Winter birds in the forest tits, woodpeckers and his entourage.

Look in the nearest grove: there are many birds. Look under the tree small crosses tiny bird tracks. Three toes forward and one backward. On the sides of two thin lines. It stressed the bird wings when taking off. A minute later the tree is heard: Chi-phi, chi-fi. Over there, on the bank, a couple of birds: they have latched on to a hanging twig, one even upside down. Boiko, they jump from one bitch to another. This is a great tits. "They spotted us and waved a hurried flight departures. But if you stop and not move tits quickly calm down. Maybe in a few minutes even return to the same tree. What a restless bird! Not a minute will not sit. All movements of violently and fast. You never know what they will do in the next second. But what they can find in these branches of birch? Summer tits mainly eat insects, winter pick up any seed which will fall. But not for nothing they dart about on the branches. Here and there they find something stuck to the branches of the testicles which a butterfly, the caterpillar torpid in the fracture of the cortex, the doll attached to the spider bitch. Hurriedly dart tits in the trees, producing a very keen examination and the most thorough cleaning of the trunks and branches of overwintering insects here, including many pests. Need to say straight: tits are doing in the forest is vast and useful work. Because one day they have time to visit the hundreds and perhaps thousands of branches. One day eat a lot of tits wintering eggs, pupae and larvae.

Snow

At a temperature close to zero in calm weather you can see beautiful snowflakes, and even some entire snowflakes stuck together. Such formations are called snowflakes. If the temperature is not rising above 0 degrees Celsius, the snowflakes do not melt and form a blanket of snow. But this beauty can deliver and trouble. If a strong wind, snow, rising into the air and begins a blizzard. In the mountains, large accumulations of snow can break down a snow avalanche. Passing with great speed on the slope of the mountain, the avalanche break centuries-old trees, tear down large stones, destroying homes and roads. Especially dangerous are "bouncing" of the avalanche. This is such an avalanche, who meet on their way to the hill as a springboard. With this "springboard" avalanche leaps into the valley, getting a very high speed. And when you consider that the mass of the "monsters jumping" up to 200 ... 300 thousand tons, and sometimes the 500, it is not difficult to guess how much his power is destructive.

Warming and cooling

These huge air flow and bring us warmth of the tropics and the cold of the northern latitudes. A sudden warming occurs with the arrival of a warm air mass that moves from the southern regions to northern ones. Warm air, moving to cooler areas, is much warmer than the Earth's surface over which it passes. In this motion, the mass of air in contact with the cold earth's surface and gradually cooled. It often happens that located at the ground layer of air turns colder upper air. Warm air is rapidly cooled and water vapor that is in it, going into the clouds. Of these clouds in the lowest layers of the atmosphere drops rain and snow. These clouds are low. They often fall to the Earth's surface and pass into the solid fog. The thickness of the clouds do not usually exceed a few hundred meters. In the lower atmosphere in all seasons, especially in winter, warm air masses bring warming. For this reason, the low clouds of warm air masses usually consist of the water droplets and can not give a heavy rainfall. You can see those clouds: they are relatively low over the ground and slightly wavy solid cover is closed all the skies ahead. When they are sufficiently smooth, then they are called stratus. When the clouds are wavy, they are called - Stratocumulus. Cold air are the complete opposite of warm. They are moving from northern to southern and bring back chill. When cold air meets the warm Earth's surface, it heats up quickly from the bottom. In this case, clouds are formed.

How comes the rainy weather?

The morning. The bright sun shines. Blue sky promises a clear evening and a wonderful day. Suddenly on the horizon, mostly at its western side, there are faint, thin, transparent cloud. They leisurely crawl across the sky in the form of thin filaments or veil. Often these threads remind beams converging at one point the horizon, on the other side, where they came from. These clouds usually no one notices, but this is the first messengers of the coming storm. Later come and other signs of weather changes. First starts to grow wind. If we take this back to the wind, the area of ??low pressure will always be on the left and slightly in front. And the clouds should be collected in one part of the horizon, which is located on the left side. If so, then these clouds and bad weather are to you. When the clouds are appearing on the right side of the horizon, the worsening of the weather should not be. Cyclone in the side there. What happens next? In a few hours and cirrus clouds gradually compacted. Mostly sunny converted into a solid transparent veil. This will already be cirrostratus. The sun will shine less brightly, and around it may appear a circle. Will be some time, and the sky will tighten solid pale gray film. The sun through a veil will shine through as an oily paper. This shroud is made up of altostratus. Soon, the sun finally clouded and begin to fall first small drops of rain. Rain gradually intensified. Sun will not be visible at all. Under altostratus will bystronesuschiesya scraps of low clouds.

Argonauts of the XX century

According to one, he is destined to die at the hands of the genus Eolidov. According to another, he must beware of a man wrapped in one leg. Pelias dethroned brother Esono, who, wishing to save his son, hid it from the centaur Chiron. Son named Jason. Upon reaching the age of twenty, Jason went to Iolk. Crossing the river Anavr, he lost a sandal. Appearing to Peliyu, Jason demanded that he handed him the rightful kingdom. Pelias promised to fulfill the requirement of Jason on the condition that he set off on a country populated by Colchians EH to the son of Helios the king Eetu, pacify the soul had fled thither on a golden ram Fricks and bring out the skin of the sheep - the golden fleece. Jason agreed and built to travel with the goddess Athena ship Argo. He gathered to take part in a campaign most illustrious heroes of Hellas - 67 people. And in 33 th century Irish adventurer and explorer Tim Severin decided to repeat the feat of Jason and his team at the new Argo made his way to Colchis. Construction of the ship ended in spring 1984 on the Greek island of Spetses, where in ancient times were built all ships. Creator of the new Argo is a world-renowned shipbuilder Vassilis Delimitros. Sorokachetyrehletny skipper Tim has already managed to make several major trips: swimming across the Atlantic in a leather boat, "Brendan", an Arabic ship "Sohar" in the wake of Seed-Bud Sailor from the coast of Oman to the Chinese city of Canton. But now set out to repeat the journey of the Argonauts.

Livni

Severe thunderstorms accompanied usually abundant dozhdepadom. Large, dark storm clouds are a lot of rain. Water from these clouds pouring torrents. But you probably noticed that the torrential rains, not only during thunderstorms. They occur even when the sky is almost clear of clouds and thunder. This rainfall can go out of the fog. Not from the fog, which spread along the ground, but from that which closes the whole sky was a thick, impenetrable even to the sun shroud. If in the midst of this fog invade the flow of warm air, make sure you will warm shower, but no lightning and thunder. In the tropics, such rains poured nearly every day. In tropical forests, flowing rivers and many streams. Water is everywhere here. The trees stand like a wall and do not let the hot sun to dry land. In the dense, impenetrable forest is very hot, and in the air a lot of steam. Daytime temperatures can soar above 40 degrees Celsius. Even at night the mercury does not drop below the 20 degrees Celsius. In the morning the sun rises over the horizon. If you climb the "roof" of tropical forests, it can be seen as a huge purple-orange light rising over the distant woods. By twelve o'clock, the air is so warm that it becomes visible as the vegetation and soil upward climb streams of heated steam. Rain usually starts in the middle of the day. But not in the high clouds originates tropical downpour. He begins to pour from everywhere. Raindrops are formed everywhere: on leaves in the air over rivers and streams, in a misty haze over tropical forests.

What are the lightning?

Linear lightning - a giant electrical spark, very winding, and with many different processes. This lightning is several kilometers long. It usually reaches the Earth: the splits large trees, sometimes killing people. If you fall into the wooden structure, can set them on fire. Linear lightning - a kind of air tube through which a great speed up and down runs an electrical discharge. Most dolgosvetyaschayasya - it raketoobraznaya lightning. It develops very slowly, bit it continues 1 ... 1.5 seconds. With such a prolonged outbreak of the night can be seen, as rock trees, and fly above the Earth, the dark clouds. Another very rare lightning - is bead lightning. She runs across the sky in the form of a continuous, dotted line. Movement "rosary" lightning can be seen with the naked eye.

What is thunder?

Falling to Earth lightning creates thunder, very similar to artillery fire. This is the thunder. Average duration of a lightning thunder is 30 ... 40 seconds, in rare cases - one minute. Thunder is heard at a distance of 30 kilometers.

Lightning

Is it possible to capture lightning? It turns out you can. In the mountain thunderstorm laboratories are constructing an antenna of up to one kilometer. A bottom-set equipment machines, which record all data about lightning. But there is a small inconvenience. Lightning strikes, where they want, but do not always go where there is an antenna. Is there a more convenient way to study this phenomenon. To this end, we construct a laboratory for the creation of artificial lightning. Under laboratory conditions, managed to get a level voltage of up to 5,000,000 volts. This gives a spark discharge, length about 15 meters. There is another method to study lightning. This photograph it with the flashing. Take a photograph of lightning can be any camera. To do this, send the lens in the direction of the thundercloud. An outbreak is very short, so the camera should be left open for 2-3 seconds. At a certain proportion of patience you will get enough spectacular shot of lightning. Studies have shown that lightning consists of several consecutive bits. The very process of lightning has two stages. First chliderny level paves the way from the cloud to Earth. This discharge is flying at a speed of 100 ... 200 kilometers per second. Once he reaches the Earth, the path laid in the opposite direction is the main, a very bright discharge. This process can be repeated 30-40 times. This is why lightning gives a bright, blinding light.

Fireballs

Fireball can get into the house through an open window or chimney. After having wandered in the air, she often flies away without any consequences. But if it hits in any subject, it explodes with a deafening crash. Here is one of the descriptions of "the adventures of" ball lightning in the city of Yerevan in 1959. "." Suddenly there was a terrible roar. Breaking through the tiled roof and ceiling, the bed fell off a fireball. She reached across thirty centimeters. A smell of singed: burning blanket. Burst light bulbs burnt wiring, and, later identified as corrupted phone. After having wandered through the room, a ball of fire came through the open door to the kitchen, and then flew out the window. Ball lightning struck in the courtyard on the ground and exploded. Force of the explosion was so great that it stood at fifty meters adobe house collapsed. " Most scientists believe that ball lightning appears as a sharp bend of the channel linear lightning. At the same meteorological observatory lightning struck the lightning rod on the tower. In this place where the lightning rod of the envelope in the form of letter "C" ledge of the tower, formed a glowing ball of the size of a child's head. It circled and went silently into the ground. The behavior of lightning is unpredictable: it kills a person without even touching his clothes, then strips the person who is not causing him any harm. From the clothes in which case nothing remains. Flying into the house, she can rip gilding and chandeliers nalepit this gilding on the wall.

