What animals inhabit the Orenburg region? Orenburg region: nature, industry, attractions.

The nature of which impresses with its beauty is considered one of best places in Russia for a quiet family vacation. Unique monuments, high mountains, unusual rocks, lakes, forests - all these are the main attractions of the region. Every traveler should see the wonders of nature in the Orenburg region at least once in their life!

State reserve

The Orenburg region, whose nature is famous for its beautiful landscapes, reservoirs and unique representatives of flora and fauna, is a favorite holiday destination among tourists from many countries of Eastern Europe. There are several protected areas in this region.

The Orenburg State Reserve is the largest reserve in the steppe regions of the Southern Urals and Trans-Volga region. The protected area includes 4 sections. Let's look at these Orenburg region in more detail.

Talovskaya steppe

This is a zone of dry steppes and saline soils. On the territory of the site grow rare representatives flora: beautiful feather grass and other species listed in the Red Book. These places become especially picturesque in May, when the plains are covered with a beautiful carpet of flowering plants. In addition, the Talovskaya steppe is famous for its unique historical monument. There is a Sarmatian burial mound here.

Burtinskaya steppe

Protected areas and nature of the Orenburg region are what this region is famous for amazing land. Burtinskaya steppe - most beautiful region, the pride of local residents. This site state reserve located between the Ural and Ilek rivers. This territory is home to such rare fauna as little bustard, steppe eagle, buzzard, lapwing, etc.

The Burtin steppe is a place where the most beautiful and unique natural objects of the Orenburg region are located.

Aituar steppe

The Aituar steppe is the most beautiful part of the Orenburg Nature Reserve. Unique natural objects are located on its territory. The Aituar steppe is famous for its unique landscape - a combination of mountain ranges and gullies.

• Balka Zharyk is an unusual geological object. It is located in the central part of the Aituar steppe.
• Shinbutak Balka is famous for its rocky outcrops.
• On the territory of the Karagashty tract grows the orchis orchis plant, which is listed in the Red Book.
• Shaitan Mountain is a beautiful limestone mountain on the banks of the Ural River.
• Kurgan burial grounds belonging to late nomadic tribes of the Middle Ages.

Ashchisay steppe

The Ashchisay steppe is a unique natural area, which has been almost unaffected by humans throughout its existence. Rare representatives of the fauna live in these places: steppe eagle, mute swan, buzzard, little bustard. There are several unique natural objects on the territory of the steppe:

• Lake Zhurmankol - habitat rare birds, in particular the mute swan.
• A mound from the Middle Ages that belonged to the Late Nomad tribes.

Lakes of Sol-Iletsk

For people who prefer traveling with their family, the Orenburg region will be their favorite vacation spot. The nature of this region is amazingly rich, and its main advantage is the lakes.

Sol-Iletsk has long earned the reputation of being the most beautiful. It is located on the shore of the huge Lake Razval. In ancient times there were springs in this place table salt. In the 18th century, the development of the salt dome began, during which a huge lake was formed on the territory of Sol-Iletsk. Razval is famous for its healing water. Swimming in this lake is recommended for people with skin diseases and musculoskeletal disorders. It should be noted that the water in Razval is very cold, but it does not freeze even in winter.

There are other bodies of water on the territory of Sol-Iletsk. Lake Dunino is famous for its healing waters, which have a sedative effect.

Mud baths are very popular among tourists. Feel healing power You can get organic mud by visiting Lake Tuzluchnoe.

Buzuluksky pine forest

The nature of the photos presented in the article impresses with its uniqueness and beauty. This is confirmed by the Buzuluksky forest. This huge forest area is located in the Orenburg and Samara regions. City dwellers love to relax in this amazing place. After all, this is where you can forget about city ​​bustle and enjoy the beautiful nature.

Most of the territory of the Buzuluksky forest is occupied by grass and mossy pine forests. They grow here rare trees, shrubs and herbs.

Mountains of the Orenburg region

• Mount Colonel is the most famous natural attraction of the city of Orsk (Orenburg region). The nature here is amazingly beautiful. Small hills rise above quiet river Oryu. In addition, this place is famous for its unique deposits of jasper (a semi-precious multi-colored stone).
• The Guberlinsky Mountains are located near the city of Orsk, in the southeastern part of the Southern Urals. Springs with crystal clear healing water originate here.
• Red Mountain, located on the shore, is considered a unique monument of the Orenburg region. The life-size Belogorsk fortress was built here.
• Mount Camel is located near the village. Donskoy. IN last years the hill is used for hang gliding purposes.

