Insect pests of the forest.

Entomophages and beneficial insects of the forest

Compiled by: S. A. Yanovsky, methodologist of the Komi REBTs

The manual contains brief explanations for the stages of the competition. The lists of animals and plants indicated in the annexes are a guideline in preparation for the competition - this is a qualifying minimum. The competitor must know more, especially representatives of the local flora and fauna, and not be limited to the lists given. For a successful performance at the rally, we recommend using additional literature, as well as carefully studying collections and herbariums, which should be in the school or forestry.

Stage “Insect pests of the forest. Entomophages." Participants must know: 1. Insect pests of the forest and forest nursery.
2. Entomophages. 3. Brief biological features insects and arachnids forest. 4. Measures to combat forest pests. 5. Preventive forest protection measures. Participants must be able to to determine by collections of insect pests of the forest, entomophages of pests of the forest.

The tree, if it is healthy, successfully resists the invasion of insects. Therefore, insects prefer to attack only old or somewhat weakened trees. Essentially, they are forest orderlies who begin the slow process of "eating" dying trees.

An insect that reproduces in mass is called a pest. Even healthy plantings can no longer resist him. Distinguish primary pests , the first to attack the trees, and secondary , capable of inhabiting only trees weakened by primary pests.

Especially a lot of pests in young coniferous trees, which foresters grow in clearings in order to quickly get a new forest. In the first years after planting, the smallest trees are attacked root beetles, to larger big pine elephant, May Khrushchev, sawfly weavers. New pests appear in growing 10-15-year-old pines and fir-trees - subroot pine bug, tar weevils, shoot butterflies and pine moth, pine and spruce sawflies, aphids - spruce hermes. Pine plantations at the age of 20-30 years damage Dendrocton bark beetle.

Decree of the Komi Government No. 14 dated February 2 In 2005, quarantine was imposed on the territory of the Komi Republic for the large spruce beetle, large black spruce barbel, small black spruce barbel and black pine barbel.

The list of insects and entomophages below is a guideline in preparation for the competition - this is a qualifying minimum. The competitor must know more, especially representatives of the local entomofauna.

List of insects - pests of the forest and forest nursery, entomophages: a) coniferous insects: pine cocoon moth, Siberian cocoon moth, nun volnyanka (silk moth), fiery night bat (pine scoop), pine moth, common pine sawfly, pine red sawfly;

b) Leaf-eating insects : Gypsy moth (gypsy moth), golden-tailed wolverine (golden-tailed), ringed cocoon moth, oak green leafworm, winter moth, silver hole;

c) Stem pests : bark beetles, black pine barbel, black spruce barbel, goldfish, corrosive woodworm, odorous wood borer;

d) Pests of nurseries, forest crops and young stands : pine root bug, large pine weevil, shooters (leafworms), beetles, click beetles (wireworms), dark beetles (slow-bearers), common bear;

e) Entomophages of forest pests : camels, ground beetles, common lacewing, ladybugs(coccinella), tahini flies, ichneumons, wasps, spiders, red forest ants, predatory mites, predatory bugs, egg-eaters.

Due to the limited volume of the manual, a detailed biological description (as an example) is given only for one species - the pine cocoon moth. Knowledge of Latin is not required. The description is given according to the following plan: species name, size, coloration, range, period of mass emergence, egg-laying sites, damage caused, wintering and control measures.

Pests of forest stands (needles - leaf-eating insects)

Lepidoptera , or butterflies (Lepidoptera)

silkworms (cocoonworms)- butterflies of several related families, of medium or large size, with a heavy fluffy body. Their antennae are short, the proboscis is poorly developed, the wings are wide, folded at rest. roof-like. Due to their large weight, butterflies are inactive, especially females bearing eggs. Caterpillars are naked or pubescent, with sixteen legs. Many silkworms are forest pests. These are pine, Siberian silkworms, nun, odorous woodworm, golden tail.

cocoonworm (silkworm) pine (Dendrolimus pini). An adult insect - imago - a large butterfly with a wingspan: male 50 - 65 mm, female 65 - 70 mm (sometimes up to 80 mm) patronizing coloring in color pine bark, hindwings, as a rule, one-colored. Only males fly. Distributed throughout the range of Scots pine.

The flight of butterflies lasts from mid-June to the end of July. At this time, females lay eggs in groups on needles and twigs, and during mass reproduction on the bark of tree trunks and even on stumps, deadwood, and shrubs. The caterpillars that emerged after 2-3 weeks eat the needles. Its caterpillars are large, on average 7.5 cm long, hairy, with reddish poisonous hairs and two blue cutouts on the back, develop on ordinary pine, less often on larch, spruce, Siberian cedar pine ("cedar"). They overwinter in the soil at a depth of up to 10 cm.

In spring, the emergence of caterpillars begins when the soil temperature warms up above ten degrees at a depth of 2 cm and lasts for more than two weeks. Caterpillars climb into the crown and eat all the old needles, as well as May shoots and buds. At this time, they are extremely voracious, and with a lack of last year's needles, which they feed on, they can gnaw at fresh needles and even young shoots and buds.

In mid-June (July), they pupate in cocoons on branches and trunks, and the next spring butterflies hatch from pupae. During periods of low abundance, development can be delayed for two years, then the caterpillars winter twice.

Control measures: destruction of branches with oviposition, tree processing insecticides, catching butterflies on light traps. Eggs are exterminated by nuthatch, pika and tits, caterpillars - by cuckoo and oriole. To combat caterpillars, all kinds of mineral masses are used, with which masonry is impregnated, they are also scraped off and destroyed. Trees are covered with caterpillar glue rings, or they are treated with insecticides. The main reasons for the mass decline in numbers are epizootics caused by bacteria and adverse weather conditions. Besides effective way The fight against silkworms is the spraying of their breeding centers with insecticides from aircraft.

Siberian cocoonworm, or cedar silkworm (Dendrolimus superans). A very variable species, outwardly similar to the pine cocoon moth, but larger; with a wingspan: male 54 - 75 mm, female 70 - 95 mm. Butterfly flight in June July. Winters in the caterpillar stage under forest litter. A dangerous pest of Siberian stone pine and other conifers.

Volnyanka nun(Lymantria Monacha), new name nun silkworm . The butterfly is grayish white. Distributed in the forest and forest-steppe zones of Russia. The wingspan of the female is up to 55 mm, the male is up to 35 mm. Attacks pure coniferous stands, causing especially great harm spruce forests.

