Northern Sichuan
The southern section of the Minshan Mountains
A well-known tourist attraction
Many people rush to the geological wonders here
But what few people know is
It is also the area with the most abundant species of ground orchids in China
Here is the Yellow Dragon
▲Jiang Yuebin /photo
Pool water rich in calcium bicarbonate
Calcium carbonate is supersaturated due to carbon dioxide loss
Deposited at the surface becomes porous calcium carbonate
A unique travertine landscape similar to the ground"
Travertine landscape of Huanglong
With travertine side stone dam color pond, travertine waterfall, travertine beach, travertine cave
and travertine springs and other unique karst sedimentary and dissolution landforms as representatives
Due to differences in calcium carbonate saturation and water depth
This results in differences in the absorption and reflection of light by water
This is added to the different colors of the algae grown in the pond
The pool water of the pool is colorful
The colorful pond is located in the uppermost part of the Side Stone Dam Color Pond
It is the largest group of lottery ponds in Huanglonggou
It is also the largest and highest open-air travertine pool group in the world today
▲Winter competition for the colorful pool Jiang Yuebin / photo
When water flows in flakes on a sloping valley floor
Travertine with a fluid state precipitated from it
Known as the Travertine Beach Stream
It is composed of small forms of ripples, layers, and plates
The main body of the Huanglong Travertine Beach Stream rises from the Huanglong Temple in the south
Pass through jinsha paved north to the wash hole waterfall
Due to the loss of the geographical conditions of condensation into pools
The waves of water are flying on the gentle slopes,
At this time, the carbon dioxide in the water escapes quickly
Golden corrugated travertine beaches are deposited under the water
A travertine beach stream landscape is formed
Travertine Falls is another representative sight
It is karst water flowing to steep ridges
Formed along steep ridges
The surface has a travertine body with flowing water forms such as streamlines, rhyolus lines and flow waves
Huanglong's larger travertine waterfalls are in addition to the flying waterfall Liuhui Waterfall
There is also the Wash Cave Waterfall and the Lotus Terrace Flying Waterfall
Of course
Remove the magnificent calcified landscape
Huanglong is also a paradise for animal and plant life
In 2019
Infrared cameras have been photographed many times
The figure of the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca).
▲ Ma Kailiang/Photo
Carpodacus thura emits a sheep-like cry
Jump on the railings of the trail from time to time
▲Xu Minggang /Photo
Spot-tailed hazelnuts and blood pheasants are also regular visitors here
Get up early in the morning
Maybe meet them
Tetrastes sewerzowi Luo Pingzhao / Photo
▲ Blood Pheasant (Ithaginis cruentus) Deng Zhenyan Pei / Photo
Huanglong has well-preserved virgin forests
Mosses and low herbaceous plants grow under the forest
It is also the habitat of certain orchids
Tibetan orchids and yellow-flowered orchids often grow intensively in Huanglonggou
They can be found at the edge of the calcification tank
▲ Cypripedium tibeticum Jiang Yuebin / photo
▲ Huanglong Lilan (C. flavum) Zou Tao/Photo
The Balang Mountain Orchid is named after Mount Balang in the Wolong Conservation Area
It is found in northwestern Sichuan
Huanglong is no exception
However, it is short
It's hard to spot
▲ Barang Shan lan (C. Palangshanense) Zhou Tinghong/Photo
Also known for its small size, calyx orchid
In yellow dragons tend to grow in flakes
Can form a large settlement
Cypripedium plectrochilum Zhou Tinghong/Photo
The flowers of the small flower orchid are smaller than the fingers
It is distributed at a lower elevation in Huanglong
It has elongated creeping rhizomes
It is possible to form a large clump by cloning and reproduction
▲C. small flower orchid (C. Micranthum) Zhou Tinghong/Photo
Aba State, where the Yellow Dragon is located
It is almost the southernmost point of the distribution of Shanxi Orchid
Shanxi Lilan also has only a small settlement in Huanglong
▲Shanxi Lilan (C. Shanxi) Shanxiense) Wang Jin/Photo
Bractless orchid is the first species of orchid to bloom among all the orchids of the Yellow Dragon
It grows luxuriantly in Huanglonggou
It is small in plant
After pollination
The flower leaves will rise high
Facilitates the spread of its seeds
▲Bractless orchid (C. c. bardolphianum) Yang Xianwei/Photo
Budailan lives in semi-shady or shady mossy bushes in the Yellow Dragon Taiga Forest
You need to search carefully to get it
Calypso bulbosa Wang Jin/Photo
The origin of the solitary orchid is more bizarre
It was an accidental discovery during a survey of orchids in the wild
There is only one very small settlement in Huanglong
Less than 20 plants
▲ Changnienia amoena Zhou Tinghong / Photo
Higher altitude areas
There are also many other alpine plants
Every spring and summer
Rhododendrons bloom at high altitudes in Huanglong into a large sea of flowers
Artemisia annua is a regular visitor to the plateau
Often a group of them
▲ Full-margined artemisia (Meconopsis integrifolia) Jiang Yuebin / photo
In the Huanglonggou valley of only 3.6 kilometers
There are more than 70 species of native orchids
and a large number of other wildlife
Remove the magnificent travertine landscape
There's more to focus on here
Stay until the flower season
Welcome to Huanglong
Go on a wildlife date
*Note: The picture is excerpted from the "Minshan-Qionglai Mountain Nature Conservation Axis Image Chronicle (Part 1) Huanglong World Natural Heritage".