According to the combined data of many researchers, about 1,500 species of insects have been registered in the reserve. Of these, the most studied groups are dragonflies, orthoptera, beetles and lepidoptera. Unfortunately, the entomofauna is still far from being fully explored.

The ichthyofauna of fish in the reservoirs of the reserve itself and the adjacent section of the river. Satisa (excluding the Moksha River) has 32 species, among which tench is the most common ( Tinca tinca(L.)), pike ( Esox lucius L.), silver carp ( Carassius auratus(L.)), perch ( perca fluviatilis L.), top ( Leucaspius delineatus(Heck.)) and others. In the second half of the 20th century. new species appeared in the fish population of the reserve (lake minnow ( Phoxinus perenurus(Pall.)) and rattan firebrand ( Perccottus gleni Dyb.)). The first one began to be caught in 1978, the second - in 1979. At present, these are one of the most widespread species in the ponds and floodplain lakes of the MGPZ.

Of the amphibians in the reserve, there are 10 widespread species: common ( Lissotriton vulgaris(L.)) and crested newts ( Triturus cristatus(Laur.)), gray ( Bufo bufo(L.)) and green toad (Bufo viridis Laur.), spadefoot ( Pelobates fuscus(Laur.)), red-bellied toad ( Bombina bombina(L.)), moor ( Rana arvalis Nils.), herbal ( Rana temporaria L.), pond ( Rana lessonae Cam.) and lake frogs ( Rana ridibunda Pall.). Some of them are quite rare. Of the reptiles in the reserve live ordinary species: quick ( Lacerta agilis L.) and viviparous lizards ( zootoca vivipara(Jacq.)), spindle ( Anguis fragilis L.), common snake ( Natrix natrix(L.)), common viper ( Vipera berus(L.)) and verdigris ( coronella austriaca Laur.). In addition, for the first time in the reserve, finds of a marsh turtle were made ( Emys orbicularis(L.)). According to reports from the "Chronicles of Nature ..." of the reserve (1988-1990), one adult was recorded on April 14, 1988 on the Shavets stream in the area of ​​​​the Pavlovsky cordon. The authors of the Chronicles suggested that perhaps the tortoise entered the stream from Penza region along the river Moksha.

The avifauna of the reserve includes 215 species belonging to 17 orders and 47 families. In the 1930s, about 20 capercaillie currents were discovered in the reserve. The forests are characterized by the black woodpecker ( Dryocopus martius(L.)), large ( Dendrocopos major(L.)) and small pied ( Dendrocopos minor(L.)) woodpeckers, wryneck ( Jynx torguilla L.), nuthatch ( Sitta europaea L.), pigeon ( Columba palumbus L.), chanter ( Turdus philomelos C.L. Brehm) and blackbirds ( Turdus merula L.), European Robin ( Erithacus rubecula(L.)), pika ( Certhia familiaris L.), Chiffchaff ( Phylloscopus collybita(Vieill.)), chaffinch ( Fringilla coelebs L.), redstart nests along the edges ( Phoenicurus phoenicurus(L.)))), oriole ( Oriolus oriolus(L.)), pied flycatchers ( Ficedula hypoleuca(Pall.)), and in light birch forests - rattlesnakes ( Phylloscopus sibilatrix(Bechst.)). Alder forests and floodplain oak forests are the favorite habitats of nightingales ( Luscinialuscinia(L.)). In the floodplain deciduous forests, 27 species of birds are recorded in winter, in deciduous forests - 22, in mixed forests - 24, in pine forests - 23. As long-term data of 1960-1994 show, the number of grouse has not undergone significant changes. Despite sharp fluctuations over the years, there is no general downward trend in numbers. On the contrary, there is a slight increase in the number of capercaillie and hazel grouse. So, if the average density of capercaillie in the 1960s was 18.7 individuals per 1000 ha, then in the 1970s it increased to 20, and in the 1980s to 20.6 individuals per 1000 ha. The lowest number of capercaillie was noted in 1964 and 1987, the highest - in 1960, 1976, 1993 and 1994. The lowest number of hazel grouse was observed in 1979, the highest - in 1976.

