Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
General Subjects => Travel / Places to Visit => Topic started by: Oakwood on August 31, 2011, 12:54:05 PM
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My dearest forumists!!! Just returned from Northern Caucasus (Karachayevo-Cherkessia Republic, Russia) where I was climbing the mountains around Arkhyz village (1450 m), situated on Great Zelenchuk river! I put here my pics of visited places in this area, please, enjoy! ;D
1. Arkhyz vicinities - Abishira-Akhuba ridge, 2400-2500 m. Bulbs seen: Lilium monadelphum, Muscari sp., Fritillaria collina, Fritillaria latifolia, Crocus scharojanii, Allium kunthianum.
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2. Kizgych river valley and Tchigordali river and Tchigordali fall. It is very native valley, not far from Arkhyz. The fall is really weak but situated in a narrow gorge. We also passed The Dead lake - beautiful water meadow.
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Sofia river valley and Sofia falls - it is just on border between Russia and Abkhazia. In this valley Crocus vallicola abundantly flower at the end of September.
It is not Epilobium a pink one, this is Chamaenerion angustifolium.
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Small Dukka river valley (1700 m) and Small Dukka high-altitude lakes (2200-2500 m). Bulbs seen: Crocus scharojanii, Lilium monadelphum, Fritillaria collina, Corydalis conorhyza.
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Hello Dimitri, fantastic location and plants, makes me feel envious of your ability to travel there so many thanks for sharing with us.
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Crocus scharojanii biotope in the Small Dukka river valley, 1700 m
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Beriu-Aush Pass, 2400 m, on Abishira-Akhuba ridge. Bulbs seen: Fritillaria collina, Muscari sp., Crocus scharojanii, Lilium monadelphum.
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A beautiful place, Dimitri, and wonderful flowers.
The photograph of the "cocks" of hay brought back childhood memories because it was the children's job to bring these into the farmyard where they were built into a "reek" for storage as winter fodder.
Paddy
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Apparently, Crocus scharojanii, growing on alpine meadows, vegetates all over the year. In the same locality on Beriu-Aush Pass I saw flowering plants, the last season leaves, and last year seed pods with fresh viable seeds I heard crying me "Where are you, HUBI???!!!" ;D ;D ;D This Crocus species corms never loose the roots...
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Just last pic - Kuban' river view near Ust'-Dzheguta city. This area is very rich in Narzan mineral water sources. When you mix a bit of narzan water with fresh cow's milk, you get the local soured milk drink - AIRAN! :P
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Thanks, Melvyn, thanks, Paddy! I'm happy to share with you my Caucasus memories))))
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Fascinating to see Dima; thank you.
Is that a rhododendron (R. caucasicum?) in your first Dukka photograph?
Are these grassy hillsides above the treeline, and are they grazed (e.g. by sheep)? If the latter then maybe not very intensively.
Wonderful crocus :o
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Fascinating to see Dima; thank you.
Is that a rhododendron (R. caucasicum?) in your first Dukka photograph?
Are these grassy hillsides above the treeline, and are they grazed (e.g. by sheep)? If the latter then maybe not very intensively.
Wonderful crocus :o
Hi, Ashley, yes, it is this rhod! and these hillsides are really intensively grazed by sheep....(((
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Thanks again Dima. Great to see a little of this beautiful area that's very hard for most of us to visit, as Mervyn says.
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Super photos, Dima.... you must have really enjoyed this trip.... I am certainly enjoying the pictures here... thank you! 8) 8)
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You're welcome, Ashley!
Maggi - many thanks! Yes, it WAS really great trip! And in the yard where we were staying in Arkhyz, our proprietress held some flowering cactuses)))
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It is one of my great enjoyments of this site that I can see places I have never seen and most likely will never see.
Many thanks, Paddy
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Many thanks, lovely pictures.
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Superb, some day IŽll get there.
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Wonderful pictures Dimitri !!!
Superb views and oh.... the Crocus !!!!!!!! :o :o :o
Thanks so much for showing !
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Dimitri,
fantastic landscapes and mouthwatering images. 8)
Thanks for showing the beauty of this part of the world.
BTW: I'll meet HUBI - you can send me the crocus seed ;);D ;D ;D
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Small Dukka river valley (1700 m) and Small Dukka high-altitude lakes (2200-2500 m). Bulbs seen: Crocus scharojanii, Lilium monadelphum, Fritillaria collina, Corydalis conorhyza.
Dima - Wonderful, magical landscapes! Is that Rhododendron caucasicum in the first three pictures?
Whoops I missed your response and Ashley's question.
johnw
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Thank you so much Dima, for this wonderful journey to the Caucasus, somewhere I'll never be able to go but due to the Forum and your generosity, it's there for me and all of us. A wonderful time you had and a great experience to be remembered always.