Reservoirs

• The Iriklinskoye Reservoir is one of the largest reservoirs of artificial origin in the Urals. It is considered a real landmark of the Orenburg region. The Iriklinskaya hydroelectric power station operates on the reservoir.
• The Kumak reservoir is slightly smaller in size than the Iriklinsky reservoir. This artificial reservoir has become a favorite place for local residents. Sandy beaches, crystal clear water, interesting geological objects - all this creates excellent conditions for summer holiday. In addition, there is a lot of fish in the reservoir, so hundreds of fishermen come here every year.
• The Sakmara River is ideal for water tourism. Fast current, pure water, many tributaries - all this is excellent for rafting.
• The Urals are the most large river Orenburg region. It originates in the Republic of Bashkortostan, then continues its path through Russia and Kazakhstan and flows into the Caspian Sea. In the past, the river was navigable, but has now lost its strategic importance. Today the Urals are a favorite place for swimming for residents of the Orenburg region and tourists.

The Orenburg region is located in the southeast of Russia, at the point where Europe and Asia meet. This is one of the largest Russian regions, located on the southeastern edge of the East European Plain and covering the southern part of the Urals with the southern Trans-Urals. In the west it borders with the Samara region, in the north-west it neighbors with Tatarstan, in the north from the Ik River to the Urals with Bashkortostan, and in the north-east with Chelyabinsk region. In the east and south, the Orenburg region adjoins Kazakhstan. In the southern part of the region, the desert landscape is dominant, in the north forests and mountains prevail, and in the central and eastern parts there are endless Orenburg steppes.

Flora of the Orenburg region

The Orenburg region is largely characterized by grassy, ​​steppe vegetation. Only about four percent of the total area of ​​the region is occupied by forest. Mainly conifers: pine and larch. Among broadleaf species English oak, linden, maple and elm trees are common. Small-leaved trees include birch, poplar, aspen, willow, and alder. In the southern part of the region, Siberian larch, hazel, and euonymus are found. In the north, Caspian willow, silver elk, juzgun, and tamarix grow. Typical steppe plants are feather grass, wormwood, fescue and thyme, as well as cloves and desert sheep.

Among medicinal plants, growing in the region, we can mention licorice, small-leaved linden, buckthorn, St. John's wort, medicinal valerian, knotweed, kupena, oregano, lily of the valley and many other plants. Wild fruit-bearing plants and shrubs are represented by strawberries, blackberries, steppe cherries, drupes, prickly plums, rose hips, and Siberian hogweed. Among the honey plants, it is worth mentioning caragana tree and shrubby caragana, mountain ash, viburnum, willow, dandelion, coltsfoot, steppe strawberry, small-leaved linden, sweet clover, mouse pea, chicory, thistle, etc. Among the essential oil plants, sweet bison grows here , different kinds thyme, wormwood, peppermint, woodruff.

The grass swamps hide extremely rare plant"insectivorous" sundew. Also there you can find the equally rare multi-spike cotton grass and the relict club moss. The Red Book lists eight species of orchids growing in the Orenburg region, as well as the Schrenck tulip and Russian hazel grouse. Among the forest herbs, the locust (curly lily) and lady's slipper occasionally please the eye.

Common shrubs include: hazel, euonymus, and wolf's bast. The Orenburg region is famous for its richest natural collection of mosses and lichens, among which you can find varied marchantia, sphagnum, cladonia, bearded lichens hanging from trees and many others.

Fauna of the Orenburg region

There are over eighty species of mammals in the Orenburg region. Almost everywhere there are common and long-eared hedgehogs. The Russian muskrat still survives in the Ural floodplain. The north is home to many rodents: moles, shrews, hamsters and rats. There are bats. There are squirrels in the forest. In the steppe, vegetable gardens and arable fields, ground squirrels and marmots are often found. Beavers, water rats and muskrats live along the banks of reservoirs. Permanent inhabitants of the steppes: field mice, steppe pikas, jerboas, and in the forests: little mice, wood mice and yellow-throated mice. In the western Orenbuzhye you can see the forest dormouse.

The objects of hunting are the brown hare and the white hare, wolves, foxes and steppe corsacs. It is extremely rare to see a brown bear living in the forests of Shaitantau and Maly Nakas. Among the mustelids in the Orenburg region you can see the badger, ermine, pine marten, polecat, weasel, European and American mink, and river otter. Lynxes live in some southern areas. Licensed hunting is carried out for forest-dwelling wild boars, roe deer, elk, and red deer. In the southeastern regions of the Orenburg region there are small herds of steppe saigas. Large colonies of steppe marmots have been preserved in the Orenburg Trans-Urals.

Among the birds, the typical inhabitants of the steppes are daytime predators: steppe eagles, imperial eagles, and many small falcons. Not far from the steppe reservoirs live the steppe, meadow and reed harrier. Numerous representatives of the passerine order here are larks and yellow wagtails. Less common are lapwings, lapwings, and steppe tirkushki. Gray geese, mallards, and waders are found near water bodies. In the forests there are wood grouse, black grouse, hazel grouse, woodpeckers, and crows. A real pearl among the birds living in the Orenburg region is the white-tailed eagle.

