Why do we need black stripes on the trunk. Why are birches white? How birch reproduces

Bath massage helps to get rid of many ailments associated with respiratory tract, cardiovascular and integumentary systems. The ancient Russians knew about these miraculous properties, who passed on from generation to generation the knowledge of how to dry birch brooms for a bath. The procedure is quite simple and accessible to everyone.

Why is birch a symbol of Russia?

Sincere lines by Tyutchev, Yesenin and Rubtsov were dedicated to this tree. It is about him that emigrants remember when they remember their homeland. The white-barreled is a symbol of our country, although this fact is not officially recognized (as, for example, sakura in Japan). The reasons for worship are as follows:

• Birch is a typical inhabitant of the Golden Ring, the cradle of the Russian state. Despite the fact that for hundreds of years Russia conquered Siberia and the borders Central Asia, cedar and saxaul could not change the traditional idea of ​​Russian nature;
• Bright and memorable appearance. The white trunk, dotted with black dashed stripes, makes the tree unlike anything else and stands out among other species;
• The plant was a symbol of the pagan Slavic deity Beregini, who protected from ailments, evil spirits and ensured fertility;
• Slavic tribes used the bark of this tree as a means of writing (birch bark);
• Before the Westernization of Russia by Peter the Great The symbol of the beginning of the new year was not a spruce, but a birch. Its flowering symbolized the awakening of nature from winter oblivion.

Technology of drying rods with leaves

The plant would never take important place in the soul of the people, if brooms for the bath were not made from its branches. For many generations of the inhabitants of our country, without these devices it was impossible to imagine the process of washing.

When drying branches, the following points must be considered:

• Avoid active air exchange in the storage room. Otherwise, the unique aroma of birch leaves will go away forever;
• No foreign odors. Freshly painted walls can ruin a dozen brooms;
• Temperature conditions are in the range from 8 to 27 degrees;
• Avoid exposure to direct sunlight and exposure to high humidity;
• The best place for drying is non-residential premises in the house (attic, storage room, garage);
• The duration of the procedure is about 14 days;
• Ready-made dry brooms are hung (not folded!) To the ceiling and left to be stored like this until X hour, until the time comes to put them into practice.

Why do we need black stripes on a birch trunk?

One of the most striking features of the national Russian tree- stripes dotting his trunk from top to bottom. These formations have not only an aesthetic function, but also play an important role in the life support of the plant. They carry oxygen necessary for the breath of the tree.

Are formed lentils- this is the name of the black strokes on the trunk - as follows:

1. The skin on a young plant has special micro-holes, or stomata. They form between a pair of cells and are slit-like;
2. As soon as the plant begins to prepare for the winter cold, the stomata begin to rise outward due to the fact that the tissues under them increase in size;
3. On the surface of the trunk, a tubercle is formed from a porous material that perfectly passes air;
4. A crack may form at the site of the stomata, which further increases gas exchange;
5. The outer primary integumentary tissue begins to die off and a cork forms;

Principles of broom massage

But back to the brooms. So, they are already ready and can not wait until the owner puts them into action. But here's the problem: the presence of hot water and sewerage in each apartment spoiled the inhabitants of the cities.

Few people now know how to wield bundles of branches in the bath. But there is nothing complicated about this:

• Lower the broom into the vat warm water repeatedly. Then pour a couple of buckets of hot water into it and wait until the rods with foliage soften;
• Apply treatment immediately hot water not recommended: foliage may fall off;
• You need to use a broom only after the second entry into the steam room, when the body is properly warmed up;
• Wave the bundle several times over a lying person so that hot air envelops him from head to toe;
• Sliding brooms all over the body, without coming off;
• Then comes the turn of small, barely noticeable strokes to stimulate blood circulation;
• If the temperature in the steam room is very high, you can periodically lower the bundle into cold water to make you feel more comfortable.

Suvel birch: what is it? (a photo)

wood used by humans economic activity, is not always in perfect condition. Various disadvantages physical characteristics wood material are called defects. In hardwoods, the so-called souvelle- a defect in the structure of the fibers, in which a smooth outgrowth is formed on the trunk.