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......and last year seed pods with fresh viable seeds I heard crying me "Where are you, HUBI???!!!" .
Hi Dima - this is Tanja, writing for Hubi. He had to go in hospital after watching your photos.
I guess he will contact you later ;D
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What amazing photos of a place I possibly will never visit. The joys of seeing this countryside and then sharing - thankyou so much.
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Many many thanks for all your kind comments - I'm really happy you liked my Caucasian trip pics! the same kind feelings are from my Teberda Zoo brown colleague! ;D ;D
Some odd pics (as Thomas asked me via Tanja, meanwhile he is in the hospital)
me in Rhododendron caucasicum (truly, pic of 2009 year)))
Avalanche lake near Dombay, which spills every year by avalanche and be re-formed by the same avalanche again. Nevertheless, there is trout there always!
Gonachkhir river near Dombay
The peak Dombay-Ul'gen (it means "Dead Bison" by view) with glacier.
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What a wonderful mountain shot to finish with. It looks just like a table.
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Great report - and not just for the crocuses! Normally I would be asking if you collected seed but C scharojanii is not easy here :'(
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Hello Tanya. Welcome to the Forum. Is Thomas really in hospital or was he just so excited by the crocus seed pod pictures that he went into shock? If he is not well, please give him the love and best wishes of all Forumists and our hopes and kindest regards for a speedy recovery. :-* :-* :-*
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Dima - Great shot of you in the R. caucasicums! Do you see any dark yellow forms in the area?
Obviously it needs great drainage. Not a species that does well here for whatever reason, maybe our seasons are not well enough defined. It tends to try to flower in the late autumn as does hybrids of it like 'Cunningham White'.
johnw
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Hello Tanya. Welcome to the Forum. Is Thomas really in hospital or was he just so excited by the crocus seed pod pictures that he went into shock? ......
Hey Lesley, Hubi here - I have rarely felt so well, you really can believe me. It was just to realize the shock that I could not have been with Dima on his trip to see these wonderful meadows of Crocus scharojanii. Sorry if anybody was worried due to not explaning this lame joke adequately :-\
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Hi Dima,
What a fantastic trip to Caucasus! I am green of envy ;D
Thanks for sharing the pics with us. Really amazing these fields of Scharojanii!
Poul
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Dima - Great shot of you in the R. caucasicums! Do you see any dark yellow forms in the area?
Obviously it needs great drainage. Not a species that does well here for whatever reason, maybe our seasons are not well enough defined. It tends to try to flower in the late autumn as does hybrids of it like 'Cunningham White'.
johnw
John, I've never seen them with yellow flowers, only whitish-creamy!
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Thanks, Poul! It was a great trip, really! ;D
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Hello Dimitri!
Thank you for showing these pictures! They gave me sweet memories :)
Did you mention what time of the year you took this trip?
When I visited Caucasus (Baksan valley, Elbrus and the surrounding area) in July some years ago I didn't observe Crocuses or other spring flowers but a lot of other plants of course.
Are you familiar with the flora in that area? (I have some pictures of unknown plants)
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Hello Hoy.
Crocus scharojanii ISN'T spring flowering: It's the only yellow flowering 'autumn' crocus - but to be exact it is a late summer plant, flowering before the winter returns to the high mountain areas where it grows.
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Hi Dima
Fantastic photos, seems like a very good time of the year to go there.
Thanks for sharing.
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A friend told me yesterday that her holiday, last week, to visit the Caucasus mountains was called off because of unrest with Georgia people.
She didnt think I would be interested in where she was going
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Hello Hoy.
Crocus scharojanii ISN'T spring flowering: It's the only yellow flowering 'autumn' crocus - but to be exact it is a late summer plant, flowering before the winter returns to the high mountain areas where it grows.
Oh yes, of course! I had forgotten that. Then I was there to early not to late!
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Dmitry, congratulations on a successful journey! And many thanks for the photos:)
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Much relieved that you are fine Thomas, as will Otto and others be. You will have to arrange your holiday times differently in future. The Caucasus trip that Dima took was certainly a great experience. :D
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Hello Dimitri!
Thank you for showing these pictures! They gave me sweet memories :)
Did you mention what time of the year you took this trip?
When I visited Caucasus (Baksan valley, Elbrus and the surrounding area) in July some years ago I didn't observe Crocuses or other spring flowers but a lot of other plants of course.
Are you familiar with the flora in that area? (I have some pictures of unknown plants)
Hoy! many thanks! C. scharojanii begins to flower from the end July-beginning August till snow cover the area))
I'm familiar with bulbous plants of those area
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Oron, Natalia - thanks for your kind comments! ;) ;)
About holiday in Caucasus, I'm sure it will be much expansive for all people excluding Russians and Ukrainians because of not speaking Russian. As the locals hear other language then Russian, the prices go about three times automatically :'( :'( :-[ :P
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Hoy! I was there this year 7-19 August!
