Steppe definition for children. Description of the natural zone of the steppe
The widest flat expanses, a wild field overgrown with flowers and herbs - that's what the steppe is. These are hectares of endless lands, breathing freedom, calcined by the summer heat, blown by all winds or frozen winter cold. Indented by riverbeds, free, like the soul of a Russian person, the wild steppe is sung in folk songs. She was admired, loved, cherished. AT modern world little unexploited space. The steppes were plowed and sown with wheat, oats, and rye. The same fields that have remained untouched or have been abandoned and re-covered with grass continue to fascinate at any time of the year.
What is the steppe in the geography of Russia? These are endless expanses that stretch from the westernmost Russian outskirts to Siberia, covering the territory up to Chernoy, Seas of Azov and the Caspian and reaching through the steppe strip carry their waters such major rivers like the Volga, Don, Ob and Dnieper. This is somewhere flat, somewhere slightly hilly, on which sometimes, here and there, there are small islands of trees.
The nature of the steppes is diverse. The steppe in spring is a huge territory covered with rich colors. A riot of colors, a real artist's palette - that's what the steppe is at this time of the year. Islands of bright red and purple violets, blue and lilac hyacinths, golden sparks of adonis, and all this in the midst of bright green grass. A little later, already at the beginning of June, this spring coloration is replaced by an equally bright palette of pores - the expanses are covered with blue forget-me-nots, red poppies, irises, yellow tansy, wild peonies. July is the time for purple sage to bloom. In the second half of summer, the steppe turns white, covered with glades of daisies, clover and meadowsweet. In the hot season, when the sun rises high and dries the earth, and rains are rare, the steppe looks like an endless scorched canvas. Here and there, among the faded stalks of cereal grasses, gray threads of feather grass flutter. When the hot sun finally “works” over the endless expanses, tumbleweed balls will roll across the faded, scorched, cracked earth. These are various plants linked together, forming a lump and moving across the expanse, spreading their seeds.
rich and animal world steppes. For him, what is the steppe? These are harsh living conditions to which the inhabitants of the vast expanses are forced to adapt. Lives in the steppe a large number of rodents: ground squirrels, mole rats, jerboas, marmots, some They all build their burrows with numerous passages underground. Among ungulates there are various types of gazelles, antelopes. Not rare in the steppes and snakes. Birds of prey are represented by the steppe eagles, the kestrel, and the harrier. In addition, bustards and various species of small birds such as larks live in the steppes. They live in the steppes and predatory wolves and jackals become especially dangerous in winter. When the steppe was still little mastered, there were frequent cases when wolf packs attacked a person.
The steppe is also found on other continents. However, there it has other names. In America it is the prairie, in Africa it is the savannah.
AT recent times in connection with the warming of the climate, one can hear that the steppe is allegedly advancing on the Belarusian Polesie. That's it, and instead of the forest zone there will be a forest-steppe, and then a steppe. Particularly intelligent citizens even predict desertification. But it would be reasonable to look (before predicting anything) what was on the territory of Belarus in the distant and not very distant past, when there were warmings and stronger than the present.
In the last million years, the climate has been very unstable, and at times quite lousy. Several times there were serious coolings of the climate, when a significant part of Eurasia and North America covered with glaciers. The territory of Belarus was plowed by at least 4 glaciers. Glaciations alternated with interglacials. Now we have an extreme interglacial - the Holocene, which began about 11 thousand years ago.
The previous interglacial - Muravinsky (as it is called in Belarus) or Mikulin (as it is called in Russia) or Ey (as it is called in Germany and the Netherlands), which was 90-110 thousand years ago.
So, Ya.K. Elovicheva (2001) distinguishes two climatic optimums in the Muravinsky interglacial: Cherikovsky and Komotovsky. According to palynological data, during the Cherikov optimum, the territory of Belarus was dominated by broadleaf forests(oak, oak-elm, linden, linden-hornbeam, hornbeam), which, as it got colder, were replaced by broad-leaved-coniferous and coniferous forests. The climate pessimum was dominated by pine-spruce and pine forests with an admixture of thermophilic and mesophilic rocks. In the Komotovsky climatic optimum, pine-broad-leaved forests spread across the territory of Belarus. As the cold snap and the onset of a new glaciation (Poozersky) they were replaced by pine, pine-birch forests with well-defined grass associations.
