Plan for describing the painting golden autumn in Karelia. Essay based on Meshkov’s painting Golden Autumn in Karelia (description)

Russian artists Meshkovs.Meshkov Vasily Vasilyevich (1893-1963).Son. - part 2.

Russian - Soviet painter, son of the artist V.N. Meshkov, academician of painting, laureate of the USSR State Prize. Studied at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture. In 1911 he joined the Wanderers. At the beginning of his creative work he painted mainly city landscapes. In 1922, V.V. Meshkov joined the AKhHR and addressed the topics October revolution And Civil War(series of sketches “October in Moscow”, etc.). During the Great Patriotic War, the artist created a series of paintings under the general title “On the roads of retreat of the Nazis.” V.V. Meshkov worked a lot and fruitfully in his favorite landscape genre. His landscape paintings are characterized by a special majestic and harsh interpretation of Russian nature (“The Tale of the Urals”, 1949, “Kama”, 1950," Golden autumn in Karelia" and others). Since childhood, the boy was surrounded by people of art, the best painters of that time, and this could not but affect his fate. “I am a hereditary painter. My father, the artist Vasily Nikitich Meshkov, destined me for this from childhood I will travel, and all my hopes and aspirations coincided with my father’s plans” - this is how V.V. Meshkov’s autobiography begins.As a child, the most tempting world, full of fascinating things, was the workshop of my father, a famous portrait artist. Under his guidance, the boy began his first regular painting lessons. At the age of 14, he made his debut at an exhibition with his timid, still inept works on themes of Russian history, but already in these works one could feel the author’s original, free painting style. Having graduated from the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, where his teachers were such celebrities as A M. Korin, A. M. Vasnetsov, L. O. Pasternak, V. N. Baksheev, Meshkov went to continue his education abroad. Returning to Russia in 1914, when the First World War began World War, he was mobilized as an artist and traveled a lot with the Army Headquarters. He created many sketches about the war during these years. After 1917, the artist left his favorite historical theme and became a theater artist. A trip to the Crimea and the Caucasus in 1924-1925 was a milestone in creative biography V.V. Meshkova: he became interested in landscapes. And although he continued to be a theater artist, it was not his work in the theater that determined his creative aspirations, but his passion for landscape. He creates a whole series of paintings with his “Meshkovsky” silvery coloring: “Gray Day”, “Silver Rain”, “Cold”, “After the Rain”, “Lake”, etc. His landscapes convey the poetic state of nature, in tune with the artist’s mood. years of the Great Patriotic War the artist created many works devoted to military themes: “Defense of Leningrad”, “Heroic Leningrad during the war”, “Battle in the North Sea”, etc. One of best paintings of that time - “1941 near Moscow.” After the harsh years of war, Meshkov was especially sensitive to nature. He paints landscapes that seem to affirm the human right to happy life: “Kopny”, “Oka Dali”, “Cold Day”, “Kosogor”, “Golden Moscow Region”.

Winter day. Moscow region, 1940

River floodplain. 1940.

Landscape with a river.1930.

Country motif.1920s.

Oka autumn massif.1948.V.V.Vereshchagin Nikolaev Art Museum.

Deer Island.1961.Sumy Art Museum named after N.Kh.Onatsky.

Landscape. Bad weather.

Fisherman's dreams.

Golden Moscow Region.1947. Oil on canvas. 71x142. State Russian Museum

Bitter.1946.

Early snow.

On the Oka. 1946 State Tretyakov Gallery

Boats. 1950s Cardboard, tempera. 35x38

Black Sea. Breeze. 1934. Oil on cardboard. 15x23

A special place in the work of V.V. Meshkov is occupied by landscapes of Karelia“The land of lakes, unafraid birds and untrodden paths,” as it was once called, captivated the artist with the peculiar poetry of its harsh landscape and color. Here is the kingdom of water, stone and forest. A chain of endless lakes, varied in their outlines, is sometimes connected by channels and waterfalls, sometimes separated by stone ridges. Small wooded islands are scattered among the lakes, creating a special slow rhythm in the panorama of the lakes. The stones either stood up as bizarre wild rocks, bare or overgrown with pine trees, or stretched out in regular rows, or scattered into individual boulders, covered with mosses and lichens or smoothly ground by water and winds.