Volnyanka unpaired(Lymantria dispar), new name gypsy moth . The female and male differ greatly in size and coloration, the structure of the antennae, hence the name. A dangerous enemy of hardwoods, mainly oak. The female is dirty white or yellowish brown, much larger than the male, inactive, wingspan 50-70 mm, in males up to 50 mm, front brownish-gray, rear brown.

ringed cocoonworm(Malacosoma neustria). Females are larger, with a wingspan of up to 4 cm, males - up to 3 cm, the color is brownish-yellow with a dark transverse stripe. Flight in July. The female lays eggs around twigs in spiral rings, hence the name. Caterpillars hibernate under the shell of eggs, in spider web nests built in the forks of branches, however, at low temperatures, at - 35º perish.

Flaming nightlight(Panolis flammea), new name pine cutworm . Butterfly brown-gray. It is distributed in areas where pine grows and is one of the most dangerous pests of pine plantations. Wingspan 30-40 mm.

Pine moth(Bupalus piniarius). Females are reddish-brown, males are black-brown. Wingspan up to 40 mm. Caterpillars are green, naked, damage and destroy needles, move in a “span”.

Volnyanka golden-tailed (Euproctis chrysorrhoea), or goldtail . The butterfly is snow-white with a silky sheen. Female with a brilliant red swelling at the end of the abdomen , covered with a tuft of golden hairs. Wingspan 30-40 mm.

Hymenoptera (Hymenoptera)

sawflies (Tenthtredinidae) belong to the group of coniferous insects. The larvae of all sawflies and most of their adult species are herbivorous, some adults are predators. Females usually lay eggs one at a time. soft tissues plants, having previously made a drink with a serrated ovipositor (hence the name). Sawfly larvae are pseudocaterpillars, they live openly, are active, being disturbed, sharply throw back upper part the bodies, curving with the letter S, outwardly resemble butterfly caterpillars, differing from them in a large number of false abdominal legs (6-8 pairs).

Common pine, red pine and weaver sawflies predominate in our forests. The first two types are indistinguishable in terms of the way of life and the nature of the harm caused.

Common pine sawfly (Diprion pini). Body oval, 7-10 mm long. The female is always larger, she has a yellow abdomen with black rings in the middle, a black head, yellow sawtooth antennae, the male's body is almost black, only the end of the body is yellowish. Flight of insects - in May - June. Larvae are green, 22-26 mm long. Upon leaving the eggs, they begin to eat the needles from the sides, leaving the tops and the midrib intact, which is why the needles turn yellow and twist, giving the tree a curl.

Red pine sawfly (Neodiprion sertifer Geoffr.) differs from the common pine in that the female is all reddish red, and the male is black. In the female, the body is narrower, slender, about 7-9 mm long, the mesothorax and scutellum are shiny. Flight end of August, September.

Pests of nurseries, forest crops and young stands

root pests

black rhizome (Hylaster ater) from the family of bark beetles (Scolytidae) is one of the most common types. When breeding, the female lays her eggs in the root paws of fresh pine and spruce stumps. The larvae that emerged from them live right there, under the bark, feed on bast and, therefore, direct harm forestry do not bring. However, developing young beetles leave the place of their breeding and immediately begin to intensively feed the root neck and roots of 2-3-year-old pines with bast. Roots deprived of bast dry out, the needles turn red - and the trees quickly die. Thus, the corn root causes significant damage to self-sowing and pine crops.

lamellar (Scarabaidae). The most famous representative May Khrushchev. Beetle 20-22 mm long with a convex brown-yellow body. Larvae are almost naked, yellowish-white, with a brown head, in adulthood they reach a length of 65 mm, live in the soil, feed on roots. The May beetle is thermophilic and inhabits only the middle taiga of the Republic of Kazakhstan. It can develop only in sandy, well-warmed soils, in pine forests. June crunch. The beetle is much smaller, flies in June - July. Distributed everywhere. The 55 mm long larva at first glance differs little from the May beetle larva.

clickers, or wireworms (Elateridae) have an elongated oval body. Beetles got their name for their remarkable ability to jump up and roll over when they fall on their backs with a click. The flight of beetles falls on June, and at this time many of them pass additional feeding on the leaves and needles of trees. The female lays her eggs in the soil, where the larvae appear, narrow, long, yellow and hard to the touch, for which they are called wireworms. The development of larvae is long - from three to five years.

Hemiptera, or bedbugs ( Hemiptera )

Pine root bug (Aradus cinnamomeus). A flat insect 3.5-5 mm long, painted in the color of pine bark. The piercing-sucking bristles of the proboscis are several times longer than the body (about 14 mm) and serve to suck juices from pine trees aged 4 to 20 years. The long-winged female has both pairs of wings, employees for flight, the short-winged female does not fly. The larvae appear simultaneously with the flowering of strawberries. After 5-7 days, the larvae start feeding, continuing until wintering. The larvae and adult bugs hibernate in the litter around the tree trunk and in its lowest part, climbing into the cracks in the bark. Development is two years old.

The final stage of damage is the appearance of threshing ulcers, at the same time the needles lose their luster, turn yellow, growth decreases, shoots shorten, and the tops dry out.

beetles ( Coleoptera )

Large pine elephant (weevil)(Hylobius abietis) . Weevil family ( Curculionidae) . Beetle 7-14 mm long, dark brown, almost black. Flies out after wintering in spring - early summer. Damages 3-10-year-old pine trees by eating their bark. The female lays her eggs in fresh stumps of conifers. The larvae live under the bark of stumps for 2 years. In the spring, the beetles damage the buds, which leads to drying out and ugly growth of young stands. It got its name due to the fact that its head is elongated into a rostrum resembling a proboscis. Young beetles harm, gnawing a juicy bast on the trunks of young pines. In a damaged plant, the crown quickly turns yellow and dries out, and hardening resin flows down the stem.

Butterflies ( Lepidoptera )

tar shooter(Petrova resinella) - a small butterfly from the leafworm family (Tortricidae). The wings are narrow, yellowish-orange, in a span of 15 - 18 mm. Oviparous females fly in June. From the egg laid by the butterfly at the base of the upper whorl, the caterpillar hatches, bites under the bark and reaches the core of the stem or side shoot. At the site of the inlet of the caterpillar, a gall is formed - an incrustation of thick resin in the form of a large nut. Covered with such a resinous gall, the caterpillar of the sprout does not leave its shelter for two years. The shoot is deformed (for which the butterfly got its name) and often dies.

Aphids ( Aphididae )

A large group of small insects from 0.5 to 7.5 mm long, ovoid, oval, rarely oblong. The integuments of aphids are soft, in some species the body is covered with a wax coating in the form of pollen or a delicate fluff. Their color varies from pale green and yellow to black. They hibernate in the egg phase on the bark, especially near the kidneys, and in cracks in the bark. The larvae hatched from eggs develop into founding females that reproduce in a virgin way, that is, without fertilization of males. Under unfavorable conditions, nymphs appear in aphid colonies, from which winged female settlers develop. Having flown to another plant, such a female forms a new colony. Aphids, sucking out leaves, strongly oppress and weaken plants, retard their growth, cause curvature, wrinkling, twisting of damaged leaves and shoots, tissue growth and the formation of galls, nodules, growths.

