NATURE OF THE KIZHI SKERRIES

Flora

The main type of vegetation in Karelia is forest. Spruce forests are dominant, and they account for ½ of the wooded area. The area of the wetlands in Zaonezhye is significantly lower that that in the rest of Karelia and account for 10-15%. Meadows are quite common in Zaonezhye. Among them there are a lot of abandoned, overgrown arable land and hay fields.

The fertile soil, mild climate, abundance of moisture, diverse ecological conditions contribute to favorable environment for the development of a variety of rich vegetation. Although the main species of trees, bushes and grass here are similar to those in the adjacent territories, it is amazing how much the forests, meadows and bogs of Zaonezhye differ from the usual northern vegetation communities.

Zaonezhye is classified as specific floristic area of Karelia due to its botanic, geomorphological and climatic characteristics. Zaonezhye can boast many rare plants.

Many plants growing here are in different Red Books. For example, lady's slipper, water lobelia, rockrose are in the Red Book of the USSR. There are over 100 species of Zaonezhye plants in the Red book of Karelia.