IN Lately It has become very fashionable among gardeners to create mini-reservoirs on the territory of their garden plots: ponds, lakes, and other waterways. It goes without saying that in this case one cannot do without coastal aquatic vegetation, because it is the main decoration of reservoirs. There are many thousands of species of plants living in water, but not all of them are suitable for growing in the middle zone. On this page you will learn the names of aquatic flowers and plants coastal zone, adapted to our conditions. You can also get acquainted with the description of aquatic plants and see their photographs.

Plants of the aquatic environment and coastal zone of water bodies

Calamus (ACORUS). Family Araceae.

Air (Image root) (A. calamus)- rhizomatous perennial 50-80 cm high with straight sword-shaped leaves. Small greenish inflorescences-cobs are not interesting.

In the variety "Variegatus" the leaves are green with yellowish stripes along the edges (they are pinkish in spring).

Growing conditions. Near water, planting depth 8-20 cm.

Reproduction. By dividing the bush (in spring).

This coastal plant is used to decorate the banks of reservoirs.

Watch (MENYANTHES). A family of shift workers.

Three-leaf watch (M. trifoliata)- a perennial with a thick, long, branched rhizome, growing in stagnant water, along the marshy banks of rivers and lakes in the temperate zone of Eurasia. Blue-green trifoliate leaves on long petioles give the plant a decorative appearance. The flowers of this coastal aquatic plant are white and pink, collected in a dense raceme.

Growing conditions. Low banks of reservoirs, shallow waters.

Reproduction. Sections of rhizomes with a renewal bud (at the end of summer). Planting density - 12 pcs. per 1 m2.

Used to decorate ponds.

Mertensia (MERTENSIA). Borage family.

Rhizomatous perennials, mainly growing along the seashores in North America and the Far East, are also found in the middle zone. The leaves are grayish-blue, lanceolate; inflorescence - a curl of bright blue flowers.

Types and varieties:

Mertensia ciliata (M. ciliata)- height 4050 cm.

Mertensia marine (M. maritima)- height 10-15 cm.

Mertensia virginiana (M. virginica)- height 40 cm.

Growing conditions. Moist, poor sandy soils in sunny locations.

Reproduction. By seeds (sowing in spring), dividing the bush (in spring). Juveniles, divide and replant in the 3rd-4th year. Planting density - 25 pcs. per 1 m2.

Sedge (CAREX). The sedge family.

Perennial rhizomatous herbs with dense, narrow, like cereal, leaves and thin spikelets. Numerous species are widely distributed throughout the world, but as ornamental plants Only a few of them are used.

Types and varieties:

Sedge Buchanana(C. buchananii)- 60 cm high, brownish leaves.

Sedge Morrow (C. morrowii), variety "Variegata" - height 50 cm.

rusty spotted (C. siderosticta) And hairy (C. pillosa)- forest sedges.

drooping sedge (C. pendula)- up to 100 cm high, semi-aquatic.

Growing conditions. This coastal plant of water bodies is planted in areas with any soil and sufficient moisture. Forest sedge species prefer shady areas.

Reproduction. By seeds (sowing in spring) and dividing the bush (late summer). Planting density - 9-12 pcs. per 1 m2.

Cattail (TYPHA). Cattail family.

This is coastal aquatic vegetation with a creeping thick rhizome, 100-200 cm high. The leaves are broadly linear at the base of the stem. These are plants that grow near water along the banks of rivers and other bodies of water in the temperate zone of Eurasia, often forming thickets.

Types and varieties:

Broadleaf cattail (T. latijoiia)— height 100-150 cm; Cattail angustifolia (T. angustifolia)-height 100-150 cm.

Growing conditions. Wet shores of reservoirs.

Reproduction. By dividing the bush (in spring and late summer).

Huttinia (HOUTTUYNIA). Family Saururidae.

Huttinia cordate(H. cordata)— A new plant for central Russia, but it is worthy of the difficulties associated with its cultivation. The species itself, which came into cultivation from the coastal meadows of the south Far East, are rarely grown.

Varieties of interest:"Chameleon" - with leaves along the edges of which white, yellow, red spots are scattered, and "Plena" - with double flowers.

The plant is creeping, quickly forms a thicket 20-50 cm high. It blooms rarely and not abundantly in central Russia.

Growing conditions. Semi-shaded banks of reservoirs with clay soils.