The reasons for the formation of a suvel are not fully known to science. Scientists put forward the following assumptions:

• Impact of weather and climatic conditions;
• Mechanical damage to the tree;
• Wood damage by a fungus;
• Sometimes it is possible to artificially obtain a build-up by wrapping the barrel with wire.

The texture of the growth can be different: from marble to red-brown. In most cases, dark shades are observed.

Despite the fact that in logging the suvel is recognized as a defect in wood, folk craftsmen highly appreciate this anomalous formation. The blanks are used to make souvenirs, women's jewelry, mugs, and even serve as a canvas for carving.

How does birch reproduce?

The tree belongs to an extremely tenacious species and is prone to reproducing its own kind even after forest fire. Among the methods of reproduction are:

1. seeds. Occurs when open space is available. When female flowers are pollinated by male flowers, seeds are formed that fall to the ground in the autumn-winter period. Having survived the cold, they successfully germinate in the spring;
2. undergrowth. If the tree is not cared for in any way for several years, then young shoots will appear near its base. They are formed from buds "sleeping" on the root system of the plant;
3. cuttings. To do this, in spring or summer, shoots are cut from a birch tree that is more than two years old and an incision is made at the end of the seedling (so it can better absorb moisture). Planting is done only after the roots are formed. Bury the cutting in an open and well-lit area 2-3 centimeters into the soil.

The seed method of reproduction is also used for decorative purposes. After the earrings have acquired a brown color, they are collected and planted six months later, in the spring.

There is a number of knowledge worthy of being included in the Red Book: how to weave bast shoes, embroider on a hoop, how to dry birch bath brooms. While the achievements of civilization have not completely destroyed the tradition of bathing, we list the main stages of the process: we harvest the branches, dry them and hang them from the ceiling.

Video instruction: how to properly dry a birch broom

In this video, Viktor Medvedev will tell you in detail about the process of preparing brooms for a bath:

“We have a birch tree in every song, a birch tree under every window,” is sung in a beautiful song by the composer A. Ponomarenko to the verses of M. Agashina. And it's hard to argue with that - this tree has really become a kind of symbol of our country. The attitude to the birch has always been special - for example, it was an important " actor” in the Semik rites, which in the Christian era coincided in time with the feast of the Holy Trinity, and even in Orthodox Church the custom has been preserved on this holiday to bring birch branches to the temple ...

The unusualness of this tree lies primarily in the color of the bark - it is not easy to find another tree with white bark! True, not all types of birch have such a feature - for example, in Transbaikalia, Daurian birch grows with dark bark, on Kuril Islands and in Japan - red birch, which received such a name because of the red-orange color ... But in our area the birches are white with black spots.

Why birches are white, explained the outstanding Russian chemist T.E. Lovits (1754-1804). He isolated from the birch bark crystalline organic matter, which was named so - betulin (from the Latin name for birch - betula).

Betulin is a white resinous substance that fills the cavities of birch cork tissue cells - this is what gives birch bark White color. After all, the content of betulin in it is huge: different types birches, it ranges from 14% to 44%. What gives a tree such an evolutionary acquisition?

First of all, betulin is rich in silver ions. And silver, as you know, has bactericidal properties, so betulin is a wonderful natural antiseptic that protects the tree from infections. No wonder the birch has long been known as medicinal plant- its juice was used to treat skin diseases, as well as colds. However, the matter is not limited to this: tea from birch buds is a wonderful diuretic, a tonic drink rich in vitamins was prepared from its leaves, and people living near a birch grove get sick an order of magnitude less thanks to the volatile bactericidal substances of this tree. For the same reason, people with weak lungs are advised to walk more in birch groves.

But back to betulin. It not only protects against bacteria, it is also directly related to such a property of birch as frost resistance - it was this that helped this tree take root in cold Russia up to the tundra. The frost resistance of birch is truly amazing: in the course of laboratory experiments, birch branches restored their vitality after being in a chamber with a temperature of minus 273 degrees!

So, we figured out the white color - but what about the black spots?

They are called lentils. The fact is that neither water nor gases pass through the upper layer of birch bark - birch bark. This is also a protective property, but such protection could "suffocate" the tree if it did not have an "entrance gate" through which the tree could breathe. These "entrance gates" are lentils with their loose fabric.

As you can see, the fact that it was the birch that became the “Russian beauty” is quite natural: this tree is perfectly adapted to life in our harsh climate.

