Nature of Latvia

It is typical for Latvia

• temperate zone landscape with mixed woods

• people activity influence on nature

• multishaped flora and fauna

• undamaged territories of nature are survived

Typical landscapes

Forests

• pain forests

• mixed forests

• rarely –decidous forests

Meadows

Variety of meadows-

from the wet river bottom land till the dry forest glade

Swamps

• high moss swamps• low grass swamps• swamps are important

place for nesting ground of different birds

Baltic Sea

• big part of border of Latvia makes the sea border

• seashore is a typical element of landscape

• there is an original fauna in the landscape

Animals and plants

Fragrant butterfly orchid

• you can find it in the wet meadows and shrubberies

• it blossoms in June and starts to smell in the evening

• protected plant

Ordinary daisy

• daisy family plant• typical plant of

meadows in Latvia

• popular wild flower plucked on St.John’s Eve

Ordinary pine

• typical tree in the woods of Latvia

• important resource of timber

• grows in different places-from the seaside denes till swamps

Juniper

• typical plant of brushwood

• medicative herb• wood-pulp is used as

decoration material• firewood is used for

smoking meat

Wild boar

• widely distributed wild animal in the forests of Latvia

• important animal for hunting

• in force they can make havoc for fields

Eiropean beaver• population is restored at the

end of the 20th century • beaver skins are extremely

valuable because they are strong, soft, and beautiful.

• roasted beaver meat is very tasty

• in force resettles near people(for example-Riga watercourse)

• beaver lives in various bodies of water - rivers, lakes, and even drainage ditches.

Beavers dam

Bebru dambis

European elk• is the largest representative

of the deer family• the biggest artiodactyla

representative in forests of Latvia

• important animal for hunting• The size of the elk

population has varied, depending on the intensity of hunting, the number of predatory animals, and the prevalence of diseases

White wagtail

• national bird in Latvia

White stork

• white stork is an integral part of Latvia landscape

• many beliefs are associated with storks- for example, the house where a stork lives has good fortune; a stork protects the home from fire; if a stork's nest is destroyed, the house burns down ;the stork living near the house brings blessing

• there is a special museum of storks in Staicele

Eiropean hedgehog• very popular animal living

in the gardens,shrubs and parks

• insectivore

• a lot of hedgehogs are killed on the motorways therefore one of the pupils of Vidzeme is created a special sign on the roads ”Be careful-hedgehogs!”

Grey crane• beautiful but

comparatively occassional swamp bird

• decreasing is connected with shrinking of big swumps

• crane voices and rutting-dances are unforgettable

Medical milfoil• daisy family plant• you can find it in the

meadows and roadsides• medical plant with the

large usability