Autumn in Karelia

Golden autumn in Karelia. State Tretyakov Gallery

Perhaps no region has touched the artist as much as Karelia. He created a whole suite magnificent paintings: “Lake Region”, “September Colds”, “Autumn in Karelia”, “Autumn Song”, “Vedlo Lake”, “Golden Autumn in Karelia”. Meshkov revealed the special poetry of this northern nature, harsh and strict. To convey its originality, he found an appropriate color scheme, which combined gray and golden colors, and a spatial composition: the artist loves the elongated horizontal format of the canvas, which enhances the length of the landscape and at the same time gives it an epic sound, allowing one to imagine a wide panorama of nature.

Epic of the North

The recognized master of the epic landscape is V.V. Meshkov, who painted a number of excellent paintings that reveal in a new way the beauty of the nature of our Motherland, with his works prompting thoughts about life, the greatness of the universe, the power of the human mind and the deeds of people who were able to subjugate the spontaneous forces of nature.Meshkov loves the nature of our North: the harsh shores of the cold sea, rocky cliffs overgrown with mighty trees, endless taiga expanses opening from the ledges of the Ural ridge, calm rivers majestically carrying their waters. There is something heroic, free-spirited and broad in Meshkov’s paintings. His palette is very restrained, but with just a few colorful combinations the artist achieves the expression of an amazing wealth of feelings and moods.Meshkov's work is closely connected with the traditions of pre-revolutionary Russian landscape painting. Particularly close to him is A. M. Vasnetsov, whose canvases are distinguished by their epic solemnity and inner significance. This artist, like Meshkov, loved to paint the taiga and the Ural Mountains; nature, full of grandeur and strength, was close to him. But the master, using the achievements of A. Vasnetsov, found his own way, his own techniques for depicting northern nature.

Meshkov most often chooses a wide spread of space, a panoramic solution to the landscape. He seems to be looking around at the distances stretching out in front of him, highlighting large, immediately striking details of the landscape - a mighty cliff, trees in the foreground. Broad writing forces the viewer to pay attention to the main thing in the landscape and omit the secondary, obeying the artist’s desire to highlight the leading places in the composition. This technique allows Meshkov to enhance the main melody of the picture, to subordinate the viewer’s attention to himself, or, rather, to the emotion that determines the figurative structure of the work.Meshkov's creativity developed especially brilliantly in the post-war years. It was during this time that he completely found himself and his deeply original and expressive style. He created a series of landscapes dedicated to the nature of Karelia and Siberia. In these series or cycles of paintings, Meshkov appears as an artist who deeply feels the peculiarities of the nature of the places he paints. At the same time, it was precisely this nature that allowed him to reveal his talent as an epic poet, the talent of a master of landscape paintings significant in content and often monumental in form.The idea of ​​the powerful forces hidden in nature, of its greatness and solemn beauty, characteristic of many Russian landscape painters, is to a great extent inherent in Meshkov. It is no coincidence that the emotional structure of his paintings is distinguished by genuine heroism.

Tale of the Urals. Sketch. 1949 Oil on canvas. 37.5x80.5. State Russian Museum. For this painting the artist received the Stalin Prize.

A magnificent painting by Meshkov " Tale of the Urals", where the solemn and measured rhythms of mountain ranges stretching towards the horizon resemble the majestic and drawn-out rhythm of a folk tale. This picture evokes thoughts of immensity native land, about her majestic beauty, she instills pride in the heart for the Fatherland.The painting “The Tale of the Urals” is characteristic of Meshkov in the sense of the artistic means that he uses to realize his plan. The composition here is based on a wide rhythm of smoothly flowing lines that outline mountain ranges stretching towards the horizon. The viewer not so much sees as guesses the taiga wilds spreading out in the depths of the picture. Only a few fir trees in the foreground rise like epic heroes guarding the peace of the Russian land.The picture is also expressive in terms of color. The artist builds the foreground with broad, energetic strokes. Long-term plans are only outlined. But the precision of color relationships gives the artist the opportunity to create the illusion of infinite depth of space receding into the distance, to fill the picture with air, to impart movement to it.Although the nature depicted by Meshkov seems full of royal grandeur, internal tension and internal energy are felt in it. This feeling arises due to the sharp transition from the foreground to the distant mountain ranges. But this is not the only thing that disturbs the peace. In the distance on the horizon, the artist depicted swirling clouds and shrouded the mysterious taiga wilds in fog. All this added dynamics to the artistic image of the painting, deprived it of static quality, and overall gave the canvas that life that is the sign and quality of a great work of art.

