Botanical Exchange Program: Pereslavl-Zalessky

Sunday, June 19

After a rainstorm last night, we woke up to a clear day with mild temperatures. I had some time before breakfast to walk down to the lakeshore and observe some of the local flora. I spotted a very familiar plant that is in the Perennial Border, Geum rivale. We also found Scleranthus perennis, a unique plant growing just steps from the house on a sandy slope with Sempervivum and Hieracium pilosella.

Hieracium pilosella - hard to see in this picture, but it has really long hairs on its leaves.

Scleranthus perennis

After a wonderful breakfast prepared by Svetlana, we set out toward the Pereslavl Dendrological Garden. First we stopped at the Blue Stone, which is a sacred Pagan rock on the shore of the lake. It is believed to have been transferred to the area with glaciers, but is also believed to hold a magical energy.

The Blue Stone

At the Dendrological Garden, we met Olga Kulikova, the head of the dendrological department and her colleague, Olga, a guide at the garden. The garden is similar to what we call an arboretum. It was founded in 1962 and is 58 hectares in size. Olga first gave us some background on Plescheevo Lake, a glacial lake which is 30,000 years old. The lake and the Garden are part of the Plescheevo Lake National Park.

Olga, a guide at the garden, gives an overview of the lake.

The Garden features trees from around the world grouped by region. North American trees grow well here. Olga pointed out an area with many Quercus rubra seedlings. Another collection of interest was endemic Larix to the far east of Asia, including Larix leptolepis. The understory and meadows in between the trees were also full of beautiful plants. We saw Platanthera bifolia, an endangered orchid that is included in Russia’s Red Book.

Platanthera bifolia

Larix leptolepis

We were very impressed with the interpretation at the Garden. Informational signs were posted near selected trees. One trail related trees to Russian fairy tales, with complimentary sculptures and signage. A new boardwalk was installed last year with interactive exhibits related to the senses.

Fairy tale sculpture

Even Ben couldn't resist petting this cat hanging out by one of the fairy tale houses!

On the new boardwalk, a "bird restaurant" lets visitors view birds up close.

Olga Kulikova

A planting of 120 ecotypes of Picea abies. The research project sought to select the best types for the region's climate. However, the planting has not been monitored in recent years and the Garden has not heard the results of the study.

The town on the shore of the lake is Pereslavl-Zalessky, part of the Golden Ring of Russia, a group of ancient towns surrounding Moscow. After the Garden, we had lunch at Café Botik, which means little boat. The restaurant was in the shape of a boat. Across the road we visited the Boat of Peter I Museum. Peter the Great built ships for Russia’s first navy on Plescheevo Lake. The museum houses the last remaining boat, Fortuna, which was built at the end of the 17^th century.

A fish soup we had for lunch came in crocks covered with dough.

Fortuna

We continued on to St. Nicolas’s convent. After entering the grounds, I tied a skirt over my pants and kept my hat on to cover my head (usually women wear headscarves) as is the custom. The cathedral was beautiful and featured an impressive garden. I loved the plant combinations, particularly peonies that were paired with sage. There was an even a small rockery with a floriferous Aster alpinus, Campanula carpatica and a maroon Lilium.

Aster alpinus to the right, with the Lilium sp in the center front.

Peonies and sage

Yellow peony

Our last stop was the historical center of Pereslavl-Zalessky. The town was founded in 1152, only five years after Moscow. Both cities were founded by Jury Dolgoruky. The Transfiguration Cathedral was built of limestone in the 12^th century as the center of the town. Behind the church is a section of earthern ramparts that surround the old part of the town. We climbed up these ramparts and found a woman grazing her two goats.

Transfiguration Cathedral

Historical goat

On the way back to the house, Vladimir suggested we stop for some roadside botanizing. Though he believes the weather has not produced the best floral display, there was still a lot to see. Agrimonia eupatoria, an important medicinal plant, was just coming into bloom. Leucanthemum vulgare, Knautia arvensis, Campanula persicifolia and the last blooms of Lychnis viscaria also added color to the landscape. It was a great scenic overlook for the lake as well.