Botanical Reserve “Vyshneva hora” (“Vyshneva Mountain”)

Botanical reserve of national importance in Ukraine.

Іt is located on the territory of Rivne Raion (district), Rivne Oblast (region), near the eastern outskirts of the Horodok Village, northwestward of the city of Rivne.

50.68463, 26.20402

11,3 км

It is located on a chalk hill on the right bank of the Ustia River (left tributary of the Horyn River). The reserve protects approx. 100 species of rare steppe plant species. This is the extreme northwestern part of the steppe in Ukraine. On the southern slopes of the hill the vegetation changes with height. Moisture-loving plants predominate at the foot of the hill, particularly: salvia pratensis, i.e. the meadow clary or meadow sage, filipendula vulgaris, commonly known as dropwort or fern-leaf dropwort, and betonica officinalis, commonly known as common hedgenettle or betony. Steep slopes are covered by steppe vegetation, namely: steppe cherry, carex humilis (also known as dwarf sedge), stipa capillata, festuca valesiaca, i.e. the Volga fescue, and the groups of inula ensifolia and thymus marschallianus. Iris aphylla subspecies hungarica (also known as steppe iris), adonis vernalis, known variously as spring pheasant’s eye, trifolium montanum, also known as the mountain clover, grow here, as well as such rare species as stipa capillata and stipa pennata, common name European feather grass, or Orphan maidenhair, listed in the Red Data Book of Ukraine, an official national red list of the threatened animals, plants and fungi that are protected by the law in Ukraine.

 The top of the mountain, its western, eastern and northern slopes are covered with oak-hornbeam and hornbeam forests.

 An early man site has been discovered on the territory of “Vyshneva Hora”.

Source: Hryshchenko, Yu. M. (2008). Pryrodno-zapovidnyi fond Rivnenskoi oblasti [Nature Reserve Fund of Rivne Oblast] Volynski Oberehy, Rivne (in Ukrainian).