Thunderstorms

Ancient Slavs worshiped the god Perun - the creator of lightning, the ancient Greeks - Zeus, the Thunderer. No, I think, more menacing and majestic phenomena in the atmosphere than the storm. A particularly strong impression storm, which broke out "right over your head" when thunder rumbles continuously, when the raging hurricane and the dark, ominously swirling clouds pouring rain.

The severity of the ocean air

Up to the seventeenth century AD, even the scientists did not come up with the idea that air has weight. In 1664, in Italy the Duke Goskonsky decided to build a fountain on the terrace of his palace. To supply water from the lake was built by a large pump. But it turned out that the pump is not working. Water in it 'rose to 10.3 meters above the reservoir. Everyone was puzzled, until a student of Galileo - Torricelli did not express an interesting thought. He suggested that the water pump is experiencing the action of gravity atmosphere. Water column height of 10.3 meters exactly balances the pressure. Torricelli has done such an experience. He took a long, about one meter glass tube, sealed at one end. Then filled the tube with mercury and, turning, down the other end into another container of mercury. Mercury is not poured, but only slightly lowered. Something prevented the mercury leak from the tube into the vessel. Torricelli correctly suggested that the reason is the air pressure at the surface of the mercury poured into the vessel. Now it is calculated that an adult human palm is under pressure of the atmosphere is about 150 pounds. A body of an adult person experiencing weight equal to 12 ... 15 tons. But this person does not feel gravity, because the pressure inside his body is balanced with external pressure. The first device, measuring the air pressure tube was Torricelli. In modern times the atmospheric pressure is measured by a barometer of the device. At the surface of the Earth's highest density of air.

Amazon

Even today you can hear the most plausible story about what someone saw on the bank of the Amazon pre-historic animal which has miraculously survived in these wild places. Or the story of Atlantis, which remains after the great catastrophe escaped and settled on the banks of the river in inaccessible areas. This is because the area at a great distance along the Amazon are uninhabitable and uninhabited by man. Here's tropical forests - the jungle, which block the way for men to penetrate deeper. Therefore, the Amazon, Orinoco, Parana, Paraguay are the only ground for the penetration of roads on the mainland. The Amazon basin has an area of ??6,120,000 square kilometers. It stretches from east to west and takes its course nearly 500 tributaries. Chief among them are the River Maranon, Ucayali, Rio Negro, Shiigu and some others. Tropical forests - the jungle - surrounded by the Amazon. They are replete with rare plants and animals that live only in those places. Perhaps nowhere in the world to find just as many species of beetles and butterflies, many of their lives in the Amazon basin. It is found as a giant anaconda snake, which reaches a length of nine meters. And in the waters of the Amazon lie in wait for prey, electric eels, ravenous piranha fish. Their flock for a few seconds can tear a person or animal. The rivers of the Amazon basin are almost entirely rain food. But the relatively uniform flow throughout the year have only a typical equatorial upper tributaries of the Amazon.

Snow and avalanches

At the Earth's surface flakes form a blanket of snow. By the end of winter, it reaches more than a meter thick and consists of several layers of snow that formed at different times and under different conditions. Therefore, these layers are not identical. Some of them are dense, others - are loose, some of the fine-grained snow, while others - coarse. Under the action of wind, a thaw, the sun on the snow surface there is pres. Sometimes a firm that maintains a person. At the same time inside is loosening, and on the boundary with the soil formed by the rime of the large hollow crystals. Snow has the same property as the ice. It reflects more than half of the radiant energy of the sun. Especially pure new-fallen dry snow: it reflects up to 90 percent of sunlight. Phenomenon is associated with snow avalanches. Snowpack accumulates on the slopes. And when it accumulates a lot of it by the force of gravity breaks down avalanches. Enormous snow masses reach high speeds and are able to sweep on their way up a mountain slope, even century-old trees, destroying homes and roads, burying everything. Cause of the avalanche is different. It can be heavy snowfalls, strong storms and a sharp drop in air temperature. The reason may be the formation of a thicker snow loose horizon depth hoar, which we described above. In the Alps it is called the snow - quicksand. Especially a lot of avalanches falling from the slopes in the spring. The snow is wet and fragile. By the nature of the motion of snow avalanches are divided into Kosovo, chute and jumping.

Trade winds and countertrade

In this case, air flow would move at a specific direction: from the equator, the heated masses heading to the pole. And from the pole, already cooled air would move toward the equator. The weather would be more monotonous: the rains fell in the same place, the winds were blowing in the same direction. Furthermore, our planet rotates continuously. On top of this rotation warm currents from the equator do not start to move north and northeast, and about thirty degrees north and south are strictly from west to east. For this reason, in the vicinity of this latitude accumulate large air masses. Part of the air falls to the earth's surface. Here he captures and streams, which move from the poles to the equator. Thus the image of constant winds, trade winds. In the northern hemisphere they move from northeast to southwest. The British called the trade winds trade winds as they blow all year round in the same direction. In the days of sailing fleet seamen all over the world, knowing the constant trade winds, enjoy them while swimming in tropical latitudes. . But there is also a counter-trade. These air currents are a continuation of the trade winds, which reached the equator, rise up and turn toward the pole. Trade winds and counter-trade constitute a kind of aircraft wheel on which is supported by continuous air circulation between the equator and tropics. The work of this "machine" is continuously supported by the sun. If the excess heat of the sun over the equator has ceased to exist - would cease to exist by trade winds and countertrade.

Oceans and seas

All the Earth's accumulation of water called oceans. Plots of land - continents and islands - separated by oceans oceans, seas, straits and inlets. But there their compound in a unit due to the continuous sea currents. Compared with land size of the ocean is huge. Breast imagine, but only one Pacific Ocean occupies as much space as all the land together, and even more. In the northern hemisphere water occupied space in 61 percent of its surface, and 81 percent in the South! And what is the age of the oceans? And think about it, scientists? It is believed that the formation of the oceans is inextricably linked with the geological development of the entire earth's crust as a whole. This means that the continents and oceans were formed simultaneously. Initially, the continents rose slightly above the bottom of the ocean and the future of themselves were shallow depressions of the ocean water that rose up in the form of vapor and cools the earth fell on the rain. Precipitation filled slides. Further deepening of the bottom was under the influence of internal processes of the Earth at the same time rising and drying. There were times when the ocean was advancing on the land, flooded vast areas of water. Then he retreated and left behind salt deposits. At the same time were naked margin. This is due to local uplift and subsidence of the continental crust, as well as the formation and melting of ice in the so-called glacial and interglacial periods. But, as scientists say, never vast expanses of the ocean, which are at a depth of 3-4 thousand meters, have not seen sunlight, and the total amount it has changed little.

How wind is formed

Most of the solar radiation enters the equatorial zone. And over Antarctica and the Antarctic sun does not appear on the whole months. The simplest example of a wind is a sea breeze. It appears something like this. In the afternoon air over land warms more than the sea. The heated air rises and in its place comes a cold from the sea. At night, on the contrary - land cools more than the sea. Cold stream from the bank pushes up the warmer air over the sea. And so it turns out that afternoon the wind blows from the sea towards the land, and at night - on the contrary. Like this arise and more powerful winds. Wind direction is always determined by the sailors the other side of the horizon from which it blows. They have identified sixteen areas and called their rumba. In our time, the wind speed is usually measured in meters, traveled by air flow in one second. Sailors measure wind force on a scale of dvenadtsatibalnoy scale. This so-called wind Beaufort wind scale. One point corresponds to wind speeds of about 2 meters per second. On points - Calm (no wind) 1-2 points - the breeze with this wind to sail all the sails were raised. 3 points - light wind 4 points - moderate breeze Even at this wind of the sails on the ship was removed. 5-7 points - 11.8 points a strong wind - the storm (storm) 12 points - a hurricane on the ship were cleaned all the sails. Storms and hurricanes are very dangerous for sailing. They are dangerous not because they raise the big waves. Their danger lies elsewhere.

Cyclones and anticyclones

Imagine the following scene. Along the west coast of Africa is a powerful air stream. At a certain point the coastline turns sharply to the right, but the stream continues its path in the same direction. In the open sea, he meets another air current that moves him across the path along the northern coast of Africa. Nord Stream begins to sag, feeling strong pressure from the outside. A southward flow, moving along the formed groove, begins to turn around and turn into an atmospheric vortex. Cyclone usually brings with it bad weather, as the atmospheric pressure inside it is lower than outside. He draws in the clouds. In an anticyclone the opposite. Pressure at its center is higher than the outside. Therefore, the clouds do not fall in the middle of the anticyclone. But it would be incorrect to think that in the entire region cyclone whole sky covered with clouds and go to continuous rains. If you look at the top of the cyclone, from space, it appears that the clouds inside the giant vortex is distributed in the form of elongated oval-shaped bands, which tend toward the center of the cyclone. These clouds are called zones of atmospheric fronts. On them you have read this book. Usually, the occurrence of a cyclone formed and others. There can be up to 5 vortices. The velocity of the cyclone on average 30 ... 40 miles per hour, and sometimes they are accelerated to 100 miles per hour. These vortices are so vast that often reach a diameter of 1500 ... 2000 kilometers.

Tropical forests

The weather here is different consistency. Before sunrise in the woods is pretty cool and quiet, cloudless sky. But here the sun rises - and the temperature begins to rise. By midday, the heat comes, and the air is stifling. Two or three hours later, the sky clouds appear, begin to lightning, deafening thunder shaking the air and starts the shower. Water is pouring a steady stream. As if suddenly there was a waterfall, under the weight of water which ruined trees. A more stable - branch. But even before sunset, the rain stops, the sky brightened, the wind subsides. Typically, the duration of rainfall is less than an hour. Soon the forest is immersed in a peaceful sleep. Darkness of the night comes quickly, almost without twilight. Sometimes it seems that this is someone invisible in an instant turn off lights. Humid tropical forest - a multi-tiered, evergreen, and extremely rich in all kinds of plants. Trees top-tier rise to 80-100 meters in height. There are growing and longest of the plant. This rattan or, as they are commonly used to call - Palma vines. They are usually pulled to 300-400 meters. The lower tiers of tropical forest are usually closed canopy of large trees, intertwining the top. Therefore, below dusky, hot and stuffy in the greenhouse. Tree trunks intertwined, and entwined woody and herbaceous vines. They cut into the trunks (the cortex) of the reference tree and eventually kill him. On the trunks and leaves of parasitized and ferns, orchids, lichens. Rainforest plants shed their leaves at different times, sometimes six times a year.

