Reserve "Big Kokshaga" - the world of nature

The huge green and cozy territory of the reserve, accessible and open to the whole living world, protects it with its warmth and hospitality.

The world of nature - the reserve "Bolshaya Kokshaga"

Above, the territory of the "Great Kokshaga" looks like an endless green carpet, sewed with meanders of rivers (like pure blue threads), with splashes of sparkling lakes. Here dense huge forest tracts interspersed with swamps and flowering meadows.

Crowns of curly pines are replaced by dark green fir trees and gentle slender birches. There is this region and another beautiful name - Forest Transvolga.

History of creation, geographical features

In 1993 on the river. Volga (left tributary), the state nature reserve "Bolshaya Kokshaga" was created, the area of the territory is 21,4 thousand hectares. It is located 40 km to the west of the capital of Mari El (Yoshkar-Ola) in the Kilemar and Medvedev districts. Before that, the Mari Reserve was in Mari El. However, it completely burned out in 1972 in a hot, dry summer.
The main goal of creating a protected area is to protect forests on the border between the southern taiga and broadleaf forests.

The territory itself is represented by plains (river and lake-glacial). The highest point of the terrain is 132.2 m above sea level.

Altogether there are about 20 rivers and streams here with the Great Kokshaga River.
In the protected area there are 3 lakes - Kosheer, Kapsino and Shusher. The last is the greatest. In form it is an oval mirror, its length is 1250 m, width is 600 m. The lake is very deep (15 m), of karst origin. It is filled with river water during the spring floods.

The climate is moderately continental, with a fairly moderately hot summer and winter with severe frosts.

The Great Kokshaga River, forests

The Great Kokshaga is the largest of the republic's rivers, which is the left tributary of the river. The Volga. It crosses the territory of the reserve in its most central part.

The river, whose name the reserve has received, is its main waterway.
On the amazing emerald color of the water, on its banks towering majestic oaks - the beauty and pride of the reserve.

The unique floodplain oak forests are a stable community. Here you can find old, you can say ancient, oaks, and young trees.

The reserve "Bolshaya Kokshaga" basically consists of forests occupying its huge area - 95% of the entire territory. The predominant are pine forests that grow in nature under various environmental conditions. The second in terms of birch forests. They once emerged on the ground cut or burnt in the forests, that is, they are secondary.

The true shape of the taiga is given to these places by spruce forests occupying 7.5% of the reserve territory and having a considerable admixture of hardwood trees (aspen, birch and linden).

They are mainly located in river valleys in the northern part of the reserve.

Variety of flora and fauna

The reserve "Big Kokshaga" accommodates more than 700 plant species in its forests, meadows and marshes, which represents about half of all available in the Republic of Mari El.

In the spacious lowlands spread bogs covered with birch and black alder. Floodplain meadows are located on minor floodplain areas.

Pine forest abounds in mosses and lichens. Also, about 200 species of various algae and lichens of about 250 species are found here. The rarest are Cetraria Laurer, Lobaria pulmonary and Usneya blooming.

But there are a lot of common mushrooms around the reserve, and on the territory there are more rare species: Aspen White, Blackberry Coral , etc.

Typically, the forest fauna of the reserve is represented by the following individuals: numerous moose, hare-rabbits, squirrels, wild boars. There are predators here: wood marten, hawk, ermine, less often brown bear and wolf.

Birds are represented by wood grouses, black grouses, gray cranes, herons, owls, hawks and many others. There are also birds from the Red Book inhabited here: peregrine falcon, black stork, osprey, serpent.

The reserve is very rich in amazing gifts of nature. "Great Kokshaga" protects and preserves the habitats of the rarest species of plants. This Nadborodnik leafless, Palchato root of the Baltic and more than 11 species of amazingly beautiful northern orchids. The most famous sight in the Republic is the beautiful Venus shoe. Since the germination of the seed of this amazing plant before flowering passes to 17 years!

Rare ancient plants

The low-growth morose grows in the republic only on the territory of the reserve. This plant has been growing since the Ice Age. It is known that it was the favorite berry of the great Russian poet Alexander Pushkin.

Another representative of the most ancient plants is the floating Chilim (or the Water Nut), which lives in the warm Lake Shusher.

"Big Kokshaga" is a nature reserve. The oldest specimens of vegetation are preserved in it.

The rarest species of the reserve (arboreal) is Osokor (or Poplar Black), found in the floodplain of the river Kola Kokshaga itself. There are many other species of plants represented in the Red Book: Varuzhny Groznik, Kumanika, Plane-Baranian, Rosyanka long-leaved (plant-predator) and Carnation lush.

The reserve is valuable because nature in such places develops according to its laws, without any interference by people. And this value grows with the years.

Thanks to the reserves, after a certain period of time, when the old forests will be practically cut down, there will be an opportunity to compare and analyze how a person and civilization influenced a surprisingly virgin nature, and what it could be without affecting it.