In the middle of this lake grows a group of 32 cypress trees that reach nearly 98 feet (30 meters) in height. The trees in the lake belong to a species of swamp cypress, Taxodium distichum, which naturally grows in North America and around the Gulf of Mexico. These trees were introduced to Russia in the 1930s as an experiment. The grove in the lake was planted between 1934 and 1935. They rooted well in the warm climate and somehow managed to survive. Swampy areas are natural habitats for this species…