The leaves are covered with sugary secretions of aphids (honeydew) that attract ants, flies and other insects. At the same time, these secretions cause the appearance of soot fungus, from which the leaves turn black and fall off. In addition, many aphids are carriers viral diseases. The natural enemies of aphids are ladybugs and their larvae, larvae of a number of lacewings, and small ichneumons.

Our most common pest of conifers is green hermes (Sacchphantes abietis), forming cone-shaped dark green galls on spruce shoots.

stem pests

Coleoptera , or beetles (Coleoptera)

Stem pests are found in any forest. But healthy trees successfully resist their attack, flooding them with resinous secretions from inflicted wounds. The impetus for the mass development of pests and their attack on trees is the weakening of plantations, under the influence of various adverse factors - forest fires, damage to needles - and leaf-eating pests, prolonged droughts, immoderate tapping, unsystematic felling, etc. 948 species of beetles were found in the Komi Republic .

bark beetles (Scolytidae) form a relatively small family. The life of bark beetles is closely connected with the tree. They have a relatively short body cylindrical shape with a small head. The sizes of beetles range from 0.8 to 9 mm. Their color is usually brown, brown, or black. The body is covered with strong leathery elytra, under which there are well-developed membranous wings. Larvae are small, white, fleshy, legless, slightly curved, naked or slightly hairy, with a clearly visible head, with two processes at the end of the body. pupae too white color. Bark beetles live almost all the time in the passages under the bark, in the bast or wood and feed on their tissues. Some settle on certain breeds, others - on different ones. In the forests of Russia, there are about 300 species of bark beetles, 57 species were found in the Komi Republic, and 30 in the vicinity of Syktyvkar.

By external signs, bark beetles are divided into three groups that differ from each other: beetles, sapwood and true bark beetles.

At luboedov the rear end of the body is convex and rounded, as is typical of most other beetles. Sapwood differ in the shape of the abdomen, obliquely cut from the hind legs to the top of the elytra. The rear end of the body resembles a chisel. Real bark beetles have a deep depression at the posterior end of the body, called wheelbarrow surrounded by teeth. The number of teeth and their shape is specific to each species and has great importance for beetle taxonomy.

Bark beetles spend almost their entire lives under the bark of tree trunks and branches. There they lay passages, the forms of which are also species-specific. The flight of bark beetles begins in late spring and lasts until mid-summer. The bark beetles that live on pine trees start flying first, then spruce bark beetles and sapwood that live on hardwoods appear. In our forests, the following species are of the greatest economic importance.

Large pine beetle(Tomicus piniperda). The beetle is 3.5-5.8 mm long, black-brown. Flight end of April - beginning of May. Inhabits the lower part of the pine trunk in the area of ​​thick bark. The uterine passage is longitudinal, the larval passage is sinuous and long.

Small pine beetle(Tomicus minor). Black beetle 3.4 - 4 mm long. Mass pest of Scots pine. The flight is 1-2 weeks later than the flight of the great pine beetle. The nature of the harm is the same as from the large pine beetle. Overwinters in the beetle stage in the soil.

Large spruce beetle-dendrocton (Dendroctonus micans). Black shiny beetle 5-7 mm long. Widespread in spruce range. Flight in June. Peculiar to ripe and overmature spruce forests and marsh pine forests, forming cluster foci. The uterine passage is short and wide. The larvae gnaw on a family, common passage, in the form of a large cavity, filled with resin and clogged with sawdust. Two years develop: the first time the larvae hibernate, the second time - the beetles.

Fluffy beetle (polygraph)(Polygraphus polygraphus). Brown beetle 2.2 - 3 mm long. A pest of conifers from the European part of Russia to the Far East. Flight in July. It is distributed mostly in clumps of pole and middle-aged plantations damaged by ground fires. It hibernates as a larva or beetle under the bark of trees.

Apex bark beetle(Ips acuminatus). Small, 2.2-3.9 mm long, brown shiny bug covered with sparse hairs. In the back of the underwings for ejection of drilling flour, it has a recess - a “wheelbarrow” with 3 teeth. Widespread in coniferous plantations everywhere.

six-toothed bark beetle (stenographer) (Ips sexdentatus). Brown shiny beetle 6 - 8 mm long. densely covered with hairs. Widespread throughout coniferous forests. Flight in May. Inhabits the butt of thick-barked trees. Winters in feeding areas or in forest litter. Damages the trunks of weakened trees and timber. In addition to pine, “cedar” and spruce are affected.

bark beetle typographer (Ips typographus). The most dangerous and widespread pest of spruce in the republic. Brown shiny hairy beetle 4.2 - 4.5 mm long. Distributed from the European part of Russia to the Far East. Flight from late April to early June. Inhabits the butt of spruce trees. The beetle hibernates in stumps, old passages, sometimes under moss. When mass reproduction attacks healthy trees.

In terms of external structure, lifestyle, harm and uterine passages, the typographer is very similar to the bark beetle double bark beetle (Ips dublicatus).

bark beetle spruce engraver (Pityogenes chalcographus). Small brown beetle 1.6-2.9 mm long, covered with sparse hairs. Distributed in coniferous forests in the European part of Russia, on Far East. Flight in May. Winters in feeding areas.

Barbels (Ceramicidae)- a family of beetles that feed on plants, most of them live off trees and are called lumberjacks. Their sizes range from 3 to 60 mm, the beetles are graceful, bright and variegated in color, with long legs, a free head and long whiskers, sometimes twice the length of the body. Barbels are the only beetles that can "throw their whiskers over their backs." This is no longer the case for anyone. Most barbels are able to produce a creaky sound by rubbing the mesothorax against the prothorax.

Flight to different time, during which the female lays eggs in cracks in the bark or notches she gnaws on the bark in different parts of the trunk. Barbel larvae are large, thick, round or slightly flattened, with a hard head and strong jaws. They live first under the bark, gnaw through irregular flat passages, and then go deep into the wood, where they pupate in an extension of the hooked passage close to the surface of the tree. Young beetles of some species of barbel, after emerging from pupae, feed on thin bark of branches, which are then broken off by the wind. Barbels hibernate in the stage of larvae or beetles, less often in the stage of pupae.

In our region, barbels of the genus Monochamus. This large insect, with a more or less elongated body, black, shiny. Elytra elongated, narrowed towards the ends, with rough relief or pale hairs. Antennae 1.5 times as long as body. Adult beetles always undergo additional feeding in the crowns of trees, damaging shoots and branches.