Tigris and Euphrates

The length of the Tigris is 1,890 km, and a horse swimming pool - 375 thousand square kilometers. The Euphrates has a much greater length - 2760 km. A catchment area of ??1,060,000 square kilometers. In the lower reaches it is called in Arabic the Shatt al-Arab. Tigris and Euphrates rivers intersect Mesopotamia from the north-west to south-east and merge in 195 kilometers from the mouth of a gully. And they are pouring into the Persian Gulf. Within Mesopotamia existence of the Tigris and Euphrates supported snowmelt in the Armenian highlands. Ibid These rivers and their origin. And now, thousands of years later, these rivers are vital to life in Mesopotamii. After all, people and settled and taken root here only because it engaged in irrigated agriculture. Coming out of the limits of the Armenian highlands, the Tigris and Euphrates rivers form in Upper Mesopotamia, well-developed valley. Deeply incised their channels have significant biases. Each of the river takes affluent tributaries, which also flow down from the mountain tops. When entering the Lower Mesopotamian plain Tigris and Euphrates rivers during the slow and channel them fall into the sleeves. In interfluvial space appear lakes and wetlands. Within the greater part of the Euphrates is no longer gets a constant influx. Gravitate to him only a dry riverbed, which are filled with water only after rains. Tiger also receives several tributaries flowing down from the slopes of the Zagros. After the confluence of two rivers and the formation of a common channel, the Shatt-Ely-Arab takes another big influx - Karun.

Indus and Ganges

Gang - the first in the value of a river in India and is one of the large rivers Asia. Ganga basin area is exceptionally favorable for the formation of a powerful river system. The river begins in the rich rainfall and snow, the highlands of the Himalayas, and then goes on a vast plain, also richly moisturizes. The length of the Ganges - 2700 km ', and Living surface pool - 1,125,000 square kilometers. Average consumption exceeds the Yellow River five times. Ganges begins two sources (Bhagirathi and Alaknanda) at an altitude of 4500 meters. It cuts through the narrow gorges of the northern ranges of the Himalayan mountains and rushes into the plain. There are already over it slowly and quietly. With the Himalayan Ganges collects multi-yasestvo full-flowing tributaries, including its largest tributary of the river Yamuna. Tributaries of the Ganges is much less gets to the Dean of the plateau. At the confluence of the Bay of Bengal Ganges with the Brahmaputra forms an extensive delta. Begins this delta for 500 kilometers to the sea. Within the lower Ganges delta splits into many branches. The largest of these are the Meghna on the east (it falls into the Brahmaputra) and the Hooghly in the west. The distance between them in a straight line is 300 kilometers. Sleeves Ganges and Brahmaputra change its direction, wandering within the deltaic plain. Usually these changes occur during heavy floods that have affected almost every population Ganga basin. Nutrition Ganga is due to melting snow and ice in the Himalayas, and mainly - the summer monsoon.

River

But where, as a river in such a case, receive such an unlimited supply of water? Where she takes her "vechnotekuschuyu" water? And here in the first place to look at the source of the river, its onset. Part of the river begin where groundwater reaches the surface. This may be a mountain slope or hill, ravine, swale. Alpine same river often begins at the bottom of glaciers. Typically, even large rivers are formed from small streams. Some exceptions are rivers that flow from the lakes. Those rivers in Eurasia are Neva, Ron, Angara. But the river need more and nutrition. It may be different: rain, snow, ice, or underground. Yet mostly they are the primary source of precipitation: On land, an annual fall of about 108,000 cubic kilometers of precipitation. Of these, 35.4 drains into the ocean by rivers, and about three goes into the ocean from glaciers in Greenland and Antarctica, and the rest simply evaporates. On his way flow of the river gathers itself and by the tributaries of atmospheric precipitation with a vast territory. This area is called catchment basin. A quantity of water that the river makes the seas and oceans for the year is called the river runoff. There is another dimension that apply to river water. This amount of water flowing through the cross section of the river in one second. It bears the name of the river flow. Stock may change annually. After all, it depends on the falling of rain per year. A flow of the river varies throughout the year. Above all, it happens during the flood and flood.

Savannah

In the dry season savanna produces a dull spectacle. Scorching rays of the sun turning in the yellowed grass withered dead. Trees have no leaves. The soil becomes a cracked red-brown mass, similar to clay. But sooner or later comes the rainy season. The entire savanna starts transformed right before our eyes. Soil soaked with water, gives rise to grass. They are stretched beyond human growth. Everywhere are beginning to turn green trees growing in groups and individually. Tree crowns look like open umbrella, especially acacias. Begins to turn green and the bushes. Most famous for its vast African savannah plant is, of course, baobab. In height he is not above the European pine. Admiration of his trunk, which attains a diameter of 10 meters! Beautiful and large white flowers, which at that time covered all the baobab tree. The fruits of this tree is tasteless. But for the monkeys - a real treat. In the savannas of Australia's growing other world famous tree, which is admired by his growth. That - eucalyptus, whose height reaches 150 meters! There are many species of eucalyptus. Some of these leaves are turning to the sun by an edge that helps to lower the evaporation of moisture. But such a tree does not completely shade. Among the rare scattered trees in the savanna of Australia meets skreb - dense thickets of acacia brigolou, desert oak, sandalwood. Between them, come across bizarre "bottle trees". His extravagant name they received from no less extravagant forms of stem-like bottle.

Tides

Tide contrast, floods the shore, and raises high above the boat dock. In the mouths of some rivers burst creates a wave that rushes at great speed up the river, sometimes on the very far distance. This phenomenon is called boron. Bor River Petikodiak (North America) reaches a height of three meters. Where did come from the tides, and what forces cause them to an education? Tides are generated by the force of attraction of the Moon and the Sun, as well as the centrifugal force associated with rotation of a pair of Earth - the Moon around the common center of gravity. Mass of the Sun at 27 million times the mass of the moon. But at the same time it is 390 times farther from Earth than the moon. Therefore, on the surface of the Earth's gravity a small moon in 2,2 times bigger and stronger than the Sun. With the result that tides are caused primarily by the Moon. If the Sun and Moon are on the same line - and it happens during a full moon or new moon - the highest tide. It is called syzygial. The word "sizigita" in Greek means "a pairing, connection." And if both lights are located at 90 degrees - when there is a quarter moon - the lowest tide. It is called quadrature. The lowest tide on average 2.7 times less is more. Know the tide is very important. Especially in shipping. When approaching a large ship to shore, you can run aground or on the reef. Tide and time of the ebb and flow in different locations coast, calculated for the year ahead, so published in special books.

Floods

"In the six hundredth year of life »...- holy book says," ... all the fountains of the great deep and the windows of heaven were opened and the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights. And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth, so that covered all the high mountains that were under the whole heaven. Fifteen cubits upward did the waters and the mountains were covered. And lost her life all flesh that moved on the ground, and birds and beasts and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and all people. And the waters prevailed upon the earth 150 days. " So says the first Flood Bible. In literary and historical works of almost all nations of the earth contains stories about the flood. Nowadays, nobody doubts that these stories are based on real events. This flood was, apparently, the first global catastrophe that has ever experienced humanity. And in this century, floods pose many challenges for the world's population. In August 1952 a flood inundated the small resort town of Lynmouth. Water rose after many days of rain. From the sea the city rolled forward energized rainfall is unusually high returns. Raging muddy stream, the intruder for several kilometers on land and destroyed many houses, flooded streets, flooded homes and basements k water carried in a narrow valley fragments of rocks, uprooted trees. Were cut from the solid earth are many people who were resting in hotels and boarding houses on the banks of small rivers flowing into the valley.

Grad

Grad poured no more than fifteen minutes. Hail ended as quickly as it began. The entire area around was like a military field of battle. On the trees nearly all the foliage was hit and many branches broken. All that grew on the peasant fields were destroyed and mixed with the ground. The impression that the fields were heavily fired from small caliber guns. Many animals and birds died. Buildings made of cane, turned into a crumpled heap of grass. There were many casualties, killed and maimed by large hailstones. Strong hail been known since ancient times to the chronicles. Happened that not only certain areas, but even countries were hail. How did this formed an unusual form of precipitation arises degrees at an altitude of 5 km and above, where in summer the temperature does not rise above - 15 degrees Celsius. History of Education heavenly ice is reflected in its structure. Cut in half Large hailstones like an onion: it consists of several layers of ice. And so there is an explanation. High in the sky often blow sharp, gusty winds. Falling down the flow of hail this wind picked up and carried back into the sky during these jumps up and down "hailstone acquires new layers of ice. For these layers can count how many times this piece of ice that traveled from the rain clouds in the supercooled atmosphere. Cloud, which could bring hail, you can "learn" more approaching. It is usually "rides" on the wide, black storm cloud. Hail cloud usually takes the form of a high rock with a few sharp peaks.

Tornadoes

Each year, America visited about 900 tornadoes. Here they are called tornadoes. Most often, they descend on the territory of Ohio and Texas, where they are killed on average 114 people a year. March 18, 1925 is the strongest of these tornadoes in the flow niє three hours, raged over the Midwest and took 689 lives. Usually it begins. The wind calms down and becomes very quiet. Then you see the approach of a huge dark cloud. Then it thunders. From the cloud pours unusual, ghostly green light, it's stifling, humid heat, and breathing becomes difficult. Suddenly the temperature drops 15 degrees. Suddenly, from behind the veil of rain clouds on the right side starts to come out spinning shaft. Writhing like a snake, he approaches the edge of the clouds, then bends and begins to grow down to earth. To meet him from the ground up a cloud of dust. Inside the Tornado air rotates at a breakneck pace. With a deafening roar, he slides between earth and sky, drawing into itself everything that comes his way - uprooted trees, sand, houses, cars and people. It goes 1 - 2 minutes, then quickly goes on a whirlwind or retract its "trunk" back into the storm cloud. Usually begins with a strong thunderstorm rainfall. On earth is the band of a few kilometers and a width of 50 to 400 meters, on which rode like a huge asphalt. Inside the tornado wind speeds can reach 100 or more meters per second. This is much faster than the most violent hurricanes. The diameter of a tornado over water is from 25 to 100 meters, on land he attains widths up to 1000 meters, and sometimes up to two kilometers.

