TTStoryTime! #7: The romance of Ruska

“Autumn shows us how beautiful it is to let things go.” – Unknown

Goodbye, Summer, time for us to let you go.

Hello September - with all the yearning to let go of unreal things in life and be more present.

September has always been my favorite month, as everything bursts with its last beauty, as if nature has been saving up all year for this grand finale. Without autumn, summer’s growth would never become the harvest; as it is now time for seeds to begin the process for the next life cycle. 

From the moment that the sun kisses the horizon in mid-August, the scenery will soon be seen with brown sugar crusts and cinnamon color leaves, adding a few red flavors on top.

It is so spectacular that Finns have their own word for this natural phenomenon: Ruska.

Is Ruska the best in Lapland?

Ruska comes from the Sami word “ruškat”. It is also close to the Finnish word "ruskea" which means brown. You will hear this a lot among your Finnish friends, referring to when the leaves change colors and the trees are getting ready for a harsh winter.

Ruska does not happen everywhere, only in places with clearly distinguishable seasons. Therefore, Ruska gets more vivid and intense as we go further north, especially in the amazing and wild nature of Lapland.

Ruska starts in the north, so Lapland is one of the earliest (and yes, the best) places to experience it. The occurring time is particularly influenced by the latitude, from the highest point then steady progress to the south. 

Ever wonder why the leaves turn yellow in the autumn?

Short explanation, because of changes in the length of daylight and temperature, the leaves stop their food-making process. This leads to the breakdown of chlorophyll (green pigments found in most leaves), hence green color soon disappears. The other dyes contained in the leaf, such as red anthocyanins, orange-red carotenoids, and yellow xanthophylls, are released. So that’s why you see a vast change of leaf colors in the autumn, thanks to these chemical reactions.

The yellow leaves' cycle is so beautiful, yet very short. I could not forget what Dodinsky once said:

"I hope I can be the autumn leaf, who looked at the sky and lived. And when it was time to leave, gracefully it knew life was a gift."

Best time to see Ruska?

If you are planning your visit to Lapland during the best fall foliage season, you should prepare your camera at the correct time. Geologically, Ruska begins in early September when the days are almost equal parts day and night. The most beautiful leaf colors last only about 10 days in Lapland - according to the second largest Finnish newspaper source. Nevertheless, the colors depend a lot on the temperature and moisture so be sure to double-check the weather before heading out. Particularly, rain and wind can knock leaves down prematurely, thereby shortening the color display at its peak.

Let’s start from the northernmost part of Lapland - Utsjoki - where Midnight Sun and Polar Night occur distinctively. Ruska is usually at its best in the second week of September.

Most likely you will experience the fall foliage somewhere more south than that, for example, Rovaniemi. The beautiful colors of Ruska can be enjoyed for a few days, around 15-20 September. Don’t be late, the majority of leaves might already end their lives at the beginning of October.

If you happen to be around Oulu and Kajaani, prepare your gear and head to your nearest forest between 20 and 25 September. If you are lucky, they are still there during the first weeks of October.

Moving more to the south, you could see noticeable differences. In southern Finland such as Lahti, Tampere, Kouvola, etc, most of the peak time falls in the first week of October. In Helsinki, where I live, I experienced the best Ruska in the middle of October.

What can we do in Lappish Ruska?

I’m glad you asked. It’s the perfect time for a wide variety of outdoor activities. 

Hiking & Biking are indeed the most popular ones as are many paths available for seeing stunning views of Ruska. Landscape photographers will find beautiful spots for their shots, especially up on the hill or near rivers and lakes. 

Also, it’s not too hot as in the winter, tons of fresh air that brings you serenity, and perhaps best of all: no more mosquito army!

Additionally, I’ve been waiting all year long for this harvest season to start with berry and mushroom picking! 

"Freedom to roam"

With its abundance of forests, the Finns believe that everyone living in or visiting Finland should have the freedom to explore wild nature. They even have a phrase to describe this, which is “Freedom to roam (Jokamiehenoikeus)”. In particular, this law allows visitors to fish with a line and rod, pick berries/mushrooms or simply enjoy the recreational use of natural areas - respectfully, of course. As long as you leave no trace, stay away from the private property/protected wildlife areas, all good!

So, what can we find in Finnish forests?

There are more than 50 species of berries growing wild all over the forests, in particular, Bilberries, Lingonberries, and Cranberries are the most popular. In Mid-July, you could even find the queen of forest - Cloudberries in the Ranua area (they even have a festival for it!). 

The picking is of course free of charge thanks to Freedom to roam, so all your hard work will be paid off. But watch out, only roughly 37 species are edible so make sure you know what to look for! 

We will have a post only about picking berries in the near future :) 

In general, nothing could compare to wild berries picked straight from the forest - made from fresh and clean soil without any artificial pesticide.

The same rules apply for mushrooms - you are free to pick them too! There are roughly more than 500 species that are edible in Finnish forests, and many of them are great to eat!

If you’re lucky, you’ll find the most delicious wild mushrooms in Finland - the shiny Golden Chanterelles growing in groups! They tend to grow in the same place for several years, so it is worthwhile to mark the spot and double-check annually.

However, nature is cruel, when there are around 1500 species that are not so good for your digestion and vastly being poisonous. So be careful what you “pick” for!

“As the Finns tend to say, you can eat any mushroom you want, but some of them you can only eat once.” =))

Would you like to experience Ruska in Lapland? <3