The Ulyanovsk Region is located in the Volga Federal District. Nature reserves, sanctuaries and specially protected areas are not uncommon here. After all, the green heritage of this region is very large. And all thanks to the Volga, which, having divided the territory of the region, gave it two regions that are different in terms of natural conditions. That is why a large number of plants and animals can coexist here. Specially protected natural areas in the Ulyanovsk region are under the control of the authorities. And this is not surprising, because the task of mankind is to preserve and increase natural we alth.
Ulyanovsk region: location, climate
To begin with, let's take a closer look at why such a variety of green spaces became possible, what caused their rapid growth. To do this, it is necessary to say a few words about the geographical location of the region and its climate.
Ulyanovsk region is small in area (37 thousand kilometers), it is inferior to all regions of the Volga region (there are only eight of them).
The Volga divided the region into two parts: the Right Bank and the Left Bank. On firstthe upland, called the Volga, prevails, while the second is dominated by the plain.
As for the climate, here it is temperate continental, with rather frosty winters and hot, often dry summers.
The soils of the Ulyanovsk region are very rich, black earth. This is especially true for the left bank of the Volga. Here is the most fertile land. There are also gray forest soils. This explains the fact that out of 1700 species of representatives of the flora, 400 are adventive, that is, introduced from other regions. Plants are very comfortable on this earth. The Ulyanovsk region has a fairly diverse world of flora. The reserves of these places are a variety of representatives of both tubular plants and trees.
The region is also rich in minerals. Oil is extracted here, glass, cement, silicon production is developed.
Sengileevsky Gory Reserve
Let's analyze the specially protected natural areas of the Ulyanovsk region. "Sengileevsky mountains" is one of them. It has the status of a national park. Often this place on the right bank of the Volga is called local Switzerland. The reserve, which has an area of 5 thousand hectares, is very beautiful. A variety of landscapes and geological objects meet here: chalk caps of mountains, slopes covered with bright vegetation, picturesque meadows surrounded by a ring of mountains, gullies and, of course, winding mountain rivers with the purest water winding through gorges.
The most common trees in the territory are deciduous, dominated by birch and oak, representativesconifers are not numerous, pine is the most common. Forests belong to the I group of protection.
The heart of the national park is a large watershed that provides the area with clean drinking water, because a large amount of groundwater is concentrated here.
Reserve "Shilovsky forest-steppe"
The territory of the Sengileevsky Mountains contains several reserves: hunting, paleontological and Shilovskaya forest-steppe. Let's talk about the last landscape.
We have already talked about the complex terrain of the Ulyanovsk region. The reserves also do not resemble each other. Shilovskaya forest-steppe is a combination of hills and ravines. On an area of more than 2 hectares, you can find both forests and steppes. There are more firsts in the territory.
This place is also unique because of the plants that grow here. 79 of the total number are rare, eight of them are listed in the Red Book. Two are especially exceptional, endemic (that is, they grow only in this area).
Specially protected insects (the steppe horse and the Armenian bumblebee) and birds (the white-tailed eagle, imperial eagle, golden eagle) live in the Shilovskaya forest-steppe.
Reserve "Privolzhskaya forest-steppe"
Completely different nature reserve "Privolzhskaya forest-steppe". Most of it is located in the Penza region. The Ulyanovsk region, whose reserves are the subject of our article, contains only a small part of it.
There are no more ravines and hills here, only wide steppes spread over 8.3 hectares. Part of Ulyanovskoblasts is the protected area of the site where land use is restricted.
Undorovsky mineral spring
Almost 50 kilometers from Ulyanovsk there is a unique place where healing springs are concentrated - the village of Undory. Even the Turkic peoples, who gave the name of the territory, noticed the miraculous power of the local mineral waters. No wonder they named the settlement so. "Ten medicines" - this is the translation of the word "undory" from Turkic.