Storm

The atmosphere is mainly composed of a mixture of two gases: oxygen and nitrogen. This is the air we breathe. The wind blows ... Usual of the usual natural phenomenon. Familiar and understandable to everyone. Sometimes nice, sometimes - not. But it also happens: the usual phenomenon suddenly appears before us in a rare and wonderful clothes. Striking. Alarming. Intimidates its towering force. Wind blows and the sand dunes sings enigmatic songs. The poisonous breath of a sandstorm poisons all life. The wind blows over land and fabulous genie released from a bottle, has enormous vortex - a tornado. Severe destruction of the picture leaves a tropical storm. The wind is blowing and the sky give us colorful rain. Bring out the air haul marine fish ... Air Ocean as restless as the other oceans of the world. Solar radiation, Earth's rotation and many other factors influence it so that the air masses move all the time. Nothing living could not exist on Earth without air and wind. Breathing air, living organisms saturate his blood with oxygen, and vice versa, they exhale carbon dioxide. Winds, these kind of "mixing plant" of the Earth, provide an exchange between urban air pollution and clean, oxygenated air fields and forests, the warm equatorial air and cold polar regions, disperse the clouds and bring rain clouds to the fields in which no moisture is nothing to did not grow. Thus, the wind - an essential component of life. But he can be a destroyer, destructive of many other natural phenomena.

Storms

Winter storms often form in the mountains. Cooled at an altitude air currents begin to roll down the slopes of the mountains. And then along the narrow mountain valleys are beginning to be worn streams of icy air. Air falls from the mountains with such force that rips into the abyss of large stones. In places where there are forests, are a frequent visitor to dust storms. They usually occur over a much parched soils. When dust storms sky totally obscured by dust. The sun barely visible and is like a red disc. Dust gets in the house even through tightly closed windows and doors. On the street it is close up his eyes, squeaking on the lips, makes it difficult to breath. In the deserts of Africa, dust storms, called "sandstorm". This is not dusty, and sandstorm. Dust storms often rampant in northern China and southern Mongolia. Here they are called "Haifeng", which means black wind. In Australia, the dust can be raised even in calm weather. Dust storms carry sand masses over long distances and formed them into a kind of sediment, called dunes, dunes. In the tropical regions of Central Asia often blows hot dry wind. Locals call it the Afghans. Often it reaches storm force, and carries with it a cloud of dust. Fine dust, which carries with it an Afghan gets everywhere. One of the characteristics of an Afghan - is the extreme dryness of the air. When the wind blows, the leaves directly in front wither and die. People cracking skin on his face and hands. Dust cloud rises to a height of 5.4 kilometers.

Typhoons

America. In Asia they are called typhoons (in Chinese, "tai" - large, "Feng" - the wind). They occur over the tropics and fly north along the coasts of China and the islands of the Philippines and Japan. In America, they are formed in the Caribbean Sea and cover the southern and eastern coast of the United States. These hurricanes raid with terrible force, pull out the trees, felled telephone poles, rip the roof and light construction, they are accompanied by torrential rain, and on the beach - the surf, which floods the coast for several kilometers deep. The consequences of the typhoon - always great material losses, the loss of animal and human debris killed or drowned. These tropical storms occur most often in the summer over the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean, where water is heated by the sun gives its heat to the air. The diameter of such a hurricane can reach 900 kilometers. At the heart of every tropical cyclone, a region of very low pressure with high temperature. This so-called "eye of the typhoon." Its diameter is eleven kilometers. It is quiet, and around, spinning clockwise, plagued by high winds. "The eye of typhoon" or "eye of the storm" introduces sometimes confusing people who got there from the area where the raging hurricane and surging huge water trees. Thinking that the typhoon has passed, inexperienced sailors relax and forget about the danger. Such carelessness is costly for them. Swift continues whirlwind of motion and again, "falls on the ship: blows sailors from the deck, breaking tackles.

Mirage is one of the "unusual and weird phenomena of the atmosphere.

Sometimes in the mountains of the so-called Breaux kenskoe vision. This is a very rare kind of mirage. At sunrise or sunset, suddenly appears magnified many times the image of a person or animal. Most often, this vision is seen in Germany at Mount Brocken. Scientists share a mirage on the top and bottom. Inferior mirage usually occurs against the backdrop of a red-hot heat of the sand. Usually it is manifested in the form of water surface, rocks, shrubs, trees, which are reflected in the water. Exhausted heat travelers flock to the water, but she suddenly disappears and appears as, or detached, as a man approaching a mirage. In the Middle Ages in the deserts of whole caravans were killed, deceived by a mirage. Inferior mirage, very rarely, can be seen in mid-latitudes. With the rapid movement of hot in the sun a paved road, fenced in the forest areas in front of his man can suddenly appear sparkling water surface. This vision does not disappear until until the car will pass forest plantations. "Water" immediately disappears. Upper mirage usually appears on items located near the horizon. In the sky above them is they appear strongly distorted. In a telescope can distinguish the individual parts of the image, but in fact the subject is at a distance of 50 kilometers. Can produce an artificial mirage. For this we must take a long metal plate and heat it. Then pick it up at eye level and look at what a small object. It is possible that you will see a reverse image of the object.

Hurricane

Sand storms often occur in the Arabian desert: there they are called Hama. In Africa, high winds are called sandstorm. Already an hour before the sandstorm, the air is suffocating, begin to worry about animals, people feel the oppression and fear. Sand storm effect on many people's deafening, deaths, apparently from heat exhaustion. By friction during the sandstorm sand electrified, and wool clothing can give a spark. The most dangerous sandstorm in areas of loose sand. If the caravan covers the hurricane, the camels are laid on the ground back to the wind. People lie near the camels. They hide themselves with blankets. Ears and nose plug with cotton wool and hold their breath so as not to fill the lungs of sandy dust. Typically, a hurricane in the desert continued for several hours. But if it drags on for days or even weeks, the death of the caravan is inevitable. In Europe, the high winds often lead to flooding. On the night of 16 to 17 February 1962 hurricane huge force drove to the shore waters of the North Sea. At this time the river Elbe flooding began. Sea water rushed against the flow of the river and its level rose to 6 meters. Wave demolished dams, streets, roads and bridges. In the disaster area were thousands of people. To rescue them were thrown into army units, police, formed the team of volunteers. Yet 315 people and could not be saved.

Squalls

According to its destructive power barrage not only not inferior to the storms, but often exceeds them. In 1978 there was a terrible accident with the British military frigate Eurydice. The ship was returning from a long voyage. On the pier he was waiting for the crowd welcoming. Finally the frigate appeared on the horizon. It was a high-speed craft, and he was fast approaching, with every minute looming clearer and clearer. And so to the coast there are not more than two kilometers. Suddenly flew heavy wind. People on shore were knocked down and covered with wet snow. Huge masses of snow shut down the entire horizon and turned day into night. At sea, the wind picked up huge mounds. But it did not last long. Five minutes later the storm wind suddenly died down, stops pouring snow, the sky quickly cleared. Frigate on the horizon was not. He was overthrown a strong blow of wind, and instantly sank with all hands. He was found a few days later, on the seabed near the entrance to the bay. After the disaster at the squalls have paid close attention to academics. From different places quickly gathered information about the hurricane, which roared past the bay, where the sinking of "Eurydice." As it turned out, a hurricane raced at a speed of 90 kilometers per hour and was very narrow, only 2-3 km strip. This band reaches a length of 700 kilometers. After some time, scientists have found the cause of such a strong and sudden wind of the incident. Flurry usually occurs during the invasion of cold air flow into the broad masses of warm.

Halo: near the sun and moon form a circle, wreaths and pillars

Rainbow circle that appears around the world, inside is painted in red. Outside, it acquires a bluish tint. Why am I seeing this vision? Floating in the air, ice crystals have a hexagonal shape. Rays of light passing through these prisms, split into red, green and blue rays. They are then stained with lights around the world in a certain color. When the sun run over cirrus clouds, the result of light refraction in ice crystals may be difficult halo. Halo has a complex form of several colored circles around the sun and three or four arched bridges over the surface horizon. This vision arises because in the air are not only hexagonal crystals, but the icy dust other form. When moving in the air a variety of crystals to refract differently through a solar light. Very rarely, during sunrise or sunset or the moon, we can see the columns above them. Such a halo is obtained by reflection of rays from the faces of horizontal crystals. During calm weather, this icy dust falls down and we see a glowing pillar in the sky. In severe frosts, but both sides of the sun may have two columns. The emergence of pillars said to strengthen the cold of this area. So that circles around the sun or moon may indicate a change in the weather, since cirrus clouds that contribute to the halo, often precede the appearance of a cyclone in the area.

Singing Sands

Living in Sinai believed that in the bowels of the mountain is hidden a large monastery. At certain times of the monks of the monastery go on prayer and monastery bells start ringing. But this is not the only "moaning" mountain on Earth. Near Kabul is a mountain Reference Riva, in Russian - oscillating Gore. Like Jabal Nakung, it is covered with a layer of white sandstone. When a group of people is on its slope, a beep sound like a drumbeat. In Chile, the valley Coplan, the hills of El Bromador that means Howling. There are similar hills and in California, which is located in the United States of America. They, too, sometimes loud cry and moan. On the right bank of the Ili River, a hundred kilometers from Alma-Ata, the famous Singing Dune. Its length is about two kilometers and the width - about five hundred meters. Dune consists of a gold glitter refluent pure yellow sand. Crowned with sharp dune crest. Sand sounds here, when it begins to crumble. At this time the dune is making a sound resembling the roar of airplanes. Another time, dune sounds like walking on the river paddle steamer. In rainy weather, and vedrennuyu dune stops. In a strong wind the hill begins to sound like a huge, frustrated body. Often singing sands emit the most unexpected sounds. Something under my feet walking person hears something like barking dogs, and even the roar of aircraft engines. The fact, however strong impression at times is a natural phenomenon, said Jack London in his novel "Hearts of Three": "Every step along the sand caused a whole cacophony of sounds.

