Russian territory extends over a third of the mainland and is characterized by a mainly continental climate: all four seasons with pronounced summer and winter. Due to different climatic conditions and the presence of several natural zones: arctic deserts, tundra, taiga, mixed and broad-leaved forests, steppes, semi-deserts and deserts, Russian nature is incredibly diverse.
For each of us, symbolic are endless expanses and endless meadows with variegated herbs, birch groves with nightingale singing in the evening, taiga fishing bears, fragrant chamomile and cornflower fields with colorful butterflies fluttering above them. The incredibly beautiful nature of Russia is glorified by the poets inspired by it and freezes forever in the cloths of Russian and foreign artists.
Plants of the Arctic desert of Russia
The northern zone, located along the shores of the Arctic Ocean, is occupied by the Arctic desert. It is cold here all year round, and the ground is covered with glacier and stony debris, so the plants here are not very diverse. icydesert surfaces are covered only with scant moss and lichen.
And only a short summer temporarily paints the dry slopes with small bunches of small flowers: snow saxifrage, alpine foxtail, arctic buttercup, yellow polar poppy. Perennial grasses have hardy rhizomes that can survive harsh environments.
Nature of the Russian tundra
Wildlife of the tundra stretching along the Arctic Ocean is represented by mosses and lichens, sedges, dwarf birches and willows, crowberry and other plants. Here they meet: cuckoo flax, moss moss, viviparous mountaineer, heather, rosemary, etc. The tundra is good in summer, when in a short period the plants manage to bloom together and give seed. And in autumn it turns into blue-gray meadows of blueberries and orange ones - the famous cloudberry, with hats of different mushrooms sticking out in some places between them.
Nature of the taiga region
A wide, endless strip of taiga stretches from west to east of the country, representing an amazing realm of evergreen trees. The wildlife of this region is adapted to warm short summers and cold snowy winters. Cedar, pine, spruce, larch, fir - these coniferous trees endure severe frosts.
Dense and gloomy taiga forests practically do not let in sunlight, so there is no grass or shrubs to be found here. Only fluffy moss covers the ground under the canopy of trees with a continuous carpet, and there are wild berries - lingonberries and blueberries.
Taiga is rich in water bodies. In the southeast of Siberiathere is the deepest beautiful lake Baikal, which is considered one of the seven wonders of Russia. The banks of the northern rivers and lakes are surrounded by a round dance of deciduous trees: mountain ash, birch, aspen, alder. Taiga bears and other animals like to profit from juicy raspberries and currants. Rare open lawns are full of yellow springweed, orange Asian bathing suit and lilac rhododendron, bright juniper and rowan berries.
Forest nature
The plants of Russia, which form mixed and broad-leaved forests, are represented by numerous herbs, shrubs and trees. The upper "floors" are slender birches, aspens, high lindens, pines, and spruces. Relatively mild climatic conditions allow them to fully develop. Farther south, Russian forests are characterized by a large number of broad-leaved tree species such as oak, maple, linden, elm.
In the warm season, a walk in the forest will be unforgettable: the abundance of sweet wild raspberries, wild strawberries, stone berries and viburnum pleases; you can collect a basket of fragrant porcini mushrooms and russula. Dense thickets form bushes of hazel, elder, euonymus and buckthorn. And forest clearings in spring and summer are decorated with bright blue bells, golden marsh marigold, meadow honey clover, tender lilies of the valley, fescue, buttercups.
The true symbol of Russia is considered to be the white-trunked birch, which forms entire groves in some mixed forests. This very beautiful and unusual tree owes its original coloring tothe outer layer of the bark containing a special white substance betulin. Birch bark serves as an ideal protection against winter frosts, excessive moisture, and also against harmful microorganisms. A spring birch is able to exude a he althy vitamin drink through the thickness of the bark - birch sap, which people have learned to collect.
Russian forests are also swamps, lakes, streams where local and migratory birds nest. The real queen of swampy places can be called a white water lily. In the evening, its luxurious flowers close, and the long stem-pedicel twists, pulling them under the water, so you can enjoy the spectacle of the lake strewn with water lilies only during the day.
Steppe plants
Russian nature of the once boundless steppe regions was only gray waves of feather grass swaying under the onslaught of the wind. Now these fertile black soils are mostly plowed up and sown with wheat, rye and vegetables.
Every season in the steppe is beautiful in its own way, but the most beautiful of all is spring. Nature at this time comes to life with cheerful herbs, blue violets, bright yellow and pink tulips, and a little later - fragrant sage. The wide expanses of the Russian steppes are crossed by numerous streams, along the banks of which oak forests and small groves of willow, elm, and alder stretch.
Nature of the desert and semi-desert
The most famous Russian plants growing in the desert regions of the Caspian Lowland and some regions of the Volgograd region are wormwood, camel thorn, bulbous bluegrass, s altwort, conifertwo-spike. Naturally, the nature in these places is not very diverse, since the climate is quite severe: saline, gray-brown infertile soils. Desert plants are characterized by their small size and powerful root system, capable of extracting scarce moisture from the deep layers of the earth.
Mountains
Russian nature is incredibly rich in the mountainous regions of the country, which stretch along the southern and eastern borders. The highest mountains are the Caucasus. The remaining ranges and highlands are located in the Crimea, the Urals, northeast Siberia and the Far East. The mountain climate changes markedly towards cold depending on the altitude. Therefore, the lower slopes are covered with forest-steppe with dense deciduous and mixed forests, and a little higher - only coniferous, including pines, spruces, firs, larches.
High in the mountains, mostly low-growing herbaceous plants grow, forming luxurious alpine meadows, smoothly flowing into the tundra. Eternal snow caps sparkling from the sun cover the high peaks. Edelweiss, barberry, alpine poppy, spring gentian, bergenia, etc. grow on the approaches to them.
Natural we alth of the Far East
Fabulous beautiful Far East, especially when spring comes. Nature breathes freshness and explodes with bright colors of fragrant flowers: fragrant wild magnolias bloom with huge flowers in the Kuril Islands, and miraculous ginseng covers glades in the Ussuri Territory.
The flora of the Far East surprises with its originality and contrast: you can travel through the northern coniferous taiga among the permafrost andsuddenly find yourself surrounded by subtropical vines and thickets of Manchurian walnut, and then - in a rich mixed forest, among noisy oaks, birches and spreading hazels.
Russian nature generously rewarded this region with various types of flowering herbs, including: lemongrass, actinidia kolomikta, weigela, milky-flowered peony, daylily, zamanikha, Amur grapes, etc. Numerous reservoirs are an excellent nesting place for birds.
A unique stone birch grows in Kamchatka, and in the most popular tourist destination, the Valley of Geysers, hot streams of underground waters are checked as if by an invisible clock, noisily throwing themselves up with bubbling fountains.
You can describe the beauty and grandeur of the natural resources of various regions of the country for a long time, but one thing is clear: each corner is beautiful in its own way, it is the property of our state and can be of value for world tourism.