Among amphibians and reptiles, swamp turtles, quick-footed and viviparous lizards, spiny roundheads, legless lizards and brittle anemone are common. Reptiles are represented by common and water snakes, steppe vipers, patterned snakes, and copperheads. Among amphibians, newts, lake, pond and grass frogs, toads, and spadefoots are often found. Frequent guests in gardens and vegetable gardens are gray and green toads.

Among the commercial fish of the Middle Urals, pike perch, bream, ide and asp are common, as well as roach, podust and white-eye. In the lower reaches, sabrefish and roach are found. Among the small fish there are perch, chub, and ruff.

Climate in the Orenburg region

It is characterized by a pronounced continental climate with warm summers and frosty winter with stable snow cover, light precipitation and a significant annual temperature range. Winter lasts the longest with severe frosts and strong snowstorms, lasting over four months. IN winter time During the year, the air temperature here can drop to -49 degrees Celsius. The average temperature in January ranges from -14 to -16 degrees.

Summer is hot and sunny. The most favorable time occurs at the end of May - beginning of June, when the steppe begins to bloom, and all the trees, including mountain oaks, are covered with dense foliage. In July, the average temperature usually reaches 22 degrees, and during the daytime it can rise to 40 degrees. This is also the time when most thunderstorms occur.

Precipitation in the Orenburg region is distributed unevenly. Their number decreases in the direction from northwest to southeast. Stable snow cover in the Orenburg region forms at the end of November and reaches maximum height in the first ten days of March. The melting of snow cover begins in the first half of April. Local snowstorms are characterized by gale-force wind gusts, sleet, and occasionally rain in the middle of winter. Most snowstorms occur in January. Temperature boundaries for the autumn and spring seasons are not easy to establish due to large fluctuations at night and daytime. At the end of September, such fluctuations can reach 20-25 °C.

In accordance with the Law of the Russian Federation "On the Protection of the Natural Environment", for the protection of rare or endangered species of animals, plants and fungi, organizations scientific research and monitoring their condition, developing and implementing special measures for the conservation and restoration of these species, the Red Book has been established Russian Federation and Red Books of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation.

Animals of the Red Book

The process of impoverishment of the fauna of the Orenburg region began long before its active settlement by the Slavic population. Even ancient man exterminated many large species of herbivores and predators. Relatively recently, at the beginning of the second millennium AD, the primitive aurochs was destroyed by tribes of nomadic herders.

After the formation of the Orenburg province, the process of influencing the animal world intensified significantly. The plowing of fertile lands, the cutting down of mature forests, grazing of domestic animals, the domestication of animals: horses, cows, cats, dogs (over time they even began to make fashionable haircuts for dogs), as well as hunting and fishing, led to a significant decrease in the number of local animals. Particularly sensitive damage was caused to the steppe fauna. Nothing can compensate for the extermination of the wild horse - the steppe tarpan - in the region, as well as the displacement of the saiga into barren semi-deserts.

The fauna of the region underwent especially great changes in the 20th century. There has been a multiple decline in the numbers of many species, primarily mammals and birds. As a result, the modern fauna of the Orenburg region appears to be significantly depleted compared to the 9th century.

About 25% of vertebrates and less than 1% of insects are included in the Red Book of the Orenburg Region.

Among vertebrates, the largest proportion of the total number is rare species reptiles - 41.7%. The number of "Red Book" species in other groups ranges from 12.2% (mammals) to 22.2% (amphibians).

Groups Number of species in the region Listed in the Red Book

Mammals 82 10

Birds 280 51

Reptiles 12 5

Amphibians 9 2

Pisces 60 10

Animals listed in the Red Book of the Orenburg Region

Mammals

European bobback, Russian muskrat, European mink, northern otter, South Russian peregrine, Steppe pika (steppe marmot), Bashkir squirrel, Garden dormouse, Kolonok, Saiga antelope

Birds

Black-throated Loon, Dalmatian Pelican, Spoonbill, Black Stork, Common Flamingo, Red-breasted Goose, Lesser Lesser Lesser Goose, Lesser Swan, White-headed Duck, Osprey, Steppe Harrier, European Tuvik, Buzzard, Short-Eyed Eagle, Steppe Eagle, Greater Spotted Eagle, Imperial Eagle, Gray Golden Eagle, Sea Eagle -long-tailed, White-tailed eagle, Bustard, Bustard, Little gull, Lapwing, Curlew, Slender-billed curlew, Oystercatcher, Stilt, Avocet, Steppe gull, Black-headed gull, Lesser tern, Eagle owl, Common spotted woodpecker, Magpie, Blue tit, Great White Heron, Steppe Merlin, Sea Plover, Scops Owl, Black Vulture, Saker Falcon, Peregrine Falcon, Steppe Kestrel, Mountain Redpoll, Demoiselle, Gray Owl, Steppe Lark, White-throated Horned Lark, Pink Starling, Rock Sparrow

Reptiles

Round-headed spinytail, Brittle spindle, Variegated foot-and-mouth disease, Patterned snake, Common verdigris

Fish

Caspian lamprey, Sterlet, Kurinsky thorn, Volga herring, Brook trout, Russian Bystryanka, Common sculpin, Whitefish, European grayling, Bursch

Amphibians

Crested newt, Grass frog

Animals that disappeared from the territory of the Orenburg region (black list)

Mammals: Tarpan steppe, Tur or primeval bull, Jackal

Birds: Vulture, Gyrfalcon, Pheasant, Siberian Crane

Reptiles: Squeaky gecko, Common tree frog.

