Natural area of ​​the Samara region.

The Samara region is located in the middle reaches greatest river Europe - the Volga, on both sides. The region covers an area of ​​about 54 thousand square kilometers. In the north-west it borders with Ulyanovsk, in the south with Saratov, in the east with Orenburg regions, and in the north with the Republic of Tatarstan. In terms of area, the Samara region is larger than such European countries as Denmark, Belgium and Holland. Most of the region's territory (91.9%) lies on the left bank and is called the Volga region. The smaller part is located on the right bank, or in the Volga region. Within the region there are two huge artificial seas - the Kuibyshev and Saratov reservoirs.

The region occupies a convenient geographical position. It is located at the intersection of the greatest waterway and railways, connecting Siberia, the Urals, Far East and Central Asia with central regions countries.

The nature of the Kuibyshev region has many unique and interesting features. There are about 306 natural monuments in the region, 13 of which are of republican significance. Within the region, the Volga makes a large bend, forming the Samara Luka. Along the northern part of the Volga bend stretch the famous Zhiguli Mountains - one of the most picturesque places on the entire East European Plain. The elevated area is the right bank. This includes the Volga Upland with the Zhiguli Mountains.

According to the nature of the relief, the left bank is divided into Low, High and Syrtovoye Trans-Volga regions. The low-lying Trans-Volga region represents ancient Volga terraces, stretched along the bed of the modern river. Volga. High Trans-Volga region is located north of the river. Samara and east of the river. Kondurchi and has the highest elevations reaching 347 m absolute altitude. South of the river Samara extends to the Syrtovoye Trans-Volga region, which is a plain with flat-convex ridges - syrts. The most remarkable place in the region is Samarskaya Luka. Mountainous, highly dissected terrain, deep valleys overgrown with dense vegetation, cliffs and rocks composed of limestones and dolomites, peaks and mounds of original shape made Zhiguli a wonderful corner of the Volga region, valuable not only aesthetically, but also scientifically . Since the Quaternary glacier did not enter the territory of the modern Samara Luka, rare species of plants and animals have been preserved here ice age. For some reason, within the boundaries of Zhiguli, Zhigulevsky was created back in 1927 state reserve. In the rest of the Samara Luka, the State Natural Reserve was formed in 1984 national park“Samarskaya Luka”, the western border of which is the Usinsky Bay.

The Samara region lies on the border between forest and steppe, and its territory is located in two natural zones - forest-steppe and steppe. Shelter forest belts stretch across the Volga steppe for hundreds of kilometers. They provide beneficial influence on the climate and soil cover, protecting it from the destructive effects of erosion.

Huge natural resources our region has. Oil is extracted from the depths of the earth and natural gas, oil shale and sulfur, Construction Materials- gypsum, limestone, crushed stone, as well as chalk, various clays and sands. There are reserves of phosphorites, table salt and other minerals. Various things come to the surface mineral springs. One of them, Sernovodsky, has been known since the time of Peter I. The all-Russian resort of Sergievskie Mineralnye Vody operates on its basis.

Animal world The Samara region is also rich and diverse. Mink and hare, ermine, fox and badger - many valuable animals live on this land. There are wild boar and beaver here, different types birds, many of which are listed in the Red Book. And in the Samarskaya Luka Nature Reserve, famous throughout the country, there are more than 200 species of birds, 54 species of animals, and in reservoirs national park- about 46 species of fish.

The Samara region has turned into a powerful agrarian-industrial complex. In its fields, agricultural workers grow grain, sunflowers, sugar beets, potatoes, vegetables, fruits and other crops. Industrial enterprises in the region produce cars and aircraft, metal-cutting machines, airfield and drilling equipment, agricultural machinery, equipment for cement factories, various instruments, watches, televisions, petrochemical products, phosphorus and nitrogen fertilizers, produce clothing and shoes.

We have a lot from nature. The Volga, “the main street of Russia,” is not only a source of water supply, but also a producer of electricity, which provides power for hundreds of industrial and agricultural enterprises, contributes to the development of culture and improves people’s lives. Soils, natural vegetation, fauna, water resources, mineral wealth - all natural complex our region is used to meet the growing needs of people. From nature, man receives food and other mineral benefits. Nature is a source of satisfaction and aesthetic needs of people. Without nature, our very existence is impossible. That is why it is necessary to constantly take care of the conservation and reproduction of natural resources, of caring for environment. But in order to successfully save native nature, you need to know her well.