Here below my pics of Elbrus view from Dinnik peak at 3200 m!))) these pics made in 2009 when I was there first time.
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Hello Dimitri!
Thank you for showing these pictures! They gave me sweet memories :)
Did you mention what time of the year you took this trip?
When I visited Caucasus (Baksan valley, Elbrus and the surrounding area) in July some years ago I didn't observe Crocuses or other spring flowers but a lot of other plants of course.
Are you familiar with the flora in that area? (I have some pictures of unknown plants)
Hoy! many thanks! C. scharojanii begins to flower from the end July-beginning August till snow cover the area))
I'm familiar with bulbous plants of those area
How bad I didn't see it :'( I was there in the second week of July. I found a lot of plants, some still unknown (no bulbs). Can I show some in this thread to ask for name?
Hoy! I was there this year 7-19 August!
Here below my pics of Elbrus view from Dinnik peak at 3200 m!))) these pics made in 2009 when I was there first time.
I was a bit higher up then ;) No interesting plants there though.
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Wow! Nice place, Hoy, how the altitude it is on pic?? (even any plants there ;D) Yes, please, put here your plants from your Caucasian trip.
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Wow! Nice place, Hoy, how the altitude it is on pic?? (even any plants there ;D) Yes, please, put here your plants from your Caucasian trip.
Wow! Nice place, Hoy, how the altitude it is on pic?? (even any plants there ;D) Yes, please, put here your plants from your Caucasian trip.
Thanks, Dimitri!
This is the summit of Elbrus, 5642m.
Here are 4 plants that I haven't identified although they shouldn't be difficult ;) I am sorrythat I hadn't much time to take pictures as the aim of the trip was not botanizing but walking :(
Two Asteraceae with a Caryophyllaceae - about 3000m.
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The others are found in the valley bottom, a Campanula, an Epilobium and a Gentiana.
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Elbrus.... it's Great and COOL!!!! chapeau!!!! :o :o
About plants:
the yellow from Asteraceae - Tephroseris karjaginii,
the white Asteraceae - Anthemis iberica,
the white one from Saxifragaceae - Saxifraga mollis (S. sibirica ssp. mollis),
the blue - Gentiana septemfida,
Campanula alliariifolia
It isn't Epilobium a pink one, it is Chamaenerion angustifolium
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Elbrus.... it's Great and COOL!!!! chapeau!!!! :o :o
About plants:
the yellow from Asteraceae - Tephroseris karjaginii,
the white Asteraceae - Anthemis iberica,
the blue - Gentiana septemfida,
there are near 77 Camnpanula species in Caucasus, but this one I would call C. komarovii aff.
It isn't Epilobium a pink one, it is Chamaenerion angustifolium
Thank you :D
I was pretty sure of the Gentiana but I the Chamaenerion was very different from those I am familiar with. The Caucasian ones were shorter and had much more flowers compared to the size than those growing here.
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the yellow from Asteraceae - Tephroseris karjaginii,
the white Asteraceae - Anthemis iberica,
the white one from Saxifragaceae - Saxifraga mollis (S. sibirica ssp. mollis),
the blue - Gentiana septemfida,
Campanula alliariifolia
It isn't Epilobium a pink one, it is Chamaenerion angustifolium
Hoy - I've done it finally!!! ;D ;D
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Hoy - I've done it finally!!! ;D ;D
Congratulations ;) Nice view up there 8) Did you rest at the barrels?
Way up - and down . . .
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Here below my pics of Elbrus view from Dinnik peak at 3200 m!
Lovely photographs, Dimitri, from what must have been a very enjoyable trip; thanks for 'taking us along'. I was wondering, the Dinnik Peak, is that as in Saxifraga dinniki?
Knud
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Wow Zubik thanks so much for sharing images and impressions! I am slightly jealous you were there not with me. ;)
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Wow Zubik thanks so much for sharing images and impressions! I am slightly jealous you were there not with me. ;)
You're always welcome, Olga))) me too - I miss you and our Caucasian Dream-Team)))) See you next weekend!!!!! ;) ;)
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Here below my pics of Elbrus view from Dinnik peak at 3200 m!
Lovely photographs, Dimitri, from what must have been a very enjoyable trip; thanks for 'taking us along'. I was wondering, the Dinnik Peak, is that as in Saxifraga dinniki?
Knud
Hi, Knud! I don't think so)))) Dinnik was a great Caucasian flora researcher!!! there are many geographic, flora and fauna objects named for his honnor.
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Hi, Knud! I don't think so)))) Dinnik was a great Caucasian flora researcher!!! there are many geographic, flora and fauna objects named for his honnor.
Thank you, Dimitri, interesting.
Knud