Fauna of the Orenburg region.

• Completed by: Khairullina
• Alina
• Classroom teacher:
• Chernyavskaya Antonina Vasilievna
• MOBU "Secondary School No. 25"
• Orenburg

• Climbs the trunks with a mouse,
• Will whistle loudly here and there,
• A thin whistle will reach your ear,
• So, somewhere here...

Steppe pika

• Pikas are the smallest animals of the lagomorph family. They have short legs, small rounded ears and a very tiny tail, almost invisible from the outside. The body length of an adult is 15-19 cm, their ears are short -12-16 mm. The color of the fur is dark brown or ocher-brown with ripples, a little lighter in winter. The ears have a light border around the edge.

• The animal stands in a column
• On the steppe path.
• He is both along and across
• Knows all the blades of grass.

Gophers are medium-sized rodents: body length 20-38 cm. The tail length of most is less than half the body length.

• They live in colonies, in burrows that they dig themselves. Inside the hole there is usually a nesting chamber covered with dry grass. Gophers are known for their habit of standing up in danger and making characteristic whistling sounds.
• They feed mainly on succulent herbaceous plants, bulbs, grains. They are active in the morning and evening hours; The day is mostly spent in burrows. During the cold season they hibernate.

• Relatives to the fox, only small,
• Yes, I’m not a simpleton either,
• And he robbed quite a few nests.
• He is a steppe fox -...

Korsak

• The corsac is similar to an ordinary fox, but noticeably smaller (body length 50-60 cm, tail 25-35 cm), with larger ears and long limbs. Height at the withers is about 30 cm. Weight is 4-6 kg. The muzzle is short, strongly pointed; wide cheekbones; The ears are large, wide at the base, pointed towards the ends.
• The usual color is light, gray or reddish-gray, there are shades of red; the belly is whitish or yellowish, the tip of the tail is dark brown or black, the chin is light. Seasonal morphism in the length of the fur is expressed: in winter the fur is long and lush, in summer it is short and close-fitting. In winter, a gray coating is noticeable near the ridge of the corsac.

• Very beautiful, proud look. He soars high in the sky Without exerting any effort, easily, He sees prey far away, And falling like a stone from the sky, He will get food for himself. The halo deserves fame, Not just a bird, but -...

Steppe eagle.

• Steppe eagle - not very large predatory bird, the female weighs about 3 kilograms, the male a little less. Since the eagle lives in steppe zones where there are no trees, it builds its nest on the ground, usually on a hillside. There are 2 eggs in the clutch. The eagle feeds on rodents, mainly gophers, and sometimes chicks. Willingly eats carrion.

• Young chicken
• Sparrow in a dress
• Indistinguishable from grass
• He shouts in a ringing voice:
• -Go weed. Everyone to the weeding
• Calls
• (akleperep).

Quail.

• Quail is the smallest representative of the chicken order. The average weight of a quail is 100-120 g, only in the fall, when the quail become very fat, their weight increases to 180 g. The favorite places that the quail inhabits are mainly open dry meadows near flood ponds or rivers. It especially prefers areas adjacent to crops of small grains: millet, buckwheat, timothy and clover.

• There are mounds in the steppe, There are also giant birds: There are three turkeys in one carcass. (bustard)

Bustard.

• Bustards peck grass, pull out nodules of various plants, grab large beetles, locusts, and on occasion they can feast on mice or frogs.
• Bustards often settle in pastures, arable lands and other fields used for agriculture territories.
• It nests from April to June, in a clutch there are 1-3 eggs of yellowish, greenish or bluish color with a complex pattern.
• Currently, the bustard is under the protection of the Red Book International Union nature conservation.

• The eagle owl is a bird of prey from the owl family, one of the largest representatives of the order of owls. Most character traits include a massive “barrel” build, loose plumage with a predominance of reddish and buffy shades, bright orange eyes and tufts of elongated feathers above them. Distributed in forest and steppe regions of Eurasia, where it adapts to a wide variety of conditions, where there is sufficient food supply and hard-to-reach nesting sites. It does not shy away from humans and sometimes settles within the city limits. Resident bird.

