Remote bog island in Southern Estonia blanketed in blooming irises
In a remote lake in Southern Estonia's Emajõe-Suursooo marshland, a small bog island is covered in blooming Siberian irises, rewarding visitors up for making the watery trek.
The island meadow in Lake Kalli is not easy to reach. Visitors must travel roughly six kilometers by water through Emajõe-Suursoo marshland before making their way through nettles and brush to reach the flower-covered clearing.
Still, those who make the trip are rewarded with dense stands of blooming Siberian irises, the likes of which are rare across the country.
Local nature guide Kristina Traks said residents had long mentioned a rare concentration of the flowers in the area. One winter, she and a companion finally found it.
"Even then, in winter, it was already such a sight with the seed pods rattling in the wind that I came right back the following spring to see them bloom," she recalled.
Traks explained that Siberian irises thrive in wet but not fully submerged conditions in open spaces, but since they also grow in backyard gardens, people will often dig them up in the wild to take home.
"You're not coming here with a shovel, though," she said.
Stable and spreading
Large-scale concentrations of Siberian irises are rare in Estonia, but the Emajõe-Suursoo population appears stable and may even be expanding. Traks added that moose may also be playing a role in its spread.
"Moose actually maintain this meadow, trampling it and browsing shrubs here," she explained.
If weather conditions remain favorable, the Siberian irises in Lake Kalli are expected to remain in bloom through at least next week.
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Editor: Johanna Alvin, Aili Vahtla