Target: education of love for nature, native land, Motherland.

Tasks:

• develop careful attitude to nature;
• continue work on the moral education of students;
• learn to see the beautiful;
• create an opportunity for creative development students.

PROGRESS OF THE EVENT

Teacher. Many countries of the world have their own plants - symbols: Lebanon has a Lebanese cedar, Canada has a maple, Japan has a sakura, India has a lotus.
And in our forests there are many trees revered by the people, for example, mountain ash. She has long enjoyed great honor in Russia, the people composed songs about the forest beauty, endowed her with magical powers. The fisherman took with him a rowan stick - with it a storm is not terrible. It was believed that mountain ash could resist the evil machinations of sorcerers and witches, so a newborn child was put on a necklace of mountain ash, its leaves were lined in the shoes of the newlyweds. With a branch of mountain ash, the peasants lightly hit the cows so that they would have milk. The fruits and flowers of mountain ash are widely used in medicine.

1st presenter. Another tree is an aspen. “Cinderella of the Russian forest”, “talkative hostess”, “sworn tree”, “quivering” is popularly called this slender tree with greenish-gray bark and a sparse crown, which is painted in red, minium and lemon yellow colors in autumn.
According to one of the legends, there was a dispute between the trees, who brings more benefits to people. And pine, and larch, and ash, cedar, and birch vied with each other to brag about their merits, and only aspen had nothing to say, but then time itself dispelled the myths about the uselessness of aspen. For centuries, its buds and leaves have been used by folk healers.

Reader.

tree spore

There was a dispute once made
In the forest among the trees.
About the benefits for people he was -
There is one belief.
Everyone knew about their meeting:
Shrubs, blades of grass.
Showed them in all their glory
Birch, Cedar, Aspen,
Mighty Oak. vying with each other
Standing in front of each other
Boast about the benefits and yourself,
For people to choose.
The oak says: “I am king among you!
The acorn will give them vitamins,
In the bark, they will benefit. ”
Cedar remarked: “I will yield
In fragile material.
But I give oil in cones.
People knew about him!
“And I will give life-giving juice. -
Birch answered, -
There is also a healing infusion
On brunki - on earrings.
“Why are you silent, Aspen, you?”
“Shall we put an end to the dispute?”
"See how fear
Its leaves are trembling! -
The trees spoke after.
Aspen decided
That there is no use for people in it ...
"And it served her well."
Centuries go by, years go by...
Aspen is useful to us:
Infusion on the kidneys to us always
Needed in cases of illness,
Nobody can get by
Without aspen matches,
Kohl is superstitious, rely
On the stake in the fight against the vampire.
This is her great contribution.
Osinka wiped her nose!
Everyone knows about it:
Shrub and reed.

Olesya Petrovicheva, 10th grade.

Teacher. Willow, willow, spruce, pine, bird cherry, viburnum ...
Each of these trees has its own meaning in oral folk art, in poetry and painting, but most of all, the life and fate of a Russian person is connected with the beauty, about whom these riddles are:
Alyonka is standing - a green scarf,
Thin camp, white sundress.
She meets spring - puts on earrings.
A green scarf is thrown over the back.
And the dress is striped:
You'll find out… (birch)?

So, today we will talk about birch. ( Attachment 1 . slide 1).
It is known that in no country there is such an abundance of birch trees as we have in Russia.
The white-trunked tender birch has long been a symbol of Russian nature, Russia.

2nd host. Birches reach a height of 10-25 (maximum 45) m, trunk diameter 25-120 (maximum up to 150) cm.
The crown is most often ovoid in shape. Birch bark - birch bark in many species is white. This is the only breed in the world with snow-white bark. ( Attachment 1 . Slides 2-7) The life expectancy of a birch is from 40 to 120 years. Flowering from 8-15 years old, in plantations - from 20-30 years old, abundant and almost annual.
Birch is photophilous, successfully grows in various climatic conditions, frost-resistant, tolerates permafrost, drought-resistant, undemanding to soil fertility and moisture, therefore it is found on stony and poor sandy soils, and on peat bogs. Birch goes far to the north and south, rises high into the mountains. One of the first it settles on pine-spruce clearings. In the spring, the birch is one of the first to wake up in the forest: there is still snow, and there are already thawed patches around it, orange catkins are swollen on the tree ... And in the fall, the birch is among the first to put on a beautiful golden dress ...
Birch is widely used in many sectors of the national economy. Parquet, plywood, household utensils and other products are made from it. Birch is resistant to gas and dust. It is of great importance for air purification, therefore it is successfully used in landscaping, in the creation of recreational areas. Birch is a favorite tree of all Russian people. Slender, curly, white-trunked, she was always compared in Russia with a tender and beautiful bride. Poets and artists dedicated their best works to her. Birch in songs, and in riddles, and in fairy tales. She is dear to the Russian heart. ( Attachment 1 . slide 8)