In the vastness of the Orenburg region, in its animal and plant world, there are many attractions. They, without changing the general idea of ​​the nature of the region, arouse undoubted interest as rare, exceptional phenomena. Some attractions are described in this article.

A river with fresh and salt water. The Berdyanka River is a left tributary of the Urals. Local residents know that in the upper reaches it carries fresh water, and in the lower reaches it carries salt water.

It turns out that in the lower reaches, river water erodes the thickness of rocks containing rock salt. Berdyanka brings dissolved salts to the Urals and thereby somewhat salinizes its water.

Dead Sea in the steppe. Near the city of Sol-Iletsk in the spring of 1906, the small Peschanka River overflowed for several kilometers. Water flooded the sites of old open-pit salt mines. Subsequently, salt lakes formed here.

One of the lakes, Tuzluchnoe, is a source of bottom healing mud. In summer, the temperature of the mud at the bottom reaches 60 degrees above zero. Silt mud and brine containing bromine have healing properties. With their help, diseases of bones, tendons, nervous system, rheumatism, brucellosis and many other diseases.

Neighboring salt Lake- Collapse, - in contrast to the first, in the summer hot weather, starting from a depth of four meters, maintains a negative temperature (down to minus five degrees).

If you immerse a corked bottle of water into this lake to a depth of 10 meters fresh water and take it out after 10–15 minutes, there will be ice in the bottle, although upper layer lake water remains warm. The same experiment was carried out. A hermetically sealed cast iron vessel with fresh water was lowered to a depth of 15 meters. When they took it out half an hour later, it turned out that the vessel could not withstand the pressure of the formed ice and burst.

The lake water is yellowish in color and tastes bitter and salty. The saturation of the lake water with salt is not inferior to Dead Sea- none Living being cannot live in it.

The density of the lake water is greater than the density of the human body. You can lie on the water surface for as long as you like, holding a book or newspaper in one hand and a sun umbrella in the other, knowing that there is a water column of 20 meters below.

Holy and Devil's Mountains. In the foothills of the Southern Urals near the village of Sarygul, Oktyabrsky district, there are two wonderful mountains. They are distinguished by a huge accumulation of marine fossils from the Jurassic era. One of the mountains is called Holy, the other, located not far from the first, is called Devil’s.

The slopes of Mount Saint are replete with many spirally twisted shells of mother-of-pearl ammonites (extinct mollusks). Often their diameter exceeds half a meter.

Devil's Mountain is of interest for its huge accumulation of extinct belemnite mollusks, called “Devil's fingers”.

In conditions continental climate the mountains were subjected to destructive processes of weathering and water erosion. Over time, the depths of the mountains were exposed and many fossils dotted the slopes and foothills of the hills that were once the bottom of the ancient sea.

Lungbreathing and cartilaginous fish. The oldest lungfish called ceratodus still live in Australia. These “living fossils” are preserved in two rivers there. When they temporarily dry out in extreme heat, ceratodus leave habitats that have become waterless and switch to a dry regime. They can crawl on the soil and even climb plant branches. While on land, fish breathe through lungs instead of gills and endure long periods of lack of water.

The fossilized remains of a fossil ceratodus that lived 150 million years ago were discovered in the Sol-Iletsk region. From this we can conclude that in the Triassic time in the Southern Urals there were drying up rivers, closed, drying lakes and swamps with fresh water. This indicates the arid climate of the era described.

Small ganoid (cartilaginous) fish Amblyterus and Paleoniscus were found in the water, and freshwater crustaceans Esteria were also found. Their fossil remains were found during mining in the greenish cuprous sandstones of the Kargalinsky mine and in the Sharlyk region.

In the Buguruslan region there is an interesting mountain called Rybnaya. It contains many fossilized remains of extinct freshwater cartilaginous fish.

Bor in the steppe. Among the wide and free steppes, the Buzuluksky forest stretches like a green oasis.

The Buzuluk 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. At that time the climate was more humid. There were a large number of deep lakes, swampy bogs and dangerous quicksand “windows” in the forest. This is evidenced by preserved maps of the pine forest of the 19th century, where many reservoirs are plotted. Later - in the second half of the 19th century and at the beginning of the current century - due to predatory logging, forest fires, nearby drought years and other reasons, there was a massive drying up of water bodies, which led to some changes natural conditions boron

The development of the Buzuluksky forest dates back to the end of the 18th century. The first scientist to pay attention to boron as a powerful forest community was the largest forester G. F. Morozov. In order to bring the forest out of its difficult and neglected state, at the cost of enormous efforts, he achieved the founding of the Borovoy experimental forestry in 1903.

A lot of research work on streamlining forestry was carried out by a talented forester, later Professor A.P. Tolsky and a number of other specialists.

The Buzuluksky forest lies on the border of two climatic zones: forest-steppe and steppe.

There are up to 20 in the forest different types forests. Particularly characteristic are lichen, mossy and floodplain pine forests, grass forests, complex forests and others.