Reproduction. In spring, a piece of rhizome with a renewal bud. Planting density - 16 pcs. per 1 m2.

Waterfoil (HYDROPHYLLUM). Waterfolia family.

Long-rhizome perennials from the moist forests and grasslands of eastern North America with large lobed leaves and a fluffy, branched inflorescence of pink-purple flowers. Adapted to Russian conditions, where it is planted along the banks of reservoirs.

Types and varieties:

Canadian waterfoil (H. canadense)- leaf rounded-lobed; Virginia waterfoil (H. virginianum) has an elongated lobed leaf.

Growing conditions. This coastal plant prefers semi-shaded to shady locations with moist, rich soils.

Reproduction. Sections of rhizomes with a renewal bud at the end of summer. Planting density - 16 pcs. per 1 m2.

Spleen (CHRYSOSPLENIUM). Saxifraga family.

Spleenwort alternate-leaved (Ch. alternifolium)- perennial with a fleshy stem, height 5-15 cm, leaves in the basal rosette are light green, thickened, rounded-beam-shaped; the inflorescence is flat, corymbose, the flowers are golden-green. They form thickets in damp, shady places.

Growing conditions. Semi-shaded places near reservoirs, in depressions of the relief.

Reproduction. By seeds (sowing in autumn), dividing the bush (in summer). It grows weed on wet soils. Planting density - 36 pcs. per 1 m2.

Use only in areas that imitate natural thickets. Unstable decorative, good only in early spring.

Coastal aquatic vegetation: plants living in water and on the shore

This section presents photos of aquatic plants with names and descriptions suitable for growing in shallow water fresh water lakes and along their banks.

Whitewing (CALLA). Family Araceae.

Swamp whitewing (C. palustris)- a rhizomatous perennial growing along the banks of reservoirs in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere. Leaves are basal on long petioles, heart-shaped, rounded. The flowers are collected in an inflorescence-cob, covered with a white ovoid veil.

Growing conditions. This light- and moisture-loving plant is grown both in shallow waters of fresh water bodies and along their banks.

Reproduction. Propagated by seeds, sowing in wet soil immediately after collection. It is best to divide the rhizomes at the end of summer. Planting density - 7 pcs. per 1 m2.

Look at the photo: this aquatic plant provides an early spring effect as part of mixed groups with summer-flowering plants; interesting in rock gardens, in flower beds, where annuals are then planted.

Sitnik (JUNCUS). Sitnikov family.

Perennial rhizomatous moisture-loving herbs. The leaves are grass-like, decorative capitate or paniculate inflorescences.

Types and varieties. S. acutiflorus (J. acutiflorus) - up to 100 cm high, paniculate inflorescence; With. spreading (J. effusus) - up to 150 cm high, inflorescence fascicle-paniculate; With. xiphoid (J. ensifolius) - 20-30 cm high, inflorescence capitate, dark brown; With. glaucous (J. glaucus) - 60-90 cm high, bluish leaves.

Growing conditions. Sunny shores of reservoirs at a depth of 0-5 cm.

Reproduction. Rhizome sections in spring or late summer.

Buttercup (RANUNCULUS). Ranunculaceae family.

A large genus, the species of which are widely found everywhere, but only a few of the most decorative perennials are used in culture. Among them there are also aquatic plants, but more often buttercups grow on the shores of reservoirs.

Types and varieties:

Aquatic and semi-aquatic: L. caustic (R. acris), variety “Multiplex” height 50-70 cm, water depth 0-10 cm.

Water buttercup(R. aquatilis)— water depth 40-100 cm; l. longifolia(R. lingua)- depth 0-20 cm, variety Grandiflora.”

Buttercup cappadocian (R. cappadocicus)- from the forests of the Caucasus, consistently decorative, forms thickets.

Growing conditions. Aquatic - in reservoirs with standing water and in shallow water; l. Cappadocian - in the shade.

Reproduction. By dividing the bush (in spring). Planting density - 25 pcs. per 1 m2.

Full (CYPERUS). The sedge family.

Galingale (C. longus)- a long-rhizome perennial that grows along the banks and in shallow waters (depth up to 20 cm) of standing and slowly flowing waters. If we talk about which aquatic plants are most common in central Russia, then the seaweed is mentioned most often. Its tall (60-120 cm) leafy stem rises above the water, bearing an openwork umbrella with long (10-40 cm) “rays” carrying a bunch of small brownish spikelets. