Ukrainian steppe reserve. Ukrainian steppe Where to look for steppe in Canada

Ukrainian steppe nature reserve It is interesting because its territory consists of four different areas of steppe vegetation. That is, each site has its own special type of steppe landscape. Just imagine the endless steppes that stretch for tens of kilometers ahead, so that there is no end in sight... This can only be seen on the territory of Ukraine here. So, look, don't miss your chance.

The Ukrainian steppe reserve includes: Khomutovskaya steppe, Stone Graves, Cretaceous flora, St. Michael's virgin soil. Let's see what's interesting about each of them. Well, firstly, the reserve itself is of great interest, since 14 species of feather grass grow here. This is the largest collection in the world. Agree, this is already very interesting and worth visiting the reserve.

So, Khomutovskaya steppe. This section of the reserve is best visited in the spring, since it is at this time of year that the steppe blooms. Silver-blue feather grass fields are mixed with other forbs: sage, marshmallow, Tatarian katran, flowering elm.

In the Khomutovskaya steppe there is another interesting protected area - a small tulip field. It has been studied and protected for about 30 years. But do not think that only steppe vegetation is represented here. It, of course, predominates, but there are also areas with meadow fields and reed thickets in shallow water.

Stone graves are a unique site not only in the steppe reserve, but throughout the entire territory of Ukraine. Stone graves are several ridges of granite rocks, which, in fact, are outcrops of crystalline rocks of the Ukrainian shield. An extremely interesting object, both from a geological and historical point of view.

This place is covered in legends. According to the first legend, the famous “Battle of Kalka” took place on this territory, in which the warriors of Prince Mstislav Romanovich and the Tatars took part. Well, the second legend says that Scythian kings rest under the Stone Graves. Whether this is true or not, whether to believe these legends or not, is up to you to decide, but it’s definitely worth visiting this picturesque place.

Stone Graves is a very interesting object from the point of view of flora. Relics such as granite feather grass, granite tulip, Pallas hyacinth grow here, and the surface of the rocks themselves is covered with mosses and lichens.

The territory of the Cretaceous flora site is located on the right bank of the Seversky Donets River. Rare vegetation on the chalk rocks is perfectly preserved here. You don't see this often. The area of ​​the territory is predominantly occupied by forests. The name “Cretaceous” comes from the Cretaceous rocks – deposits that were formed about 100 years ago.

Mikhailovskaya virgin soil is no less interesting steppe area than the rest. The uniqueness of the territory lies in the fact that its lands are uncultivated. The second feature of the reserve is that whenever you come here, the steppe will always be different thanks to different plants. The blackthorn thickets will surprise you with their extraordinary beauty, and the herbs will surprise you with their dizzying aromas.

With the phrase " Ukrainian steppe“The imagination pictures endless green-gold expanses overgrown with feather grass, on which millions of different flowers are motley, herds of wild ungulates graze, and the air is filled with a thousand different bird echoes. Round, low hills, separated by overgrown ravines, disperse in wide waves; small groves are scattered with shady islands; Narrow paths stretch between the villages.

There are practically no such places left in Europe, and in Ukraine the steppe “oases” have suffered greatly from land development: today 95% of the territory has been plowed and built up. But, fortunately, almost untouched areas have been preserved. Basically, these are the so-called “inconvenient areas” (areas not occupied by forest, but actually unsuitable for Agriculture) and nature conservation areas. Therefore, the concept of “wild steppe” still really exists in Ukraine and, in particular, in the Azov region.

The steppe is beautiful in all seasons! In spring the air in the steppe trembles with humming May beetles, is filled with the melodic whistle of gophers waking up after hibernation, basking in the sun, and the charming singing of larks is heard in the bottomless sky. In May, the steppe is green and fragrant as never before: it is covered with tulips, irises and many bright and variegated primroses, generously scattered over the bright green carpet of germinating cereals. By the end of May it is completely agitated by the panicles of tyrsa, fescue and feathery feather grass.

In summer the weather is hot and dry. The steppe vegetation dries out quickly by mid-summer. Since trees are quite rare in the steppe, there is little shade and the whole day passes under the scorching sun - sometimes the temperature reaches 38°C and above. At the height of summer, the wind turns out to be a real salvation for the traveler. In July, when male beetles are looking for females, whole clusters of insects can be seen and heard at dusk. The beetles “look out” for elevations on flat terrain and turn them into “gathering” points. And since there are few hills and trees in the steppe, a lone traveler can serve as a guide. In this case, the beetles can use his head as a landing pad.

By the end of summer, the steppe finally acquires a dry red tint, and the vegetation cover completely burns out. In the warm and humid autumn, the virgin carpet is often again enlivened by green shoots, but with the approach of winter, the steppe seems to abandon all living things - it becomes a gray and lifeless wasteland. You can visit the steppe in winter, but you need to be prepared for the fact that it is quite long and cold here. The feeling of cold is also intensified by the strong gusty wind, which, thanks to the endless expanses, has plenty of room to roam.