Tourists travel around the world to explore countries and their attractions. But there are a lot of interesting things in our native land. For example, the Samara region is famous for its unusual beautiful nature, the diversity of which will amaze even the most experienced traveler.

The Samara region includes three state-protected nature reserves, mountains, coniferous and deciduous forests, countless meadows and fields, places ennobled by man, grandiose buildings, and, of course, natural monuments. The article will list the most popular of them.

Shyryaevo and Zolnoye

One of the most popular routes is short trip to the village of Shiryaevo. To reach everyone interesting places to reach this locality, you need to take a water bus. It departs at 7:40 in summer. The journey to Shiryaev takes two hours. This village is small, so all the places important for the introductory excursion are located close to each other and from the river station. The walking route could be like this:

• Walk through the Monastyrskaya and Camel mountains.
• Drink holy water from a local natural source Stone bowl, next to the chapel.
• Wash your hands in the calcium water of the Wine Spring spring.
• Visit Repin's house, which is now a museum, and also look into the Vdovins' estate.

Another local village, famous for its famous natural monuments, is called Zolnoye. You can find it on the road towards Shiryaevo. This is based locality thanks to oil developments carried out in the middle of the last century. The streets of Zolny are interesting because you can see many houses from the USSR period on them. And Mount Strelnaya, at the foot of which the village is located, is the highlight of the nature of the Samara region. The height of the mountain is only three hundred and fifty meters. There is a hiking trail on it.

Kurgan in Zhiguli and a unique lake

Along the highway to the village of Zhiguli there is the next natural attraction of the Samara region. Photos and descriptions cannot convey all its beauty. You need to see this with your own eyes. Molodetsky Kurgan, two hundred and forty-two meters high, is the most high point Zhiguli mountains. Here the rivers Usa and Volga merge together. Indescribable beauty reveals itself after an hour of climbing to the top of the mound.

Another local settlement called Old Yakushkino has its own natural treasure - always warm lake water. The whole secret is in the karst funnel, from which warm waters hydrogen sulfide source enters the lake. The water here is crystal clear and the colors are mesmerizing. The transparency is one hundred percent, you can see through the surface of the water that there is no life in the lake.

Pinery

The city of Buzuluk is famous for its ancient pine forest, named after the city. It began its history six thousand years ago. This grandiose massif, located in a natural pit, will certainly enchant lovers of natural monuments.

Once upon a time, sea waves roared in this area. Over thousands of years, many landscape changes have occurred. Where there was a sea, hills and mounds appeared, and the tops of ancient mountains sank to the bottom of the ocean. These changes also affected the nature of the Samara region. Photos and names of plants that now grow here, as well as information about the animal world can be seen in the local history museum. Unfortunately, some representatives of flora and fauna have been added to the Red Book of this area. But now a national park has been created here, so both plants and animals have an excellent chance to be preserved for posterity.

Samara Alps and German cave

Another forest reserve is also filled with relict plants, rare animals and interesting stones. The local rocks will surprise you not only with their beauty, but also with their age - they are about twenty million years old. Cracked sandstone is folded into slabs by the nature of the Samara region. The photos of this area are certainly impressive. But they cannot compete with the delight that covers everyone who comes to this unique corner nature. Here you can not only enjoy beautiful views but also to touch such a natural monument as the Rachey Rocks. Moreover, tourists will be interested in a walk to the Rachei boulders, left as a souvenir from the Ice Age.

There are other mountains that adorn the nature of the Samara region. At the beginning of the last century, two brothers with the German surname Greve lived in Samara. One day they went for a walk in the local mountains called Sokoly. But their path was interrupted by a unique find - a cave in which two German boys left an inscription with their last name and the year - 1904. Since then, many scientists have visited these places, but the name of the cave remains - Cave of the Greve Brothers. She turned out to be not a simple creation of nature in the Samara region. Photos describing archaeological finds in the cave can be found in local books on the history of the region. It turned out that there was a tribal camp on this territory in the Bronze Age. Inside the cave they found the remains of an ancient bear's skull. It will be a great challenge and a real adventure for tourists to make their way through the narrow passages of the cave, because in some places you need to literally crawl to get to the dwellings of ancient people.

