Chukotka: Part 7: Mountains

Our Beautiful World

Chukotka

Part 7: Mountains

Animals, birds and flowers on this page:

BIRDS	ANIMALS	FLOWERS
Peregrine falcon, Falco peregrinus	Snowsheep, Ovis nivicola	*Primula, Primula* sp**
	Brown bear, Ursus arctos	Ledge stonecrop, Rhodiola integrifolia
		Snow arnica, Arnica frigida
		Northern arnica, Arnica latifolia

From a rearranged translation of Vladimir Dinets original pages to norwegian, with supplements.

Klikk på flagg for norsk versjon

1	Chukotka - overview
2	Kolyuchin-Island and Tsjuktsjer-Peninsula
3	Coastal spits I
4	Coastal spits II
5	Lowland-tundra I
6	Lowland-tundra II
7	Mountains I
8	Mountains II
9	South of Chukota - Kamchatka, Ussiraland
10	Northern Pacific and East Siberian Sea

Iskaten Range, Chukotka, Russia.

Mountain ranges cover most of Chukotka. Although the highest peaks only reach 1200-1800 m, these extensive,
frigid highlands have little vegetation except in lower parts f the slopes, and are seldom visited by people.


On the summit of Dionisia Mt.

The foothills, however, are full of life. Wildflower blooms here
are among the best in the Arctic, and there's a lot of wildlife

Primula, Primula sp., Dionisia Mt.

Ledge stonecrop , Rhodiola integrifolia, Dionisia Mt.

Primula is a genus of 400–500 species of low-growing herbs in the family Primulaceae. They include primrose,
auricula, cowslip and oxlip. Many species are grown for their ornamental flowers. They are native to the temperate
Northern Hemisphere, south into tropical mountains in Ethiopia, Indonesia and New Guinea, and in temperate
southern South America.

Perennial primulas bloom mostly during the spring; their flowers can be purple, yellow, red, pink, or white.
Generally, they prefer filtered sunlight. Many species are adapted to alpine climates.

The word primula is the Latin feminine diminutive of primus, meaning first (prime), applied to flowers that are among
the first to open in spring.

Primroses are used as food plants by the larvae (caterpillars) of some Lepidoptera species, including
Duke of Burgundy butterfly, Large Yellow Underwing, Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing,
Setaceous Hebrew Character and Silver-ground Carpet.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primula

Rhodiola integrifolia is a species of flowering plant in the stonecrop family known by the common names western
roseroot, king's crown, and ledge stonecrop. It is native to Eurasia and western North America, where it grows in
mountainous habitat in subalpine and alpine climates, including meadows, cliffs, and talus. It is a perennial herb
producing a stout stem from a fleshy, branching caudex, reaching a maximum height near 30 centimeters.

The fleshy leaves are alternately arranged on the stem, widely lance-shaped to oval and pointed, flat but upcurved
toward the tip, reaching 2.5 centimeters long. They are green when new and age to orange, rose, or red.
The inflorescence is a dense cyme of up to 50 flowers with fleshy petals in shades of bright red to deep purple.


Foothills of Iskaten Range near Egvenkinot.

Winter storms fill valleys with deep snow that takes a long time to melt, so summer doesn't come here until July

Snow arnica, Arnica frigida, Iskaten Range.

Northern arnica, Arnica latifolia, Iskaten Range.

Arnica is a genus with about 30 perennial, herbaceous species, belonging to the sunflower family, Asteraceae.
The genus name Arnica may be derived from the Greek arna, "lamb", in reference to the soft, hairy leaves.

This circumboreal and montane (sub-alpine) genus occurs mostly in the temperate regions of western North
America, while two are native to Eurasia (Arnica. angustifolia and Arnica montana).

Iskaten Range.

Great knot, chick,
Calidris tenuirostris,
Iultin.

Plants and animals of the mountains are different from
lowland tundras, although most montane species
sometimes descend to dry, rocky habitats near the sea
level. Rock ptarmigan, Lagopus mutus, replaces
willow ptarmigan, Lagopus. lagopus, at higher elevations, but there's a lot of overlap.
A few waders, such as
great knot (left), and silver voles, Alticola macrotis,
prefer mountains to valleys.
.

Rock ptarmigan chick,
Ichuveem Range


Highlands of Golden Ridge (left) and Dionisia Mt.

Endless talus slopes and rocky outcrops above 500 m also have some wildlife, but it is very difficult to find.

Peregrine falcon, Falco peregrinus, nest, Dionisia Mt.

Peregrine falcon chicks, Dionisia Mt

The rarest creatures of high mountains are the snow sheep. They inhabit remote ridges and cliffs,
but sometimes descend to Alpine meadows. Only a few hundred are left on Chukotka