Ya.K. Elovicheva (2001) using the information-statistical (cartographic) method, which is based on the statistical relationship of modern spore-pollen spectra with modern climatic conditions, the likely climatic characteristics were estimated.
It was found that the Cherikov optimum was characterized by average temperature January –1–(–2) o C; the average July temperature is +16–20 o C; the average annual rainfall is 550–1000 mm. For the Komotovo optimum, the following indicators were obtained: the average January temperature is –1–(–2) o C; the average temperature in July is +19-20 o C; rainfall - 550-800 mm / year. Thus, the average July temperature was 1–2 o C higher than the current one (modern - 17–18.5 o C); the average January temperature was 3–6 o C higher (modern – –8– (–4.5) o C); the amount of precipitation was higher by 50–350 mm/year (modern – 600). Average annual temperature was 2–4 o C higher than the modern one.
T.B. Rylova and I.E. Savchenko (2006) using the method of combining the climatic ranges of plants obtained somewhat different characteristics. For the phase of development of broad-leaved oak and oak-elm forests, the average temperature in July is +18-24.5 o C; the average temperature in January is -4– (+4.5) o C. For the phase of broad-leaved hornbeam-linden forests: the average temperature in July is +17–21 o C; the average January temperature is -5– (+3) o C.
Since the law of natural zonality was in effect 100 thousand years ago, it can be assumed that the highest values of these temperature indicators are more likely for the south of Belarus.
During the Muravinsky interglacial, relatively thermophilic species were present in the landscapes on the territory of Belarus, which now grow in Western European and Central European landscapes, but are absent in Eastern European ones, - Quercus pubescens Willd., Tilia tomentosa Moench, T. platyphyllos Scop., Fagus sylvatica L., Ilex aquifolium L. Hornbeam range ( carpinus betulus L.) was much wider than in modern times and covered the entire territory of Belarus.
Indicator species - common hornbeam ( carpinus betulus L.), whose distribution is now more limited cold climate north of Belarus. On the map of the modern area hornbeam ( carpinus betulus L.)- red.
In the climatic optimum of the Muravinsky interglacial, the entire territory of Belarus is a zone of broad-leaved forests, which at the present time captures only the southern part.
Such areas now have typical types of Western European broad-leaved forests.
The modern area of the forest beech ( Fagus sylvatica L.):
The modern range of the holly holly ( Ilex aquifolium L.):
Modern range of downy oak ( Quercus pubescens Willd.) - red:
For these species, the climate that was on the territory of Belarus during the entire interglacial period is not suitable, primarily due to low heat supply and high continentality.
In Western European broad-leaved forest landscapes, the average January temperature does not exceed 0 o C, the annual sum of temperatures above 10 o C is 2500-3500 degrees. In Central European broad-leaved-forest landscapes, the average January temperature fluctuates around 0 o C (as a rule, it does not fall below –1–(–2) o C). The amount of precipitation in these landscapes is in the range of 500-700 mm/year. That is, the Western and Central European broad-leaved forest landscapes are the modern analogue of the landscapes that existed on the territory of Belarus in the Muravinsky interglacial.
An analysis of the spore-pollen spectra of the Muravinsky deposits in Polissya (for example, in the Mozyr region) indicates the presence of broad-leaved forests here with the dominance of linden, and then hornbeam. The forest landscape is unambiguously indicated by the proportion of tree pollen in the spectrum, which is 90-95% (correspondingly, the proportion of grass pollen is insignificant).
The forest-steppe landscape appears when the climate becomes colder: only cold-resistant trees (birch, pine) remain, the proportion of grass pollen increases to 50-80%, and the proportion of tree pollen, respectively, drops sharply.
It is simply impossible to confuse the spore-pollen spectra of forest and steppe landscapes.
The figure shows changes in the spore-pollen spectra of the geological section in the Svetlogorsk region, reflecting the change of broad-leaved forests (lower part) to pine-birch forests, and then to the forest-tundrosteppe (upper part).