Reader.

I love Russian birch
Either bright or sad
In a white sarafan
With handkerchiefs in pockets
With beautiful clasps
With green earrings.
I love her elegant
Native, invisible,
That clear, seething,
That sad, crying.
I love Russian birch.
She is always with her friends
Bent low under the wind
And bends, but does not break!
"Birch" A. Prokofiev

2nd reader.

White birch
under my window
covered with snow,
Exactly silver.
On fluffy branches
snow border
Brushes blossomed
White fringe.
And there is a birch
In sleepy silence
And the snowflakes are burning
In golden fire
A dawn, lazy
Walking around,
Sprinkles branches
New silver.
S. Yesenin.

The dance "Birches" is performed by a group of girls.

Teacher. At the birches lovers met, they sang suffering. ( Attachment 1 . slide 9)

Oh you white birch
There is no wind, but you are making noise.
My heart is zealous
There is no grief, but you hurt.
I loved and love
Your eyes are blue
I'm still blue.
Come to me, darling
I will show the path
On curly birches
I'll tie it with a ribbon.

1st presenter. That's how many poems and songs. And then there are mysteries:

1. Which tree has two barks instead of one? (On a birch) White and thin on top, and black and clumsy on the bottom.
Question? Why do we need white stripes on black bark? (The black stripes on the white bark are needed by the tree so that the tree can breathe through them)

2. What is the name of birch bark? (Birch bark)
Question? Why birch bark is very fond of scientists - historians. (In ancient times, when parchment was expensive, they wrote on birch bark. Birch bark letters have come down to us, after reading which, learned historians were able to learn a lot about the life of our ancestors.)

3. There is a curly tree, there are 5 lands on this tree.

1st place - sick health,
2nd land - a broken fortress,
3rd land - the sea is wiped out,
4th land - a small threat,
5th land - night light. (Broom, birch bark, broken dishes tied with birch bark, whip, torch)

Teacher. Russian birch was captured in their paintings by artists. ( Attachment 1 . slide 10)
Question? Who can name these artists? (Plastov, Levitan, Kuindzhi and Savrasov).

1st presenter. Writer V.M. Garshin looking at the picture of A.K. Savrasov "The Rooks Have Arrived" ( Attachment 1 . Slide 11) said: “I would call this painting “Feeling of the Motherland”. And indeed, when you look at this canvas, you experience a painfully penetrating feeling of unity with your Fatherland. And spring ringing drops, and haze, and thin birches - all this is so familiar and so dear. And this amazing picture gives rise to love for Russia, the Motherland.

Reader.

You are so beautiful, birch!
And at noon hot, and during the hours of dew,
That Russia is unthinkable without you.
And I can not imagine without your beauty.

2nd host. In front of the painting "Birch Grove" A.I. Kuindzhi ( Attachment 1 . Slide 12) you experience special joy. This is what happens when you enter a birch grove on a summer day and feel the beauty of your homeland. Around are green-haired, quiet and silent birch trees, drunk with its juices.

Reader.

Russia is mine! I love your birches!
Since those years, I grew up with them and lived,
That's why tears come
Eyes weary of tears.

1st presenter. Before us is a picture of I.I. Levitan " Birch Grove». ( Attachment 1 . slide 13)
White-trunked birches covered with young bright green foliage, a thick carpet of emerald grass, the sun's rays cannot leave anyone indifferent. The picture captivates with the freshness and play of colors, the thrill of life itself. So I want to read the lines:

Reader.

But the clearing, on the hill
Under the window, among the fields
White-winged birches - a symbol
My motherland.