The mammalian fauna of the reserve is mixed due to its location on the border natural areas. On the one hand, it has species of the European taiga - brown bear ( Ursus arctos L.), moose ( Alces alces L.), capercaillie ( Tetrao urogallus L.), hazel grouse ( Tetrastes bonasia(L.)), Eastern European mixed deciduous forests- squirrel ( Sciurus vulgaris L.), pine marten ( martes martes L.), forest polecat ( Mustela putorius L.), mole ( Talpa europea L.), European mink ( Mustela lutreola L.).

More than 60 species of mammals are found in the reserve, of which 5 were introduced by humans or independently settled from neighboring territories - deer ( Cervus elaphus L.), sika deer ( Cervus nippon Temm.), bison ( Bison bonasus L.), raccoon dog ( Nyctereutes procyonoides Gray.), muskrat ( Ondatra zibethica L.). The floodplain of Moksha is rich in water bodies suitable for the habitation of muskrat ( Desmana moschata L.). The fauna of rodents is the richest, including 22 species. Of the cats in the reserve, there is a lynx ( Felix lynx L.). Ermine ( Mustela erminea L.) and weasel ( Mustela nivalis L.) are not numerous both in pine forests and in the western, floodplain part of the reserve. Several families of bears live in the reserve. Bears do not tolerate close proximity of relatives. Lairs are arranged in different places: in some cases, these are simple creases of fir trees in the form of a hut above a depression in the soil lined with spruce branches, in others - niches under the trunks of windfall trees with dry grass litter, sometimes - a dug hole, often under the roots big tree. From others predatory mammals the fauna of the reserve is characterized by a wolf ( canis lupus L.). Fox ( Vulpes vulpes L.) is common in the reserve, but the acclimatized raccoon dog is currently extremely rare and its encounters are rare. The wild boar is especially numerous and active ( Sus scrofa L.). For 15 years after the appearance in the reserve, its number exceeded 200 animals.

In the reserve, repeated importations (introductions) of various mammals were carried out. The first to be released for reacclimatization in 1936 were beavers brought from the Voronezh Reserve. Later they were released twice more. The reacclimagation was successful, the beavers multiplied and spread throughout the reserve and beyond. Marals were the first of the ungulates to be introduced: four in 1937 and five in 1940. At first they were kept in a corral, and in 1941 they were released into the reserve. By 1944 there were 32 of them, in the 1980s no more than 12 marals remained. In 1938 with Far East 53 spotted deer were introduced. They were also initially kept in a corral, and since 1940 they were released in groups every year. Some deer have left the reserve.

The bison was brought to the Mordovia Reserve in 1956 from the Central Zubrovsky nursery (Prioksko-Terrasny GPZ) and was represented by seven hybrid females (bison + bison + gray Ukrainian cattle) and two purebred young males, which were used in absorption crossing in the herd of hybrid females . The work was carried out according to the general program developed by M. A. Zablotsky. The tasks included breeding a purebred bison group by absorption crossbreeding. Importation (formation of the herd) continued from 1956 to 1962. . The number of hybrid animals for a number of years was maintained at the level of 30 or more heads. This species reached its peak in 1987 (30–40 animals), after which a sharp decline his livestock. On the territory of the Mordovian Reserve and adjacent areas of the Temnikovsky forest area in last years not registered.

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Hare Hares tend to stick to scrub or sparse forest, avoiding open spaces. They have no permanent home. They feed at night, at dusk and at dawn. In summer they eat cereals, leguminous plants, sedge, larch needles. In winter - small branches and bark of trees and shrubs, as well as hay around haystacks. There is a saying - "cowardly as a hare." But the hare is not so much cowardly as cautious. This caution saves him from enemies.

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Fox The main feature of the fox is its fluffy tail. With it, she acts as a rudder during persecution. She hides with him, curled up during the rest in a ball. Foxes go hunting at any time of the day. Their main prey is small rodents. In summer, foxes eat insects, berries and fruits of plants. At any time of the year, the fox is a mouse: it looks for the holes of field and forest mice, breaks them and eats these harmful animals.

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Wolf Wolves lead a wandering life in winter, going out in search of prey at dusk and at night. During the day, they hide in thickets of bushes and along ravines. They hunt deer, elk, cows, partridges and black grouse, pursue hares, and when there is no live prey, they feed on carrion. Wolves do not hunt alone, but together. Wolves roam in search of prey open spaces, making transitions without rest up to 50 km. The wolf eats 2 kg of meat per day, hides the rest of the food in a secluded place in reserve.

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Bear The male brown bear weighs 500-750 kg. In appearance, he is clumsy, although in reality he is very mobile and dexterous: he can quickly run, jump, swim, climb trees. Comes out in search of food in the evening. Eats young shoots, roots, bulbs, mushrooms, berries, acorns, nuts. In the forest, it spreads ant heaps, eats eggs of chicks from nests on the ground, catches small rodents, frogs. Attacks large animals. By autumn, bears get fat and go into hibernation.

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Elk Elk is a forest giant with beautiful spatulate horns. The females are hornless. Quickly moving its ears in all directions, the moose quickly catches the rustles of the forest and goes into the thickets. In summer, moose feed on succulent marsh plants and rhizomes, foliage, and young shoots. They love Ivan tea and dandelions, but do not eat berries and mushrooms, do not touch cereals and potatoes. In winter, they switch to roughage - aspen and willow branches, bark, lichens and needles.

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Deer Deer live in broad-leaved forests, preferring oak plantations where they feed on acorns. In summer they eat various herbs, leaves of trees and shrubs. Deer become the prey of wolves, especially in spring, when they are weak and cannot run fast. Young non-ossified antlers - antlers of spotted deer are used for the preparation of a medicinal product.

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Wild boar The wild boar is a very common wild animal. The closest relative of the boar is the pig. The body length of a hardened boar can range from 130 centimeters to 170 centimeters. The height of the boar can be 1 meter. Body weight usually reaches sixty kilograms. Boars have a huge head, slightly extended forward, large and long ears, the eyes are quite small, the snout has a patch. The body is covered with coarse bristles in summer, becoming thicker and softer in winter, with a larger undercoat. The dependence of the distribution of wild boars in a particular territory depends on the presence on it a large number food.

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Badger The badger is a typical representative of mixed forests. It is an omnivore that lives in burrows. It is larger than a fox but smaller than a wolf. Wide paws with long claws allow him to dig holes well. They spend most of their lives in a hole, falling into hibernation, and the rest of the day they hide in a hole, at night they hunt mouse-like rodents and harmful insects.

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Beaver The beaver is the largest rodent. Beavers are nocturnal animals closely associated with water bodies. They love quiet forest rivers with high banks and thickets of shrubs and trees. Willows, aspens, poplars, birches are their main food. Beavers eat the roots and stems of water lilies, various aquatic plants, and succulent grasses. The beaver swims well thanks to its tail. On land, the tail serves as a support for him when sitting, in the water - with an oar, with his tail the beaver compacts the clay, building his hut.

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Squirrel The squirrel has an elongated body with a fluffy long tail, long ears, dark brown color with a white belly, sometimes gray (especially in winter). Found everywhere except Australia. The squirrel is a source of valuable fur. Squirrels store nuts for the winter. Some bury them in the ground, others hide them in hollow trees. The poor memory of some species of squirrels helps preserve forests, as they bury nuts in the ground and forget about them, and new trees grow from germinated seeds. Squirrels are omnivorous: in addition to nuts, seeds, fruits, mushrooms, and green vegetation, they also eat insects, eggs, and even small birds, mammals, and frogs.

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Hedgehog Hedgehog is a predatory nocturnal animal. Lives in mixed forests. In search of food, it sometimes travels up to 3 km per night. Beetles serve as food for him, earthworms, newts, frogs, toads, lizards, snakes, mice, as well as berries, acorns, fallen ripe fruits of apple trees, pears and other trees. By winter, hedgehogs grow fat and fall into deep hibernation, finding refuge in dense bushes, in depressions of the soil covered with fallen leaves. The hedgehog wakes up only with the cessation of frost.

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Viper Vipers - Poisonous snakes. Their bite is painful, but not fatal (if medical attention is provided in time). They live in swampy places, in glades with tall grass, along the banks of rivers and lakes. On a hot day, vipers bask in the sun, lying on old stumps or on forest paths. At night they become active and prey on rodents and other animals. Vipers winter in the soil, climbing into the holes of moles and rodents, under the roots of trees. The numbness lasts for about half a year.

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Reserves of Mordovia Mordovian State nature reserve named after P.G. Smidovich - a reserve located in the Temnikovsky district of the Republic of Mordovia, on the right bank of the Moksha River, on the border of the zone of coniferous-deciduous forests and forest-steppe. The reserve was established on March 5, 1936. Named in honor of the statesman Pyotr Germogenovich Smidovich, who paid much attention to environmental issues. The reserve is located on the wooded right bank of the Moksha River, the left tributary of the Oka. The main tasks of the reserve were the preservation and restoration of the forest massif of the southern spur of the taiga zone, the preservation and enrichment of the animal world. national park Smolny. The Smolny Nature Park is located on the territory of the Ichalkovsky and Bolshe-Ignatovsky regions of the Republic of Mordovia. Created to save natural complex representing ecological systems typical for Mordovia.

The fauna of the forests of Mordovia is diverse. Most of the species of insects recorded in our republic are found here, you can find many hymenoptera, butterflies, beetles. Some of the nicknames are listed in the Red Books - these are mnemosyne butterflies, swallowtail, many types of bumblebees.
The forest litter is also rich in species of invertebrates; a huge number of microorganisms develop here.
Among the amphibians in the forests live: moor and grass frog, spadefoot, green and gray toad, listed in the lists of rare and endangered species.
All six species of reptiles are found in the forests. On the outskirts there is a nimble lizard, along the edges - a viviparous lizard, in humid forests it is already ordinary, there are copperheads, brittle spindles.
The birds of the forests of Mordovia are also represented by a great variety. In the forest you can meet the small and motley woodpecker, nuthatch, wryneck, siskin, carduelis, hazel grouse, black grouse and many other birds. Some species are listed in the Red Books.
Mammals of forest biogeocenoses are divided into several ecological groups:
Wood-climbing. They spend most of their lives in trees, getting food there, arranging nests for reproduction and rest, and fleeing from squirrels and martens.
Mammals leading a semi-arboreal, semi-terrestrial lifestyle - forest dormouse, hazel.
Species leading a terrestrial lifestyle. These are elk, sika deer, roe deer, forest polecat, many species of mouse-like rodents.
Underground mammals are also found in the forest - various types of shrews, moles. Many species of forest animals are of commercial importance.

Snakes of the Republic of Mordovia

The snake fauna of the Middle Volga includes 9 species (Bakiyev, Malenev, 1996).
The Republic of Mordovia (RM), despite the small size of its territory (the length from west to east is about 280 km, from north to south - from 80 to 140 km), is characterized by significant landscape diversity. By the nature of the relief, the territory of the republic is divided into two parts, between which there are no sharp transitions: the western part is low-lying (with the water system of the Moksha river) and the eastern part is hilly (the Sura river system). The least studied group of vertebrates inhabiting the territory of Mordovia are reptiles. According to different authors, from 6 to 8 species of reptiles live in Mordovia.
To date, on the territory of Mordovia, dwelling of three types of snakes. The usual and mass species is the common grass snake (noted in 59 points).
The distribution of the common viper in Mordovia is sporadic. The viper was noted in 37 points and is mainly found in fairly large forest areas. It prefers mixed forests, in which it is common in clearings, clearings, clearings, along the banks of swamps, rivers, lakes and streams.
An extremely rare species is the common copperhead. Over the past 50 years, only 6 reliable finds of this species are known.

Amphibious republics of Mordovia

In 1888 (cited in: Garanin, 1971) N.A. Varpakhovsky compiled a list of amphibians and reptiles of the Nizhny Novgorod province, the southern districts of which later became the territory of Mordovia. M.D. Ruzsky (1894), who was engaged in herpetological collections in the Surye, noted 6 species of amphibians and 2 species of reptiles in the Ardatovsky district (now the Ardatovsky district of Mordovia).
The most complete and systematic studies of the amphibian ecology of Mordovia, or rather the Middle Surye, were carried out from 1968 to 1977. During this time, 269 route surveys with a total length of over 143 km were laid (Astradamov, 1975; Astradamov, Alysheva, 1979a). 10 species of amphibians were identified, which were divided into three groups: those living in the floodplain on continental terraces, living in the floodplain on non-flooded terraces, and aquatic. The moor frog was the dominant species in the pine forests of the Middle Surye. The feeding habits of this species were studied (Makarov and Astradamov, 1975). In her stomach, more than 130 species of invertebrates were noted, the basis of which were insects. The authors made interesting calculations, according to which 10,000 specimens of moor frogs, living on an area of ​​100 hectares, destroy 15 million specimens of animals in 5 months, of which 9 million are “harmful”.

Bats of the Republic of Mordovia

Bats are one of the little-studied orders of mammals in the republic and are represented only by the family - Smooth-nosed (Vespertilionidae). The main studies were carried out in the Mordovian Reserve (Morozova-Turova, 1938; Borodina et al., 1970; Barbash-Nikiforov, 1958). In the latest generalizing publications on bats of Mordovia, there are some disagreements. Thus, 9 species are included in the Red Book (2005), and 8 species are included in the textbook (Vechkanov et al., 2006). In addition to the pond and water bats common to these publications, the brown ear bat, the red bat, the karik and Nathusius bats, the skin of the two-colored bat, the Red Book lists the small and giant bats, and in study guide also a mustachioed night bat.
According to the latest report (Pavlinov et al., 2002), 13 species may inhabit the territory of the republic. Some of them are included in the Red Books of neighboring regions (Red Book of the Nizhny Novgorod Region, 2003; Red Book of the Ryazan Region, 2003; Red Book of Ulyanovsk region, 2004; Red Book of the Penza Region, 2005) (table).
In addition to the mentioned types of L.S. Shaldybin (1964) noted two specimens of the tricolor night bat for the Mordovian Reserve. Apparently, this information should be considered erroneous, because. the range of the species within Russia is located only within North Caucasus(Pavlinov, 2002).

Many game animals have been preserved in the forests - a wolf, an elk, a badger, a beaver, a wild boar, a muskrat, a fox, a hare and a hare; from birds - black grouse, gray partridge, capercaillie. Carp, crucian carp, bream, pike are found in reservoirs.

Rare animals of the forests of Mordovia

Take care of these waters, these lands,
Even a small bylinochku loving.
Take care of all the animals inside nature,
Kill only the beasts within you.
(Demonstration of the presentation of rare animals with teacher's comments)
V Swallowtail (insect class)
B Mnemosyne (insect class)
B Grass frog (class amphibians)
B Copperhead ordinary (class reptiles)
B Black stork (bird class)
B Berkut (bird class)
B Owl (bird class)
B Small Vespers (mammals class)
B Red deer (class mammals)
B Bison (class mammals)
The Mordovian Reserve is located on the territory of the republic.

Mordovian Reserve

It is located in the interfluve of the Moksha and its right tributary Satis, on the Oka-Klyazma plain, in Mordovia, near the city of Temnikov. Founded in 1936, the area is 32148 hectares, 30852 hectares are occupied by forests, 201 hectares are reservoirs. The relief is slightly dissected, small elevations between river floodplains and logs are typical. 4 terraces are pronounced, the heights of which are respectively 110, 110-120, 120-140 and 140-188 m above sea level. The rivers - Pushta, Moksha, Satis, Arga (a tributary of the Satis) flow through the territory of the reserve.
The climate is temperate, typical for middle latitudes. The average annual temperature is 3.4°C, the average July temperature is 19.8°C, the average January temperature is 12.4°C, the average annual precipitation is 445 mm. About 950 species of plants are registered in the reserve, 619 - vascular, 77 - mosses, 83 - lichens, 25 species of trees and shrubs. The most common are pine forests with an admixture of broad-leaved species (birch, aspen, linden), as well as pure pine forests. In the floodplain of Moksha there are oak forests aged 140-150 years. In the undergrowth - bird cherry, blackberry, black currant, raspberry. Meadow vegetation is represented mainly by floodplain meadows.
The fauna is represented by 59 species of mammals, 194 species of birds, 10 species of amphibians, 6 species of reptiles, 29 species of fish. 12 species of predators live in the reserve - brown bear, European mink, pine marten, otter, lynx; 5 species of artiodactyls - roe deer, deer (spotted and noble), elk, bison. There are 22 species of rodents - beaver, dormouse (forest and garden), forest mouse, large jerboa, yellow-throated mouse. Bats 8 species - bats (pond, water and mustachioed), long-eared bats, red evening. Hares (hare and hare) are common; there are muskrat, shrew.
Of the birds, the black-throated loon, black stork, whooper swan, gray duck, red-headed pochard, honey buzzard, short-toed eagle, golden eagle, eagles (burial ground and dwarf), white-tailed eagle, buzzard, osprey, peregrine falcon, saker falcon, owl, black grouse, capercaillie, hazel grouse, quail, gray partridge and gray crane, great snipe, snipe, woodcock, curlew, stock dove, wood pigeon, scops owl, little owl, owl, marsh and long-eared owls, woodpeckers (7 species), scurry, grosbeak.
From amphibians there are newts (common and comb), toads (green and gray), garlic, frogs (4 species), toads, and from reptiles (6 species) - spindle, grass snake, viper, lizards (fast and viviparous). 29 species of fish have been registered, of which tench, pike, golden carp, perch, and topfish are the most common.

The Republic of Mordovia is located in the east of the East European Plain. The relief here is predominantly flat, but there are hills and uplands in the southeast. In the west is the Oka-Don Plain, and in the center - the Volga Upland. The climatic zone of Mordovia is temperate continental. In winter, the average temperature is -11 degrees Celsius, and in summer - +19 degrees. Approximately 500 mm of precipitation falls annually.

Flora of Mordovia

In Mordovia there are forest, meadow and steppe landscapes. There are forests here as well. They grow pines and spruces, larches and ash trees, pedunculate oaks and maples, elms and warty birches, lindens and black poplars.

From the undergrowth and grasses here you can find hazel, mountain ash, euonymus, lilies of the valley, buckthorn, lungwort, plantain.

Among rare plants the following must be mentioned:

• - leafless iris;
• - forest anemone;
• - spring adonis;
• - Saranaca lily;
• - green-flowered love;
• - Russian hazel grouse;
• - lumbago open Perennial;
• - real lady's slipper;
• - Siberian blueberry.

On the territory of the republic, not only new deposits of some species were found flora, but also found populations of those plants that were previously considered extinct altogether. In order to increase them and preserve the rest of the species, several were created in Mordovia.

Fauna of Mordovia

Representatives of the animal world of Mordovia live in forests and in. Here lives and, steppe pied and common mole rat, beaver and speckled ground squirrel, large jerboa and marten. In the forests you can meet moose and wild boars,.

The bird world is rich and varied, it is represented by hazel grouses, tits, woodpeckers, capercaillie, blackbirds, reed harrier, red-footed falcons, saker falcons, black storks, short-toed eagle, peregrine falcon. Bream and sabrefish, pike and ide, catfish and loach, char and tench, sterlet and pike perch are found in reservoirs.

Marsh harrier

The Republic of Mordovia is located almost in the very center of the European part of Russia, on the southwestern periphery of the Volga basin, between the Moksha and Sura rivers. It neighbors: Penza, Ryazan, Ulyanovsk and Nizhny Novgorod regions, as well as Chuvashia. The wealth of Mordovian nature is explained by the diversity of its landscapes.

A considerable part of the republic is occupied by the forest-steppe, which passes into the forest zone in the west. Soddy-podzolic and gray forest soils are combined in the soil cover. Chernozems occur in places. The predominant vegetation is pine forests, with admixtures of spruce forests, oak forests and meadow steppes.

Flora of Mordovia

Due to the peculiarities of the Mordovian climate, coniferous, coniferous-deciduous and broad-leaved forests, shrub and meadow steppes are bizarrely combined here, plant communities in floodplain meadows and swamps. Most often here you can find such forest-forming species as spruce, pine, pedunculate oak, downy and warty birch, black poplar, smooth elm, sticky alder. On sandy soils, pine forests are most common. Mountain ash, honeysuckle, euonymus and hazel grow in the undergrowth, sedge, reed grass, gout, hoof, wintergreen and oak bluegrass predominate among the herbs. Broad-leaved forests are predominantly found on gray forest soils and podzolized chernozems. Basically, these are oak forests. The first tier almost entirely belongs to oak and ash, the second is occupied by maple, linden and elm. The undergrowth is formed by euonymus, honeysuckle, wild rose and buckthorn.

In the grass cover you can find butterflies anemone, common gout, fragrant bedstraw, hairy sedge. Moist oak, ash, and linden forests grow in the beams. In the grass, frequent guests are nettle nettle, forest cleaner, etc.

The high banks of the rivers are covered with upland oak, maple, elm and linden forests. The shrub and meadow steppes of Mordovia today are mostly plowed up and are less common than before. So, in the basin of the Levzhi River you can find low almonds, steppe cherries, wild roses, Russian broom. The herbaceous cover is formed by species characteristic of meadow steppes: pinnate feather grass, narrow-leaved bluegrass, bedstraw, sage, mountain clover.

Meadows are characterized by a cover of mosses. Reeds, cattail, reeds, as well as horsetail and sedge predominate in the swamps. Shrub swamps are formed by thickets of willow. In coastal areas, thickets of horsetail and various kinds sedges. There is often a white water lily and a yellow water lily. Among the underwater and floating plants are pondweed, elodea, hornwort, duckweed and watercress.

Fauna of Mordovia

The diversity of the fauna of Mordovia is explained by its unique geographic location. About forty species of various fish live in the reservoirs of Mordovia. Here you can meet really rare and endangered species listed in the Red Book. For example, the Caspian lamprey, sturgeon and sterlet, common sculpin and quicksand. The carp family is especially widely represented. Its typical representatives are: roach, dace, common and silver carp, bream, bleak. Often there are loaches, perches, pike perches, ruffs. Tailed amphibians are represented by common and crested newts. Of the tailless amphibians, the green toad and the moored frog are often found. From rare species listed in the Red Book - common frog, gray toad and red-bellied toad.

Reptiles are represented by the quick and viviparous lizard, spindle and viper. Rarely come across a copper snake and a bog turtle. In the forests, the most numerous order of birds are passerines: finches, jays, warblers, flycatchers, robins, thrushes, nightingales, tits. Less often you can meet in the forest a motley woodpecker, hazel grouse, capercaillie.

Of the birds of prey in Mordovia, kites, honey beetles, goshawks, buzzards, long-eared owls, and the tawny owl live. Very rarely you can see an eagle owl, golden eagle, owl, black stork, splyushka in the forest. All of them are included in the Red Book. Lapwings, corncrakes, wagtails, buntings, curlews nest in the meadows. Predators, such as the meadow harrier or short-eared owls, also hunt here. Floodplain meadows in spring become a haven for migratory geese, gulls, waders and ducks. Typical inhabitants of the vast Mordovian fields are field larks, quails, partridges. Migratory geese and common cranes also stop here to rest in spring. Doves, sparrows, rooks, jackdaws, swifts, swallows, tits, starlings, wagtails settle near human habitation.

In large tracts of coniferous and coniferous-broad-leaved Mordovian forests live brown bears, roe deer, wild boars, spotted deer, foxes, wolves, badgers, squirrels, hares, lynxes, pine martens, minks, polecats, dormouse, moles, weasels, voles, wood grouses, hazel grouses, black grouses, common cranes, woodpeckers, thrushes, nightingales, crossbills, tits, vipers, snakes, lizards. Hares, field mice, gray partridges, marmots and ground squirrels, jerboas, mole rats, hamsters, larks, buntings are found in broad-leaved forests, meadows and meadow steppes, and the steppe harrier is occasionally found.

Beavers, muskrats, raccoon dogs, otters and desmans, terns, mallards, kites, snipes, lake frogs, and newts are found near water bodies.

Climate in Mordovia

Mordovia is located in a sector with a temperate continental climate, so the change of seasons is especially pronounced here. The Mordovian climate is characterized by cold frosty winter and moderately hot summers.

The cold period of time comes after November 4-6. Winter is usually cloudy with slight frosts. The coldest month is January, when the average monthly temperature ranges from -11.1 to -11.6 degrees Celsius.

The arrival of spring in Mordovia is the end of March - the beginning of April. The first harbingers of it are the arriving rooks. Later, larks and starlings appear. Bird cherry begins to bloom in the middle, and lilac - at the end of May. The spring period ends in the last days of May, its duration is approximately 58 days.

Summer in Mordovia lasts from 91 to 96 days and ends with last days August.

The autumn period of the year begins from the first days of September and is marked by poplar leaf fall. Precipitation is mixed. Autumn in Mordovia continues until the first decade of November.