The behavior of flora taxa is quite regular. Here is the result of cluster analysis for the Muravinsky interval in the Mozyr area. Two groups are clearly distinguished: taxa of broad-leaved forests (oak, hornbeam, linden, elm) and taxa of cold forest-tundra-steppe landscapes.
This pattern is inherent not only in Muravinsky, but also in all other Pleistocene interglacials on the territory of Belarus. At the maximum warming, broad-leaved forests are formed, during glaciations in the reglacial (i.e., periglacial) zones, cold forest-steppe (tundra-steppe) is formed.
The Eurasian steppe is in temperate and subtropical climatic zones, and extends for 8 thousand km from Hungary in the west through Ukraine, Russia and Middle to Manchuria in the east. The steppe zone of Russia is a flat area covered with grassy vegetation and practically devoid of trees, with the exception of river banks. Shrubs and many types of herbs grow well on steppe soils.
The Eurasian steppe on the map of Eurasia/Wikipedia
Since the climate from west to east of the country acquires a sharply continental character, the composition of flora and fauna is changing. The steppes of Russia are very fertile lands, so most of the territory has been converted to agricultural land. Human activity has led to the destruction of vast areas of the virgin steppe, as well as a reduction in the number of unique plant and animal species.
Geographic location and types of steppes in Russia
Steppe zone on the map of Russia
The steppe zone of Russia extends from the Black Sea to Altai in the south of the country. The visual northern border is Tula, the Kama and Belaya rivers. In the south, the steppes reach Caucasus mountains. Part of the zone lies on, the other is located on the West Siberian. When moving from south to east, steppe landscapes are still found in the basins of Transbaikalia. The steppe zone borders on the forest-steppe in the north, as well as in the south. natural conditions on the territory of the steppe are not the same. Hence the difference in flora. In Russia, there are 4 following types of steppes:
- Mountain: the steppe lands of the Caucasus are covered with numerous types of grasses, with the exception of sedge.
- Meadow: occupy most of European Russia and Western Siberia. Forbs and cereals grow in this landscape zone. A dense green carpet is enlivened by bright flower stalks.
- Feather: the steppes of the Orenburg region are covered with varieties of feather grass.
- Desert: tumbleweed, prutnyanka and feather grass are found on the lands of Kalmykia. The vegetation cover of the area has been significantly affected by human activities.
Steppe climate
From south to east, the climate of the Russian steppe changes from temperate continental to sharply continental. The average winter temperature in the East European Plain is -5°C. Near the borders of the West European Plain, these figures drop to -30°C. Winters are not snowy, winds often blow.
Spring comes abruptly, approaching, thanks to air masses, from the south and southwest. At the end of March, the thermometer rises to 0°C. The snow is melting quickly, there is practically no new precipitation.
The temperature in summer is +25°C, most days are clear and sunny. Precipitation falls precisely on the warm season, they fall at least 400 mm. The steppes are characterized by aridity. Dry winds dry out the soil, lead to erosion, and form ravines. A sharp drop in daily temperatures by 15 ° C makes steppes related to deserts. The steppe autumn is long, there are practically no winds, until November the average temperature is about 0°C.
The steppes in southern Russia are softer due to southerly winds. The wind from the south brings wet air, which softens winters and reduces summer heat. In winter, cyclones often occur in the southern regions, and fogs form in the river valleys in summer.
The steppes in the west have a more severe climate, in winter, at a temperature of -50 ° C, the soil freezes to 100 cm. There is little snow, and there are almost never thaws. The snow cover disappears in mid-April. Summer, lasting three months, begins in May. The first frosts occur in October, winter begins a month later.
Flora and fauna
The main cover of the steppe is made up of cereal crops growing in bunches, between which the earth is visible. Herbs tolerate heat and drought well. Some of them fold their leaves to avoid evaporation. More often than other plants, feather grass is found. Its size depends on the region of growth. No less common in the steppe is the genus of cereals Tonkonog. Spike panicles of perennials are animal food.
Most plants have a dark color of foliage, which saves from excessive evaporation of moisture. In the steppes grows dwarf iris, meadow sage, kermek, astragalus, meadowsweet, skewer, wormwood. Honey plants are of great importance: sweet clover, alfalfa, buckwheat, phacelia, motherwort and sunflower.
