Mykhailovychi is a landscape reserve with an area of almost 140 hectares north of Korosten, in the Bekhove forestry. It was created in 2008 to preserve a part of the forest massif with tall pine and birch plantations and a marsh.
Forest
Alder buckthorn and hazel grow in the undergrowth, and under the trees there are lily of the valley, bracken, bilberry, lingonberry, large-flowered foxglove, oregano, and wild strawberries. Plants from the Red Data Book of Ukraine can be found here: Turk's cap lily, bird's-nest orchid, and lesser butterfly-orchid.
Marsh and stream
The most valuable feature of the reserve is a heavily waterlogged open marsh with reedmace, common reed, horsetail, and sedges. Charophyte algae grow underwater — delicate stonewort and fragile stonewort from the Red Data Book. A small river with dams flows through the reserve, its banks overgrown with willows. Wild boars rest here in the heat, mallard ducks live in the marsh, and moose and roe deer inhabit the forest. The inhabitants also include the grass snake.
Tip
It is best to visit in May and June, when the lilies of the valley and orchids are in bloom. Clear-cutting and land reclamation are prohibited in the reserve. Bring tick and mosquito repellents.
How to get there
The reserve lies north of Korosten. Nearby are Polihon, Lozanove, and Khvoshchove Marsh. Learn more in the article about Korosten Raion.