Their larvae are relatively large, reaching several centimeters in some species. They first gnaw out large areas of irregular shape under the bark, and then go deep into the wood, where they make large, staple-like passages.

The black pine barbel (Monochamus galloprovincialis). Beetle 2.5 cm long. Distributed in the European part of Russia and Siberia. Flight from June to September. Inhabits the weakened coniferous trees, mainly pine and "cedar", in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthin, less often thick bark.

Large black coniferous (spruce, fir) barbel (Monochamus urussovi). Beetle 16-24 mm long. Flight from June to the end of August. The female lays her eggs in cracks or cracks in the bark. Young beetles during additional feeding harm healthy trees.

Black small coniferous barbel (Monochamus sutor). Forms large foci of damage with other barbels in forest stands, cutting areas and timber warehouses. Found on all conifers.

Family goldfish (Buprestidae) unites beetles, the vast majority of which live in the tropics. About 180 species are found in the European part of Russia, many of which are dangerous pests. tree species, especially in the steppe zone, where they are included in the group of the main stem pests. The family of borers unites beetles of various sizes, which have a flat, elongated body, narrowed towards the end, metallic-shiny. The shape of the body and well-developed hind wings contribute to the fast and long-range flights of borers, their distribution throughout the territory. They fly and lay eggs only in bright light. sunlight, gravitate to well-lit and heated habitats.

Many species of borers are very active and attack relatively healthy trees, populating them before barbels and bark beetles. For their reproduction, they choose sparse, well-heated stands, first of all, edges, backstage, undercuts, groups of testes in clearings, field protection strips.

The most common and harmful species for conifers are goldfish: blue pine (Melanophila cyanea), larch six-spotted, four-spotted spruce, goldfish fire (Trachypteris acuminata), green narrow-bodied goldfish (Argilus viridis), ribbed bronze .

Lepidoptera, or butterflies (Lepidoptera)

Woodworms (Cossidae) large densely hairy butterflies leading a nocturnal lifestyle.

common woodworm, or odorous (Cossus cossus)- a butterfly with a wingspan of up to 80-85 mm lives in the forest zone of European Russia, Siberia and the Far East. Antennae combed. The flight of butterflies begins in the second decade of June and lasts about two weeks. Weather conditions do not significantly affect their flight. The female lays her eggs in cracks in the bark in groups of 20-70 eggs. Caterpillars throw out red-brown feces, which is easy to detect infection. Caterpillars 100-120 mm long, with black plaques on the body bearing hairs. Their development lasts 22 months. Pupation occurs not the third year in early June. The cocoon is dense, silky, in buds, old stumps and at the base of the tree trunks in which they lived.

glassware (Aegeriidae) small butterflies with narrow transparent wings resembling hymenoptera insects. They are pests of deciduous trees, in particular poplars, and can greatly harm their cultural plantings.

Entomophages

Many insects live in the Komi Republic, which can rightfully be attributed to the true friends of the forest. These are rotten wood destroyers, soil rippers, corpse destroyers, plant pollinators and, of course, predators - insect hunters.

Hymenoptera ( Hymenoptera )

Everyone is familiar with fast and strong predators - ants, carrying hundreds and thousands of caterpillars of harmful insects into anthills. It is important to note that not all ants are effective as entomophages. Ants of the genus Formica . There are about 8 species belonging to this genus on the territory of the Republic, among them forest red ant(Formica rufa) It is known that if there are 4 large anthills per hectare of forest, you can not be afraid of mass reproduction of pests in this area.

Diptera ( Diptera )

beetles ( Coleoptera )

In the family ground beetles (Carabeidae) It should be noted big green and small beauties. They eat caterpillars and pupae of many Lepidoptera. Ground beetles of the genus carabus - large forest beetles that exterminate many forest insects. In dry and warm pine forests are very active forest horses(Cicindela silvatica).

ladybugs (Coccinellidae) - very voracious predators that feed on aphids, coccids and other insects.

Staphylinidae (Staphylinidae) are small and medium size beetles have a narrow flattened body, a flexible abdomen and short elytra covering no more than a third of the abdomen. Beetles of the genus Placusa andNudobium happy to eat the eggs of bark beetle larvae.

camels ( Raphidioptera ). Insects with a characteristic appearance. Most common in coniferous forests slender camel (Raphidia ophiopsis), feeds on insects on trees, crawls into the passages of bark beetles, especially willingly destroys pine beetles, as well as eggs of the root pine bug, nun, butterfly caterpillars.

Spiders ( Aracnida , Aranei )

Spiders are very common arthropods, they are able to live everywhere, in any zoogeographic zone where there are insects, even in water. From the Arctic to the tropics, these animals are found, which are completely the same type in structure, but have adapted to all living conditions.

The most famous of the inhabitants of our latitudes are, undoubtedly, cross spiders (genus Araneus ) . They are well known to us by the characteristic cross on the back. It is they who build intricate and complex hunting nets in the forests. There are also predators for spiders. Fly ktyr - strong, stocky, attacks even wasps, dragonflies, and horses - in the world of insects they are not harmless. Ktyr can also pierce a spider with his stiletto proboscis, and carry it away in strong paws to be eaten.

Like other arthropods, spiders molt in order to grow. The last, sixth for males, and eighth for females, they molt in August. Therefore, females are larger.

Another spider familiar to us all - wolf spider (genus Lycosa ) . Distinctive feature wolves from the crosses is that they do not build cobwebs, but spend their lives wandering and robbery, they do not have dwellings, they do not recognize a settled life. Our wolf spiders are related to the tarantula itself! Everyone has the same lifestyle. They prey on small insects.

Pincers (Acari)

Forest pest control on large areas - a complex and expensive undertaking. Timely detected foci in initial stage can be suppressed by simpler and cheaper means. To do this, it is necessary to establish a good signaling service for the appearance of harmful insects and fungal diseases. General supervision of the appearance of pests and diseases is carried out by employees of the forest guard, as well as organizations and enterprises working in the forest.

Preventive forest protection measures

Preventive measures to protect forests from pests and diseases are reduced mainly to bringing forests into a normal sanitary condition.

Preventive forest protection measures:

1. Use for sowing and planting only healthy seeds and healthy planting material, their proper storage;

2. Proper agrotechnics when laying nurseries and planting forest crops, careful tillage, weed control;

3. Creation of mixed plantations as the most resistant to mass diseases and damage;

4. Cleaning of felling sites simultaneously with logging ;

5. Leaving low stumps during logging with their debarking;

6. Debarking, skidding and stacking of industrial timber left in the forest for the summer;

7. Carrying out sanitary cuttings, which include: cleaning of dead forest - dead wood, windbreak, windblow; sampling of trees inhabited by secondary pests; clear felling of disturbed plantations (burnt, bark beetles, undercuts); sampling of damaged and faut trees; felling of trees and stands. infected with fungal diseases; cutting down trees and shrubs (laxative buckthorn, bird cherry, etc.) - transmitters of dangerous diseases for agricultural plants and forest species;

8. Compliance with sanitary rules when storing timber products in timber warehouses.

The creation of favorable conditions for the reproduction of useful animals is of great importance for the protection of the forest.

