Message about the reserve Khomutovaya steppe. Khomutov steppe, natural reserve. Map of Khomutovskaya Steppe

Khomutov steppe natural Reserve

Khomutovskaya steppe is the central branch of the Ukrainian state steppe natural reserve. Botanical reserve. Located in the extreme southeast of the Donetsk region, almost on the border with the Rostov region, 20 km from the coast Azov Sea.

In 1926, Mariupol district executive committee adopted a resolution "On the organization of the local reserve" Khomutovskaya Steppe ". Then he was transferred to the Mariupol Local Education Museum, and in 1936 the Khomutov Steppe became the Reserve of Regional Values, in 1947 - received status state Reserve republican significance.

The Khomutov steppe is all that remained from the once-immense wild field that occupied the southern part of Ukraine. It appeared on its expanses, developed and disappeared a variety of peoples - Scythians, Pechenegs, Polovtsy, Sarmati and many others who rolled the swallowed steps, leaving in the mounds of time hours - stone women. But these idols of the past were unable to protect the fertile steppe from a person who had swollen earth. Today the area of \u200b\u200bthe reserve is 1030.4 hectares, and 90 of them are an absolutely protected area, which has never been raping and at which the 70 years did not fell out. Cattle was not carried out. The territory of the reserve is a portion of the wavy priazovskaya plain, which gradually decreases to the share of the River Ferroy. The terrain cut the branched beams of Brandtov, Klimyshevskaya, Red.

The Khomutov steppe serves as a natural benchmark for studying soils, flora and fauna. There are 560 species of plants, of which 50 rare and endemic, 15 of them are listed in the Red Book. The most typical Flora representatives are: Katran, tulip, violets, almonds, kermek, noodles, drink, bonfire, tyrsh, forget-me-not, bash, horizon, cherry, caragan, cornflowers, mintik, sage and hundreds of other plants. In early May, the flowering period of wild peonies occurs ("Pivonia", as local). The entire steppe is covered with bright red flower stains and becomes like a pegless Red Sea.

The diverse and fauna of the reserve: Wolf, Fox, a raccoon dog, hare, wildflower, Mesyanka, so, Viper steppe, mouse, ferret, caress, lizard, hamster, Baybak, Suslik, poloz, toads, etc. The pennate world of the steppe is represented by more than 80 species of birds: partridge, quail, pheasant, ducks, droughts, larks, starlings, Sorokoput-Zhulen, Slavs, Tit, Moon, Steppe Eagle, Oriole, Cobchik, Pustoreg, Osoed and others.

Currently, in the Khomutov steppe, as part of a scientific experiment, work began on breeding horses and their loss. This is due to the accumulation problem, especially in areas with an absolutely protected mode, littering from a thick layer of dead plants.

In the Khomutov steppe, Sergey Bondarchuk removed the shieldation "steppe" A.P. Chekhov.

Immediately I want to warn everyone traveling: Do not believe the sites pointing the address of the reserve - the village of Khomutovo. They do it from ignorance and unwillingness to check the information. He himself was caught on this fishing rod and now declare it: the Khomutov steppe needs to go through the Samsonovo village and only so. On the southeastern outskirts of this village there is parking, which can be easily reached by a good asphalt road, then a pedestrian bridge and an iron gate; Here and only here, the tourist will legally be allowed to the territory of the reserve.

With the Khomutovo to the reserve there is a primer, but this service entrance and a security guard will finish you back. Loss of time (hour and a half) guaranteed.

In the steppe of tourists are allowed only accompanied by a guide. I was lucky: my guide was a young Julia girl, with which we immediately agreed: she does not read me an exploded excursion, but simply in his own words tells about the steppe. As a result, instead of tedious buzz, I received two hours of interesting casual communication. I learned much more than I expected, and managed to love this place.

What is bad: I was there in September. The steppe at this time is redhead, one-color desert. Only the bright blue fruits of the thorns diluted this is autumn despondency. The season is there somewhere from the middle of April and to the middle of June. Ideal time - May, when wild peonies bloom. I saw the photo - it is indescribable beautifully!

Yes, and one more small minus - the presence of man is too felt here. But these are my cockroaches. Others may not notice. Moreover, in the rest, this is a wonderful place.

Date of visiting: September 2012

Photo: Julia Andrienko

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When I want to climb under the pillow from the news, and an urban landscape even in the fall seems to be a wretched craft of the laundry apprentice, you need to throw everything and go somewhere. Best where the horizon is not affected by the houses and the eyes are open to the endless steppe.