When we're talking about about an industrial or urban landscape, it is usually not difficult to associate artistic image works from the time when the artist worked. The situation is more complicated with the so-called “pure” landscape, where the plot does not provide the opportunity to draw the viewer’s attention to the signs of the times, to details indicating that the story is about nature, the appearance of which is changing as a result of the activities of our contemporaries. And yet, very often (and if this work is truly significant, then it is necessary) it is possible to determine the time when this or that landscape of untouched nature was painted. This is explained primarily by the fact that this landscape contains great and vital ideas of the era, that it expresses the feelings of not only the artist, but also the contemporaries of this master.The appearance of Meshkov's painting "Tale of the Urals" in the late 1940s was not an accident. By this time the Russian landscape painting in general, she has matured enough to be able to express in significant and impressive images of nature deep thoughts about the Motherland, about its power, about the forces hidden in its depths.

Ural.

A notable feature of Meshkov’s paintings, and in particular the painting “Tale of the Urals,” is their, so to speak, philosophical character. The image of nature created by the artist provokes thought and evokes a swarm of associations. The wide expanse unfolding before the viewer gives rise to an idea of ​​the immensity of the Motherland. Nature, appearing here in all its pristine power, does not oppose man. It arouses a feeling of elation and admiration, a feeling that most directly corresponds to the worldview of Soviet people. The image created by Meshkov is optimistic in the truest sense of the word, it instills in a person confidence in his abilities, he calls him to new achievements, he correlates his feelings with the majestic and powerful nature.Of course, the burning ideas of time are revealed indirectly in landscapes like the painting “Tale of the Urals”. But in this case, the artistic image of the work with great force expresses the ideas of society precisely in the first post-war years, when our people, having won victory over the dark forces of fascism, felt powerful forces within themselves, when vast horizons opened up before them, when they felt themselves to be the sovereign master of their vast A homeland that repelled the invasion of a terrible enemy.

October days in Moscow. 1917

Novorossiysk port.

Pskov 17th century.

The artist worked in the Pskov region for two years - 1915 and 1916. His stay in Pskov, where ancient monuments attracted attention at every step, turned out to be very fruitful for him. He wrote over thirty works, which were called the “Pskov Suite”. Meshkov's works are interesting not only as works of painting, but also as valuable historical documents. The works “Pskov”, “Lower Grates”, “Pskov of the 17th century”, “Pskov of the 18th century” are significant. The ability to show the architecture of city buildings, ensembles of cathedrals, churches, monasteries, towers of fortress walls against the background folk life in the “Pskov Suite” received convincing expression and gave it historicism.

Welcome to the capital of Karelia – the city of Petrozavodsk. A port of five seas, located on the shores of the second largest fresh water body in Europe - Lake Onega. A real European city, with a national Karelian-Finnish flavor, the same age as St. Petersburg, cozy, beautiful, with its own unique history. Founded in 1703 by Peter I, the city was founded by Catherine II in 1777.

Guns were cast here Russian army, cast iron decorations of St. Petersburg were made here, the famous Onezhets tractors were built here. It is not for nothing that the name of the city contains the word factory. But the capital of Karelia is also a place of beauty and unbridled nature - sometimes harsh northern, sometimes calm, balanced in a Scandinavian way.

You can choose trains to arrive in Petrozavodsk from 7:00 to 9:30. We will meet you at the railway station starting at 8:30 with a large red sign “Golden Ring of Karelia”. You can give your suitcases to our manager, leaving with you only the essentials for the first day of the excursion - the manager will take your things to the hotel and they will be waiting for you in the storage room until check-in.