The fauna of the steppe zone of Russia cannot be called diverse. Large animals have nowhere to hide, so there are small animals here: ground squirrels, marmots, hamsters, jerboas and hedgehogs. the steppe fox feeds. Small animals serve as food for wolves, wild cats and ferrets. Birds of prey include owls, hawks, harriers and buzzards. In addition to them, ducks, bustards, cranes and herons live in the steppes. AT steppe zone you can meet amphibians and reptiles: frogs, toads, lizards and snakes. Steppe antelopes, saigas, live in herds, and have adapted for a long time go without water.
Soils
Chernozem was formed under the influence high temperatures and low humidity. It is highly fertile. Humus is actively formed in the upper layers. Its horizon in the Kuban region reaches 100 cm. To the south, due to drought, saline and solonchak soils are often found. In many areas, the erosion process is actively taking place on the surface. Under drought conditions, leaching of calcium, magnesium and sodium from the upper layer can be observed. Chernozem contains billions of useful minerals. The plowed lands of the steppes provide 80% of all agricultural products in Russia.
Economic activity
The first settlers of the steppes were engaged in cattle breeding. Then people began to actively plow the land and sow it. Today, corn, wheat, sunflower and rice are grown in these territories. The abundance of light and heat make it possible to grow gourds, melons and watermelons. In the south, part of the land is reserved for vineyards.
Grass cover is an excellent fodder base for livestock. In the steppe zone, they breed poultry, sheep, pigs and cows. AT major cities factories operate. The terrain allows for the construction of long highways. The steppes are densely populated, big cities adjacent to sparsely populated villages.
Ecological problems of the steppes of Russia
Human activities, water and wind erosion lead to desertification of the steppes. The land becomes unsuitable for growing crops, soil fertility decreases. Due to the reduction of vegetation, the population of animals is on the decline. In the struggle for the harvest, a person uses fertilizers that pollute the fragile. Artificial irrigation leads to soil salinization.
To preserve the unique steppe, it is necessary to strengthen protection measures rare plants and animals, create new protected areas. In protected areas, vulnerable species will be able to recover faster. The steppes of Russia can still be saved, but this requires the joint efforts of the state and civil society.
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Poetics of the steppe space. Steppe as cultural
concept.
Educational goal: to identify the definition of the steppe as a cultural
concepts. To trace the interaction of cultures of different
ethnic groups in the process of analyzing poetic and
prose texts.
Educational goal: development of tolerance and respect for
culture of different peoples. The development of spirituality in
basis of historical memory.
During the classes:
1 I want to start my lesson with the words of the famous methodologist M.A. Rybnikova: “... the feeling of nature must be brought up, cultivated, nurtured, if you do not help the child to see and feel the beauties of nature, then at the age of 16 he can detect complete immunity, complete deafness and blindness” .
And today we will talk about the steppe. Steppe… Is it just a geographical concept?
Let's start with dry theoretical concepts. The steppe refers to geographical natural landscapes.
Are these landscapes of vertical or horizontal space?
Calm or stormy?
Natural or artificial?
Open or closed?
Watching the music video of the song "Oh, you steppe
wide” under the direction of E. Strelnikov.
The difference in the methods of describing the steppe.
Reading by heart an excerpt from N.V. Gogol's story "Taras Bulba"
- Name the semantic series of concepts that a Russian person puts into
the word "steppe?" / nature, Fatherland, freemen, historical memory place
admiration/
Artistic reading of excerpts from A.P. Chekhov's story "The Steppe"
/ “Egorushka looked around and did not understand ... sad and sorry for himself” /
/ “But, finally, when the sun ... as in a duel” /
/ “In July evenings ... sweetly cloying and gentle” /
How do we see the steppe through the eyes of the protagonist? / the steppe as an eternal living organism, deep psychologism of the protagonist. The main poetic device is personification /
Cultural associations
Based on the literary text of the story by N.V. Gogol, answer the question:What traits of the Russian national character are promoted, in your opinion, by the flat landscape? /from the expanse of the steppe comes the Russian craving for freedom, prowess and revelry/
The Russian historian V.O. Klyuchevsky wrote: “Housing is not visible in vast spaces; no sound is heard all around - and the observer is seized by an eerie feeling of imperturbable peace, deep sleep and emptiness, loneliness, conducive to boundless dull reflection without a clear, distinct thought. ... On the one hand, the steppe symbolizes freedom, revelry, breadth, not limited by any bonds or prohibitions, on the other hand, the steppe is a dangerous space inhabited by predatory nomads and revelers-thieves ... carrying ruin and destruction of any socio-cultural stability.