You are so sweet to me
To any dew
In your spaces
Silence drifts,
Birch, Russian Russia
Chamomile, kind country.

2nd host. We often talk about birch: slender, tall, curly. But in order for this tree to become such, it takes more than a dozen years. A lot of strength and perseverance needs to be applied to a small sprout in order to withstand all adversity: winter cold and summer heat, heavy rains and prolonged drought.

Have you seen how birches are born?
Just like herbs:
stem and leaf.
In the middle of the day
or at the pink dawn,
the awakened east will blaze a little, -
look -
rose from the diapers
and, like a flimsy blade of grass, stands
Russian birch tiddly child
and not at all birch in appearance.
Not everyone will notice this crumb,
into two or three barely opened leaves.
Since childhood, she will have to go badly more than once:
then - bad weather,
then the earth is hard,
then to block the sun
herbs tend...
Oh, how much in life you have to experience and endure,
to slim and curly
Yes, become a white birch!

1st presenter. But the heart shrinks more when you see a crippled tree. After all, it is alive!

Reader.

In the spring heat, the boy is angry
Pierced the birch bark with a knife -
And drops of juice, like tears, -
They flowed in a transparent stream.
The shepherd cut the bark of a birch,
Bending down, he draws sweetish juice.
Drop by drop drips into the sand
Birch blood, transparent as tears.
And now she, growing cold from flour, will wither by the next spring.
The trunk will dry up, and the branches will become numb,
And the roots will die in the depths.

Teacher. Russia, Russia from time immemorial has been a peasant country, where labor and need, sorrow and joy were combined ... Birch is truly a peasant tree. It resembles a cotton shawl, a whitewashed hut, a Russian stove, a linen shirt, and a rug. The thick birch trunks resemble the callused peasant hands that do any hard work. And young, thin, straight birch trees look like slender, with a flexible waist, with fair-haired braids, light-eyed Russian girls.
How does a peasant communicate with birch trees?

Images from the movie "Kalina Krasnaya"(Annex 2 , Appendix 3 )

2nd host. What Russian person does not love a beautiful birch? To the weary, she promises a welcome rest, to the thirsty for coolness she gives shade.
And what is birch for the workers of our school? Let's listen to their statements. (Excerpts from interviews taken by students with teachers and other school workers about birch are read out).

1st presenter. Palm trees, baobabs, coffee trees... these names are associated with distant countries. But our Motherland cannot be imagined without a birch, a white-trunked beauty. ( Attachment 1 . slide 14)

Reader.

I can’t imagine Russia without a birch, -
She is so bright in Slavic,
What, perhaps, in centuries different
From a birch - all Russia was born.

Oleg Shestinsky

Teacher. Wherever a birch grows, everywhere it brings joy and light. ( Attachment 1 . Slide 15) Birch is a symbol of Russia of our Motherland. And she will be in our open spaces forever, because our people are eternal, our Russian land is eternal!

Reader.

Again about them, curly and whitish ...
And what to do here, if in Russia
There are birch trees along all roads,
At least a day, at least a year, at least eternity wheels!

Teacher. We can talk about the white-trunked birch for a long time: this topic is inexhaustible. Hundreds of years will pass, but the birch will not lose its significance:
As in the old days, it will symbolize our immortal, glorious and mighty Motherland, whose name is RUSSIA.
Let's end our meeting with a poem by Vsevolod Rozhdestvensky and listen to his "Birch" ( Attachment 1 . Slides 16-19)

Reader.

A little sun warmed the slopes
And it became warmer in the forest.
birch green braids
Hung from thin branches,
All in White dress dressed
In earrings, in lace foliage,
Meet the hot summer
She is at the edge of the forest.
Her light outfit is wonderful
There is no tree dearer to the heart,
And so many thoughtful songs
People sing about her!
He shares with her joy and tears,
And she's so good
What seems - in the noise of a birch
There is our Russian soul.

V. Rozhdestvensky

The phonogram performed by the LUBE group and Sergey Bezrukov "Birch" is turned on.

Literature:

1. Barinova I. I. Geography of Russia. Priroda, 8kl: Textbook for general educational institutions. - M: Bustard, 1997, p. 110.
2. Sitdikova F. Birch is a symbol of Russia. Scenario spring - summer holiday. G. Education of schoolchildren. No. 4, 2004.