Useful mammals include: bat - at dusk and at night, it destroys many pests of the forest, mosquitoes and mosquitoes. It is necessary not to disturb the colonies of bats, to preserve the old hollow trees where they like to settle, to hang special nest boxes for them; shrew - it does not hibernate and destroys soil-dwelling harmful insects and their larvae both in summer and during their wintering; hedgehog - exterminator of harmful invertebrates and mice.

Useful reptiles and amphibians include: lizards, frogs, toads, snakes, legless lizards, exterminating harmful insects and mouse-like rodents.

Eating countless harmful insects in all phases of their development, birds have a beneficial effect on the vegetation and sanitary condition of the forest. Birds eat continuously and eat per day of food by weight more than their own. So, a pair of tits, together with the offspring bred by them this season, exterminates up to 15 kg of insects per year, the blue tit - about 6 million insect eggs.

Main types of birds useful for the forest combined into groups: predators, insectivorous, arboreal, bush birds.

Suppression of foci of pests and forest diseases

The fight against foci of pests and diseases consists in various methods of destroying pests and infected trees. The main and most commonly used are the following:

1. Collection and destruction of adult insects (beetles, weevils, etc.);

2. Collection of larvae of grubs when cultivating the soil for nurseries and crops;

3. Autumn collection and destruction of gypsy moth egg-laying or coating of egg-laying with oil and fuel oil;

4. Cutting off the gossamer nests of goldentail in autumn or early winter;

5. Overlay of trapping rings against pine silkworm and nun silkworm. Produced in early spring, before the appearance of the first caterpillars; against the root bug - in early spring, before the snow melts, before the wintering insects begin to climb up the trunk to the crown;

6. Raking the forest litter to destroy the pupae of the pine moth, pine cutworm, pine sawflies, etc. wintering in it. It is done with an iron rake with frequent teeth, heaps 0.5 m high. The litter collected in shafts or heaps is compacted with the back of the rake in order so that the piles and shafts are heated. In the fight against sawflies, heaps and shafts are burned;

7. Laying baits in the form of pieces of fresh spruce bark 20X30 cm in size, pine logs and arranging hunting stakes 110 cm long. They are used to combat pine weevil, bark beetles, elephants, tars.

Effective measures to combat stem pests are the selection of freshly planted trees and the laying out of trapping trees. Freshly populated trees are cut down at a time when larvae are under the bark, that is, before the emergence of adult beetles. Felled trees must be debarked immediately. The bark is burned or buried in the ground to a depth of at least 25 cm.

The listed control measures are feasible only on small areas during the outbreak period. In the conditions of the taiga, with the mass reproduction of primary pests covering large forest areas, chemical control measures are used based on the use of aviation and ground motor units.

To combat pests and forest diseases over large areas, special sprayers, dusters and aerosol generators mounted on airplanes and helicopters.

Appendix to the stage "Insect pests of the forest"

Forest pests and entomophages

Needles - leaf-eating insects

Pine cocoon moth (male)	ringed cocoonworm 1 - butterfly, 2 - egg laying	Volnyanka nun

Silver hole	Volnyanka unpaired (gypsy moth) 1 - female, 2 - male	Volnyanka golden-tailed (goldtail)

Flaming nightlight (pine scoop)	Oak green leaflet	Winter moth: 1 - male, 2 - female, 3 - caterpillar

stem pests

biology teacher MBOU secondary school №8

The system of summer assignments in biology

(from work experience).

The city of Essentuki is located in a specially protected ecological resort region of the Caucasian Mineralnye Vody. This imposes certain restrictions on the collection of wild plants, visits to certain habitats of plants and animals. But in the summer, during the holidays, schoolchildren go to different districts of the Stavropol Territory, regions of Russia and abroad, and it becomes possible to create the necessary teaching and visual aids, especially since our school does not have an educational and experimental site. At present, we have the opportunity to purchase many manuals in ready-made, but, firstly, they are quite expensive, and secondly, they do not always meet all necessary requirements. This is how the system for preparing summer assignments developed. The handover and defense of completed work takes place in the first lessons at the beginning of the school year, which makes it possible for students to get good grades as soon as they start studying. Part of the summer assignments is carried out in the form of projects by those students who attend the summer school environmental camp. It should be noted that not all students take their summer assignments seriously, some even forget about them. But most of the guys, as a rule, are conscientious about completing the summer assignment, and for many years we have been using these works in the classroom as demonstration material, manuals for laboratory and practical work. Of the best works, an exhibition is usually organized, which arouses great interest of all students and stimulates the performance of work in the future.

When organizing summer tasks, we set certain goals and objectives:

acquaintance with the flora and fauna of the native land;

· development of skills in collecting and herbarization of plants;

· development of skills for the production of various educational and visual aids necessary to replenish the school biology classroom;

· practical use knowledge gained in the academic year;

conducting observations of the life of plants and animals, confirming the facts and patterns studied in the lessons.

With the successful completion of these tasks, an interest arises and develops in subject which contributes to the conscious and lasting assimilation of the basics of biology.

Summer assignments can be done individually or in a group. They are adjusted according to the degree of complexity, taking into account the individuality of the student, his abilities and opportunities, voluntariness. The teacher needs to help the student choose the right topic for the assignment, give appropriate instructions, show best work performed in previous years. Summer assignments can be classified by the age of the children, by topic, by the place of residence of students in the summer. Some tasks are distributed during the school year, as the observed processes occur in autumn, winter or spring. Tasks are accepted, depending on the content, in the form of properly designed herbariums, collections, photographs, electronic presentations, etc. The rules for staying in nature, collecting material, the need to study protected species, excluding their accidental destruction, as well as the impossibility of causing harm or pain to any living object.

It is difficult to list in one article all the possible summer assignments that are distributed to students. But in September it turns out that the guys even found what was not entrusted. These are photographs of insects collecting nectar, fossil shells in a river bank, a photograph of a dry river that a child can step over in summer, or a view from above on native land from a height cable car, seafood brought from the Black Sea coast, handicrafts made from natural materials.

We gladly and gratefully accept all the material that the guys collect, help to identify and systematize it.

Of course, organizing and checking summer assignments requires a lot of work, time, and patience from the teacher, especially since it falls on such a busy time as the end and beginning of the year. But the result, the benefits of which are undeniable, is worth the time and effort spent.

