Stolby Nature Resere: Plants

Siberia in summer contradicts every imagined image conjured up by the word. Devoid of ice and snow, the summer Siberian landscape clothes herself in emerald hues dotted with flecks of whites, reds, purples, and pinks from flowers and berries. Here are some of the beautiful summer plants we encountered on our hikes in Stolby:

A cluster of Campanula flower.

An unknown flower; though the flower cluster reminds me of a clover, the leaves are totally different. The flowers are long and thin, so they’re not slipperwort. They’re also not the correct shape to be foxglove or monkshood.

A cluster of monkshood/Wolf’s Bane (Aconitum) flowers.

Another unknown flower, although from the shape it could be a wild orchid.

Two small Campanula or Adenophora flowers, after a rain.

A lone dew-dipped cowberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea) hangs from its stem.

The autumn colors of this plant pop against the background of green summer foliage.

Small, ever dainty forget-me-nots (Myosotis imitata).

A bee pollinates elderberry flowers (Sambucus sp.)

A small, bell-shaped flower, perhaps another Campanula.

A rather stunning flower, though unknown. Maybe a type of carnation or Dianthus sp.?

A blueberry (Vaccinium)peeks out from the bush.

Flowers of Bupleurum longiradiatum, small perennial shrub whose cousin Bupleurum longifolium is popularly known as an ornamental.

A yellow jewelweed/touch-me-not/balsam (Impatiens noli-tangere) flower.

These dewspun leaves illustrate how jewelweed got its name.

A small flower, possibly Geum aleppicum (Yellow Avens).

A wild thistle (Synurus deltoides) with flowers in bloom.

The unopened puffballs of wild thistle flowers (Synurus deltoides).