The boron massif, which occupies an area of ​​more than one hundred thousand hectares, contributes to the enrichment of surface air with moisture.

The boron flora is very diverse, with more than 650 plant species. Some areas are occupied by mixed plantings: there are oak and birch groves, linden, maple, elm, aspen, alder and other forest communities,

In the protected forests of the forest, pine trees grow, reaching more than 35 meters in height. There are trees from which you can cut three seven-meter logs that do not have knots. Three-hundred-year-old pines with a trunk circumference of more than four meters are known. One such tree can produce 25 cubic meters of firewood.

In the Buzuluksky forest there are 39 species of mammals, 144 species of birds, 8 species of reptiles, 4 species of amphibians, 23 species of fish and about 800 species of insects. In recent years, a lot of moose have bred in the forest. Animals are protected

Since 1935, long-extinct roe deer have reappeared in the forest. Sika deer are also bred. The permanent inhabitants of the forest are considered to be badger, fox, polecat, ermine, weasel, squirrel, white hare, less often - marten, many wood grouse and black grouse. Among the steppe animals, the reddish ground squirrel, mole vole, little bustard, steppe harrier, stonechat and others have penetrated here.

Bor is distinguished by contrasts of flora and fauna. Taiga, tundra and steppe here seem to have merged into one whole. Under the arches of centuries-old pines, next to the thick fans of ferns and blue forest bells, the panicles of the steppe inhabitants - feather grass, kermek and wormwood - sway. Next to them nestles the lichen of the harsh tundra - reindeer moss. Climbing hops twine around the thorn and viburnum bushes. In a vast clearing, a reddish gopher is hiding in the grass, and a squirrel is jumping high on a nearby pine tree.

Wild strawberries, strawberries and steppe cherries grow in coniferous plantations. Common ones are wild raspberries, boneberries, blackberries, viburnum, rowan, red and black currants, rose hips, bird cherry, warty euonymus, which produces gutta-percha, Norway maple and others.

Some trees from other geographical areas, for example, Siberian larch, are grown here. It grows faster than pine and annually grows over a meter. Of interest is the Far Eastern walnut, which is a valuable raw material for carpentry. Frost-resistant plants have also taken root in the forest - Amur acacia, Siberian fir and others.

Due to the enormous economic importance of boron, the Soviet government took measures to protect this rare natural monument. Soviet people, on instructions from the party, are creating forests faster than nature does and enriching them with new valuable species.

Buzuluksky pine forest is considered forest reserve. It is quickly restored to its former appearance and grandeur. Particular attention is paid to the development of areas for pine and other species. The area of ​​boron forests has increased by many thousands of hectares.

The oldest vegetation. The trunks of ancient coniferous plants were found in the Kargaly cuprous sandstones Permian period- Walchias and Kalamites. The fossilized plants are perfectly preserved.

Academician P. S. Pallas, who traveled around the Orenburg region in 1768–1773, wrote that in the city of Orenburg he saw a 10-foot petrified tree. It was delivered from the Tverdyshevsky copper mine on the Kargale River.

Two large trunks of such trees, recovered from the bottom of the Berdyanka River, were located in Orenburg on the embankment of the Ural River.

Numerous imprints of ancient Permian plants and large stumps were found in the cuprous sandstones on the territory of the Boevoy state farm in the Orenburg region.

Scout plants. There are many scout plants that testify to the hidden riches of the earth’s interior. These plants are deposited in the roots and stems chemical elements the soils and rocks on which they grow.

Even at the dawn of the Bronze Age, primitive man mined copper ore near the village of Elenovka, Dombarovsky district. During the study of the Elenovsky copper sulfide deposit, geologists drew attention to large bald patches overgrown with wormwood. Excavations of these places made it possible to discover “pipes,” or wells, where copper was mined by ancient man. The remains of a stone hammer, fragments of pottery with ancient ornaments and crushed copper ore, which was washed in special trays, were found.

An expedition from the Soil Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences analyzed the chemical composition of feather grass growing near nickel deposits. It turned out that feather grass and especially its rhizomes contained an increased percentage of nickel.

According to Academician L. S. Berg, 25 times more nickel was found in the ash of the woolly baby growing in the Southern Urals than in the soil.

Diving plant. One day the pilot lost his bearings on the terrain. It turned out that the lake he knew well, which was marked on the map, had disappeared. It later turned out that it was completely overgrown with teloresis. The stems of this plant rose from the bottom in large numbers and covered the surface of the lake with a green carpet.

Telorez is widespread in lakes, oxbow lakes and ponds in the region. The plant first develops under water. In the spring, due to excess carbon dioxide, it floats to the surface of the reservoir. In June and July, it produces corollas of five-petaled white flowers. By autumn, when the telores accumulates a lot of starch, the plant sinks under water until next spring.