It is there that, you will feel your proximity to nomads, in my head suddenly the textbook Scythians, Pechenegs, Sarmati will be resurrected, you catch the knock of the rush herd and the lungs will fill the wind, impregnated with a chamber and wormwood.

Wild Field island per hour drive from civilization

At an hour's drive from Donetsk - the Khomutovaya Steppe - a virgin island of a wild field was spread to the Novoazovsky district - a virgin island of a wild field, never touched by a plow, not broken by man's hand. The reserve is located on the left bank of the Ferroland, a shallow river, slowly carrying his slow water. It is generally leisurely here, in the whole wise mind and some kind of deep understanding of the laws of life.

For his history, the Khomutov steppe changed the submission several times, while preserving the protected status. In 1926, the Mariupol district executive committee decided not to plow the steppe, but to transfer it to the management of the Mariupol District Museum of Local Lore. In 1947, the Khomutov Steppe became the reserve of republican significance. For 2014, the steppe is the central branch of the Ukrainian steppe natural reserve. And from June 3, 2015 - this is the bosospheres of biosphere natural territory republican significance.

Hostess of Khomutovskaya steppe

We meet us Maevskaya Yulia - Deputy Director for scientific work in the nature reserve. She just a few months, as he led by this post, returning from Russia and taking into his hands the Bessenchy Khomutov steppe and a small house without any amenities and excesses of civilization - there is no water or a bathroom, nor the Internet. At the same time there is a feeling of home and heat. In addition to Yulia in the house, the husband Yuri is her right hand on economic issues, his daughter is Nastya, and the star of Jora, a daw, a dog, a cat with kittens, sing chickens in a box and graze in aquarium melancholic giant snails - Akhatina. Birds, a cat with kittens, snails and a dog Julia brought from Russia, where for a short time he left with his family from the war.

The people of Baula with things were lucky, and I - animals and birds. Galka with the wounded wing, it can no longer survive in nature, "says Julia. - The fact is that I have a feeling of guilt since childhood before birds. Somehow, on vacation in Svyatogorsk, my parents with a chunk fell out of the nest of the nest, they came out, they were attached, he already recognized us, but I did not allow me to take it with me. We left, and soon learned that he died. The chick was manual and sociable, was not afraid of people, sat down on the shoulder to a drunk tourist and he killed him. I did not forgive himself. And when he learned that he was given in good hands in good hands, he took this bird to himself.

In the plans - the creation of the center of rehabilitation and reintroduction of animals

Suddenly I understand that if there was someone to entrust the reserve, then only her. In such a person, any pichuga is a person and every epics - value.

Cats in the reserve should not be, their place - next to people, try to catch, give people to the village, this animal is not characteristic of the steppe, and therefore will inevitably break the balance in the animal world, "Julia surrises me. I could not think about such a thing. - We are our cat like this: it was raining, she lay on the ground under the slate chief and fed the kittens, they were warm on top of it, and the yellowo protechy poloz dreamed on the ducks - the representative of the Red Book of Donbass!

Today, the Khomutov steppe is prohibited excursions for us to make an exception.

We are not a commercial organization, and therefore we have no right to carry out excursions, horseback riding, etc. - tells Julia. - Although this money would not be superfluous in such a big farm. The territory of the reserve 1030 hectares consists of a non-shock steppe. It includes an absolute zone where no activity cannot be engaged, and walk there forbidden to everyone, except researchers, and there is a relative zone. On her we are with you, horses graze on it. Today the project is preparing for the Council of Ministers, where partially permitted on this zone economic activities. In addition, it is supposed to create a center for rehabilitation and reintroduction of animals that need human assistance. Children will be able to communicate with them, learn love for all living things.

We go along the so-called relative zone of Julia shows plants that are not peculiar to the steppe, their appearance here is exclusively the merit of a person.

This is a plant, "shows our guide on a split yellow leaf, - the contemporary of dinosaurs, this ginkgo biloba. In China, it is called silver apricot, beging fruit at 40 years old, and lives up to five thousand years. Imagine? The famous medicine makes leaves and fruits of the plant.

It seems, Julia knows absolutely everything about every leaflet.

There is also a mini-zoo with not typical of the steppe in the inhabitants: peacocks, royal pheasants, ceshards. It is more for guests.

Baba are different

Julia shows us a pen with horses. Today their number in the Khomutov steppe is 40 heads. Horses are needed for a real steppe, because those plants eating and pull out, which can be overwhelmed and drowning other plants, are also very important for the reference steppe. Unlike other hoofs, horses do not bring significant damage to the floral cover of the steppe and in a certain amount - the necessary attribute of the steppe reserve.