Among our graduates there are those who have decided on their choice of profession, thanks to the completion of summer assignments.

By studying botany and zoology, you learned a lot about plants and animals, their diversity, significance in nature and human life. But you received all this knowledge mainly in the classroom, as well as from books, movies and TV shows. At the same time, there were few direct observations in nature. In summer, you can compensate for this lack by studying plants and animals. Summer is the period of their active life. Enter this amazing world of plants and animals! Observe its life and variety of forms, study organisms in their natural environment! But be sure to remember: plants and animals are the kingdoms of living beings, and they must be handled with care, taking care of the well-being of each plant and animal and nature as a whole.

What should be studied in nature? Choose any topic of interest to you about any plants (ornamental, wild, indoor; about one plant or group of plants) or any animals (domestic or wild, large or small: animals, birds, insects, arachnids, molluscs, worms, etc.) . Watch your chosen plant or animal! Next, format your observations as research work, abstract, computer presentation. It is recommended to use your own photographs of plants and animals. You can use the recommendations for summer assignments from textbooks. Instead of observations, you can do any creative work, the theme of which is related to nature, plants or animals. Works are handed over in September.
When you make observations in nature, you will see how many interesting things there are in nature near you. And you don't have to travel far for that!

Good luck!

Topics to choose from: Observations, research in nature, project activities.

Analysis of the quality of water taken in the river for educational and research purposes

Arithmetic and geometric progression in the life around us
Bioindication studies of areas with varying degrees of atmospheric pollution
Bioindication of gas and smoke pollution according to the state of pine needles
Bioindication of air pollution by a set of features of Scotch pine
Bioindication of pollution environment according to a set of features of common spruce
Soil bioindication

The bactericidal action of phytoncides

Impact of pollutant emissions on the atmosphere and human health
Impact various kinds transport to the environment.

Influence mobile phones on the human body
Influence detergents on the human body
Effect of anti-icing agents on vegetation
The effect of cell phones on seeds and germination of oat plants
Harm of soda: myth or reality?
The harm and benefits of chewing gum
Are all yogurts healthy?

Additives, colorants and preservatives in food
House dust and its effect on the human body
The study of natural and drinking water in the town
Study of the problem of contamination of the microdistrict with household waste and assessment of the toxicity of the soil cover

Study of the influence of various factors on the growth and development of plants.
Study of the state of trees and shrubs in the area of ​​residence.
The study of plant adaptations to cross-pollination.
The study of the plant community of a stagnant reservoir.
Comprehensive survey of the ecological state of the street
Les is asking for help!

Lichen indication of the state of the air in the area of ​​residence.

Variety of lichens.

The presence of harmful and prohibited food additives in certain foods
Nanotechnologies. Ecological future
Unauthorized disposal of household waste
Oil pollution of the oceans
Waste is a source of pollution and a place of residence for living organisms
Indication of air purity using epiphytic mosses
The use of lichens to determine the level of air pollution
Study of the influence of toxicity of household substances on living organisms

Study of the influence of noise and music on human memory and attention
Foods that are killing you
The secret becomes clear, or Poisons around us
Are kitchen chemicals safe?
Municipal solid waste: environmental problems and possible solutions
Toxins in the home
Heavy metals around us - myth or reality?
Waste management is a problem of the XXI century
Phytoindication as a method of environmental assessment of the environment
Chips: treat or poison?
Chips: to crunch or not to crunch?
What you need to know about nutritional supplements
Which is healthier: fruits or juices?
The ecological state of the pond
Ecological research of the park
Eco-route around the native land
Economic benefits of waste recycling

Topics of summer assignments for the course "Man and his health"

1. The study of factors affecting the growth and physical development of the body:

1) questioning on topics:

the state of your health,
- degree of anxiety
- the nature of the food,
- physical activity,
- daily regime;

2) self-monitoring of the indicators of one's own physical development during the summer period (academic year);
3) predicting your growth using various methods;
4) determination of the harmony of the physical appearance of their parents;
5) analysis of factors influencing the physical state of the organism, and determination of ways of self-improvement.

2. Conducting an experiment on the formation and inhibition of a conditioned reflex, observing the reflex behavior of humans and animals.

3. Work on professional self-orientation "Choice of profession".

4. Essay essay on the topic "Beauty as biological expediency."

Collective research project "We and our city"

. "The Clean Water Problem".
. "The air we breathe"
. City and household waste.
. "Production and consumption of energy in the city".
. city ​​industry. Environmental problems, search for solutions”.
. "Car in the city. Problems, search for solutions.
. "Green Zones of the City".
. « Country cottage area like an ecosystem."
. "Home in the city".
. "Ecological state of school premises".
. "My needs and ecology".
. "Citizen's Health"
. "The city of the future is the future of the city."

Collective research project "Workshop of nature"

. "Bionics is the science of the greatest possibilities."
. "World of Feelings"
. "Live barometers, hygrometers, seismographs".
. "Biomechanics".
. "The harmony of beauty and expediency".
. "Biological connection".

Abstract works.

. "Twin Method in Human Genetics".
. "Greatness and tragedy of Russian genetics".
. "Lysenko vs. Vavilov - the truth is not in the middle."
. "The Life and Works of Charles Darwin".
. "The Theory of Natural Selection - Proponents and Opponents".
. "Hypotheses for the Origin of Life on Earth".
. "Hypotheses of the Origin of Man".
. "Rhythms of Life".
. "The diversity of life on the planet as a unique value

Instructional cards for summer assignments

1. Study of plant adaptations to cross-pollination

1. Determine pollination patterns in different plant species with simple visual observations.

2. Place glass slides smeared with petroleum jelly near the flower. Examine under a microscope the pollen of the investigated plant species adhering to the glass, describe and draw it.

3. Carefully consider the structure of flowers of different plants. Find out how they are adapted to a particular type of pollination. Describe and draw flowers and their adaptations.

4. Make observations on the "behavior" of flowers. Find out the time of their opening, describe and sketch the sequence of bending, unwinding the petals, stretching the stamens, changing the position of the flower, etc. Determine the lifespan of a flower.

5. Follow the "behavior" of the inflorescences, the arrangement of flowers in them. Find out if the flowers in the inflorescence are the same, whether they open at the same time.

6. Observe the behavior of insects on the plants under study: which insects visit the flowers, how the insect sits on the flower, how long it stays on it. Follow the movements of the legs and mouth apparatus of the insect. Calculate the frequency of visits by insects to a flower in one hour at different times of the day.

7. You can follow the features of pollination of one plant species in different conditions (in the forest, in the meadow, at the edge ...).