Ecovillage and tulips

The colorful valley, sheltering green forests and springs, has become home to newfangled eco-tourism. A settlement of three hundred houses was formed among nature. It's called Selitba. It has only 600 inhabitants.

Every year a tulip festival is held in Istanbul. The nature of the Samara region also endowed this area with magnificent spring flowers. To admire them, you need to travel from the regional capital to the south, into the forest-steppe. True, it will not be possible to collect a bouquet, since this type of tulip, which grows in the Samara region, is listed in the local Red Book and is protected by the state. Its name is Schrenk's tulip, and you can leave a memory of such a unique flower only with the help of photography.

Monument to the times of GOELRO

We know what GOELRO is from school and from textbooks on the history of the USSR. This Lenin's program electrification of the country. The local Syzran hydroelectric power station is one of the objects of this plan.

This is not a natural monument, but it fits so succinctly into the landscapes of the Samara region that it is impossible to bypass it. During the war and post-war years, this hydroelectric power station provided electricity to the entire region, in particular to factories that were evacuated. For almost a hundred years now, the Syzran hydroelectric power station has been perfectly performing its functions, supplying water to the population.

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Natural monuments of the Samara region

We offer you a trip around your native land, through the priceless natural attractions of Samara land.

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Samara Luka

The name Samarskaya Luka comes from the geographical name of the area formed by the bend of the Volga River and the Zhigulevsky. Among the plants and animals found here, there are very rare or not found anywhere else species - endemics. There are plants preserved from the pre-glacial period. And in exposed rocks you can observe fossils and imprints of ancient marine organisms. Thick forested areas alternate with steep rocky cliffs going into the water. In the depths of the forests springs with the purest water flow.

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Zhiguli Mountains

Samara Luka has been known to many travelers for a long time thanks to the Zhiguli Mountains, towering above the Volga.

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Mount Strelnaya

The highest point of Zhiguli is Mount Strelnaya (374m above sea level). From its top you can clearly see the Zhigulevsky Nature Reserve.

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Zhigulevskoe Sea

One of the most picturesque places in Samara Luka is located in the upper reaches of the Volga. This is the Samara (formerly Kuibyshev) reservoir or the Zhiguli Sea.

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Molodetsky Kurgan

Sailing along the Samara Reservoir, it is impossible not to pay attention to the silent guardian of the river - this is the Molodetsky Kurgan. Here the Volga once met an impregnable wall of stone and turned east, forming a sharp bend - the Samara Luka.

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Tsarev Kurgan

Unusual name Tsarev Kurgan received from legends. According to one of them, the Tatar Khan, who ascended the Volga and wanted to attack Russia, was buried inside Tsarev Kurgan by 70 princes. But he died here, and his wars brought earth in helmets and shields to his grave and built a high mountain...

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First historical information about the Tsar's Kurgan were described in 1634 in the book of the secretary of the embassy of the Duke of Holstein, Adam Orealia, “Description of a journey to Muscovy and through Muscovy to Persia and back”

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Zhiguli Gate

Where the Volga makes a sharp turn and narrows, falling into the grip of two mountains - Sernaya and Tip-Tyav, the so-called Zhiguli Gates are formed. In this place, the earth's crust subsided and the rocks were destroyed under the pressure of water - the Volga found a shorter route to the Caspian Sea. Mount Sernaya is the highest peak of the Eastern Zhiguli, and Mount Tip-Tyav is the highest among the Sokoli Mountains.

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Greve Brothers Cave

The Sokoly Mountains are known for one of the largest caves in the region by the Greve brothers, who explored it and first described its middle part in 1904. There is a belief that one of the brothers never found a way out of it. The length of the cave is about 300m. The cave is a complex system of passages, galleries, halls, narrow manholes and has several entrances. The main entrance to the cave is located at an altitude of 30m above the level of the Volga. It's very cold inside the cave even in the hottest weather. The walls of one of the cave halls - the Ice Grotto - are covered with a layer of sparkling frost. In the halls of the middle part of the cave you can stand upright - their height is from 3 to 6m, while in others you can only crawl. This cave is also famous for the fact that it was a site for people from the Bronze Age.