The territory of 7.5 hectares in 1997 was recognized as a resort area with all the ensuing security measures. At the moment, there are 20 springs operating here, which are a deposit of medicinal table water. They belong to slightly mineralized.
Undorovsky waters help with urological and gynecological diseases, alleviate conditions with diseases of the urinary system, and can also reduce ulcers. That is why the locals call the resort the second Karlovy Vary.
Relic forests
There are also relic thickets in the Ulyanovsk region - those that have not been touched by human activity. They are located near the village of Mullovka, Melekessky district.
The natural monument is called "Relic forests". It is included in the register of specially protected areas. The age of the trees growing here reaches a hundred years.
The territory is divided into two sections of different tiers. Trees with a maximum height of 22 meters grow on the first one, and 23 meters on the second. Mostly these are lindens - 90% of them, the remaining 10% are birch, you can also find hazel and maples.
For security purposes, logging, construction and agricultural work are prohibited in forests.
The Remnant of the "Grannoe Ear"
Majestically rises on the right bank of the Volga, the remnant of the "Grannoye Ukho". This isolated hill, more than three hundred meters high, is a specially protected natural monument. You can see it even from the regional center of Ulyanovsk. According to legend, Stepan Razin's observation deck was located on the remnant, because the whole plain is perfectly visible from it.
“Ear” in the local dialect is a ledge of a mountain, and “edge” is a border, a border, hence the name. The remnant has a round shape, its slopes are covered with vegetation, and at the top there is a completely empty flat area. Once upon a time, 30 million years ago, there was a watershed here, but it collapsed, leaving only a single hill.
The remnant is a storehouse of diatomite - the material from which cement is made, therefore, in the 60-70s of the last century, the territory was actively used by the local cement plant. But in 1989, the place was recognized as a cultural monument, so any work on it stopped.
Reserve "Starokulatkinsky"
Starokulatkinsky nature reserve is of federal importance. This area of 20.2 thousand hectares needs special protection. The soils here are quite poor, chalk rocks predominate. The landscape is hilly.
At one time, oak groves were cut down for arable land, so there are practically no forests left here - only young growth. The vegetation that was lucky enough to survive is trampled downlivestock.
The highest point is Mount Zolotaya 340 meters high. Its slopes are poor, because chalk and gravel predominate, which do not imply rich vegetation.
There are also often problems with the water supply of the reserve: the rivers flowing here are too shallow and dry up in the heat. There are no larger water bodies on the territory.
The world of animals and birds is very poor. On the one hand, this is due to anthropogenic factors (the reserve is used for agriculture), on the other hand, the lack of nesting sites (this primarily concerns birds).
Recently, the national parks of the Ulyanovsk region have been taken under special control. Including in the Starokulatkinsky reserve, large-scale work is underway to preserve the natural heritage.
Sursky Reserve
Another specially protected natural object is the Sursky reserve. This imposing area of 22 hectares has been separated in order to preserve especially rare animal species. Year of origin - 1982.
The reserve is located on the territory between the rivers Sura and Barysh. Almost its entire territory is covered with forests, and, which is not particularly typical for the Ulyanovsk region, with conifers. The most common is pine, less often - spruce. The rest of the land belongs to state farms, gardening associations, etc.
A large number of animals and birds live here, many of them are specially protected. Thus, the Imperial Eagle, the Greater Spotted Eagle, the Golden Eagle, and the Red Data Book Desman are also seen here. They go to the reserve andanimals uncharacteristic for the Ulyanovsk region, such as bats, otters or gray herons.
Reserve "Orlanov Bereg"
In order to save endangered species of birds, including white-tailed eagles, the activists opened the reserve "Coast of Eagles".
Here, on an area of 84 hectares, there is a hilly area, where the number of rare birds, animals and plants is monitored. The forests here are predominantly coniferous, pine or broad-leaved.
The strictest prohibitions: you can not cut down trees, organize tourist camps, any construction is prohibited, and even picking flowers.