8. Establish a connection between the structure and "behavior" of flowers and inflorescences of plants, insects.

9. Make a report on the work done, using descriptions, drawings, photographs.

Make a presentation at a lesson, a school environmental conference.

Study of the structure, behavior and soil-forming activity of earthworms.

2. Study of the structure, behavior and soil-forming activity of earthworms

The family of true earthworms, or Lumbricidae, ( Lumbricidae) includes about 300 species. Most common in middle lane The European part of Russia is a common earthworm, or a large red creep, ( Lumbricus terrestris), characterized by large size, flattened and widened caudal end and intense coloration of the dorsal side of the anterior third of the body. This view is convenient for observations and experiments.

1. Catch several specimens of the common earthworm, place one of them on a flat surface and study its external structure.

What is the body shape of an earthworm?
- Why is an earthworm called annelids?
- Find the anterior (more thickened and darker) and posterior ends of the worm's body, describe their coloration.
- Find a thickening on the body of the worm - a belt. Count how many segments of the body form it.

Turn the worm with the ventral side up, run a finger moistened with water along the ventral side from the back end of the body to the head. What do you feel? Let the worm crawl across the paper. What do you hear?

Using a magnifying glass, find the bristles, describe their location and meaning.

Determine the speed with which the worm moves on glass and rough paper, how the shape, length and thickness of the body changes in this case. Explain the observed phenomena.

2. Observe how the worm reacts to stimuli. Touch it with a needle. Bring a piece of onion to the front end of the body without touching the worm. Light up with a flashlight. What are you observing? Explain what's going on.

3. Make a narrow-walled cage from two identical glasses (12 × 18 cm) and a spacer between them (rubber tube, wooden bars). Fasten the glasses together with brackets cut from thin tin. You can also use two glass jars (half a liter and mayonnaise), putting the smaller one in the larger one.

4. Pour a small (about 4 cm) layer of moistened humus soil into the cage, then a layer of sand and again humus. Place 2-3 small earthworms on the surface of the cage. Watch how the worms will dig into the topsoil. Try to grab a half-buried worm by the end of the body to pull it back. Is it easy to do? Why?

5. Describe in detail, draw or photograph changes in the condition of the ground in the cage every 3-5 days. Examine the inner surface of the earthworm's passages. What is the significance of mucus for the life of a worm in the soil?

6. Place 3-4 worms in a glass jar and fill half of the jar with clean sand. Keep the sand damp, spread fallen leaves, tops of various plants, pieces of boiled potatoes on the surface of the sand. Follow what happens to them. After a month, measure the thickness of the formed humus, draw a conclusion about the effect of earthworms on the composition and structure of the soil, its fertility.

7. Make a detailed report on the experiments and your observations, accompanying the description with drawings, photographs. Assess the importance of the activity of earthworms in nature and for humans.

3. Watching pets

1. The history of domestication of this type of animal.
2. Biological and economically valuable features of this breed.
3. The history of the appearance of this animal in your home.
4. Appearance of the animal (size, body weight, color of integument).
5. Conditions of detention:

The room and its characteristics (area, volume, temperature, illumination, ventilation);
- paddock - a device, its meaning;
- cleaning of the premises: frequency and means.

6. Feeding:

Feed, their preparation for feeding;
- biological substantiation of the feed ration;
- mode of feeding;
- feeders, drinkers, their device.

7. The behavior of the animal, its character, habits. The value of conditioned reflexes for animal care. (What conditioned reflexes, how and for what purpose did you develop in your animal?)
8. Obtaining offspring and features of caring for him. Relationships between the sexes and generations.
9. Preventive measures for the most common diseases and treatment of sick animals.
10. Your relationship with the animal. Their importance to you and to him.
11. Make a report on the work done, using descriptions, sketches, photographs, literary materials.

4. City dumps and landfill for municipal solid waste (MSW).

1. The problem of garbage in the city and the prospects for its solution.
2. Landfill for solid waste in the area of ​​the village of Kochnevo:

Site selection, equipment,
- operation of the landfill,
- land reclamation.

3. Economic problems associated with the operation of the solid waste landfill.

5. Aquatic and coastal plants of rivers, lakes.

1. Characteristics of the aquatic environment.
2. Species composition of aquatic and coastal plants.
3. Adaptive morphological, anatomical and biological features of aquatic and coastal plants.
4. The role of aquatic and coastal plants in the natural community.
5. Plants - bioindicators of water quality.
6. Practical use of aquatic and coastal plants.

6. Anthill as a model of ecological relations.

1. Location, size, shape of the anthill, its design, building material.
2. Characteristics of the soil: structure, density, humidity, temperature, mechanical composition, pH.
3. Intraspecific relationships: the relationship between the external structure and behavior of ants and the nature of their activities.
4. Direction and length of ant paths, diet of ants.
5. Conclusions.

7. Study of the species composition of tree and shrub plantations in urban or other settlements. Find out which trees and shrubs grow near your home, how the plants of each of these life forms differ from each other, which ones grow well and which are in a depressed state, what period of life (flowering, fruiting, etc.) they go through in the summer, which of them are the most decorative.

Collect one leaf (or shoot with two or three leaves) from each type of tree and shrub, straighten and dry them between sheets of newsprint, and then attach them to sheets of thick white paper and write the names of the plants to which they belong.

8. Study of the species composition of herbaceous plants growing in urban or other settlements. Establish which species (or genera) the herbs growing near your home belong to, what adaptations they have developed to survive in conditions of trampling and other human influences, which of them prevail in number, and which are quite rare, in what state (flowering , fruiting) they are in the summer.

Compare them with each other and find out how they differ in the shape of shoots, leaves, the structure of flowers or fruits.

Dig up one plant of each species, wash them in water, dry a little in the fresh air, straighten and dry between sheets of newsprint, and then make herbarium sheets with signatures of the names of the plants placed on them.

9. Finding out the impact on appearance trees of the conditions of his life. Select for observations trees of the same species and approximately the same age, growing on open space, at the edge of the forest and in its depths. Establish how they differ in the arrangement of branches on their trunks, the shape of the crowns, the height and thickness of the trunks.

Decide which growing conditions affect the appearance of trees. Make a schematic drawing of observed trees with labels of their habitats.

10. Study of the species composition of plants growing in wastelands. Select some unused area between buildings, along fences, or in other places called wastelands. Find out which of the plants - burdock, thistle, thistle, nettle, wormwood, dope, henbane - grow in the selected area, what signs are characteristic of this group of herbaceous plants and why humans and animals usually bypass their places of growth, which of them have thorns, stinging hairs or other adaptations to protect against being eaten by animals, which are Compositae and which are Nightshade.

Gather and dry side shoots of desert plants and then make herbarium sheets with the names of the plant group and its representatives.