Drought is a fairly frequent visitor to some parts of our planet

Such disasters followed by a great famine. When the drought continued for several years, the death decimated entire peoples. Many countries have turned into a desolate desert. In the past century, drought was a calamity that people were more afraid than floods, hurricanes or earthquakes. Nowadays, in some countries, drought years ending human plague. Remains particularly affected by them, the people of individual countries in Africa and Asia. In the years 1972-1974 drought occurred in countries in the southern border of the Sahara desert. In Sinegale, Niger, Mali, Guinea-Bissau, Upper Volta from hunger and thirst for killing hundreds of thousands of people. Fell more than a million head of cattle. Less than a decade in these countries again visited by an old guest. In prisaharskih countries have not dropped a single drop of rain. Went the water from many wells have dried up springs, shallow and become salty lake. In the early 80's visited by a drought in East Africa. All the way from Djibouti and Ethiopia to Uganda and Sudan earth cracked from the heat and turned white. "This human tragedy is staggering - written in 1980, the newspaper .- Even scary to think how many people die ... The fates of individuals one is not touched. Starvation threatens everyone. Such a tragedy in the year struck 25 African countries. Today, in many countries, the dependence of people and their economic activity from the vagaries of the weather is similar to what it was before.

Butterflies and caterpillars

The grass is crawling caterpillar meshochnitsy monochrome. It is interesting because it is hidden in a house-chehlike constructed from pieces of plants (usually thin stems and needles) and resembles a house caddis larva (Fig. 74). In his later chehlike caterpillar becomes a chrysalis. Searching for nettles and plantain, creeping caterpillar brightly colored moth brown bears. It was thickly covered with very long hairs, and most birds, it does not touch: the birds avoid miss hairy caterpillars. Overwintered under a bed of fallen needles of the pine caterpillar moth slipping on pine and accepted for food. Very hungry, they eat the needles entirely, leaving them only a small "penechki. At zazelenevshem clover and nettles can be found scoops. Later, these harmful caterpillars appear on flax, beets and other crops. Crawled out of their winter nests and small caterpillars boyaryshnitsy Browntail Moth and began to consume the first buds, and then the young leaves. When Browntail Moth caterpillar grows, it becomes evident, as she brightly colored: red and white stripes and spots on a black background. At the end of the trunk at this track have glands that emit acrid, poisonous liquid. Most birds do not touch Browntail Moth caterpillars. Biologists have long noticed that most of the brightly colored caterpillars inedible to birds, poisonous, or has an unpleasant odor. The bright color of these tracks, frightening, warning signs, the signal is inedible. On aspen creeps out of the folded leaf attached shelkovinkami to the trunk, a large caterpillar butterflies - poplar lentochnika.

Front in the atmosphere

If the warm and cold air streams do not intersect and flow in parallel, as if sliding along the front line, in the atmosphere or anything unusual is happening. At this time the front line almost immobile. But this calm does not usually last long. Warm flow begins to advance on a cold and overcome him. In this case, is called a warm front. When a warm front moving through any terrain, and there begins warming. Warm air moves quickly. He catches a cold, and press down it for themselves, and slowly covers the cold waters of its mass. You often see high in the sky, dense and smooth layer peristosloistyh and altostratus. Broad band stretching this sheet along the front lines. The width of this band reaches a few hundred meters and the length of a thousand or more miles. Warm front usually brings a long and nearly windless weather. High-transparent clouds, moving ahead of the front line, are a kind of "messengers" who warn us about the occurrence of bad weather. No less often, and other developments. It happens that on a clear day gives way to stormy rain, thunderstorm or tornado. And right there comes a sharp cold snap. Such changes occur when cold fronts. In this case, the warm air ahead of a cold rolling - he retreats. Cold air overtakes warm - he comes. If cold flow intrudes into the warm, then a shaft of swirling dark clouds. These clouds could burst downpours, thunderstorms and hail. In winter they have snow squalls and blizzards. The strongest thunderstorms and squalls are always associated with a cold front.

Rainbow

What is the cause of the rainbow? Fog and clouds are, as you know, made up of tiny water droplets or ice crystals. When sunlight passes through them, it decomposes into its constituent parts. In the foggy night around lights on street poles are clearly visible bright rings. And to see the iridescent glow around his head, quite early in the morning until the dew has evaporated from the grass, get back to the sun and look at your shadow on the grass. French artist Rissande make this a very interesting phenomenon associated with the spectral decomposition of light. He watched it on the mountain Pic du Midi: "From the south, could see a vast panorama of mountains, bathed in bright light, whereas in the north valley of the Po and Tarbes were closed continuous sea of ??clouds of blinding white light. Partly from this sea, like smoke, separated pieces of steam rises slowly, and seemed tayavshie in the sky. By three o'clock, these pieces began to accumulate around the Peak, passing over the observatory terrace and disappearing into the abyss. At that time I painted the mountains and suddenly was struck by the extraordinary brilliance of fog covering the distance from me. Just above my head was formed matte white rainbow, and at the same time in the depths of the abyss seemed brightly colored circles in the center that I saw my own image. This image was surrounded by a halo of pale yellow, followed by circles: red, orange and purple ... I called one of his companions, to admire "brokkenskim ghost." When he arrived, both our figures clearly reflected in the center of the circle, and from the shadows of our heads and arms stretched long and dark beams traveling in a peculiar change our positions.

The hottest place on Earth

After crossing several mountain ranges, people descended into depression, which was surrounded by high mountains. They seem to have entered into a huge oven. The heat was unbearable. Completely dehydrated air burned the lungs. Ahead stretched a sparkling, snow-white layers of salt, yellow sand dunes and a purple rock. Gold miners have been many miles, but no one source is not caught in their path. After a long search they came upon a dried-up river bed. It was dripping water when it rained in the mountains. People managed to find several small lakes and puddles. But the water in them was so salty that it was impossible to drink. Even to wash with this water was dangerous. Salt corroded skin of the hands and face. Nearly all the miners found their death in these places. Those few who managed to survive, called this basin Death Valley. Death Valley - one of the hottest places on our planet. In mid-July air temperature here rises to the level of 56 degrees Celsius. Winter in the Valley of Death sometimes cold. This is an amazing place. Immediately behind the mountain ranges is one of the most rainy places in North America - Pacific coast of the continent. Death Valley - one of the deepest depressions in America: it lies at 85 meters below sea level. But in this harsh climate there is life. For a few streams and lakes come to the watering animals: coyotes, wild cats, badgers, Mexican.

Climate change

But on this planet a huge variety of reliefs. And here is another example. In the hot, cloudless days the sun is extremely hot sand. Its temperature is so high that it can not step bare foot. Nearby, in a small depression is a puddle of rainwater. Sun, whatever is hot, it was not, never will heat the water as the sand. This is because the water and heats and cools more slowly than sand. This physical feature is essential for building a climate of our planet. Sea, which for a long time can store heat in the winter months, gradually gave him land. If the mainland or an island bordered by the warm sea, then there is no cold winter. In winter, the continents are colder than the sea. In those months, the warmer ocean currents, they are called monsoons bring warm air and heavy rains. Monsoons, sometimes very strongly influence the climate of the area. Such a monsoon climate, with a very rainy summer and dry winter, there is in India. But there are places on Earth, to which no monsoons are not able to reach. Far from the sweltering summer of the oceans, and winter is very severe. Rains here a little, but the sky remains clear for a long time and cloudless. Such a climate is called continental or continental. Great importance for building a climate are the mountains. To only 400 kilometers east of the Gulf of California is a harsh desert. This difference in climate because the sea breeze is very difficult to transfer his wet winds through high mountains. Therefore, on one side of the mountains here maritime climate, but on the other - Continental.

Tourism in Soviet times

Well-organized and expertly conducted tour enhances human health, he produces such valuable qualities as initiative, courage, perseverance, and significantly improves its performance. In the journey becomes stronger sense of collectivism and expanding horizons of tourists brought up the love for nature, for the country. For the Soviet people characterized by a desire to combine recreation with community service, with active learning. That is why tourists are included in their itineraries search for minerals, study of the natural resources of the area, geographic observation. They conduct public agitation and propaganda work, participate in disaster management, fight against poaching. Nationwide patriotic movement became the Komsomol youth trips to places of revolutionary and military glory. A giant stream of tourism has acquired in recent years, a clear organizational forms and a strong material base. Pa enterprises, organizations, educational institutions operate tens of thousands of tourist sections, thousands of tourist clubs in cities and towns with almost 5 million activists tourism. Tourist traffic in our country led by the Central Council for Tourism and Excursions Trade Unions, have extensive regular staff and is closely associated with social organizations. One of the main tasks of the Central Council - the creation in our country, "the tourism industry," ie, a single set of tourist services on a sound scientific and economic basis. When the Central Council are working section of boating, the dominant species of tourism, Speleotourism, as well as a number of central committees, including the certification of instructors and training, route-qualification.

Green beam

In our time, has already cracked the secret of the green sun. The fact that the earth's atmosphere like a huge prism surrounds the entire earth's surface. Passing through it, the sun's rays can be decomposed into multi-colored components. But man can not always see. Expansion of the white light spectrum is especially noticeable when the sun is getting ready to go beyond the horizon. If you look in the telescope at a major star, which is near the horizon, then you will see not a bright white dot, and small multi-colored column. White star turns into an iridescent column. Our eyes are, in essence, is seen not only a white disk of the sun, and a few colored discs. These discs are superimposed on each other and add up to white. The upper edge of our light has a blue and mixed with green color, and lower - red. The sun goes below the horizon for a few seconds and it will disappear from sight. At this point in the sky are only the top edges of two colored disks. But the blue and green beams pass through the thickness of the earth's atmosphere is not the same: green penetrate through it freely, and the blue is strongly scattered and almost to the ground do not reach. At the time of the last moments of the sun and you can see the green tip of the star. If at this moment to look at it in a portable telescope, we can see that the narrow strip of light surrounded by a green halo. In his last moment of the day a great light casts a green light into our eyes. The necessary atmospheric conditions for the emergence of green light are added quite often.