Our group's breakfast will last from 9:15 to 9:45.

“Journey through the Centuries” is a program for getting to know Petrozavodsk, visiting the Museum of Industrial History, revealing the path of the city and its enterprises, starting with the Petrovsky Plant, founded by Peter the Great. We will go through several eras: “The Land Awakened by Peter”, “The Age of Catherine the Great” and touch the Orthodox Petrozavodsk.

After this, we will walk along the city embankment - the calling card of Petrozavodsk.

At 14:00 we go to visit Talvi Ukko and his faithful friends: huskies and reindeer! Our program includes 2 excursions to real reindeer and to a sled dog nursery, as well as a tea party with Karelian pastries and tea made with local herbs.

At the very beginning of the estate live small reindeer and their fawns. Talvi Ukko's assistants will take you on a tour of the farm, introduce you to these wonderful creatures and tell you about interesting life these wonderful animals.
On the territory of the estate there is the largest kennel of sports sled dogs in Russia. We will go there accompanied by an instructor. Here you will make friends with the famous Alaskan Huskies, Alaskan Malamutes and Siberian Huskies. Feel the boundless trust and love of these beautiful creatures, take good photos as a souvenir. Talvi Ukko's assistants will give you a tour and tell you many amazing things about summer and winter sled sports, the diversity and purpose of each sled breed, the character traits and roles in the team of each four-legged sportsman. After 2 excursions, you will have the opportunity to change into a sled and ride with sled dogs a short circle through a beautiful forest (500 meters) - for an additional fee (purchased in fact on the estate).

In the evening - check-in at the hotel. Have a nice holiday!

DAY 2 / MARBLE CANYON RUSKEALA

Good morning! How did you sleep? We hope it's good. It's time to have breakfast and gain new strength. A journey into a fairy tale awaits us. Ahead is the Northern Ladoga region.

8.00 Breakfast in hotel restaurants.

9.00 Departure to the Ruskeala marble canyon. The distance from Petrozavodsk to Ruskeala is 260 km, travel time is 3.5-4 hours. On the way, the tour guide will tell you about the history of our republic. You will pass by ancient Karelian villages and a huge number of beautiful lakes.

Before the Ruskeala mountain park we will make a stop at the Ruskeala waterfalls: historical place, where the film “The Dawns Here Are Quiet...” was filmed. If you wish, for an additional fee, you can visit the “eco-trail”: walk along suspended wooden bridges right above the waterfalls and feel all the power and beauty of this place.

At approximately 14:00 we arrive at the territory of the Ruskeala mountain park, where a walking tour of the marble canyon awaits us (1.5 hours). The 1.5-kilometer-long eco-trail around Ruskeala has many panoramic platforms that offer views of this unique place. In addition, you can move a little away from the main path and go into the depths of the through cave (adit) and see the geology of the canyon. Also near the main canyon there are deposits of Italian marble, which you can visit on your own.

After sightseeing tour around the canyon, we provide free time. For an additional fee, you can ride boats, climb over the canyon on a rope bridge, and also go diving. In 2018, an “Underground Route” was launched on the territory of the canyon. All Additional services purchased on site, at the mountain park ticket office: on a first-come, first-served basis and subject to availability. Unfortunately, the park administration does not provide advance booking options.

In addition, on the territory of Ruskeala Park there is the opportunity to eat in a cafe and buy souvenirs in shops.

Arrival in Petrozavodsk at 21-00. Guests go for a walk around the city - there is time to buy souvenirs or sit in a Karelian restaurant national cuisine, or relax in hotel rooms.

DAY 3 / GOLDEN RING OF KARELIA

Good morning, dear travelers. What did you dream about? We hope all the beauty seen over the previous 2 days. And today we are waiting for the excursion “Golden Ring of Karelia”.

We will visit the five largest attractions near Petrozavodsk: the picturesque Mount Sampo; the first Russian resort “Martial Waters”, founded by Peter I; ancient volcano Girvas; and the famous Kivach waterfall.

