21. Sure, those August and September sunsets are quite something.
Photo by Thomas Nybergh22. They almost make you appreciate the looming darkness.
Photo by Timo Anttila23. But by early November, a handful of pretty sunsets are among the few outposts of sanity you’ll have left. In Helsinki, you’ll miss the show if you don’t leave work between 4 and 5 pm. Farther up north, any typical office gig will leave you out of daylight.
Photo by Thomas Nybergh24. With my brain chemistry, only something like this furball can force me to leave the house while there’s light around noon on November weekends.
Photo by Thomas Nybergh25. But of course, outdoorsy people will crawl the forests for some last edible berries or mushrooms.
Photo by Ville .fi26. Or they’ll be using their inexplicable energy, to take some last sips of whatever magic takes place at summer cottages.
Photo by Ville .fi27. Make no mistake, to take a photo like this, you’ll need to get our in the middle of nowhere and be prepared for the freezing cold as soon as you’re not in direct sunlight.
Photo by Alexander Savin28. Here, a regular human just sees a weird big rock, maybe with some understanding that the ice age dragged it there. Outdoorsy folks probably measure it up as potential shelter or whatever.
Photo by Alexander Savin29. Personally, I prefer everyday scenes like these, and muttering about things like ugly elevated highway bridges.
Photo by Thomas Nybergh30. Luckily I can get dramatic shots like this one just a fifteen minute walk away from my house.
Photo by Thomas Nybergh31. Again, with the clouds.
Photo by Thomas Nybergh32. And I much prefer to spend the silver hour on my way home.
Photo by Thomas Nybergh33. When darkness falls, I want to be real close to home.
Photo by Thomas Nybergh34. This is the kind of nature sightings I like in fall: old NYC style taxis with campaign stickers for Dick Nixon.
Photo by Thomas Nybergh35. Anyway, time to head out before everything looks like this.
Photo by Thomas NyberghThomas Nybergh is a writer and producer for Ink Tank Media in Helsinki. He’s really into topics like information security, but he writes about anything. Occasionally, Thomas gets around to sharing photos on Instagram.
Thomas also co-hosts and produces a podcast based on Very Finnish Problems, the social media sensation.
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e in Britain are blessed with a countryside full of tress and hedgerows and so the Automnal colurs are probably taken for granted to some degree. However, whether here or anywhere else, nature and its ‘colour-palate’ of countryside is a gift to be apreciated!