view
View from Mt. Goverla, Ukraine.

Goverla Mountain

Goverla Mountain (2060 m/6900') is the highest in Ukraine. It is located in Eastern Karpaty mountains, not far from the border with Romania. This part of the range is not as high as Southern Karpaty of Romania, or Western Karpaty (Tatry) of Slovakia, but it is less developed, and contains one of Europe's largest wilderness areas, Karpatski Zapovednik, which includes Goverla.

summit
Summit of Mt. Goverla.
summit
View from Mt. Goverla.
The mountain is not a difficult climb. Its summit is covered with Alpine meadows, but the surrounding slopes are mostly a mosaic of subalpine meadows, groves of Dwarf pine (Pinus mugo) and junipers, talus fields, and numerous small lakes. The ridge crest is easy to follow for many miles, and dotted with Romanian border markers from pre-World War II era.
Subalpine meadows, locally called poloniny, are not unlike islands in a vast sea of forests. Many rare plants and animals, such as Carpathian and Alpine newts (Triturus montandoni, T. alpestris), live here. plant
Rock crevasses and cave - habitat of rare and
spectacular luminous moss(Schistostega pennata).
plant
Golden-yellow pasque flower(Pulsatilla
goverlae)
, extremely rare Mt. Goverla endemic.
pig
Headwaters of Black Tisa river.
Rivers originating from Goverla flow east, to Moldova, or south, to Romania, but all of them eventually make their way into Dunai (Danube). Just as Dnepr, Dnestr, Don and other major rivers flowing into the Black Sea, it got its name from ancient Scythian language, where don meant "river". Rivers around Goverla, particularly upper parts of Black Tisa and White Tisa, are usually very clean, and many rare fishes, such as Danube salmon (Hucho hucho), come here to spawn.
At 1000-1900 m (3300-6300'), the Karpaty around Mt. Goverla are covered with dense old-growth coniferous forests, composed almost exclusively of Norway spruce and European silver fir. view
Forests of White Tisa basin,
Karpatski Zapovednik.
tree
Young Norway spruce
(Picea abies).
trees
European silver firs
(Abies alba).
slugs
Rainbow slugs (Beltzia caerulea),
Goverla Mt.
fungi
Parasol mushrooms (Lepiota procera) - largest
in Europe, to 30 cm (1') in diameter.
face
Fire salamander
(Salamander salamander).
These forests are very wet, and shelter many species of fungi, mosses, molluscs and amphibians.
Below 1000 m are deciduous (hardwood) forests, known for beautiful spring flowers, fall colors, and overall floral diversity. They are dominated by European beech (Fagus sylvatica). trees
Beech forest, Karpatski Zapovednik.
plant
Dactylorhiza orchids.
plants Anemones(Anemona nemorosa). plants Honeybell (Pulmonaria angustifolia). plants Snowdrops (Galanthus albus). Most forest flowers bloom from mid-April to early May, before new leaves appear on trees.
flower flower flower
Anemones of Mt. Goverla, left to right: Anemona nemorosa, A. coronaria, A. ranunculoides..
Beech forests have high productivity, and support large populations of herbivorous mammals, such as red deer (Cervus elaphus), wild boar (Sus scrofa), forest mice (Apodemus), and dormice (Gliridae). village
a
village
a
village
European bizons (Bos bonasus).
church church church church
Churches in the vicinity of Yasinya, Karpaty Mountains.
Mt. Goverla area is known for original and well-preserved culture of forest villages, inhabited by Gutsul people. Wooden churches are particularly beautiful here.
church church
Wooden church near Verh-Bogdan,
in the vicinity of Rahov.
church
church
church church
Wooden cross at the entrance
to the churchyard.
Foothills, once covered with oak woodlands, are now mostly converted into fields and pastures. forest
Wet climate dictates the shape
of these haystacks.
forest
Part of wooden house in Mlechin,
in the vicinity of Hust.
forest
Churches near Vorohta,
in the vicinity of Yaremcha.
valley
Narcissus Valley,
in the vicinity of Hust.
flower
Daffodils (Narcissus tenuifolius),
Narcissus Valley.
castle
Old castle on an extinct volcano,
Beregovo.
Among the few remaining areas of native vegetation are Narcissus Valley near Hust, and volcanic slopes near Beregovo.

flowers
Lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis), Mt. Goverla.

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