Twice a year – in May and August-September – the steppe turns into a sea of ​​feather grass. This extremely beautiful and perfect plant is truly considered one of the symbols of the steppe. Its white oases are spread out like islands in a boundless green ocean. And how beautiful the feather grass is during a strong wind! Humbly bowing his head, he bends under his indomitable impulses in the green, virgin desert. Wave after wave rolls across the feather grass fields, increasingly filling the boundless, vast steppe with unprecedented beauty.

Should I not know where the steppes are? My youth passed in the Zaporozhye region of Ukraine. After graduating from school, he moved to Canada, the province of Quebec, and already in adulthood, following the call of his heart, he moved to Argentina. Everywhere along my route in life I encountered endless steppes. Scientists say that the steppe is overgrown herbaceous plants temperate plain climatic zone. And I’ll tell you about the steppes I saw in person, so similar and, at the same time, very different.

Where are the Ukrainian steppes located?

Most of Ukraine is steppe. It occupies the entire south of the country, right up to the Crimean Mountains. In ancient times this region was called Tavria. The main part of the country's agricultural complex is concentrated here. There is nothing left of the Wild Steppe that was in the times of the Cossacks (the grass in some places exceeded the height of a horse and its rider). All lands are plowed under sunflowers and wheat - the main agricultural crops. In the summer, wherever you look, fields turn yellow, as smooth as a table. The eastern regions are also almost entirely steppe.

The Ukrainian steppe zone ends, smoothly moving from the forest-steppe center to the swamps and hills of Polesie.

Where to look for steppe in Canada

The famous Canadian prairies are achingly similar to the Ukrainian steppes: flat fields stretch to the horizon, only slightly smoother roads, cleaner roadsides and neater, nicer houses. Due to the colder climate of the region, the prairies are not as plowed. Many steppes have retained their original appearance. Cattle breeding is better developed here than in Ukraine. The Great Plains stretch from Lake Winnipeg in the east to the Rocky Mountains in the west.

Provinces occupied by the prairie:

• Alberta;
• British Columbia;
• Manitoba;
• Saskatchewan.

Argentine steppe

In the east of the country, the Pampas stretch all the way to the ocean. The plains that reach the border with Uruguay do not end there. The entire territory of the small neighbor of the “silver” country is covered with a flat green plain, without a single pebble.

If it were not for the occasional passing ostriches and the subtropical climate, the Argentine steppe could be confused with its European and North American counterparts.

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Ukrainian State Steppe Reserve created in 1961 by merging three independent steppe reserves. total area reserve - 1688.4 hectares, including the Mikhailovskaya virgin soil - 202f4 g "a, the Khomutovskaya steppe - 1030 hectares, Kamennye Graves - 456 hectares.
Mikhailovskaya virgin soil.

The reserve is divided into three separate sections: Mikhailovskaya virgin lands, Khomutovskaya steppe and Stone Graves forb-feather grass steppes.

Mikhailovskaya virgin soil located at the junction of the Left Bank-Dnieper and Central Russian forest-steppe regions. This is a unique part of the reserve with unique meadow-steppe vegetation and fauna. Khomutovskaya steppe and Stone Graves located in the northeast of the Azov region within the boundaries of the steppe natural zone.

Mikhailovskaya virgin soil characterized by a significantly developed sequence of sedimentary rocks of various ages, resting on a deep-lying crystalline basement. The most ancient rocks approaching the surface and sometimes underlying loess are chalk outcrops.
This entire territory is aquaglacial loess plain, dissected by shallow beams. The site of the reserve itself is a low hill, gradually descending towards the gullies.

Climate Mikhailovskaya virgin soil is moderately continental. Compared to other regions of Ukraine, winters here are the coldest, summers are moderately warm without droughts.

There are no rivers or reservoirs. The soil cover is dominated by medium-humus chernozems, underlain by loess.

According to the nature of the vegetation cover, this part Ukrainian steppe reserve belongs to the northern forb grass steppes. There are 503 species of vascular plants here. Of these, 3 species belong to desert-steppe, steppe - 82, meadow-steppe - 89, meadow - 142, meadow-forest and forest - 70, meadow-swamp - 47, aquatic macrophytes - 7, to weeds - 63 species. There are 7 species of trees, 10 shrubs, and 8 subshrubs growing in the protected area. The most widely represented species are multi-colored brandushka, broad-leaved lumbago, meadow sage, mountain clover, meadowsweet, and crescent alfalfa.

Unlike the southern steppe reserves, there are significantly fewer indigenous steppe animals in the Mikhailovskaya virgin lands. This area is mainly inhabited by small rodents, with field mouse populations being especially dense. At dusk you can see jumping jerboas (ground hares).