CM. Solovyov "... the vastness of the state not only does not give it strength in comparison with a small state that has these conditions, but also serves as the main obstacle to people's development." / “Readings and stories on the history of Russia”, p. 428, M., Pravda, 1990 /
From culturological associations on a moral theme, let us now move on to a poetic analysis of poems. Let's try together with the author to enjoy the beauty of the steppe.
2. Poetic analysis of A.A. Fet’s poem “The Steppe in the Evening”
- Why is there no abundance of flowers in this poem?
/twilight, scarlet and golden/
What is more in this poem: color or sound?
/sound. Twilight, the ringing of the coachman's bell, the buzzing of the beetle, the quail
responded, corncrakes creak /
-What kind natural phenomena remind of the onset of twilight?
/ scarlet shine, dew, coolness, /
/beauty of the steppe getting ready for sleep/
What literary tropes does the author use in this poem?
/ comparisons: the steppe, like the sea; Milky Way like a river.
Personifications: the fields are basking, the stars will look, the harrier has sailed,
The beetle buzzed angrily.
Epithets: scarlet shine, the fields were covered with a golden net.
3. The word “steppe” sounds somewhat differently in Kazakh culture, although there is much in common with the Russian culturological concept of “steppe”.
Reading A. Kunanbaev’s poem “Summer” / excerpt / student reads
What is the semantic range of concepts that the Kazakh people put into the word "steppe"?
/ among the Russian people - a place of freemen, prowess; the Kazakh people have a place where a nomad lives, a home, a hearth, a place for reflection. Companion - horse /
A. Seidimbekov in his book “Singing Domes” writes: “The nomadic way of life and management is inextricably linked with the environment of their permanent habitat - the great steppe. It is impossible to understand the nomads without understanding the laws of life and development of the steppes, the specifics of their fauna and flora. Steppe life, life in the steppe - these are the main factors in the formation of spiritual and material culture, determining their specificity and originality.
4. Reading and analysis of the poem by P.N. Vasiliev “Lost trace in the steppe
saline "
- What is the witness of the centuries-old life of the steppe?
/ centuries-old dust, kurgan moon, dark stirrups, hoard
chevroy /
- What is the keeper of centuries-old history?
/steppe/
- What lines and what literary trope prove that the steppe is alive ?
/ How measuredly the heart beats of the Steppe country, spread out here. /
O. Suleimenov's rebuke to "unscrupulous" historians who are trying to assert that there was no culture in the steppe.
“Why does A. Pletneva, who talks about the fatal lack of culture among the nomads... lose sight of, for example, the Scythians, whose art is the pride of the Hermitage? After all, they were classic nomads….
This documentary confirmation is evidence that the Turkic-speaking nomads had significant cultural contacts with the agrarian civilizations of China, India, Iran, with Slavic Europe, with Byzantium ...
Are you saying that the Slavs have always had hostile relations with the nomads? Then why did such Turkic words as "comrade" and "friend" pass into Slavic languages?.. Why didn’t the Turks themselves keep the form “friend”, but use the Iranian “dost?”...
"If you meet a man, please him: maybe you see him for the last time."
This is the true hospitality of the steppe. / "Nomads and culture: Kazakh experiment" /.
In Kazakh culture, the steppe, the native hearth, is also a place to which a person is in eternal debt. Reading a poem by B. Kanapyanov "Native Hearth"
/ briefly about the biography of B. Kanapyanov /
native hearth,
For everything, forgive me.
For what about the roots
I forget.
Got it all
From your fire
And nothing in return
I don't return.
I'm leaving for the steppe
There at the end of the day
Your seven ancestors
I don't call.
And almost nothing
I don't know about them
But at dusk
I hasten to snore a horse.
Here is my village
My father's grave is here.