Telorez is used as a wild starch plant and fertilizer in the fields.

Water chestnut. In the reservoirs of the middle reaches of the Ural River, a relict plant called chilim, or water chestnut, is found. It has been preserved since pre-glacial times.

Chilim is a characteristic aquatic plant with a rosette of floating rhombic leaves reminiscent of birch leaves. The swollen leaf petioles hold the plant afloat in the water, like swim bladders. It blooms with small white four-petaled flowers in July and August. The fruits are similar to three-four-spined anchors with their prickly outgrowths.

After the formation of fruits - nuts - the plant sinks under water in the fall. Here, with sharp spikes, like an anchor, it is attached to the bottom. In spring, the fruit nuts emerge and give rise to new plants.

Water chestnut fruits taste like noble chestnuts. They are eaten raw, boiled and baked. In terms of starch and protein content, they are not inferior to wheat and superior to corn and potatoes. The water chestnut kernel contains 52 percent starch, up to 20 percent protein, 0.7 percent fat and about 3 percent sugar.

From the fruits of the water chestnut you can make cereals and flour reminiscent of wheat. They are used in confectionery production.

Raw water chestnuts are a valuable feed for pigs, geese and other farm animals.

Thickets of water chestnut help destroy the larvae of the malaria mosquito and protect water bodies well from evaporation.

Water chestnut is a valuable high-quality raw material for the national economy. From one hectare of reservoir you can remove up to five tons of ripe nuts. The development of chilim will give the country additional thousands of tons of high-quality raw materials for obtaining nutritious protein and producing starch.

The lightest seeds. Under the canopy of the Buzuluksky forest there is a herbaceous plant called single-flowered wintergreen. Its leathery leaves are shaped like pear leaves.

The seed of this plant weighs extremely little. Even in calm weather, under the cover of the forest, these lightest seeds are freely transported through the air.

Old-time trees. The climate of the surrounding area is recorded by nature itself. This is evidenced by the annual rings of tree trunks. The thickness of the rings depends on the annual accumulation of solar energy by the trees. Thanks to this, you can recognize the alternation of years of wet and dry, cold and hot. The growth rings preserved on the cut of a sawn trunk allow a specialist to read how weather conditions have changed annually over many hundreds of years.

Once on the territory of the Boevoy state farm, 45 kilometers from Orenburg, the author managed to find a piece petrified wood parakalamita. Its age is 150 million years. Based on well-preserved tree rings, it was possible to establish that the climate of the area at that time was dry and hot, but there were changes in warm and cooler periods.

Many old-time trees have been preserved in the Orenburg region. 12 kilometers from the village of Adamovka there grows a single old larch about 500 years old. Severe storms, snowstorms, bitter frosts and repeated droughts could not break the mighty trunk.

An old oak tree growing in a coastal forest 18 kilometers from the village of Krasny Kholm is worthy of attention. The giant oak with a huge spreading crown is well preserved. It is over 250 years old. Six people holding hands can hardly grasp its powerful trunk. Tradition tells that Emelyan Pugachev pitched his tent under this oak tree. Under the giant's crown he received people escaping tsarist oppression and landowner tyranny. In this regard, residents call the oak “Pugachevsky”.

Among the floodplain vegetation in the Ural basin there are willows that are more than 150 years old. Many of them have large hollows, 4-5 meters high. They can fit several people. One such willow with a large hollow has been preserved in the village of Tashle, Oktyabrsky district.

Gutta-percha from euonymus. In the forests of Buzuluksky, Buguruslansky and other areas of the region, a shrub known as warty euonymus grows in large numbers. In 1940, Soviet professor G. G. Bosse examined the root bark of this plant. It was supposed to contain rubber. However, instead of rubber, they found a substance close to it - gutta. Gutta-percha differs from rubber in its greater plasticity and less extensibility. It is used in electrical engineering. The insulating properties of gutta-percha are higher than those of rubber. In addition, its thinnest layer does not allow water and various gases to pass through. It is distinguished by its durability and strength, as it is not subject to destruction from the influence of various chemicals.

Two types of euonymus grow in the USSR: warty and European. In the eastern regions, thickets of warty euonymus predominate. It reaches a height of two meters and has large branches covered with warty black projections. Its seeds are black, half immersed in a bright red appendage. Typically, the bark of euonymus roots contains from 10 to 14 or more percent gutta. Each euonymus bush that has reached 12 years of age has a developed root system up to 120 meters, and a 20-year-old euonymus - even up to 800 meters. When digging roots in the soil, their ends are left, from which shrub growth is renewed.

Wild almonds. On the fertile steppe soils of the Southern Urals there are thickets of wild almonds, or bean trees. Wild bitter almonds in some cases replace cultivated sweet almonds.

The wild almond bush reaches 120 centimeters in height. Its fruits are spherical, slightly flattened, dry and shaggy. Hulled seeds contain about 50 percent fatty oil. In addition, the seeds contain protein substances, glucoside, and amygdalin.

