The tundra lands lie not only close to the South Pole, they can also be found in Yangantau Geopark, which is rich of incredible landscape. On the boundary of the forest and the mountain top the tundra area occurs.
What are tundras
Barren tundra lands are home for low-lying plants, including bushes and small trees that have become dwarfed over the centuries. Their roots do not branch deep into soil, but grow in breadth, covering stones and thin soil like a carpet.
The closer to the forest the more shrub plants, alder and willow can be found. Higher above, where these plants can no longer grow, summer brings a burst of herbs and flowers called alpine vegetation. Alpine vegetation is resistant to cold weather and covers the surface of mountains despite of the hostile element of nature.
When the grass cover ends, mosses and lichens, hardy flora like cushion plants can be seen growing in rock depressions. There is almost no soil there, only boulders that appear due to weathering of rocks by mosses and lichens. These very rare kinds of plants that are hard to come across are found in Yangantau Geopark.
Tundras are characterized by cold climate and low temperatures all year round and the Bashkir tundra is no different. Powerful wind gusts, shining sun and thin air attract mountain tourists there. Some areas are covered with snow; therefore it’s useful to have reliable equipment for hiking. However unexpected blizzard can hit even snow-free places.
It is weathering together with mosses, lichens and special microorganisms that turn the whole rock into a stone run and through the flow of centuries turning it into gentle hills. That is how terraces on the mountains, flat tops and saddle ridges are formed.
Winds turn stones into gravel, where the real wealth of the tundra hides, namely plants and organisms like:
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Blueberries;
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Buzzard;
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Leafy lichen;
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Green mosses;
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Scale lichens.
Wonders of the mountains
The mountains of Bashkortostan will amaze you at your journey from the foothill till the peaks. While climbing, three or four types of terrain with its microclimate, flora and fauna will unfold in front of you. Coniferous, deciduous and mixed forests inhabited by wild animals, treeless planes and bare stones with lizards, flowering grasses and shrubs with thorns, overgrown berries, sharp peaks of mountains and steep cliffs with nests of rare birds. These landscapes, like people, comprise of many different worlds.