Alpine meadow. Plants of alpine meadows

Alpine meadow is one of the most spectacular spectacles on earth. In the spring it is a motley oriental carpet covered with plants with bright colors. It is on this vertical mountain belt that representatives of the flora end. Next are stony soil, eternal snow, glaciers that never melt. Fertile soil there is almost no, so plant life is not observed. Alpine meadows are like the last stroke of nature, the largest number of plants are concentrated on them, as if someone were trying to place on a small patch of land all the flora that did not have a place high in the mountains.

Climatic conditions of the alpine belt

The climate in the highlands is quite severe. Meadows are located at an altitude of about 2000 m above sea level, so the temperature difference during the day is more than noticeable. Day of heat up to +45 ° C, and at night frosts are possible. In such conditions it is very difficult to survive, but in the process of evolution, plants adapted to this climate. The alpine meadow blooms in the early spring, as soon as the snow falls. By the way, the snow cover for this belt is very important, because in winter it protects plants from the sun and strong winds, and in the spring it provides moisture.

Main types of plants

Representatives of the flora in the alpine meadows are special. There are no plants of large sizes, because they simply do not have time for growth. Low-growing flora attracts the attention of insect pollinators with bright large flowers and a strong fragrance. Alpine meadows in Abkhazia from early spring to late summer resemble a beautiful carpet covered with colorful flowers. There are no shades here - there are both gentle and rich, light and dark colors. Although the plants in the meadows are too small, they are incredibly beautiful. In addition, they are strong, because they have adapted to the harsh living conditions. Representatives of the flora from other belts simply could not survive in the highlands, with constant fluctuations in temperature. Short summer, windy and cold winters, solar irradiation could not but leave their imprint on the appearance of the local vegetation.

Plants of the Alpine meadows of the Caucasus

Very high in the mountains, where there is practically no fertile soil, you can meet incredibly beautiful representatives of the flora. For example, edelweiss, gentian - these flowers survive in the most severe conditions. In the highlands you can find the shortest tree in the world - a dwarf willow. Because of the small growth, even the strongest winds are not afraid of it. Plants of alpine meadows grow even between rocks. A vivid example is the young, covering the mountain slopes and surviving in the most extreme conditions. A bright representative of the flora is saxifrage. She, like moss, covers the whole carpet with huge areas. In spring, saxifrage blooms with red, white and pink large flowers.

In the alpine meadows there are all kinds of clearing, blooming with yellow, white, pink and red flowers. Rhododendrons are an exquisite ornament of the highlands. In the late spring they delight the eye with large flowers of various shades, although plants are used to harsh conditions, but prefer to be located in well-lit areas. Alpine meadows of the Caucasus are covered with cranberries, blueberries, wateryards, junipers. There are also cereal plants, on the high-mountain slopes grows a fluffy oat, reed reed grass, flat-leafed mauve, long-leaved meadow grass. Alpine meadows are always painted in some colors, the grass replaces each other, repainting the mountain slopes in a variety of shades.

A bright representative of small mammals of high mountains

When it comes to the fauna of alpine meadows, then immediately the image of a mountain goat, a chamois and, of course, an Alpine marmot comes to mind. There are not so many representatives of the animal world in the highlands, but some individuals are found in rather large quantities. Alpine meadow became a home for the same marmot. This large rodent lives in open places, which reach the very tops covered with snow caps. These are day-time animals, they are very interesting to observe with the help of binoculars. Alpine marmots cheerfully chew grass, which is held by the front paws. They are busy for days on end: they eat, clean their skins, bask in the sun, play. It is worth one marmot to make a sharp whistle, which means danger, as his brethren immediately hide themselves in burrows. Rodents are dormant for more than six months. All this time they spend in burrows up to three meters deep.

Large mammals

Animals of alpine meadows are represented by chamois, tours, mountain goats and other ungulates. Most often in the highlands you can find a chamois. She jumps over huge abysses, climbs on tops along steep rocks. Serna seems to hover above the tops, she easily finds even the smallest slit to cling to it, and is held on a barely noticeable cornice. In winter, the animals descend from the mountains down, they are chased by cold and hunger. Cereals winter in coniferous forests, taking the place of roe deer and red deer, which in the cold season descend even lower into river valleys and deciduous forests. The most difficult for the ungulates is wintering, because hunger, rainy weather, avalanches constantly reduce their livestock.

Birds of alpine meadows

In the highlands there are not so many birds - only those who managed to adapt to the harsh conditions remained here. The higher in the mountains, the more common the lemon finch, this bird lives in the open country, where only larch and spruce grow. This fauna representative lives only near the Alps. Other inhabitants of alpine meadows are motley and blue stone thrushes. They are very beautiful, mostly inhabiting the earth, they settle closer to the mountain slopes. Alpine meadow also sheltered a snow finch, alpine jackdaws, klushits, and white-headed swifts. The most representative bird of these places is the golden eagle, it hovers over the tops of the mountains, describing the powerful wings of the circles.

Alpine meadow - a paradise on earth, striking the imagination of a man who first saw him. Despite the harsh climate, a huge number of very beautiful plants grow here, animals and birds live.