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Cave of Stepan Razin

On the right bank of the Volga there is one of the Samarskaya Luka caves. This cave is popularly named after Stepan Razin. The dungeon is shrouded in stories and legends. Legends claim that from this cave Senka Razin’s rebels wanted to break through a through passage underground across the entire Samara Luka. Through such a secret earthen hole they wanted to go out to the Volga somewhere near the Molodetsky Kurgan. Thus, the Razins allegedly wanted to connect the northern bank of the Samara Luka with the southern one. So says the legend. According to this legend, Stepan Razin hid treasures there that tourists still dream of finding. In the depths of the cave, behind a hall about 4 m high. there is some small passage, currently closed with stones. It was he who could serve as a reason for the emergence of popular fiction.

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Stone bowl

Stone bowl is a landscape complex in the Zhiguli Mountains. It is a natural monument and valuable natural object Samara region.

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There are three springs on the slopes of the mountain. This is the only place where pure spring water breaks through on the tops of the Zhiguli. According to legend, the tears of the Mistress of the Zhiguli Mountains flow here, mourning her loneliness. Previously, water flowed down to the junction of the ravines, where it filled a small rock formation. Perhaps that is why the place is called the Stone Bowl.

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Holy spring in the Stone Bowl

With the blessing of Archbishop Sergius of Samara and Syzran, this source is one of the places of pilgrimage for believers seeking to touch the shrine. This spring is like the embodiment of a fairy tale about living water, icy and transparent, giving health and longevity, cleansing the soul and washing away all ailments. That is why many people come here to drink life-giving spring water or swim in the spring to replenish their strength, recharge with vigor and energy.

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Buzuluksky pine forest

The Buzuluksky forest arose on sand dunes and ridges in the Borovka River basin in post-glacial times. About six to seven thousand years ago, island pine and birch forests first appeared here. Subsequently, a continuous pine forest with an undergrowth of deciduous plants arose. It can be assumed that the pure pine forest was formed about three to four thousand years before the present day. The uniqueness of Buzuluksky Bor is in its rare combination of forest, steppe, meadow and swamp communities. Information: Buzuluksky Forest became the third, after the Zhigulevsky Nature Reserve and Samarskaya Luka, specially protected natural area in the Samara region.

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13 species grow in the national park rare plants and is home to 19 species of animals listed in the Red Book of Russia. In total, the fauna of terrestrial vertebrates includes 55 species of mammals, 180 species of birds, 8 species of reptiles, 6 species of amphibians, 24 species of fish.

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Included in the Red List of the World Conservation Union.

White-tailed eagle Peregrine

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Bustard Little Bustard

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Lapwing Russian muskrat

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Guard Hill – Mount Svetelka

One of the attractions. Shigonsky district is Karaulny Hill. This is how mountains and mountains were usually called in the 16th-17th centuries. high places, on which guard patrols were located. Mount Svetelka - that’s what they began to call it when, on the top of the mountain, by order of Count V.P. Orlov-Davydov, a glazed light tower was built. From it one could admire the surroundings for many kilometers around. According to another version, the Nogais in the old days did not allow the Usolites to live in peace, often launching raids on peaceful settlements. Therefore, when going to the field to work, farmers did not know whether they would return home. On Karaulny Bugre, the guards left by the settlers, in the event of an attack by nomads, lit a signal fire so that the peasants would quickly return to the fortress. The height of the mountain is 360 meters. Mount Svetelka is a natural monument of republican significance. Currently, the mountain has gained fame as a place of Power. People come here from all over Russia to recharge with positive energy and make a wish. There is a ski slope on one of the slopes of the mountain. The mountain is the westernmost peak of the Zhiguli Mountains on the left bank of the Usinsky Bay. In clear weather, from the top of the mountain you can see the city of Ulyanovsk, 110 km away from Usolye.

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The state experimental forestry and hunting enterprise (Shigonsky district) is famous for its rich wildlife

deer elk Wolf Fox Boar roe deer hare ducks

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Muransky Bor (Shigonsky district)

Bor stands on a sandy hilly terrace that rises above the floodplain of the Usa River with a slight slope towards the Usinsky Bay. There are protected areas in the Murano Forest, designated as natural monuments. They are interesting because giant pines grow here, their age is 100-160 years. The old pine forest is exceptionally beautiful. Relict (Ice Age) pine and mixed forests with lingonberries and blueberries as part of the Murano Forest. The undergrowth is formed by euonymus warty, young pines, birch and aspen.

