In subarctic and polar environments
Siberia means the Far North. All along the northern coasts, from arctic to subarctic zones, you find yourself in tundra. Permafrost (this permanent and sometimes very deep layer of ice), lightning summers and winters with polar temperatures favour the blossoming of short and extremely resistant vegetation. Mostly herbaceous plants (rush, fern) and grasses, mosses, lichens and shrubs, such as cranberries, heathers or rhododendrons ( sagan-dayla is widely consumed as an infusion and is known for its tonic action). Rainfall, although rare, varies from one region to another, giving rise to more or less dry to peaty environments. Hence the presence of specimens of tiny, creeping trees, such as polar/arctic willow (2-9 cm high) or dwarf birch (1 m maximum). In spring, various flowers are observed, including Maydell's oxytrope (yellow) and Pyrola grandiflora
(pink to reddish). There are many grazing animals in these extreme regions: musk oxen, reindeer, elk. Carnivores include the blue (or polar) fox, the wolf, and the snowy owl, a large white bird of prey with yellow eyes. By the seashore, you may be lucky enough to admire the seal, the walrus (always more impressive than you might think, weighing 1,000 kg and measuring 4.10 m in length) and their large predator, the polar bear. To the east, in the Aleutian Islands and Kamchatka, the sea otter is abundant thanks to its fur, which allows it to navigate cold waters almost continuously. The Bering, Okhotsk and Japanese seas, though cold, benefit from some warmth from the Pacific. At the crossroads of these currents, krill and plankton abound, making the area particularly rich in fish. Large cetaceans (killer whales, whales), salmonids (salmon, kijoutch) and gadids (navaga) proliferate here, as do herring and halibut. Beware in the Sea of Japan of the king crab. It is the crustacean par excellence, flamboyant in many ways. Its size (1.5 m wingspan), its weight (10 kg), its red colour and... its price (about 250 €/kg) make it a very sought-after dish. It is also the cause of a major ecological incident: extracted from its natural habitat in the 1960s, it has spread as far as Norway, an ecosystem where it has no predators. You can enjoy it fresh in Vladivostok (in the Far East and other regions, the annual Catch Your Crab festival, "ДЕРЖИ КРАБА", is organized by dozens of restaurant owners. In October).In the forest
As far as the eye can see! The taiga is a huge ring of greenery that runs discontinuously around the globe in the northern part of the Northern Hemisphere. This forested area, also known as the boreal, occupies a large part of Russian space from the Urals to the Far East. This is the specificity of Siberia, where you are confronted with not one, but many taigas, with heterogeneous climates, landscapes and ecosystems. The taiga is characterised by a more or less harsh continental climate: it has a humid soil with permanent frost (permafrost), less snow cover and a longer or shorter frost period (up to -25°C on average). The summer can be warm (up to 30-35°C), during which time the taiga naturally renews itself in the form of spectacular fires. 2018 was the year of all records, with the destruction of 3.2 million hectares of forest as a result of a warmer and longer summer
In Siberia, when you say taiga, you say first of all coniferous. Pines, firs, spruces, cedars stand in majority, interspersed with deciduous trees (birches and alders). In this ensemble reigns, imperial, the larch (50 m high and 1 m in diameter for the oldest specimens), which yellows and loses its needles in winter. So the autumn journey is worth the detour: the taiga is sprinkled with gold. Other endemic, more sparse species are found: the centuries-old oak, poplar, Manchurian walnut, Mongolian hornbeam, white, black and yellow maples, iron and Japanese birch
East of the Yenisei River in eastern Siberia, the taiga is getting lighter. The Dahurian larch proliferates, a species that breaks all records. Latitude, first of all (as far as the Khatanga valley, Krasnoyarsk krai), and resistance to cold (recorded in the north of Yakutia/Sahka Republic). Still in Yakutia, you notice a less dense taiga, inside which the sun penetrates. Lichens, mushrooms (lactic, boletus, amanites among others), medicinal herbs and berries proliferate there, such as blueberries, lingonberries and marsh lingonberries, raspberries. Other taigas differ from the classic boreal model. The leafy taiga of the Altai, for example, is composed of spruces, pines, aspens and interspersed with clearings lined with tall grasses (up to 2 m high). Above all, in the Far East, the taiga of Oussouri, with its lush jungle-like air. Here one can observe Asian putiers, yellow acacias, jasmines, rosehips, myrtles, hawthorns, rhododendrons, fruit trees (including apricot trees); around the snaking trunks are field peas, Persian solanaceous plants and vines of Love; giant species, such as the Far Eastern perennial yew (10 m high; 1 m in circumference), or the poplar (25 m high; 4.5 m in circumference). Ferns, irises, bellflowers, lilies of the valley or black henbane (a poisonous flower containing alkaloids, associated with shamanic rituals) dress the undergrowth