Lyshchenko Irina, a student of the 3rd grade of the Volosovo Primary School

I chose this topic for my research because this question interesting not only for children, but for adult serious people - professors and academicians. It became interesting for me to find out where the whitest birches grow, and how this tree differs from other trees. Starting to work on this topic, I put forward several hypotheses and suggested that white birch is due to unusual substances in its bark, perhaps this is a protective property of birch, or maybe this is how birch attracts insects during flowering .. .

Download:

Preview:

The work was done by a 3rd grade student

Lyshchenko Irina

"WHY IS BIRCH WHITE?"

Volosovo

2013

Introduction

Why this topic was chosen:

I chose this topic for my research, because this issue is of interest not only to children, but also to adult serious people - professors and academicians.

Purpose of the study:to find out why, after all, white birch?

Research objective:

- find information in additional sources about what are

birches;

Find out what is unusual about them;

Find out where the whitest birches grow, how they differ from others

Trees.

Hypothesis: white birch possible

To attract insects;

Due to unusual substances in the bark;

This is her protective property.

Used materials:

In the study were used: the Internet, children's encyclopedias, personal observations.

1. birch characteristics.

Birch is a beautiful tree30-45 m high with thin, hanging branches and a white trunk.

White bark, except for birch, nature has not given to any plant. True, the bark remains smooth and white only on young trees. On old trunks, it cracks heavily on the outside and turns black and gray, especially in the lower part.

The crown is often weeping due to the fact that the branches are "hanging" (hence the name of the plant).Young branches are red-brown, with resinous warts, which is why this birch is called warty.

The buds are small, oily, they contain a lot of essential oils.

The leaves are round, toothed; fruits - nuts. The weight of 1000 fruits is only 0.1 g. The flowers are small, inconspicuous, collected in inflorescences - earrings.

In conditions Middle lane Russian birch blossoms in early May and even at the end of April. At the same time the birch blossoms. The fruits ripen in July-August and immediately begin to fall off.

The age limit for most birches does not exceed 100-120 years, although some trees can reach 300 years.

The vitality of this "wonder tree" still surprises scientists. During the experiments, birch branches were placed in chambers where terrible frost- minus 273 degrees Celsius. But when the branches were taken out of the chamber, they, thawing, came to life.

1. Distribution of birch.

Many birch species grow in the temperate and cold zones of Eurasia and North America. However, birch does not tolerate extreme heat, which limits its distribution in the south.

There are about 120 species. They differ in growth, in the color of the bark. There are among the birches and shrubs. The most famous of them is the dwarf birch growing in the tundra of Siberia. It reaches only 1 m in height.

Not all birches are white. The dark bark of the "Daurian" birch, it grows in Transbaikalia. But on the Kuriles and on Japanese islands"red" birches grow. They got their name from the fact that they have orange-red wood. There are also completely non-white Schmidt birches. It is also called "iron", because the wood of this birch is stronger than cast iron.

The whitest birches grow in the mountains. "Paper birch" in the mountains of America, "useful" - in the Himalayas, and "fluffy" - in the mountains of Scotland.

Four types of birch grow on the territory of the Russian Federation: common white birch, warty and weeping birch; fluffy birch; shrub birch and dwarf.

1. The structure of the woody layer of birch.

The woody layer of birch is the bark. The bark is usually smooth, covered with a layer of cork tissue - birch bark. Most often white with black stripes, but there is yellowish or pinkish, very rarely even black.

Dark horizontal stripes are extended over the white trunk. These are lentils. They peel off easily. The birch bark does not allow water or gases to pass through, and through the loose tissue of the lentils, oxygen enters the trunk, which is necessary for the breathing of the tree.

If a in early spring Injure a birch trunk, then a transparent, sweetish-tasting juice will begin to ooze from the incision.

1. Why are birches so white?

A) The matter is in the composition of the woody layer of birch. If you remove a piece of bark from a tree, then something like a white powder will remain on your fingers. This substance is called betulin - a white organic pigment and is poured out of the cells of the cortex.It contains a lot of silver ions, which have an antimicrobial effect. In the bark of “ribbed” birch, its content exceeds 5%, in “layered” birch, the content of betulin reaches 14%, and in “Manzhurskaya” bark, up to 27%.