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From the author

With deep roots A person is connected with his land, with the place where he was born, lived, and studied. On long years Pictures of native places are preserved in a person’s memory. They live in everyone’s heart, without losing their attractive freshness and bright colors over time. History and culture, everyday life and nature - all this becomes a part of life, introducing us to a high feeling of love for our country. Everyone says: it’s good in Europe! Civilization, nature, Green trees and bushes Bloom at any time of the year. There are no drifts, no frosts, But think, friends, There are no maples or birches, There are only poplars everywhere. They are cared for and cherished in the parks, They are carefully looked after, Dust particles are blown off the leaves, For this there is a paid entrance. Friends, I went to Europe! I saw nature there, But I give preference to Samara rivers and forests. Here is the Volga - mother Slowly Flows, spreading its banks, And beyond the river, of course, are beautiful flowering meadows. I thought about this for a long time, And yet, no matter how you look at it, Even though you go around the whole wide world, But there’s no better place to find!

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Resources:

Vinogradov A.V. Ecological local history of the Samara region. – Samara, GOU SIPKRO, 2006. – 190 p. "Green Book" of the Volga region: Protected natural areas Samara region / comp. A.S. Zakharov, M.S. Gorelov. - Samara: Book. publishing house, 1995. – 352 pp.: ill. Nature of the Kuibyshev region / comp. M.S. Gorelov, V.I. Matveev, A.A. Ustinova. - Kuibyshev: Book. publishing house, 1990. – 464 p. Samara local historian: Collection of historical and local lore / compiled by A.N. Zavalny. – Samara: Book. publishing house, 1994. – 288 p. Samara region: Geography and history, economics and culture. - Samara, 1996. – 670 p.

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Nature of the Samara region

• The Samara region, or rather its nature, is most similar in its characteristics to nature middle zone Russia. However, despite all the similarities, it is unique. It is here, in a small area of ​​territory, that completely different elements can be found natural areas. They can also be found in any part of Russia, except perhaps the far north. There are about 306 natural monuments in the region. And it is in Samara that the famous Zhiguli Mountains are located - the only ones on the Russian Plain. Their peculiarity and value lies in the mineral waters and healing springs that the Samara land has endowed people with.

Flora of the Samara region

The flora of the Samara region is rich and unique. About 20% of the region's territory is occupied by forests. The rest of the territory is occupied by steppe vegetation. The main forest areas are located in the west, east and northeast of the region. These are mainly oak forests, broadleaf forests And pine forests, growing on sandy soils on the left bank of the Volga and along the Samara River. The largest concentration of forests is concentrated in the territory of Samarskaya Luka and in the Zhiguli mountains. In the steppe regions of the Samara region, steppe plants typical of these places grow, such as feather grass, fescue, wormwood, bean grass, thyme, wheatgrass and many others. On the territory of the region there are about 2,000 plant species, among which there are relict ones, as well as narrowly localized endemic species that are not found anywhere else, mainly concentrated in the Zhiguli Mountains.

Fauna of the Samara region

• The fauna of the Samara region is also rich and diverse. Mink and hare, ermine, fox and badger - many valuable animals live on this land. There are wild boar and beaver, different species of birds, many of which are listed in the Red Book. And in the Samarskaya Luka Nature Reserve, famous throughout the country, there are 54 species of animals, and in the reservoirs of the national park there are about 46 species of fish.

Minerals

• The Samara region is rich in minerals, such as oil, gas, oil shale, gypsum, chalk and others.

Rivers of the Samara region

• The rivers of the Samara region can be divided into two groups: the first includes those that are formed far outside the region, without the influence of its physico-geographical and climatic factors, the second is the rivers of local flow that form in the Middle Volga region under the influence of its physico-geographical and climatic conditions . The first group of rivers includes the Volga, which carries its waters through our region. The rivers of the second group are located over a large area and form the river network of Samara and its neighboring regions. The most significant tributaries of the Volga River flowing through the territory of the Samara region are the Samara, Sok, Chagra, Usa, Bezenchuk, Bolshoi Irgiz and Chapaevka rivers.