Quicksand

Some believe that the main reason is that the sand here have the correct spherical form. Therefore, any heavy objects immersed in them very easily. Another assumption is that grains are sometimes slippery. Conducted such an experiment. On the dry sand was placed human figures made of plastic and weight equal to the mass of the human body. Then sand heavily moistened. If it is watered from above, then plastic mannequins remained on the surface. But as soon as the water pumping in sand from the bottom, like mannequins quickly sank in the sand. Incidentally, the common marsh morass is still referred to zybunom. Gak that quicksand, judging from this experiment is likely a close relative of the quagmire, zybunu.

Selle quietly gurgling little river in the gorge, sometimes even a trickle.

And do not believe that this peaceful creek does not cost anything to become a ruthless "roaring beast." But here the case of sharp rise of water, flooding caused by heavy rains or rapid melting of snow somewhere in the upper reaches. And the stream is no longer a stream, a roaring, sweeping away in its path, muddy silt, sand and soil flow. Rocks and boulders, which he had carefully wrap, now getting up and rattled in a mad rush whirlpool. That's trickle turns into rural areas. "Sel" - the Arabic word and translates it as "a raging torrent." What is rural well-known in many regions of India and China, Turkey and Iran. He brought a lot of troubles residents of mountainous regions of western coast of North and South America. In March 1938, in the foothills of the American Cordillera, near Los Angeles, was a powerful downpour. Water is immediately filled the valleys dried up rivers and streams. Not yet managed to finish a downpour, as in the valley rushed unaware restraint mudslides. They are rooted trees, twisted, turned boulders weighing dozens of tons, carried a mass of dirt and rubble. Mudslides destroyed encountered on their way home, railways and bridges. Killed two hundred people. Devastating mudflows are frequent guests in the Austrian Alps. Here the case of debris flows, which reach heights of eighteen meters. That was so rural in 1981. That summer in the mountains it is very sharp warming and rapid mountain streams became raging, muddy and sat down.

Beneath the ice

In November and December until the beginning of a hard frost, perches still walking in the shallows. Once the water covered with ice first film through it can be seen as a bevy of young perch scurry back and forth, grabbing the bottom of the ice surface of small crustaceans, amphipods, who sit there like flies on the ceiling. As the ice pulls all the polynya, water, even the flow begins to peter out oxygen. Breathing becomes difficult, and bass stops eating, becomes lethargic. After a while he seemed to get used to the lack of air and then taken to swim, pursues fry readily suited to the hole poglotat air. In early December extended spawning many salmon rivers over the fast rapids, some - on the lakes. Late autumn in the north of spawning lake trout spawning the so-called "Pereyaslavskaya herring (or whitefish), Peipsi whitefish, Volkhov, and some other whitefish Onega and Ladoga lakes. From whitefish in our middle lane can be found in whitefish Pereyaslavl lake and Lake Seliger. In January, the course begins and spawning burbot. Flocks raised it under the ice against the current until it reaches the shallow shoals and fast, with a gravelly bottom. Here burbot burst out in late January, its small, sticky, and very abundant eggs. Young burbot lays up to 200 thousand eggs, large - up to 1 million. Most of the winter, burbot is the active life and attacking the other fish. Only at the very beginning of the winter freeze-up after a sharp decrease in oxygen in the water and acts on it.

Game grouse

At first timidly, and somehow hesitantly. In the first half of March, the young have not yet speak. The longer walks spring, the capercaillie are gambling games. Midst of them coming in the second half of April. In early May, the old men fall silent. Young tokovat continue until late May about two hours before sunrise high on the tree, is heard a soft "Teke-Teke." This is some of the old open current. Still hardly brightens the north-east, but he can not wait to start playing as soon as possible. Grouse game consists of two parts. First Cock fifteen times muffled mumbles disyllabic mot: Teke-teke-teke ... He repeats these sounds faster and faster, so that, finally, they merge into a kind of continuous trill. Trill those he pulls up to a minute, then suddenly snaps and ends up being the hunters call "skirkanem" or "turning". This part can not be reproduced by any words. Most likely, it can be represented scrape of iron on iron. Few in this beautifully. But the inveterate hunter waits for it "skirkane" bated breath. In those few seconds while it lasts, it needs to catch two or three times to step closer to being enacted singer. During skirkaiya grouse can not hear even a loud noise, as if it stalls. Why deaf grouse? In the outer ear canal it has a special blade, rich in small blood vessels. In tokuyuschey birds in these vessels receive a lot of blood, and the blade swells, turns into a tumor. Current, grouse opens his mouth, and one of the skull bones presses while the tumor.

Geyser - a natural fountain

This is the natural fountain - a geyser. Usually it occurs in an area with active volcanoes. Geyser usually gush about a minute, but in such a short period of time he throws out of the ground from 20 to 30 liters of hot mineral water. The steam from a geyser up to many hundreds of meters. If the sky the sun is shining, the air appear bright rainbow. This is an amazing and beautiful sight. Iceland is often called the country of geysers. The total number of them around the island reaches one hundred thousand. The most tremendous fountain of hot and is called - Geyser. Most geysers emit fountains of hot water and steam at regular intervals. Some time in the not gush how many hours or even several days. Tibet is the Valley of the rattling of the earth. There are quite unusual geysers. One geyser fountain throws in a few jets. He was given the name White vulture. When he throws a jet of hot steam - they look like a vulture flapping wings. In this valley of geysers with a very poetic names. For example: A hundred flowers and lotus leaves. In the Valley of rattling the earth there are geysers that gush out from under the water. In the river of dead fish have a place where regular intervals and begins to boil the water and rise to the surface of boiling eddies. After that, the surface water often rises boiled fish. Very exotic look geysers Tibetan Plateau in winter. The water in these hot springs is not cool even in extreme cold. But, flying in the air, the jet of hot steam and cool down, falling, turn ice into tall pillars - columns, inside of which continues to beat the hot fountain.

As the sun, air, water and plants to change shape of the Earth?

Sun directs air, water and all plants on Earth. If it were not for their work, the surface of our planet would have a different look. Take, for example, a stone cliff. Afternoon sun warms the surface, but at night it cools rapidly. The substance from which this rock is exposed to the expansion and contraction. With time on the surface of the rock cracks. Then they go deep and break away from a monolithic block of large and small pieces. The wind blows these fragments. Water penetrates into the cracks formed, and more destroys the stone. But the destruction of rocks quite a long process. Much faster than changing face of the desert. There are almost completely hosts wind. After the sandstorm desert species completely changed. Within a few hours the wind carries great mass of sand from one place to another. In those places where there are no mountains or deserts hosted rivers and streams. They are moving along the earth's surface, erode it, and form a river valleys, gullies, ravines and gullies. In the prairies of the Great Plains of the United States has vast scenic spots. Here the air and water are dug in the earth's surface vast kilometers-long passes, which are called canyons. The depth of some canyons several hundred meters. The walls of these canyons are very steep. They consist of soft limestone rocks. These walls do not hang over the passage as a visor because he did not sustain his weight and immediately collapses. Do not remain indifferent to the destruction of rocks and some plants.

Sedentary gallinaceous birds

Hunting for these feeds many people. In the market, they - a valuable commodity, their meat - excellent and tasty food. All of them - cautious birds, and close to see them not the hunter is rarely possible. But a knowledgeable person can tell a lot of prints of their feet, left clumps of manure pit at the spot where the bird was rummaging in the snow. Capercaillie - the biggest bird of all birds breed of chicken in our middle band, and track him more than others. Next in size - the black grouse. His imprint rear toe is even less clear. Next it like chicken, although it is slightly smaller. Even smaller traces of hazel, which has developed a finger back stronger. This is clearly noticeable in prints. These three birds - the real forest dwellers, but their habits of each. Grouse are kept blind thickets Krasnolesie and winter feeding of pine needles. According to a broken pine branches, fall on the snow on the needles of an experienced hunter guessed that the top of pine visited grouse. Black grouse are kept on birch peck birch buds, catkins terminated. Grouse more like pecking alder catkins. Partridges should be sought in the ravines, fields and meadows. Where many grouse, there are often suited to the villages at night and leave their droppings and footprints near Gumen, which picked up the scattered grain. It is necessary, however, keep in mind that the traces of gray partridge similar to those of a dove. It should be a good look to them to tell the difference. Helps to understand them if we can find here the same litter, different from the pigeon.

Forest in autumn days

Although rarely encountered now fine days, frightens dull autumn rain and slush, it is still a lot of interesting things will give forest clearings and edges. Not without reason because sometimes called October a black trail. Sumeesh solve cunning weave of animal tracks - will discover more than one exciting scene from the life of the inhabitants of woods and thickets. Squirrels in our woods are not always lived. Trees in it grew a little, and nuts did not have any. Only pine trees, and not every year bring a modest yield of cones. In years when there were bumps, squirrels looked in our region, built on the lush pines my warm nest and produces a small squirrels. Squirrels were growing up, getting older by the fall in protein and with their parents went on a long journey in search of food. Peep sometimes proteins in the summertime, when it is not afraid to travel and to spend the night do not need the warm nest, look, there is no ripe cones, run around the entire forest and quickly leave, to cold to find yourself a forest, where you can 'feed the whole winter. It will be winter in the forest, snow-buried a forest trail, shielding the firs fluffy hats - will be empty and lonely in the forest. Well, at least some animal would have seemed to the eyes, flashed at least once to the pine branches of the protein. Walk through the empty woods sad. But what if the summer when the squirrels drop in to explore, to take and even lure furry guests? Maybe then they will remain with us for the winter.

In the Valley of Monsters

Fantasia great painters of nature are the most unique of its masterpieces. Here and stone mushrooms, and a huge frozen frog, and more than a huge turtle. In other places we see as if carved to order balls and stone bridges built by the same builders. Off the coast of Norway is an island Torgatten. He looks like a huge flat hat that floats on water. Top of this fabulous hat as if someone shot. This is not just a hole, and a natural tunnel, which was formed during the time of the glaciers. The tunnel is cut so well that he made with hands. Its length more than one hundred fifty meters. In the mountains of Lebanon is an arch, which from a technical point of view, is the apex of engineering. A huge stone flying boldly placed across the valley and fastened so firmly. Arch different forms of such perfection that it is hard even to believe that it has constructed nature. With curiosity and admiration of the tourists look down today on these silent witnesses of past centuries. And the few who comes to mind thinking about the role that these majestic sculptures of play in the lives of people in the past.