The beginning is here.
And there is no end to it.
And this way
To be continued by me:
meet people,
give poems,
And - to live!
fate
Serve your people.
Bless the steppe:
Go, my son!
5. The black lark is a symbol of the Turgai steppes. Reading of the poem "The Black Lark" by V. Shesterikov and the poem "The Black Lark" by O. Suleimenov.
Eduard Bagritsky loved birds.
In the little office they yelled
Parrots, kenars, ulbils,
Chizhiki…
Silent-
Karatorgay.
A lark from the Turgai region,
He bored his steppes for a long time.
We told him: “Fly south!”
Doesn't want to.
hiding
trembles in the Turgai region.
Shivering.
In winter there are storms.
unpleasant,
ten points.
In wool (as in hay) on the back of a ram
Burrow and sleep, darling.
And the shepherd caught half-frozen
And gave it to a passing newspaperman.
He sold the karatorgai to the pilot,
Pilot - gave.
The poet winced.
But I accepted the gift
Stuck in a cage
In the far corner, on the floor.
They drank tea.
The guest adjusted his blue cap.
Smiled. Flew away.
Crashed.
And Bagritsky cried in a telegram.
Kenars screamed, parrots
They murmured indifferently:
"Fool".
The caratorgai was silent on the floor.
He was silent, my lark is black.
Oh silence -
He was silent.
He lost again
Your Turgay,
Snowy area.
I smile at life-loving geniuses!
Terminating contracts with life,
A man stocked up in case of a canary
And he took the caratorgai forever.
And when I come to the area
I listen for a long time at night:
Lark under a huge cloud
An amazingly poignant poem. main image poems karatorgay is not only a symbol of love of life, but also a symbol of aching homesickness.
An interesting parallel is the pilot and the lark. One remained forever in the sky, the other - "... voices about the motherland in silence." He lost his homeland twice.
This poem is also interesting because the author combined two poetic images, the steppe and the sky.
6. And yet, nothing is so capable of conveying the state of a person, the depth of feelings experienced by him (even poetry, “a thought spoken is a lie”), like music. /Listening to the kuy Kurmangazy "Sary-Arka"/
/students prepare the story of the creation of this musical
works/
Conclusion: The famous scientist L. Gumilyov wrote that “over the three thousand years of its existence, nomadic culture has passed creative evolution, no less bright and colorful than the countries of the Mediterranean and Far East". All this formed an original material culture, moral and ethical attitudes, the richest song art and a perfect language.
D / s "My perception of the steppe" / essay-miniature /. It is desirable that students write down some evaluation structures that can be used in the essay. /In my opinion...I was completely shocked...the music was a complete revelation for me...it's so unusual...it's hard to disagree..../
Literature
1. Klyuchevsky V.O. The course of Russian history / / Op. in 9 vols., vol. 1-M., 1987, - p. 83-84
2.S.M. Solovyov. Reading and stories on the history of Russia. Moscow, Pravda, 1990.
3. O. Suleimenov. Essay. Publicism. Poetry. Poems. Alma-Ata, 1990.
4. A. Seidimbekov. Singing domes. Alma-Ata. Zhalyn, 1985.
5. Slides by L.A. Krylova “Artwork
as a cultural space".
6. Z.P. Tabakova, A.K. Karabatyrova, O.M. Medvedev. Steppe tunes.
Reader. Petropavlovsk, 2011.
“Steppe, yes steppe all around”, “Oh you, wide steppe”, “Dust, roads, steppe and fog”…. The words of these songs are the first thing that comes to mind when we try to imagine this endless plain. So what is the steppe, and why is it so dear to the Russian heart that so many folk tunes have been composed about it? Where are the steppes located, and how do the European steppes differ from the North American ones? What dangers can await us in the steppe and who lives there? You will learn about all this from the material below.
Steppe is a grassy plain in temperate and subtropical zones Northern and Southern hemispheres. The Eurasian steppe is located in temperate zone. Trees are found here only in river valleys, where there is enough moisture. Look at the photo of the steppe: this is the real kingdom of grasses, feather grass, bluegrass, fescue and other plants that form a continuous or almost continuous carpet. Nowadays, vast expanses of the steppes have been plowed under fields through which roads have been laid, and now large cities have grown on them.