The climatic conditions of the Samara region are such that on the territory of Samara Luka the forest-steppe should turn into steppe. This is what happens, and Samara Luka can introduce the traveler to both forest-steppe and steppe landscapes. But the rugged Eastern Plateau and the Zhiguli Mountains, cut by wide gorges, create favorable conditions for another landscape, which is the main one here. We are, of course, talking about the forest. The northern slopes of the Zhiguli Mountains are especially favorable for a rich forest stand.

The border of distribution of northern plant species runs along the Samara Luka. These plants are no longer found further south. But there, on Samarskaya Luka, is also the border of the distribution of southern plant species. Such plants no longer grow north of this border. But that's not all. The borders of plants common to the west and east of this place also pass through the territory of Samarskaya Luka. Northern plants those further south are no longer found, those from the south are no longer found to the north, those from the west are not found to the east, and those from the east are not found further to the west. But they are all on Samarskaya Luka. Something cannot be seen either in the north, or in the south, or in the east, or in the west. And on Samarskaya Luka you can see everything. The habitat boundaries of many plant species lie here. And this borderland and the wealth it generates plant kingdom turned Samara Luka into a real natural museum. There are 120 natural monuments, several species of endemics and relics, and a kaleidoscope of plant communities.

How many species does this kaleidoscope include? The data varies: from 1044 to 1100 in different sources. 18 species are listed in the Red Book Russian Federation. 30% of them are found in the territory of the national park, the remaining 70% are distributed both in the territory of the national park and in the Zhigulevsky Nature Reserve. On the one hand, Samarskaya Luka is ready to introduce the traveling tourist to the wealth of species diversity; with plants that are found only here or only on the Volga Upland (of which Samarskaya Luka is a part); with plants preserved on Luka - they are not found in the surrounding area, but are distributed in areas far from Luka.

On the other hand, the number of plants of every fifth species has critical values. These species are on the verge of extinction. From 1927, when the first environmental protection areas began to be organized on Samarskaya Luka, to today 69 plant species disappeared. Huge number! Among them are thin-leaved peony, Tatarian katran, cranberry. They are replaced by other plants, among which weeds dominate.

Katran Tatar.

5 million 300 thousand years ago the Pliocene period began. 1 million 600 thousand years ago it ended. During this period, on the territory of Samarskaya Luka, the commonweed, Cossack juniper, Tatar bark, Podolsk shiverekia, Robert's geranium and other plants grew.

Cossack juniper (photo by Evgeny Chibilev)

What about today? Today these same plants grow on the territory of Samarskaya Luka, having survived all natural changes. They form the core of the most ancient plants of this region. On the territory of the Samara region, the oldest plants are distributed only in the territory of Samara Luka. Why, one might ask, would there be such preferences that other places were not pleased with? It's all about the Akchagyl Sea, which at the end of the Pliocene came to the territory of the present Samara region from the south and destroyed the flora and fauna of that time for hundreds of kilometers around. And only on the elevated and not flooded Luka were many species of plants and animals preserved. They can still be found there today.

IN Quaternary period, which began just when the Pliocene ended, that is, 1 million 600 thousand years ago, one misfortune gave way to another.

The sea was receding, but a glacier began to advance from the north. He did not reach Samara Luka 300 kilometers. But his close presence on Luka was quite noticeable. Many species that today are found here and in areas hundreds of kilometers away were pushed to Luka from the north. These are the so-called boreal nemoral plants: bearberry, Siberian diplasia, Altai anemone, English oak, hazel and others.

Boreal are those plant species that are typical for coniferous forests temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere, that is, for the taiga. Non-moral ones are plants deciduous forests, escaped from glaciations. There are two types of natural zones on Samara Luka: steppe and forest-steppe, there is no taiga here, and broad-leaved forests are represented by azonal (atypical, almost anomalous) landscapes. But there are boreal and nemoral plants here. During the era of glaciation, Samara Luka became a refuge for them. It was in places like Luka that most plant species managed to survive. These plants were saved on Samarskaya Luka during the glaciation, and have remained there to this day. Natural disasters in the form of glaciation and sea transgression became a disaster for the Volga region, but it was they who turned the Samara Luka into a plant museum, a collection of various species.

