The word “tundra” means “treeless, bare upland.” It is located in the Far North. Tundra is a hilly open space with rocks. The climate here is harsh.
Most of the year is winter with cracking frosts and blizzards. And the summer is very short and cool. The sun is hanging low or does not rise above the horizon. But in the middle of summer, the sun shines day and night.
During the short northern summer, only the top layer of the soil thaws, under which permafrost reigns. Surprisingly, earthworms appear in this thawed soil! During the long winter months, they are protected from freezing by a capsule made of special mucus.
In summer, the tundra is covered with flowers, grass, greenery of mosses and lichens, and a bright scattering of ripening berries. Mushrooms rise like giants above dwarf willows and birches.
However, the trees themselves look more like grass or tiny shrubs creeping along the ground. Numerous lakes and swamps glisten under the setting sun. Clouds of midges are swirling in the air.
In summer, the tundra comes to life. Birds arrive: geese, ducks, polar owls and many others. There are many small rodents in the tundra: voles and lemmings. They are hunted by arctic foxes, falcons and polar owls.
The main vehicle in the tundra is reindeer. Huge herds of deer roam the tundra in search of food – mosses and lichens.
Bird markets are noisy on the sea coasts. Gulls, gags, puffins and other seabirds can be seen there. Walruses and seals bask on the rocky shores under the cool northern sun. Polar bears sometimes come to the coast in summer.
And in winter, the tundra seems lifeless. Birds and even reindeer migrate to more southern regions. But even now lemmings are running around under the snow. Sometimes the fluffy tail of a fox hunting them flashes.
Today, in search of minerals, people explore the expanses of the tundra. And often, with their economic activities, they violate the centuries-old and very vulnerable living world of the tundra.
Even the usual trail left by an all-terrain vehicle is like an unhealed scar. The damaged soil layer will recover only after decades!