Bitter almond seeds are used for culinary purposes, in the manufacture of confectionery and in medical practice. Valuable essential bitter almond oil is extracted from almonds. Almond soap is famous. Almond milk and almond bran from the cake are used in cosmetics to soften and refresh the skin.

Almond oil is used to dissolve camphor and obtain an oil emulsion. The use of almond oil in microscopy as a substitute for cedar oil and Canada balsam also deserves attention.

All types of almonds are excellent honey plants.

Ural rosehip. In the Southern Urals there are two types of rose hips: brown and spiny. The fruits of the Ural rose hips contain a particularly high percentage of vitamin C.

Even in pre-Petrine Rus', the healing effect of rose hips was known. In the XVI and XVII centuries Entire expeditions were sent out to search for wild roses. Its fruits were exchanged at that time for sable fur, velvet and satin.

Rose hips touched by frost contain quite a large amount of sugar, but lose almost 50 percent of vitamin C.

Rose hips are used in the food and flavoring industry. Its petals are used to make liqueurs, jams, rose water and rose vinegar.

Compass plants. In the Orenburg steppes, a wonderful plant is known - compass lettuce, or wild lettuce. The stem of this weed plant reaches 60–125 centimeters. Lettuce has relatively few leaves. Its leaf blades are always directed to the east and west. The edge of the sheet is located in the plane of the meridian of the place, which corresponds to the north-south compass needle.

This arrangement of leaves contributes to a weaker heating of the plant and allows it to retain moisture for a longer time.

Compass plants include the crowded bellflower, found in wet meadows and forest edges of the Southern Urals. The apical leaves of this plant are noticeably shortened on the south side.

Floating islands. On the Oktyabrsky state farm in the same district there is a lake more than a kilometer long and up to 700 meters wide. The depth of the lake reaches 5-7 meters. It has springs with cold water.

About ten large and small islands have long been floating on the surface of the lake. They consist of hummocks of peat, alluvial silt, dense thickets willow bushes, reeds, ferns, sedges and other aquatic plants.

One of the floating islands is 60 meters long and 50 meters wide. At the time of observation, it was located near the western shore of the lake.

How were such islands formed? The water washed away the clayey shores of the lake, held together by peat soil and vegetation. In high water, especially during strong storm winds with heavy rains, tangles of roots of aquatic bushes and hummocks of peat, the density of which was less than the density of water, were torn from the shores. Wind-blown accumulations of peat and plant roots were tightly intertwined and served as the basis for the gradual formation of the island.

Walking on floating islands is as dangerous as walking on a swamp. In some places on the islands there are quicksand windows - bogs and holes through which you can easily fall. Among the lush and rich aquatic vegetation of the islands, mallard ducks, pochards, coots, gulls, terns, waders, white and yellow wagtails nest.

In windy weather, the islands, together with their flora and fauna, move from one shore to another. They linger on the coastal shallows, but due to gusts of fresh wind and waves formed on the lake, they move again.

After a number of years, large islands are attached by root systems to shallow shores. The larger islands that formerly floated on the lake now became entrenched on its eastern shore, from which they had once been separated.

Tropical insect. Among the rich grass vegetation of the Orenburg steppes lives an original insect - the praying mantis. This large predatory insect entered our steppes from warm countries, where about 600 species of mantises are known.

The praying mantis takes on colors depending on its environment, which saves it from being chased by birds. The protective colors of local mantises are varied: green, brown and even orange-yellow, the color of straw. By appearance The mantis resembles a leaf, so it is difficult to distinguish it against the background of steppe vegetation.

The praying mantis is considered a tireless and voracious predator. In anticipation of prey, it tucks its long hind legs and resembles a kneeling figure. This was the reason for his Latin name- mantis of religion, or religious mantis. The insect sits for hours in an expectant, threatening position, with its front grasping limbs outstretched. When a small insect approaches, the mantis quickly attacks it. The caught prey is pinched between the thigh and the lower leg, acting like the blade of a penknife.

In case of danger, the predatory insect noisily opens its strong wings and quickly flies away.

Caspian lamprey. Not all fishermen of the Orenburg region know the passage freshwater fish- Caspian lamprey. The non-elongated, bare, worm-like body is abundantly covered with mucus. The mouth is round, with horned teeth, the skeleton is boneless. Behind the eyes on both sides there are seven gill openings.

There are two forms of the Caspian lamprey. The larger one reaches a length of 55 centimeters and a weight of up to 200 grams. The small variety has a length of up to 31 centimeters. The average fishing weight of lamprey is 65 grams.

To spawn, lampreys travel up the Ural River. Depending on the weather, their course begins at the end of September and continues until mid-December. The massive migration of this fish occurs under the ice in October, often at night, at an average speed of about 10 kilometers per day.