Arctic tundra is one of the more interesting and unique things you will ever see. The presence of permafrost a short distance below ground largely prohibits the growth of trees with the except along river and creek banks. Broad expanses of land are left to be covered entirely by small stringy grasses, small bushes, mosses and lichens. As the top layer of the earth begins to thaw in the summer the land takes on the feeling of a giant sponge on top of an endless sea of bowling balls.
A trek across the tundra is slow and difficult going but offers many rewards not limited to the presence of many edible berries. Blueberries, blackberries and salmonberries that you might see on large billowing bushes in other areas of the world grow in a dwarfed manner often right against the ground. Upon closer inspection what, from afar, looks like a large monotonous field of green and brown grass shows itself to be one of the more varied and diverse biomes in the world.
As summer turns to fall the true nature of the tundra becomes more visually apparent. The taller grasses die off, the lichens turn a stark white color and the small plants take on vivid colors similar to fall colors on to perennial trees further south. The fall tundra fields are a striking scene viewed across a distance against the evergreen trees near drainages as well as when examined closely at your feet.