Of the species growing in Russia, the maximum content of betulin is observed in the bark of downy birch - up to 44%

B) The fact is that in the mountains it is very tough ultraviolet radiation, and it is precisely for its reflection that over millions of years plants have “learned” to protect the trunk with a white mirror.

1. Research result.

As a result of my research, the hypothesis of attracting insects due to the white color of the birch bark was not confirmed. Insects are most attracted to the smell of young leaves and flowers.

The hypothesis about the presence of an unusual substance in the birch bark was confirmed by the research of scientists and personal observations. When you tear off a piece of bark from a birch, a white velvety coating remains on your fingers.

And the fact that birches are very white, just white, and not at all white, depends on the place where they grow. In Russia, the most good conditions for their growth, and in the north and in the mountains, conditions are difficult. This confirms the hypothesis about the protective properties of birch.

Conclusion:

The white color of the birch bark is given by a resinous substance - betulin.

Russia has long been called the birch land. They loved the birch, passed on beliefs about it, composed poems and songs, performed rituals and danced round dances in the spring.

Recall the song "There was a birch in the field." There are the words “break the white birch”, which, it turns out, do not mean at all that it will be broken now. They wringed a birch - bending its trunk to the ground and lovingly intertwining it with grass, the birch trunk is flexible, does not break. There used to be such a ritual.

Birch is still very much loved in Russia and is called the Russian beauty. Although it is fragile in appearance, but possessing a huge inner strength the tree grows in North America, and in Japan, and in China, and in many other countries.

Only birch could get along in the tundra, withstanding any winds and frosts. Scientists conducted an experiment and placed birch branches in a chamber with a temperature of minus 273 degrees. After that they were taken out, and after a while the frozen branches came to life.

By the way, birches are not only white. There are about 65 more different species. For example, Dahurian birch grows in Transbaikalia, which has dark birch bark. On the Kuril Islands and in Japan, you can find "red birch", in which the wood is orange-red.

The Schmidt birch, which is also called iron birch, is amazing, with very durable wood, which is in some ways not inferior to iron and even stronger than cast iron!

There is also a birch, which is called paper for its bright white bark, which is easy to divide into thin strips. The white bark of the usual for us hanging, or as it is also called, "weeping" birch.

Birch is a favorite tree of our people, personifying the Russian soul, a tree of extraordinary kindness. It is also called the tree of life. With a birch, the esoteric teaching of trees connects two runes of the Elder Futhark - Berkan and Uruz. The birch itself has been associated with fertility and healing magic since time immemorial, birch branches have been used to endow fertility not only on the land, but also on livestock and newlyweds. Cradles for newborns were made from birch wood (practically in all European countries!)

Symbolically and magically, the birch appears as a protection against all misfortunes, both physical and spiritual. Birch is extremely useful and very favorable in healing spells, spells aimed at strengthening the crop. Birch branches (especially spring ones that have just blossomed) are rightly considered an excellent talisman that drives away sorrows and illnesses, protects children from illnesses and many other troubles). Birch is gentle and compassionate, has a very soft, affectionate and at the same time strong influence. In contrast to the oak, the birch should be addressed to sick, weakened, convalescing people. It will ease suffering, help restore lost strength, make it easier to endure illness, and speed up the healing process.

Communication with a birch is useful for people with upset nerves who are in a state of depression. This tree relieves fatigue, neutralizes the negative effects of everyday stress, helps restore spiritual harmony. The birch growing next to the house drives away nightmares. The impact of this tree is long lasting. It is better not to come to him, but to live nearby, then it will be able to heal you. Birch has always been attributed the ability to drive away evil spirits.

Why is birch bark white?

In the woody layer, which is only birch. It's called birch.

Birch bark is white, with long black stripes. Scientists have found in it a substance that is only found in birch, it is what colors the birch bark white. It was named betulin, using the Latin name for birch. It is believed that it is he who gives the birch such resistance to frost.

In addition, betulin has an antimicrobial effect, because it contains silver ions that have this property. Therefore, walking in a birch grove is very useful, and various medicines are made from birch.

To do this, carefully, so as not to harm the tree, take the leaves, bark, sap and buds with which the birch is strewn in the spring.