Sampo, according to Karelian-Finnish mythology, is an object that gives happiness. The world-famous “Kalevala” tells us about an object that has magical powers and is considered a source of abundance, happiness and prosperity. There is also Mount Sampo in the Karelian region, named after the miracle mill. Mount Sampo is a rocky hill about 40 meters high. On its slopes there are hiking trails with signs and stairs with railings. Thus, the climb to the top is quite comfortable. There is an observation deck at the top, from which magnificent views open up. Below, the ancient forest rustles and the beautiful Konchezero stretches out.

The first Russian resort, called Marcial Waters, awaits us ahead. The place received its unusual name from the light hand of Peter I’s assistant. He examined the composition of local mineral waters, discovered a high iron content in them, and gave the name in honor of the god of war, Mars. The resort is famous not only for its waters, but also for its special microclimate. It’s better to drink medicinal water from springs right away, because the local mineral water does not keep for long. After a fairly short time, sediment appears in it, and it loses medicinal properties. We will definitely combine the tasting of marcial water with a tour of local attractions - we will see with you the Caretaker’s House, the Church of the Apostle Peter and the pavilions above the ore mining site and the former source of medicinal water. The temple is the only building that has survived from Peter's times. Moreover, it was built according to the design and handwritten drawings of Tsar Peter.

Our path lies to the remains of an ancient volcano, or rather to the town of Girvas. This is a dry waterfall. This is how it became after the waters of the Suna were diverted for the needs of the Palyeozersk hydroelectric station. The places around Girvas are very picturesque: reddish granite rocks framed by quiet pools, small waterfalls, abandoned timber rafting trays.

Karelia, the land of thousands of lakes and rivers, is famous for its waterfalls. There are many of them here, but perhaps the most famous is Kivach. It is considered the decoration and pride of the region, because this waterfall is the second largest on the plains of Europe. Kivach lost primacy only to the Rhine Falls in Germany.

Today Kivach is part of the reserve of the same name, which was created in 1931. At first it was assumed that the protected area was created to preserve the most beautiful waterfall in Karelia. Later it turned out that local nature is very diverse and interesting, so the territory of the reserve has expanded to 10 thousand hectares. Kivach is a must-see place for all tourists coming to Karelia. We will visit the waterfall itself, walk along hiking trails with shady gazebos, for everyone - cafes and souvenir shops, as well as an arboretum with a Karelian birch grove and a Nature Museum. Kivach Waterfall is the visiting card of Karelia. Coming to the region of lakes and waterfalls and not seeing this padun, as the locals call it, is an unforgivable mistake. Kivach – amazing a nice place. The snow-white waterfall, like an expensive canvas, is framed in the greenery of centuries-old forests. There is a belief that it takes away anxiety and bad thoughts. You just need to concentrate on the foamy streams and let the water take away everything bad, wash your mind and soul with cool moisture. Stand near the waterfall. Kivach generously shares his irrepressible energy and vitality with people. Everyone who has experienced this at least once returns to it again and again.

During the excursion we will stop at a cafe where you can eat and gain strength. And then - return to Petrozavodsk.

We hope your acquaintance with Karelia was successful! We are sure you will want to return! I will dream about Karelia for a long time!

Everyone who comes to the north-west of Russia will forever remember the nature of Karelia. Descriptions of these places can also be found in the works fiction, and on paintings.

The nature of Karelia is multifaceted. Bright, varied colors combine with calm and tranquility. Majestic pine forests- the wealth of Karelia - amazes with its power.

Here you can find lingonberry, blueberry, cloudberry and blueberry bushes everywhere, and sometimes juniper. Mushroom pickers come here to “quietly hunt” for porcini mushrooms, butter mushrooms and chanterelles. Besides pine forests In Karelia you can also find spruce forests. There are also mixed forests here, but they are also mainly dominated by coniferous species, although there are also birches, lindens, and maples.

There are many swamps in this area. They were formed on the site of shallow lakes, which over time were overgrown with moss. Many plants can be found only in this area and all of them remind only of the nature of Karelia. Descriptions of some of them can be found in the Red Book of Russia. You won't find dwarf birch and some types of mosses anywhere else.