Inside these deep forests hide small and large mammals. The list has something to make you dream: furry animals (sable, ermines, lynx, ordinary and red wolves, which made the fortune of the first Siberian trading posts, such as Irkutsk), bears, antelopes, reindeer, deer, elk, wild boar, gluttons, Siberian muskrats, skunks, raccoon dogs (upstream of the Amur and Oussouri rivers, in wetlands; also called Oussouri mute dogs) among others! The Far East also stands out for its fauna, since it conceals many rare, almost legendary, bugs... Among them, the Amur leopard and the Amur tiger, living in the wild in the kraïs of Khabarovsk and the Primorié. 300 kg, up to 4 m in length, His Majesty, long decimated, has been protected since 1936
They are numerous to cross in the air: cranes, grouse, geese, ducks, swans, grouse. High above, the golden eagle, known as Kamtschatica, flies over her hunting territory. You have probably spotted it, because its wingspan is exceptional (up to 2 m between the wings and a weight of 10 kg): agile, it stings with its talons spread out, towards prey of varying sizes, from rodents to young deer! It is one of the great mythological figures venerated in Buryatia, of which it is one of the totems (you can see a multitude of representations in the island of Olkhon). In the heart of the dark taigas, and also in Eastern Siberia, there is a strange sedentary bird, the dikucha (Falcipennis Elliot). Its peculiarities? Apart from its size (up to 40 cm), it hides in the forest to escape from its predators... without fleeing from the approach of a visitor
Do you know the nerpa? It is the smallest species of seal; it evolves all over the basin of Lake Baikal, particularly in the Ouchkani Islands in June. Fishing (and fish lovers), count on several endemic and... tasty species: golomyanka (deep-sea fish, small in size, it is composed of 45% fat. It is eaten fried), grayling (smoked, grilled), taimen, trout (some specimens measure up to 1.9 m), sturgeons, pikes, lavarets and of course omul, supposedly forbidden for fishing, but which can be found on every table. To taste fresh, quality fish, go to the central market in Listvianka, a popular seaside resort for the citizens of Irkutsk. Don't miss sagudai, a local speciality made from raw fish, onions, salt and pepper.
Finally, the taiga is a haven for stinging insects. Wasps, horseflies, oestrus, spiders and especially ticks are particularly virulent. During your walks in the forest, even near the city, cover yourself completely: socks, closed shoes, long sleeves and trousers.
On the steppe
Change of scenery. The steppe discontinuously encircles most of southern Siberia, from the Urals to the Far East. It is interrupted by the Altai Mountains and the Saian Mountains, between the Yenissei River and the southeast of Lake Baikal. This third environment consists of temperate grasslands, bushes and savannahs, i.e. huge grassy areas without trees. Here too rainfall is regionally dependent, giving rise to varied landscapes such as tree-covered steppe (bordering the taiga) and bush steppe among others. Neither particularly arid, nor a priori humid, the steppe is an unstable universe, with a softened continental climate, but with a rather phenomenal thermal amplitude between winter and summer. The steppe is an open environment, an environment that can be explained by natural phenomena: summer forest fires, destructive but necessary, which prevent the formation of trees; the proliferation of wild or livestock herds. You cross it for example on the road to Olkhon Island, from the village of Yelancy, where the landscape changes abruptly! Open your eyes: in the distance you will see a herd of horses, bred for meat. They are much rarer, yet they are there, goitre gazelles, white-tailed gazelles and saiga antelopes. Among the cervids are the red deer, the sika deer and the Siberian roe deer, larger than its European cousin. Its jumps can reach up to 15 meters! The steppe is the preferred terrain for many rodents, the Siberian (southern Urals) and grey (Altai) marmots, the variable hare, the pika, this amusing little rodent with round ears. Russian hamster, gerboise, lagurus, and rat mice, strange underground and blind rodents, are also the (invisible) people of the steppe. Wolves and foxes are the main predators, as well as the endangered Great Bustard. About birds, therefore, the great Siberian steppes are flown over by the damselfly crane, white and black, smaller than the crane (you can hear its cry, very powerful, if it is carried by the wind, more than 2 km away), the shelduck shelduck, the Sociable Lapwing (a highly endangered wader species), the Golden Eagle, the Steppe Eagle, the Saker Falcon (which nests in Siberia) or the amazing Roselin Starling, with, as its name suggests, partly pink plumage. Finally, in the southwest of western Siberia, inside the green meadows, there is a fantastic creature: the karakurt, the black spider, with thirteen red dots on its back. Beware, it is as beautiful as it is poisonous. Its sting can be fatal to animals and humans alike.
