Mikael, a biologist at Moscow State University, led our excursion into the White Sea archipelago at Kandalaksha Nature Reserve. We boarded a boat that took us to Ryashkov Island research station to observe a tremendous amount of migratory birds and coastal vegetation. The archipelago experiences approximately two tidal regimes per day, and we learned about four separate tidal zone vegetation types:
1. Low tide briefly reveals macrophyte algae. Weird stuff.
2. The mid tidal zone sustains Triglochin maritima, Aster trifolium, Plantago maritima. (All of which are edible. Salty and crisp. Tasty!)
3. The dominant high tide "splash zone" species include Leymus arenarius and Lysimachia maritima.
4. Rocky areas where sand doesn't occur have a totally different association of plants that was described by Mikael as coastal tundra. Viola rupestris, a rare species of Cotoneaster, Sagina procumbens, Thymus serpyllum, and Botrychium boreale, to name a few.
Boarding the беркут (berkoot), the Golden Eagle in English, our boat to Ryashkov.
Ryashkov Island scientific station
Botanizing with Mikhail, learning about the tide zones.
Leymus arenarius with its edible seeds
The encroaching tide into the mid tidal zone
Coastal exploration
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