There are a huge number of lakes here. In a small area of ​​Karelia there are at least 60 of them. The most famous are Ladoga and Onega. There are many rivers here, but they are all short in length.

Animal world is also presented here in all its diversity. Here you can see all the representatives of the taiga forests. The Karelian forests are home to lynxes, brown bears, wolves and badgers. Of the small animals, hares, squirrels and beavers live here in large numbers. Since there are many bodies of water in Karelia, these places are also characterized by fauna such as muskrat, otter, marten and mink. There are seals in Lake Onega and the White Sea region. In the southern part of Karelia there are moose and wild boars. Here you can meet a raccoon dog and a Canadian mink.

Birds are also not deprived of this rich region. There are black grouse, hazel grouse, wood grouse and ptarmigan. There are many birds and predators: hawks, golden eagles, owls. Among the waterfowl that live here are gulls and eiders. A huge number of waders live in the swamps.

Swims in rivers and lakes of Karelia a large number of fish: pike, perch, pike perch, burbot and others. Herring, cod and flounder are found in the northern seas.

At the beginning of summer, the period of white nights begins here. Many travelers come to Karelia at this time. You can also see the northern lights in this area. Everyone who comes here immediately falls in love with Karelia. This nature cannot leave anyone indifferent.

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Before you begin to describe the picture of the famous Russian landscape painter Vasily Vasilyevich Meshkov, you need to understand what is special about the nature of the current Republic of Karelia. Firstly, this is real Northern Europe, North-West Russian Federation, a place side by side with Finland. Secondly, these are continuous hilly plains with multiple bodies of water. Thirdly, vast forests consist overwhelmingly of coniferous species with a small admixture of small-leaved plants: birch, aspen, alder, and willow.

Many critics see a certain spirituality in Meshkov’s paintings and I completely agree with them, because his “Golden Autumn in Karelia” lives its own life. This is not a snapshot, a moment from life, it is a complex of a large performance, an action that develops in the process of contemplating the picture. The trees froze in anticipation of the rough touch of the wind, their leaves were ready to rustle in fear. In the soft and dim light of the sun, which cannot break through the heavy lead clouds, the bright decorations of autumn seem to be the main source of illumination. Powerful pines, gray boulders, twin ponds of the gray sky, still green grass - everything is in its place for the artist, like notes in a chord. The fact that Meshkov chose the elongated panoramic format of the picture to depict the landscape of the wild northern region is an exceptionally successful move. Indeed, in this way the picture became majestic, the scope increased, and nature itself became more clearly and comprehensively drawn.

My imagination whispers in the subconscious, forming a special perception of the picture. Peering at the canvas in an effort to understand its essence, the author’s idea, I see a fire that greedily attacked the entire landscape covered by the panorama. The yellow-purple leaves, like pockets of elemental fire, consumed everything around them, throwing gray cloud smoke into the sky. One of the symbols of flame is purification, and in nature, fiery autumn consumes fading leaves so that after a few months of temperature stress the plant revives stronger. This is my vision of this certainly not mediocre picture.

The nature of Karelia fascinates everyone who has ever visited these places. The amazing beauty of northern nature, wild rivers with steep rapids, pristine purity of forests, fresh air filled with the intoxicating aroma of pine needles, stunningly beautiful sunsets and the richness of the world of flora and fauna have long attracted tourists and travelers to Karelia.

Karelia is located in the north-west of the Russian Federation. Most of the republic is occupied by coniferous forests, famous for their tall pines and slender spruce trees, juniper thickets and an abundance of berries.

There are more than 60 thousand lakes in Karelia, the most famous of which are Onega and Ladoga. Many rivers and streams run through the republic, but the rivers are mostly short. The longest Karelian river, the Kem, is only 360 km long. Karelia has its own swamps and waterfalls.

It is the reservoirs in combination with the Karelian forests that create that amazing climate that enchants everyone. It is no coincidence that Karelia is called the “lungs of Europe”. By the way, it was here, not far from Petrozavodsk, that the first Russian resort was created, founded in 1719 by decree of Peter I.