Traces of proteins and the flying squirrel in the early winter

A lot has been going by other proteins, a lot stolen by jays, mice, nutcracker and other granivorous birds, many forgotten and podrasteryano. The narrow tracks of the front legs, broad - from the rear. Their protein while jumping puts forward on the front. Follow to which trees are squirrel tracks. In Siberia, the squirrels are feeding just more willing to pine nuts. We have a pine cone - her main nurse. If the cones are a lot of fruitful year for them, the proteins less running in the snow. They have enough food and trees. Already in February, and then in late January start wedding squirrel game: squirrels jump through the trees one after another. In those years when a lot of bumps, the protein and the cubs will be born more (sometimes 8-10 pieces), and feed them better and more of them survive to the warm season. In good years the number of proteins is rapidly growing. Hunting for them is becoming more profitable. During the harvest year of poor harvest next year. Spruce as if exhausted from the fruiting and seed yields less a year or two. The third year again comes the harvest. Interestingly, the behavior of the protein during crop failure cones. Hunters say that in such years, squirrel tracks in the snow can be seen much more. This is an indication that the protein more digging in the snow, looks for mushrooms under the leaves, she feels them by smell even through the thick snow. Squirrel chews lichens on the trunks, gnaws buds at the ends of spruce branches: cut their sharp incisors of smaller branches and, grasping paws, chew with their kidneys.

Traces of hoofed animals (early winter)

In January, moose begin to lose their antlers: old earlier this month, young later. Horn breaks off at the base, around which appears before the tumor. Apparently, moose experiencing in this awkward position, and even painful feeling. When the drops one horn, elk becomes even more awkward. He holds his head to one side, it often shakes as if trying to get rid of the remaining horn that its weight pulls his head to one side. He rubs a horn on the trunks and helps him to fall off. Elk - too great beasts to pass unnoticed. Typically, local people quickly learn that there were moose in the woods. But to test more precisely, whether they live here permanently or only logged in passing, you need to carefully search the signs of their presence. What are these symptoms? First, of course, traces. It is important to be able to distinguish the trace of the trace of elk and elk calves. The length of the trail elk 25 cm, starting from the back of prints of fingers to the tops of the front triangle. Do moose - more, calf - less. Next elk already hoof prints look sharper and therefore longer. By the nature trail can judge the speed of the elk. In addition to the traces, the observer can stumble on elk droppings, similar in form to bochonochki, with a drawn ending. On the ground, a sure sign of feeding will be nibbled, crushed and broken trees, and the marks of teeth on the high altitude. Very interesting place to find elk camp, trampled underfoot and strewn with litter. However, I must say that it is not easy: camps hidden in remote and dense thickets.

Traces of elk and other hoofed animals (early winter)

Next elk difficult to mix with the trace of any other animal. Any experienced hunter knows his size and shape. Almost the entire forest belt of the RSFSR, where there are large forests and forest swamps, are found now these huge horned beasts. Every year they become more in the forest belt of our country. Even in such a populated area, like Moscow, now numbering several thousand elk; quite departed from Moscow on 40-50 miles to get to the land where there are elk tracks. Worries about the Soviet regime careful protection of elk gave remarkable results: nearly extinct in some areas of animal multiplied. Moose appeared even in areas where they are not heard over the past one hundred, one hundred and fifty years. In many areas now allowed to hunt moose, but on special attire: the number of male bulls are allowed to shoot, is strictly rationed. In winter, elk are kept in small herds, hiding in the densest thickets. In the evening they begin to wander in the woods. Extensive traces of muscular legs celebrate the way their night transitions. They eat moose bark and young branches of trees that are rubbing hard as a millstone, teeth. Sharp as a chisel, chisels elk incised the soft bark of willow, alder, birch, rowan, aspen, ash, and, seizing, rend up the trunk. Young Osinki elk feeding all willingly. Sometimes the elk are ruining the whole tree, if stripping it from all sides. Sometimes they break down the young trees or spoil them that chew their apex. If the tree is high, but subtly, the elk bends him, leaning on his chest, and then trample down their feet to the ground.

Sparrow - brisk and bold bird

Sparrows are highly prolific. During the spring and summer time to bring a pair of sparrows chicks or two or even three times, while five or six, and sometimes more chicks. Sparrow - brisk and bold bird. It is curious that he Viet their nests, not only under the roof of houses. He finds sometimes in large nests of large birds. Among the thick twigs and dry branches, which make up their own nests large diurnal birds of prey, the sparrow finds a deep, narrow slit. Using the fact that there can not penetrate very big landlord, tenant makes defiant in the thickness of the breeding pile a soft surface for her future offspring. Dangerous neighborhood turns to slippery sparrow in better protection from his enemies. Very cleverly makes nest forty. She weaves it from flexible twigs so that the whole structure receives the form of a large ball.

Spring game birds

But what is it? Somewhere in the distance heard the sounds monotonous. They repeated it louder, then quieter, hurriedly rushing to each other. This zatokoval grouse. In vain would try to submit letters of his spring song. Try to stick his tongue and pull off and quiet and monotonous single note, fast talking with the tongue from side to side so that turned out like this: bololo Lolo ... bololololo ... bololololo ... bololololo ... Usually after every four or five cycles followed by a short pause. Sometimes these sounds reminded me of a village truck jingle that somewhere is rolling on a remote highway. Grouse current in the middle lane begins at the end of March. While the snow in the woods a lot, roosters tokuyut carefully, sitting in the trees, and almost no flies on the ground. Tokuyut with only older males, young, yet silent. The more runs off the snow, the defiant display in black grouse. By the end of April, current flares up stronger and stronger. Black grouse begin tokovat already on the ground, overgrown with bushes clearings on the edge of raised bogs or near the forest edge. They are there for this special favorite places that for some reason they like and they are accustomed. These places are called hunters tokovischami. They collected some old and young cocks. However, the harder tokuyut until the old ones. Young and old people are afraid of trying not to get their way. Now you can hear other sounds. His single color muttering, consisting of several tribes, cock ends suddenly with a loud hiss: "chuu-shshshi! .." These sounds are called for.

Grouse and partridge frolic

In March, we in the middle band formed couples grouse. We must remember that we can go there mainly for the young birds. Old does not have to worry about finding people girlfriends. They are kept in pairs and in the winter months. Male and female are trying not to lose sight of each other and together roamed from one piece of wood to another. Migrations of these are small. Typically, a pair of grouse occupies a certain area. In the summer of this site fir or mixed forests. In the winter, along with broods they are moving closer to the river, in the alder or grove, where alder mixed with birch. Here they feed on alder catkins, buds, birch and other trees. But as soon as will thaw a little wild drifts in the woods and a whiff of spring, spruce grouse back in, and here you can hear the voice of Ryabets - a thin whistle. If grouse are "peak", it means began their married life. Beeping and a short gentle trill Riabets beckons his female. Once the female responded, he flies from the tree and ran to meet her. From time to time, it reiterates its call and response to repeated takes off and flies straight to her friend. If in his district, he will meet another male, at once fierce it drives. Before the female, he opens the fan tail and wings down to the ground, as do many chickens. In the spring time traveler, going to the forest, suddenly stopped, struck by strange sounds. They are more like a rattling of a frustrated musical instrument than the voice of living beings. Sometimes alternately two sounds are heard at different tones at regular intervals.

The average period of spring

After a few warm sunny days, the snow melts strongly. Ice on the river at the edges covered with muddy water, rolled off the coast. Finally, he cracks, breaks down and starts to move downstream. Begins break-up. With each passing day more and more water comes from. Gently sweep the ice, facing each other, hit the beach, in the foundations of bridges and break into pieces. Lowlands along the river valleys are engaged in a wide spill. Water flooded coastal meadows and bushes.

Proteins

Squirrel nests are very diverse. Protein weaves them from flexible branches in the form of a ball with one hole. Exterior wall, it covers a soft material: the pines - with green moss on oak trees - leaves on elkah - gray bearded lichen. Inside the nest carpeted with moss, grass, fur, feathers. Sometimes protein coached there litter, stolen from the nests of small birds. Wall socket so thick and dense that it warm even in cold weather. Sometimes, the protein uses hollows black woodpecker - Zhelnov. But in these hollows of her family soon became too crowded, and it drags the offspring to another, more spacious place. Over the summer, the squirrel is two, sometimes three broods.

Woodpeckers musicians

Not if he was the drummer? He's the most! Careful observer can catch him in the game. Strong storms upset the forest trees. They ate a high turn out by the roots. In pine taproot goes deep into the ground. Pine rarely turn out, but often broken in half. The same happens with the birch. In areas where the hurricane, we can see the trees, a broken force of the wind. These are the broken trunks of the spring searching for woodpeckers. They seek out a smashing hooks, sit beside them and start their own music. Quick hits beak make wooden shake Torchok, publish jarring sounds. They are so calls that are carried away in the silence of the forest. In the large coniferous forests middle and northern bands as well, only louder, bang black woodpeckers. What is the meaning of this music? This spring game male, medium to draw attention dyatlits. However, these trills are heard not only in the spring. Long before the wedding time - in February and even in January, especially in the big thaw - nosy drummers begin their exercises. It is interesting that such manifestations of spring moods, and being seen in other birds. In the winter thaw, when they hear the trill of grouse suddenly awakens a desire pobormotat like a spring. If in one place will meet a few roosters, they sometimes even come to blows. Each woodpecker jealously defends the territory in which he lived. In that part of the forest where he used to feed, it does not allow the emergence of other woodpeckers. The final device family life woodpecker drums fall silent.

When the bear comes out of their dens

Young males and single bears out a little earlier. Accelerate the output of the bear dens could early, very warm and friendly spring: snow cover is rapidly destroyed, and animals driven out of their dens there impingement melt water. Before leaving the den and the bear, not had time enough ozhiret for the winter: it makes the den to leave hungry. Spring is in large forest areas is strongly delayed compared to the open spaces. When the field is almost free from snow in the woods are still drifts, and the foot sinks deep through melted crust. Deep snow and dense shade, especially in the spruce forest, preventing warming of the forest. If the thermometer in the hands of you will enter the April solar noon in the deep woods, you'll see that the mercury thermometer dropped several degrees, in April at the time of exit from the lair bear sheds: matted tufts of hair begins to come out. Wood mouse drag this wool for their nests.