Plants and animals in the steppe
Steppe plants are well adapted to heat and drought, they are distinguished by a grayish or gray-green color. Their leaves are usually thick, covered with a film-cuticle, sometimes curled up in dry weather to reduce evaporation. The roots of the steppe vegetation are tenacious and long. In spring, when there is most moisture, beautiful flowers bloom in the steppe.
Steppe plants belong to various types. These are legumes, and cereals, and other plants, which are usually combined into the concept of "forbs". Some herbs serve as good food for animals, while others are inedible. But numerous inhabitants of the steppes find their food there.
Stipe grasses are typical steppe plants. They belong to cereals, of which there are about 300 species. The inflorescence of the feather grass is a dense panicle, and its grain seeds are equipped with long pinnate awns. Thanks to this, they are perfectly carried by the wind, sink among other grasses and then burrow into the ground. In this they are helped by the sharp tip of the grain, which is simply screwed into the soil. So the feather grass spreads across the steppe.
Animals of the steppes are not only horses, which have long been domesticated, but also wild ungulate saigas. Hares live in the steppes, partridges nest, burrows dig and various rodents store food.
Cause of fires in the steppes
Although steppe fires spread very quickly, they are easier to extinguish than forest fires. The fact is that a grassroots forest fire can turn into a terrible horse fire, but in the steppe this is simply impossible, since there are no trees there. main reason fires in the steppes - human activity, and much less often - lightning. Far from all animals and birds have time to escape, and spring fires still destroy their nests, cubs and completely burn out the grass. Subsequently, the seeds are again carried by the winds to the soil, and life returns. But if the fire comes too often, the steppe can turn into a semi-desert.
North American steppe - prairie
Steppes and prairies are essentially the same thing, they are just located on different continents. The prairie is the North American steppe, it is rather arid, because it is located in the depths of the continent, and rocky mountains obscure it from precipitation from the west. Once upon a time, herds of bison grazed on these grassy expanses. Today they remain only in nature reserves and national parks, and the prairies have mostly been turned into fields where corn, wheat and other crops are grown.
The cowboys, about whom so many adventure films have been made and books written, were ordinary shepherds. Among them were many African Americans and Mexican Indians.
Prairie animals and plants
Often in the prairies you can see a group of mounds with a diameter of 120 cm and a height of 60 cm, around which there is no grass. These are settlements of prairie animals - prairie dogs, their voice really sounds like barking, but in fact they are rodents, related to squirrels. Dogs eat grass not only in order to get enough, but also in order to better view the surroundings. 32 prairie dogs eat in a day as much as one sheep, and 256 dogs - the daily ration of a cow.
The prairie plant buffalo grass is a grass common to these latitudes. It tolerates drought well, grows after the first rains and serves as food for bison.
Yucca is an evergreen plant from the Agovaceae subfamily. It grows well in prairies, semi-deserts and deserts, withstanding both heat and winter cold. The fibers of one of its species - filamentous yucca - are added to cotton for the production of jeans. This makes the fabric more durable.
The Mexican hat, or columnar ratibida, grows on the prairie, wasteland, and along roads from Canada to Mexico. It is a very hardy plant that loves limestone-rich soils, but can grow in clayey areas and even slightly saline soils. And it got its name because of the shape of the flower with petals pointing down.
In past centuries, millions of bison, the closest relatives of bison, grazed on the expanses of the American prairies. But the prairies gradually turned into wheat and corn fields and pastures for cows, and bison were constantly hunted. And by the beginning of the 20th century. only 500 bison remained. Only then did people come to their senses and began to restore the number of these animals. Today there are several tens of thousands of bison.
In the 19th century pastures in the West were not fenced, and so herds from different ranches mixed with each other. Cows always had to be separated and driven into paddocks. This occupation required considerable skill, and later a competition appeared on its basis - rodeo. Cowboys, mounted on horseback, also drove cattle across the prairie to the nearest railroad stations. At times, this journey was long and dangerous. The heyday of the cowboy era was 1865-1885. Then railways covered the whole country, and long drives of cattle were a thing of the past. However, the cowboys still work on the ranch and hold rodeos.
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