11. Study of the composition of the roadside plant community. Choose any section of the passable road and establish which of the plants are plantain, medicinal dandelion, creeping clover, odorous chamomile, goose foot, knotweed (bird buckwheat, grass ant), goose foot - grow on its sides.

Find out which of the roadside plants have a shortened stem, and which ones have a creeping or low-rising stem, which plants have leaves with strongly developed elastic veins, and which ones have small or strongly dissected ones. Decide how important such structural features are in the life of roadside plants.

Establish in what state (flowering or fruiting) are certain roadside plants in summer, which of them prevail in number, and which are quite rare.

Collect material for mounting herbarium sheets according to the species composition of plants of the roadside community.

12. Observation of the state of barometer plants. Make observations on the state of flowers of yellow acacia, mallow, field bindweed, wood lice and dandelion inflorescences, marigolds (calendula). Find out what happens to their flowers or inflorescences in inclement weather before the onset of rain. Think about why they have such adaptations.

Find out which other plants and how can predict the approach of rain. Collect one barometer plant at a time, dry them between leaves of newsprint and mount herbarium sheets with signatures of plant names.

13. Observations on plants with flower clocks. Observe the opening and closing times of flowers or inflorescences of some wild and garden flowering plants, for example, dandelion, marigold, garden morning glory. Find out what time the flowers of any other flowering plants you know best open and close.

Establish what the observed phenomena in plant life are connected with. Collect for drying and making herbarium sheets several plants that open flowers or inflorescences at a strictly defined time of day.

14. Study of adaptations of weeds to living conditions. Find on the fields of cultivated cereal plants weeds similar to them in external structure: in rye, wheat and barley, oats - rye bonfire, field bonfire, wild oats; in millet - barnyard, chicken millet.

Establish how the named weeds are similar to cultivated cereals. Decide what value for weed cereals has similarity with cultivated plants with which they accompany.

Collect and prepare a herbarium of cultivated cereals and associated weeds.

15. Studying the methods of distribution of fruits and seeds by plants. Identify the time of formation of fruits and seeds in some plants, for example, thistle, thistle, string, burdock, balsam, dandelion. Collect their fruits and seeds and find out which of them have developed adaptations for dispersal by wind or animals, self-scattering, and in what way this or that adaptability is manifested.

Make a collection of fruits and seeds spread by plants through wind, animals and self-spreading.

16. Study of the composition of plants in a mixed forest. Find out which trees are most common in a mixed forest, which of them form the first (upper) and which form the second tiers, what is the difference between the trees that form the first and second tiers. What plants form the third and fourth tiers of a mixed forest? How do the living conditions of plants of these tiers differ from the living conditions of plants of the first and second tiers?

collect one by one herbaceous plant mixed forest, dry them and make herbarium sheets with signatures of the names of the objects included in them.

17. Plan for the implementation of the summer assignment on invertebrate zoology. 1. Find literature about your chosen object of nature (insect). 2. Read the literature carefully, mark Interesting Facts in my observation diary 3. In the study diary (it can be in electronic form), mark: a) Describe the lifestyle. b) External structure animal, and adaptations for life in this environment c) Nutrition (what does it eat, nutritional features, adaptations) d) Animal movement 4. Take a picture of the animal (its appearance, while feeding, while moving). It is no less difficult to make a good photo collection of insects, especially if you set yourself the task of determining their species, studying their lifestyle, and so on. But in general, it's quite interesting just to photograph insects and other animals. And then just on occasion to learn something about them ... 18. Plan for the implementation of the summer task in vertebrate zoology. 1. What birds come to us in summer? (Find the species name in the literature). Take a picture and write it down in your observation diary. 2. Remember (or ask relatives and friends) signs, weather harbingers associated with the behavior of animals, write in a diary and, if possible, make observations of animals. Are the predictions correct? (write down date and result). The work is considered to be excellent for evaluation if presented natural material(photos) and record observations.

2 Summer assignments in biology grade 5-6

Botany summer assignments for grades 5-6

biology teacher MBOU secondary school

s.p. "Youth Village"

Piltai O.A.

The choice by students of certain summer tasks is carried out before the end of the school year in agreement with the teacher. Written reports on the completion of tasks and the herbarium sheets, photo collections, compositions, panels, presentations attached to them are provided to the biology teacher at the beginning of the new academic year. Observations are recorded in an observation diary (regular notebook) or in an electronic diary.

Choose any topic that interests you.

Task 1. The diversity of the plant world.

Take a closer look at the plants that surround you in the city or your village. What are these plants? Try to determine their systematic affiliation; belonging to life forms: trees, shrubs, herbs. Look at the condition of their trunks and crowns, what species bloom, what flowers and fruits they have, who pollinates them and who then feeds on their fruits.

Task 2. Spore plants.

Being outside the city, in a park, in a country house, in a forest or in another natural community, going there for berries, mushrooms or just for relaxing, pay attention to spore plants. See how diverse and beautiful green mosses are. Choose one or two shoots of each type. Make a moss collection for yourself or for school.

Task 3. Floral miniatures.

Take part in making beautiful floral miniature crafts, panels or compositions. Collect and dry in a straightened form beautiful leaves, shoots, flowers, inflorescences, fruits and cones. Create a composition in the form of a picture, a gift card or a bookmark.

Task 4. Visual aids.

fabricate visual aids, for example, on such topics: "Diversity of leaves", "Venation of leaves", "Leaf damage", "Weeds of the garden", "Lichens of a pine forest", "Cones of coniferous plants". On adhesive tape, collect a collection of spores of various mosses, ferns, cap mushrooms for the school, label them.

Task 5. Study of the flowering process of herbaceous plants.

Look for insect pollinated flowers and wind pollinated flowers. Compare them to each other. Observe what insects visit these flowers, what plants attract them. Take photos. Note how flowering plants behave in sunny and cloudy weather, cool mornings and hot afternoons. Record this in your observation diary.

Task 6. Observations of the state of barometer plants.

· Make observations on the state of flowers of yellow acacia, mallow, field bindweed, wood lice and dandelion inflorescences, marigolds (calendula). Find out what happens to their flowers or inflorescences in inclement weather before the onset of rain. Think about why they have such adaptations.

· Find out which other plants and how can predict the approach of rain. Collect one barometer plant at a time, dry them between leaves of newsprint and mount herbarium sheets with signatures of plant names.

Task 7. Observation of plants with flower clocks.

· Observe the opening and closing times of flowers or inflorescences of some wild and garden flowering plants, for example, dandelion, marigold, garden morning glory. Take photos. Find out what time the flowers of any other flowering plants you know best open and close.

· Establish what the observed phenomena in plant life are connected with. Collect for drying and making herbarium sheets several plants that open flowers or inflorescences at a strictly defined time of day.