The Russian territory extends to a third of the mainland and is characterized mainly by the continental climate: all four seasons with pronounced summer and winter. Due to various 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, endless expanses and endless meadows with motley grasses, birch groves with nightingale nightingale, taiga bear fishers, fragrant chamomile and cornflower fields with colorful butterflies fluttering above them are symbolic. The incredibly beautiful nature of Russia is sung by poets inspired by it and forever freezes in the panels 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 all year round, and the land is covered with glacier and rocky debris, so the plants here are not too diverse. The icy desert surfaces are covered only with scanty moss and lichen.
And only a short summer for a while paints dry slopes with small bunches of small flowers: a snowbreaker, Alpine foxtail, Arctic buttercup, yellow polar poppy. Perennial herbs have frost-resistant rhizomes that can survive in harsh conditions.
The nature of the Russian tundra
The wildlife of the tundra, stretching along the Arctic Ocean, is represented by mosses and lichens, sedge, dwarf birches and willows, crowberries and other plants. Here you can meet: cuckoo flax, reindeer moss, highlander, heather, rosemary, etc. Tundra is good in the summer, when for a short period the plants manage to bloom together and give seed. And in the fall it turns into the blue glades of blueberries and orange - the famous cloudberries, with hats of different mushrooms sticking out between them in some places.
The nature of the taiga region
A wide, endless strip of taiga spreads from west to east of the country, representing an amazing kingdom 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 withstand severe frosts.
The dense and gloomy taiga forests practically do not let in sunlight, therefore there is no grass or shrubs here. Only fluffy moss with a continuous carpet covers the ground under a canopy of trees, and there are wild berries - lingonberries and blueberries.
Taiga is rich in ponds. In the southeast of Siberia 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 berries of raspberries and currants. Rare open lawns are full of yellow spring, orange Asian swimsuit and lilac rhododendron, bright juniper and rowan berries.
Nature of forests
Plants of Russia, forming mixed and broad-leaved forests, are represented by numerous herbs, shrubs and trees. The upper "floors" are slender birch trees, aspen trees, tall lindens, pines, spruces. Relatively mild climatic conditions allow them to fully develop. Further 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 often will be unforgettable: the abundance of sweet wild raspberries, wild strawberries, bones and viburnum pleases; you can pick up a basket of fragrant porcini mushrooms and Russula. Thick bushes form bushes of hazel, elderberry, euonymus and buckthorn. And the forest glades in spring and summer are decorated with bright blue bells, golden marsh marigold, honey meadow clover, delicate lilies of the valley, fescue, buttercups.
The true symbol of Russia is considered to be the white-birch birch, which in some mixed forests forms whole groves. This very beautiful and unusual tree owes its original coloring to the outer layer of the bark, containing the special white substance betulin. Birch birch bark serves as an ideal protection against winter frosts, excessive moisture, as well as harmful microorganisms. Spring birch is able to exude through the thickness of the bark a healthy vitamin drink - birch sap, which people have learned to collect.
Russian forests are also swamps, lakes, streams on which local and migratory birds nest. The real queen of the marshes can be called a white water lily. In the evening, her luxurious flowers close, and a long peduncle stalk twists, pulling them under her water, so you can enjoy the sight of a lake strewn with water lilies only in the afternoon.
Steppe plants
The Russian nature of the once endless steppe regions was only gray-haired, swaying under the pressure of the wind, feather grass. Now these fertile chernozems are mostly plowed and sown with wheat, rye and vegetables.
Each season in the steppe is beautiful in its own way, but spring is the most beautiful of all. Nature at this time comes to life with cheerful herbs, blue violets, bright yellow and pink tulips, and a little later with fragrant sage. The vast expanses of the Russian steppes are crossed by numerous rivers, along the banks of which oak groves and small groves of willow, elm, and alder stretch.
Desert and semi-desert nature
The most famous plants of Russia growing in the desert regions of the Caspian lowland and some areas of the Volgograd region are wormwood, camel thorn, bluegrass, hodgepodge, and two-spike conifers. Naturally, the nature in these places is not very diverse, since the climate is quite harsh: 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.
The 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 Mountains. The remaining ranges and highlands are located in Crimea, the Urals, northeast Siberia and the Far East. The mountain climate changes markedly in the direction of the cold, depending on the height. Therefore, the lower slopes are covered with forest-steppe with dense deciduous and mixed forests, and just above - only coniferous, including pine, spruce, fir, larch.
High in the mountains, mainly low-growing herbaceous plants grow, forming luxurious alpine meadows that flow smoothly into the tundra. Eternal snows with sparkling caps from the sun cover high peaks. Edelweiss, barberry, alpine poppy, spring gentian, incense, etc. grow on the approaches to them.