Territory of the Khomutovskaya steppe from east to west it is dissected by the Klimushanskaya, Brandtovskaya, Krasny Yar and their branches; The northern border of the reserved steppe runs along the thalweg of the Obolonskaya gully. The slopes of the ravines are symmetrical. Near Krasny Yar they are quite steep, and rocky for a considerable distance. U Klimushanskaya and Obolonskaya beams The slopes are gentle, and only in the lowermost part their steepness increases somewhat. The slopes of the Brandtovskaya Balka within the reserve are asymmetrical, the northern ones are higher and steeper, mostly rocky, the southern ones are flat, with well-developed soil cover.

Climate The Azov coastal plain has well-defined continental features, however, some softening influence is noticeable here Sea of ​​Azov. Winter is relatively short, moderately cold, spring is windy and cool - morning frosts are common.
The soil cover of the reserve is dominated by ordinary chernozems, medium-thick and thick, low-humus, medium- and weakly alkaline, clayey and heavy-loamy.

According to the nature of the vegetation cover Khomutovskaya steppe refers to the xerotic variant of forb-feather grass steppes. The flora of the Khomutovskaya steppe includes 561 species of vascular plants, including 12 desert-steppe, 180 steppe, 45 rocky-steppe, 100 meadow-steppe, 93 meadow, 29 meadow-forest, 21 meadow-swamp, 8 - aquatic, 73 - weed. More than 80 endemic species and species with a broken range. Here grow the New Ascanian, Ukrainian and pallid astragalus, trinia bristly, feather grass, Pallas hyacinth, Scythian gorse, Scythian caragana, Chernyaev flax, Yurinea short-headed, Ukrainian feather grass, etc.

The vegetation of the Khomutovskaya steppe contains a clearly defined combination of tussock- and rhizome-grass phytocenoses. The leading place in the composition of turf-grass communities is occupied by Feather grass of Lessing and Tyrsa, associated with grooved and Welsh fescue.

The modern fauna of the steppe reserve is significantly depleted. The main (background) animals of the virgin steppe are digging rodents. Gray gophers are common and numerous, emerging from their deep burrows in early spring. The thin, abrupt whistle of a gopher enlivens the steppe at sunrise. Everywhere you can see them sitting in a column, running across or calmly grazing. Of the mouse-like rodents, social and common voles predominate, feeding on grass and in some years breeding in huge numbers. Less common are the mound check mouse and the steppe mouse.

Numerous rodents serve as a food source for predatory mammals. Nowhere are there such numbers of foxes as in the Khomutovskaya steppe. They hunt at dusk, but often go hunting during the day on the arable lands adjacent to the reserve. Elegant weasels and ferrets are also found here, and several packs of wolves live here.

Thanks to a large number small animals quite rich bird world reserve. Rooks, magpies, crows, gray partridges, and sparrows are found here all year round. In the steppe, steppe, field and crested larks nest in abundance, and there are many gray partridges, the number of which, however, fluctuates greatly. There are a significant number of millet grasses, black-headed buntings, and shrikes - shrikes and black-fronted shrikes - are common.

On the territory of Stone Graves Two ridges, separated by a hollow, stretch from northwest to southeast. Climate departments are moderately continental, because it is influenced by the proximity of the Sea of ​​Azov and fluctuations in altitude. The soil cover in this part of the reserve is mainly black soil.

Flora of Stone Graves quite diverse in vascular plants. According to the latest data from biologists, there are about 500 species, among which the most common are steppe, meadow, forest and weed species. Let us note a number of northern plants - Leers's rush, spring rattle, goose onion, winged common - they grow far from their usual places of distribution.

Several types of ferns: Heifler's bones, alpine woodsia, brittle bladderwort, male and spiny shield ferns are widespread here. The tree and shrub vegetation in the reserve is represented by numerous species of rose hips, in particular, blackthorn and jasper, growing on the slopes of the hills. Blackberries, aspen trees and Chernyaev's euonymus grow abundantly in the hollows between the ridges.

Animal world departments are scanty. Outcrops of granites and other crystalline rocks and the weakness of chernozem soils cannot create favorable conditions for species diversity. Therefore, there are no ungulates in the Ukrainian Steppe Reserve. The habitat of foxes, which find refuge in granite rocks and crevices, looks quite strong. And a large number of rodents provides stable nutrition. There are not many brown hares and common hedgehogs in Stone Graves.

Bird variety There are more than mammals in the reserve. Seasonal birds nest here: larks, buntings. Gray partridge and quail are found in open steppe areas. Especially many songbirds nest in the eastern part of the reserve, in the bushes. Songbirds include the gray warbler, the hawk's warbler, and the shrike.

And in conclusion, I would like to note that studies of flora and fauna in Ukrainian State Steppe Reserve, made it possible to identify a number of rare plants and animals that had not previously been identified for these places. Each of the branches of the Ukrainian Steppe Reserve represents valuable monument of virgin steppe vegetation, especially since such steppes as Streltsovskaya and Khomutovskaya, not preserved anywhere. This circumstance especially emphasizes the scientific and environmental value of the reserves.