The average period of spring: the fish

There comes what is called "spring course" fish. Some breeds, he begins under the ice. Fish swim aggressively to the headwaters of rivers. With the tide fish flock out of the muddy stream channel in a more clean water - at the busy bottling poemnye meadows. Over there slowly ooze gradually settles and the water becomes lighter. Spring course closely connected with the approach of spawning, and has a deep biological basis: it is important to sweep eggs as close as possible to the sources of rivers. After weak fry will inevitably communicate down quick spring flow. If it were not for this pre-climb, all the fry would have been blown into the sea. In the first half of April, the spring move the fish develops with increasing force. In the lower reaches of rivers flowing to the south, such as the Volga, Don, Dnieper, the course begins in February and quickly spread to the upper. In late March, is a friendly course of walleye in the Lower Volga. Even under the ice begins the course of roach (Caspian roach), behind her - cruising in small circles, bream and whitefish, and with the opening of the river - starlet. In the middle lane too early to spawn (spawn), pike, dace and chub. Pike spawning begins immediately after the break-up. When the river beyond its banks and poured into poemnym meadows, pike move from the muddy river stream in a quiet and bright, the water spills. Here on the flooded meadows poemnyh schuchi start the game. Females lay eggs in the river oxbow lakes, puddles and lakes, remain on the shore, when the excess water returns to the riverbed.

Invertebrates

The smaller the pond, the faster he can warm up. The warmer the water becomes, the richer it becomes life. Here, breed, multiply and die countless ciliates and rotifers, invisible or barely visible to the naked eye. In late April, when warm up water, it is already floating jerky jumps transparent crustaceans - Cyclops and Daphnia, for which these pools - an boundless sea. Here you can see several species of leeches, and among them a large black, so-called lozhnokonskuyu leech. Scoop up water from puddles. You probably noticed it nimble mosquito larvae. Where did they come? Still nowhere to be seen no adult mosquitoes and mosquito larvae filled puddles, roadside ditches and thawed (or later) of water ponds. These larvae hatched from eggs that have postponed the female mosquitoes in the summer, Kusaka (aedes) on the edges of ephemeral ponds on the banks of ponds and slopes of pits and ditches. These eggs were very long. They dry out in summer and warm; winter. And only now, when spring flows are washed into the water, have started to develop tiny larvae. In the garden, field, forest flying and crawling flies, beetles, butterflies and other insects. From early spring butterflies one of the first moth flies, "vesenpitsa birch. By brown color, by the method of folding wings, it's easy to take for any bat. It flies in the bright sun, and during the deployment of young leaves her to be found on birch trunks in young groves. Flying, it rises high above the treetops.

Traces of predation in the early winter

Why do they howl? At it's not easy to answer. Maybe they do it from starvation. It is believed that this is a roll of litter on the other hand, a signal to the collection, call for young parents. But hardly anyone really knows it. Whatever it was, that cry sometimes costly by wolves. Howling hunters opens the seat pack. This is based on locating wolf brood. So said Hunter, who is able to imitate the wolf's howl. Crafty vabelschik the evening goes to the woods, where suspects the presence of wolves, and from time to time it starts here and there howl like a wolf. He listens, not whether it will echo the voice of young wolves, and their votes determine where they stick around. Since the beginning of winter, wolves often live hand to mouth. Production is less than in summer, and it is more difficult to extract. Schooling life helps them to act together, work together to drive the large prey and do more daring attacks. In winter, wolves sometimes run up even on the streets of human settlements to seize the unwary dog ??or a pig was released from the yard. Sometimes they try to penetrate into the fold by force, undermine the driveway, pushing badly closed door. Until recently determined loss of wolves in 15 million rubles a year, and even now in some places, especially in pastoral areas of steppe and tundra wolves - the worst enemies of sheep farmers and herders. Since late January and February wolf friendship comes to an end. Begin wolf wedding. Nestle new couples, as well as the wolves of males more than females, it is far from peaceful.

Mosquitoes

They come from vegetable storage, cellars, hollows and other winter shelters when the air temperature after sunset is significantly above zero. Females are blood-sucking mosquito, while the males feed on flower nectar. Most often, mosquitoes fly into barns, piggeries and stables. Here in the dark, sit dormant in the animal to drink his warm blood. Attacked by malarial mosquitoes and humans. If a mosquito suck blood of a malarial patient, he himself becomes infected with a parasite - the agent of malaria. But an infected mosquito do not immediately dangerous. Held quite a few days until the microscopic parasites from the stomach to penetrate into the bloodstream, and thence to the mosquito salivary glands. Only after this bite of the female mosquito can cause illness of another person. In summer, hot weather, mosquitoes can "instill" human malaria two weeks after he drank the blood of malaria patients, while the cool spring temperatures - not less than two decades and more. In any case, the bite of female mosquito shortly after departure from wintering more secure. Even those mosquitoes that were infected in the autumn to spring are secure, as the parasites they die in the winter. Meanwhile, in the spring and especially in May seen the greatest number of complaints of patients, malyarikov medical help. How can we explain this contradiction? Very simple. In the spring manifested disease, which before was in latent form, and therefore, the contamination occurred many months before - last fall or summer.

Ranotsvetuschie plants

It is remarkable that the newly blossomed flowers lungwort purple, then they become purple, then blue, and sometimes even white. On average, lungwort blooms early in the third decade of April. Usually in conjunction with flowering lungwort Forests and shrubs appear beautiful flowers hohlatok. Stems grow to a thick globular tuber, and seated with numerous reddish-purple, occasionally white flowers that attract insects to their smell. Pollination occurs bumblebees and bees arriving at flowers for nectar. At its root nodules since last year aside reserves of nutrients, which are developed by the spring leaves and flowers. At the time of flowering in the axils of the leaves produced little klubneobraznye gemmule. This incremental method of propagation, over the total for all flowering plants reproduction by seeds. Each gemmule, detached from the parent plant, may give rise to a new plant Chistyakov. Soon after the snow being kicked out of the small bulblets beam narrow and succulent leaves goose onions. It blooms almost simultaneously with Chistyakov yellow asterisks. Everywhere in the fields emerge from the earth tender stems horsetail. Stems are moving away from the underground rhizomes and capped at the ends of green or brown cones. For the scales of cones are small pouches - sporangia, and in them - tiny, similar to the dust, spores, which ripen in the first half of May. When they ripen, flakes apart, and spores are carried by wind. Where they fall on the wet ground, the formation of new beginnings horsetail.

Traces of lynx and wolverines (early winter)

In late winter, warm nights you can hear the lynx males loud meow and howl like cats, only bass. Occasionally, bobcats bite so hard that the snow on the ground of such fights is, covered with blood and littered with torn scraps of wool. Lynx - a big strong cat, with tassels on the ears, the size of a dog with a thick, powerful legs. She lives, except for the northern taiga forests in the major middle band, in the west and the North Caucasus. Imprint of the cat's paws of the lynx resembles a trace, but it's much more. Consider a domestic cat paw. Soles she had not omitted Lynx - a good walker. Step it big. Distance from track to track (one side) to 80 cm walks it's not like the wolf and the fox, whose feet tread on almost a straight line. In lynx tracks are zigzag and located on either side of the midline. When the trot walk alone or the whole family, they, like wolves, go single file and tread all in one track. This instinct, saving power. After all, easier to follow the beaten track than fight their new one. Home prey lynx - a hare. With the extinction of the rabbits disappear, and lynx. Lynx prefers to grab his victim a sudden leap. She acts more often than not after, and steals and attacks from ambush. In this regard, it has a lot to do with Wolverine. This beast just looks awkward and clumsy, but in reality it is quite clever, even climbing trees. Bold predator wolverine attacks even in young reindeer. Wolverine is able to choose a large branch hanging over the trail.

The average period of spring: the amphibians

In early May, fast river shallows spawning chars. Usually in May, spawning roach, going to large schools in shallow grassy areas and in the reeds. A week before the spawning of roach males are covered by a rough rash, which sharply distinguishes them from the smooth, thick and large females. On the head and back them appear like white pimples. Once the eggs postponed, roach goes into the hole and rests there for a few days. At the same time as the roach spawn and minnows. They lay her in several stages with the first ten days of May to the middle of the month. At this time, they're going to rapids, to the small rocky places and noisy splash, leaning out of the water. Pairs on the fine sand spawn small schipovki. These beautiful colored fish - a permanent resident of the river bottom. Crawling on silt and sand, it catches out any edible detail. The aquarium is easy to see how schipovka absorbs mouth sand bottom and releases it with water through the gills, apparently, leaving themselves all that you can profit. Any anxiety causes her hide. It is upside down and in a moment buried in the sand, exposing the tip of his sometimes out of acute stigma. Through him, she draws in water for respiration. Apparently, just lazy male and female eggs carefully buried in the sand, hiding it from the numerous enemies. At this time, you will not hear another loud croaking green frogs, which lay eggs in ponds, lakes and backwaters of rivers much later. They need more heat. From spring until the water is distributed only to a quiet rumble of male grass frogs.

Traces of predators (wolf) in early winter

Therefore, before attempting to observe the traces of these animals need a good look to the next dog. The dog is easy to consider the structure of the feet and their footprint in the snow, to count the number of fingers on the front and rear leg. All species of the family dog ??belongs to the so-called digitigrade animals. This means that they rely on walking only on your toes and heel of the back leg is lifted, and the upper end of its issued back in the form of a "rear knee. People often see the dogs, and ask someone: how many fingers in the dog? Too many to think about and answer incorrectly. Many do not know that the front paw of a dog five fingers, and on the back - and four. But the fifth finger on the front foot it is underdeveloped and does not reach the ground. On the trail dog legs can be seen only four prints of the fingers with holes about Mr. claws and "pads" that you can palpate na lifted the dog's paw. The front paw of a dog is wider and longer back, it allows to distinguish the trace of the front leg of the trail back. Trace of the old wolf is the same as the big dogs, but slightly longer than the dog. On a fast run, the wolf puts its hind legs forward on the front, so the two front track are less than the rear, left front legs. This makes a galloping dog. The average wolf claws closer to each other than dogs, and their distances from the lateral claw has more. However, traces of wolf and large dog is very difficult to discern. Mistakes and experienced trackers.