Mordovia Reserve in Saransk

The taiga zone of Russia has always aroused great interest among representatives of its flora and fauna. For this reason, in 1935, the Mordovian Reserve was created to preserve the rarest specimens. It is located between the Moksha River and its right tributary, Satis.

The reserve owes its name to the politician Peter Smidovich, who made a huge contribution to its development.

On the territory of the reserve several rivers flow simultaneously: Arga, Satis, Moksha, and the most significant - Pushta. There is a kind of temperate climate, but there are significant temperature fluctuations in one season.

Almost the entire territory of the reserve is covered with forests, most of which are pine. The central part is distinguished by a lime grove, and the east and west are birch. There are trees whose age reaches 140-150 years, sometimes you can find specimens that are more than 300 years old. Among the rare species of flora, there grow Venus shoes real, fingerhead red and others.

The territory of the reserve is inhabited by mammals (about 60 species), birds (about 215 species). In addition, there are about 32 species of fish and 1.5 thousand insects. Some residents of the reserve are listed in the Red Book of Russia: baloban, eagle, strep and black stork. Since 1936, the Museum of Nature has been operating on the territory of the Mordovian Reserve.