Really, our reserve cannot pull such a quantity. There must be no more than 16 individuals on this area and everything is supervised. They graze, they face in a variety of territory so that the vegetation can recover, because here the mass of red-born plants, "explains our guide.

We go to the steppe. On both sides of the path among the threads of the Kovyl stand the stone women. Their bodies are covered with multicolored lichens and moss. But only such an amateur, like me, these sculptures seem to be the same sullen idiots.

This is a funeral figure, in her hands she is either a bowl or nothing, "says his hand to one of the women Stanislav Kochetkov, with whom we arrived together from Donetsk. - But this is a typical woman, the Slav was called, it was a symbol of fertility, which has signs of pregnancy or developed breasts, hips. If we see a thorough work of details - this is a Khazar tradition.

It is better not to touch all this with your hands, on their bodies we can see unique types of lichens who are only peculiar to Donbass, they will not meet them anywhere else in the world, "Julia warns. - In general, you need to behave this way in the reserve, so as not to interfere with anything around. I often remember the words of Professor Preobrazhensky, who said that the scientist should take a touch in nature, and not cling to the head of the crown and shout that I was the king of animals.

Missed it seems - see another Banube. We approach closer, no, it turns out, this is a memorable stone as a sign that 41 years ago People's Artist of the USSR Sergey Bondarchuk removed the adaptation of the story of Chekhov "steppe" here.

The biggest enemy is a man

It is surprising to see late autumn among the pitch rare flowering plants, the more beautifully their bumping beauty.

And when will the fires in the steppe happen? - I ask.

Fire in the steppe, the so-called pal is a natural phenomenon, nomads even specially set fire to the places of the camp and went further, "Maevsky quietly explains. - Plants have a powerful root system and are restored. It is terrible only if the spring is taking place when the birds nest are nesting, young of the plant begins, the flowering of plants begins. But in no case cannot for the warning of a fire to make a furrow, it is much greater harm to nature.

Julia says it is to have a serious job - you need to restore the population eared hedgehog, Surk Baybak and many other animals that were inhabited in the steppe, for this you need to create a typical feed base for them. In addition, terren is very grown, selecting more and more stepping territory.

By the way, this is also the influence of a person, "Julia is convinced. - The trees are planted next to the steppes, the fruits of which Soyuka eat, she hides the fruits in the steppes and plants, which there was never here, begin to grow. If you leave everything, as it is, after 200 years, the Khomutov steppe will disappear as a phenomenon, there will be a forest park.

Suddenly, in the depths of the trees, we see a cozy arbor, the same peaceful as everyone around. I hurt in it from the rain. The sky, which before was pleased with the rare rays of the sun, suddenly darkened and remembered the autumn. It's time to go to Donetsk, and the steppe will remain a sigh of the nicks, as it does it for hundreds of years, and wait for us in the spring.

The Khomutov steppe is the place where you can fully imagine how our land looked at the times of Scythians and Sarmatov, Pechenegs and Polovtsy, Kievan Rus And the battle on the river Kalka ... Nowadays this is part of the Ukrainian steppe natural reserve. There is a reserve only 20 km from the Azov Sea, near the route Donetsk - Novoazovsk. Entrance to the reserve is located in the village of Samsonovo.

The beginning of the reserve was found in 1926, when a decision was made about the organization of the Khomutov Steppe Reserve. Before that, there was a herp grazing of the horse young troops of Donskoy. Here and now is a small herd of horses as part of the experiment on the preservation of steppe vegetation.

From different parts of the steppe here are brought stone "women" (from the Turkic - Prasrat) to recreate the full primarity of the steppe. Some are installed at the entrance to the reserve, one of them at the highest point of the reserve.

In 1976, the People's Artist of the USSR S.F. Bondarchuk, it was here that the film was shielded by A.P. Chekhov "steppe". In honor of this, a memorable stone with a sign was installed on the territory of the reserve.

Of course, the most beautiful time in the steppe is spring and the beginning of summer. The flowering time of different herbs, when some plants are replaced by others. Time thunderstorms, fogs and beautiful sky. Here I was fortunate enough to visit May 2013 and April of this 2014. And in April I visited twice - in pursuit of blossoming of the Vorontsov.

Here you can fully feel the impact scope of the steppe, when the look runs out for the horizon for nothing clinging. Here it is possible to intoxicate the aroma of herbs and singing birds. Here you can walk without tiring and admire the pristine beauty of the steppe ...