Many artists and poets admired Karelia. Kivach Falls is one of the most famous attractions of Karelia, Marcial Waters is the first Russian resort, founded in 1719 by decree of Peter I, Kizhi and Valaam are among the most mysterious places in Russia, and the mysterious petroglyphs of the White Sea still haunt archaeologists and historians .

Flora of Karelia

The peculiarities of the Karelian flora are determined, first of all, by the geographical location of the republic. Main part flora formed during the post-glacial period. In the northern regions and at the heights of the mountains, plants characteristic of the tundra grow: mosses, lichens, dwarf spruce and birch trees.

But most of the republic is occupied by coniferous forests. Pine forests grow closer to the north. Approximately in the Segozero area there is a border between northern and middle taiga forests. Here begins the forest strip, where spruce and pine trees grow mixed. The closer to the southern outskirts of Karelia, the more spruce forests, interspersed with mixed ones.

Of the conifers, the most common are Norway spruce and Scots pine. Finnish pines are often found in the west. Birch, alder, aspen, linden, elm and maple trees grow in mixed forest thickets.

The lower layer of forests consists of numerous shrubs. Where pine trees grow, there are fewer bushes. The closer to the south, the more thickets of lingonberries and cloudberries, blueberries and blueberries, wild rosemary and swamp world appear.

Near reservoirs, the soil is covered with gray mosses and lichens. Heather and moss are easy to find here.

And Karelian forests are the kingdom of mushrooms. Boletuses and boletuses are the most collected. Porcini mushrooms, boletus mushrooms, saffron milk caps and chanterelles are often found in the southern regions.

Fauna of Karelia

The fauna of Karelia is rich and diverse. All the animals that traditionally live in the taiga are found here. But another feature of the Karelian Republic is that there are many bodies of water. This means that there are much more representatives of the North Sea representatives of the animal kingdom than in any other corner of Russia.

Large mammals in Karelian forests include lynx, brown bear, wolf and badger. Numerous white hares have long become the desired prey of local hunters. Quite a few beavers and squirrels. Rivers and lakes are favored by muskrats, otters, martens and European minks. And in the White Sea and Lake Onega there are seals.

The fauna of the southern regions is somewhat different from the northern ones. The south is home to moose and wild boars, raccoon dogs and Canadian minks.

The world of birds is also diverse. The passerine family is best represented. In the north there is a lot of upland game: wood grouse, black grouse, hazel grouse and white partridge. Of the birds of prey, it is worth noting hawks, numerous owls, golden eagles and harriers.

Waterfowl of Karelia are its pride. Ducks and loons settle on the lakes; the sea coast is favored by gulls and eiders, which are valued for their fluff. And waders settle in the swamps.

Karelian fish can be divided into three categories:

Migratory species (whitefish, salmon, salmon, smelt);

Lake-river (pike, roach, perch, burbot, ruffe, in the south - pike perch, grayling and river trout);

And marine (herring, cod and flounder).

The abundance of water bodies also led to a large number of reptiles and insects. Of all the snakes that are found in Karelia, the most dangerous is the common viper. And from the end of May to the beginning of September, hikes in the forest and picnics are overshadowed by clouds of mosquitoes, horseflies and midges. In the south, by the way, ticks pose a great danger, especially in May-June.

Climate in Karelia

Most of Karelia is located in a zone of temperate continental climate with marine elements. Although winter lasts a long time, severe frosts are rare here. Winters are generally mild, with plenty of snow. Spring, with all its delights in the form of melting snow, blossoming trees and increasing daylight hours, arrives only in mid-April. But until the end of May there remains a possibility of frost returning.

Summer in Karelia is short and cool. In most of the territory, truly summer weather sets in only by mid-July. Temperatures rarely rise above +20ºC. But already at the end of August you can feel the autumn mood of the weather: cloudy skies, heavy rains and cold winds.

The most unstable and unpredictable weather prevails on the sea coast and in the area of ​​Lakes Ladoga and Onega. Frequent cyclones come from the west. The weather is most often cloudy, with constant winds and plenty of precipitation. The highest cloudiness in the entire republic is observed on the White Sea coast.