| "RED BOOK" OF FLORA OF TRANSCARPATHIA "RED BOOK" OF FAUNA OF TRANSCARPATHIA PROTECTED PLACES OF TRANSCARPATHIA |
The following forestry species are the most widespread: beeches - 58%, fir-trees - 31%, oaks - 7%. There are also birches, larches, alders, hornbeams, yews, pine-trees, ash-trees, and maples. They mostly grow in the mountains on brown mountainous soil and in forestry plantations as well as on mountainous meadow and brown soils, changing into turf and podzol soils and brown and podzol ones in the lowlands.
There is a sizeable number of historical parks in Transcarpathia. Good examples are situated in such places as: V.Bereznyy - XIXc. park, Uzhhorod - Laudona park, Pidzamkovyy park, Mukachevo - park of 140 exotic trees and bushes, Vynohradiv - Pereni park, Karpaty - Schonborn park, Bushtyno - XVIIIc. park, Nevytske - Vahner park (a castle), V.Lazy - Ploteni park, Chertezh - park of 1848.
Undoubtedly, the spacious parks of Transcarpathia also existed in the Middle Ages, and their origin was connected with such feudal lords as: Pereni, Schonborn, Dovhay, Druhet. They contributed to the appearance of parks, bringing exotic plants from all parts of the world. This is demonstrated by the fact that there were 5 parks around the castle in Uzhhorod in 1701: Kvitkovyy (Flower), Zvirynyy (Savage), Luhovyy (Meadow), Zhuravlynyy (Spindle) and Holubynyy (Dove). Centenary oak-trees still grow in Mizhhirya, Irshava, Stuzhytsa and Plavyi. A 500-year-old plane and a 300-year-old ash grow in Uzhhorod.
Numerous exotic flora also beautify our region together with the local species. There are over 300 kinds of exotic plants in Transcarpathia nowadays. The blossoming of one plant is succeeded by others from early spring to late autumn so that the Carpathians erupt in tree and shrub blossom. There are original bushes such as golden and greenish forsythia, tender pink flowers of Japanese quince and pink apple-trees of Nedzevetskoho, bloody red flowers of Florida apple-tree and the white ones of Chinese apple-tree, buds of pink flowers of Japanese Sakura, white and reddish blossoming shoots of chestnut trees. There are also cypresses, Himalayas pine-trees, Douglas firs, evergreen box-trees, common scumpias ("wig tree"), catalpas with lilac leaves ("cigar tree"), and pavlonias fluffy ("Adam's tree").
When writing about the exotic plants of Transcarpathia it is necessary to mention a tree from remote China, namely the magnolia ("cucumber tree"). There are several kinds of this beautiful species in our region: pink magnolia Soulangia, white magnolia Kobus and purple magnolia Lenne. It is scientifically proven that the magnolia flower has an internal temperature higher than the surrounding air. One can test this by holding one's hand close to a magnolia flower.
The animal world is almost as rich in its variety as the plants of our region. Eighty kinds of mammals, 280 birds, 10 reptiles, 16 amphibious, 60 fish, 100 molluscs live here. Three quarters of all mammals of Ukraine are in the Carpathians. The most widespread in Transcarpathia are: mole, fox, wolf, racoon, brown bear, badger, marten, weasel, ermine, polecat, mink, otter, wood cat, hare, squirrel, musk-rat, wild boar, roe, Carpathian deer.
Among the game birds of Transcarpathia, the following are worth mentioning: capercaillie, heath-cock, hazel-grouse, pheasant, partridge, quail, great snipe, turtledove, dove, landrail, seagull, woodcock, snipe and ruff. There are the following waterfowl: swan, wild goose, wild duck, teal, heron and bittern. The main non-game birds are: woodpecker, owl, stork and thrush.
Among reptiles, the widespread ones are: tortoise, lizard, grass snake, an ordinary reptile (the only poisonous snake of the Carpathians) and a salamander.
Almost half of all freshwater fish of Ukraine swim in the rivers of Transcarpathia: stream trout, Danube salmon, andruha, grayling, small chop, umber, Hungarian lamprey, madder, sheat-fish, pike, tench, ruff, roach, carp.
Birds: 1. Black stork 2. Circaetus ferox Gm. 3 Golden Eagle 4. Dwarf Eagle 5. Milvus milvus L. 6. Pandion haliaetus L. 7. Falco peregrinus Tunst 8. Bubo bubo L. 9. Glaucidium passerinum L. 10. Algolius funereus L. 11. Prunella collaris Scopoli 12. Tetrao urogallus (capercaillie) 13. Thrush 14. Strix uralensis macroura (long-tailed owl).
Reptiles: 1. Elaphe longissima Laur.
Amphibious: 1. Rana dalmatina 2.Triton Carpathian 3.Triton Alpine 4. Salamandra salamandra
Insects: 1. Cerambus alpinus L. 2. Parnassius apollo L 3. Prozerpinus proserpina Pallas 4. Acherontia atropos L 5. Saturnia 6. Nymfalis antiopa L.
The National Natural Parks are also renowned, i.e. Synevyr and Uzhanska valley as well as the biosphere international reserve "Eastern Carpathians-Stuzhytsya". In addition, the trout industry "Zhdymyr" and the farm of sika deer "Iza" function in the region.
Today, there are 415 units of reserves and 494 reservations of animate and non-animate nature in the region. The famous ones are: I. BIOSPHERE: Stuzhytsya (beech and fir-trees fore-forests). II. BOTANICAL: V.Bereznyy- the park of XIX c. (white flower ash-tree), Chorna Hora (silver lime-tree), Hladynskyy (Polish larch), Kedrynskyy (cedar pine-tree, fir-tree fore-forests), Turya Remety (duglasia). III. Hydrological: Apshynetskyy, Shypot, Vorochivski and Lypovetski rocks, Nehrovetskyy, Chorni Bahna Swamp. IV. Geological: a kaolin mine "Kuhlya", a cave "Knyahynya" ("Princess"), Bewitched Valley. V. Zoological: Sokolovi Skeli (Falcon Rocks) (birds), Hat' (ants), Atak (tortoises). VI. Landscape (Complex): Mount Vysokyy Kamin' (High Stone), Kamyanka (mountain and fir-tree thickets). VII. Forest: Bilyy Potik (sycamore, ash-tree, elm).