And on the Samara Luka and the Eastern Plateau there are plants that are found nowhere else but in these places - endemics: Volga carnation, Zhigulevsky euphorbia, Zhigulevsky thyme.

Also carnation Volga

Euphorbia Zhigulevsky

The territory of Samara Luka is included in southern part forest-steppe province of the Eurasian steppe region, simply put, Samara Luka is the southern forest-steppe, or, in any case, it should be. It should, because climatic conditions (the same climatic anomaly that has already been discussed), the characteristics of local soils and the plant communities they say that Samara Luka, in fact, is an island section of the northern forest-steppe, namely the northern one, that has extended to the south. And one of the most serious arguments in favor of recognizing the fact that Samara Luka is a northern forest-steppe is the dominance of forests on the peninsula. It occupies 51.3% of the total area. The northern forest-steppe of the national park consists primarily of landscapes with forest areas: forest-steppe and steppe pine forests, deciduous forests.

But an equally lucrative place in it is occupied by steppes of incredible diversity, including shrub steppes, replaced in certain areas by agricultural lands. And the composition of landscape communities is completed by the unique world of water elements - the world of the floodplain. This is the carpet of landscapes that spreads out before the traveler in the Samarskaya Luka National Park.

Forests filling centuries-old ravines with green; forests covering the tops of the mountains, hanging from their slopes - they are the true decoration of Samara Luka. In the 18th century, these were centuries-old dense forests. Pine forests stretched along the slopes, and birch groves along the wide bottoms of ancient valleys. They were diluted with oak forests and linden forests. But subsequently, all these forests were subjected to repeated cuttings, giving away their strength and beauty to people. Modern forests mostly secondary.

On the slopes and ridges of the Zhiguli Mountains there are small tracts of pine forests with broad-leaved trees. In the first tier there is Scots pine, in the second there are broad-leaved species: pedunculate oak, heart-shaped linden, sycamore maple.

Linden is heart-shaped. Flowers and leaves.

Plato maple

Pine forests grow on the steep slopes of the Zhiguli Mountains with southern exposure. Among the steppe herbs; in which downy sheep, fescue, foot-shaped sedge, and bedstraw intertwine; majestic pine trees rise from the ground. However, majesty often suffers: many trees are gnarled, and often low to 10 - 15 meters. Amazing phenomenon - coniferous forests in the steppes.

Tipchak (photo by Dmitry Oreshkin)

Stop-shaped sedge (photo by Vadim Prokhorov).

If the slopes of the Zhiguli Mountains are not only steep, but also composed of limestone, this means that the conditions here are most favorable for oak forests to grow on them. English oak forms either a low stand of trees or bushes. If the forest is sparse, light, and dry, then the Tatarian maple will dominate the undergrowth. And if steppe grasses come to pine forests, then steppe shrubs come to oak forests: caragana bush (also called yellow acacia), prickly plum (also called thorn bushes, where the rabbit asked not to throw itself). So, although the forests have swallowed up the Samara Luka, their steppe forbs and steppe shrubs still remind us that the forest is here as a guest - as a guest at the steppe.

But this is true primarily for pine and oak landscapes that are quite dry by local standards. In more wet forests the warm breath of the steppe is not so noticeable. These are oak-linden, linden and aspen-birch forests that stretch on the Eastern Plateau.

Oak-linden and linden forests are dominated by two trees: pedunculate oak and cordate linden. The second tier is almost completely occupied by sycamore maple. And only from time to time the naked elm is mixed in with it. Hazel and euonymus warty form a lush, green-filled understory. The ground is covered with a carpet of herbs consisting of hairy sedge, chickweed, and chickweed.

Hazel branch.

Common hazel tree.

photo shorann).

photo Elvir Izmailov).

Common dream flower (photo by engavis).

photo Sergey Appolonov).

Snow-white luxury, bewitching charm in any weather, decoration of any place, including Samarskaya Luka - birch groves interspersed with aspen thickets. Aspen-birch forests are significantly diluted with trees such as heart-shaped linden, sycamore maple, and naked elm.

The forest covers the mountains, fills the ravines, and envelops the Eastern Plateau. But he cannot fill the entire space of Samara Luka. He’s not local here at all, he just came down here from the north to visit. And the full-fledged owner of Luke is the steppes. They already appear in the vegetation cover of arid forests, adjacent to forest herbs in open wet areas, forming meadow steppes or steppe meadows, but fully display all their considerable lush diversity in open spaces Zhiguli Mountains. On the steepest and sun-warmed slopes, tree seedlings do not survive. Here the area is dominated by herbaceous plants - a unique object is preserved here, the pride of the national park - rocky steppes.

Stony steppes - one of the variants of meadow steppes - occupy only 1% of the territory of Samarskaya Luka, but give the park more than half of all plant species that it has. If in an ordinary forest there are 20 different plants per square kilometer, then in the rocky steppe there are 80.

In the Zhiguli Mountains, six species of plants were discovered for the first time, three of them: spurge Zhiguli, sunflower Zhiguli, kachim Zhiguli, are not found anywhere else except in Zhiguli. The ancient relief corresponds to the ancient plant species of the rocky steppes: three-lobed bluegrass, Altai anemone, Lena alyssum, alpine aster, sun-loving Clausia, Podolsk shiverekia and Cossack juniper, preserved only on the territory of the Zhigulevsky Nature Reserve.

Rocky steppes occupy convex parts of the relief. There is no forest there. And there are wonderful views from every site. Due to the wide variety of plants from early spring to late autumn The rocky steppes are covered with one or the other flowers and change this floral outfit almost every week. No matter how many words there are, they are not enough to describe the variety of color outfits and the variety of aromas. These steppes are the most precious exhibit, a diamond in the collection of landscapes of the national park.

Clausia sun-loving (photo by Yuri Semykin)

Do you know what mesophytes are and how they differ from hygrophytes? Mesophytes are those plants that live in conditions with more or less sufficient, but not excessive, amount of water in the soil. This is what distinguishes them from xerophytes, which have adapted to live in arid conditions, and from hygrophytes, which live in waterlogged areas. Mesophytes occupy a golden middle place between hygrophytes and xerophytes. Mesophytes are ordinary deciduous trees and shrubs in temperate latitudes, and most herbaceous plants of forests and meadows, and even some plants of steppes, and even steppes and deserts - ephemerals that grow only during wet spring.

Hygrophytes are plants in humid habitats. They do not have devices that limit water consumption. The stems are long, mechanical tissues are almost undeveloped, and the root system is weak. Therefore, even a slight lack of water causes them to noticeably wilt. But why, in general, do we need these mesophytes and hygrophytes? It's all about the floodplain landscapes of Samara Luka. Closer to the Volga, where the soil is constantly wet, to the point that it squishes underfoot, we will find hygrophytic herbs. A little further, where it is not so humid, there are mesophytic herbs. These are meadows of curly sorrel, comfrey, burnet, swamp grass, and British elecampane.

Canarygrass, awnless brome and creeping wheatgrass have settled in drier areas. But mesophytes and hygrophytes do not give them rest, surrounding them on all sides.

The floodplain is not only floodplain meadows, but also floodplain forests. High humidity is favorable for willow, sedge, elm, and oak forests.

Transition is always interesting, it always gives rise to something unusual. The transition from water to land, floodplain forests and meadows always attract attention with their richness, diversity, unusualness, and unlike anything else: neither the world of the Volga, nor the world of the Zhiguli Mountains. This is its own world - the world of transition from mesophytes to hygrophytes.

In terms of living conditions and structural features, plants with leaves wholly or partially submerged in water or floating on its surface, called hydrophytes, are very close to hygrophytes. One of them is the most beautiful fern - salvinia floating. It is most common in the Saratov Reservoir.

The length of the stem reaches 15 centimeters. Leaves of two types. Oval, densely hairy below and with small warts above, float on the surface. Finely dissected, similar to roots - always under water. What Salvinia looks like roots are leaves, but this plant has no real roots. Underwater leaves – a good place for the spawning of fish and the life of the newly born fry. Salvinia reproduces by spores and lives only for one year. The spores overwinter at the bottom of the reservoir, and on next year New plants are born and will only live for one year, leaving behind new spores. For the sake of its grace and beauty, salvinia is often grown in aquariums.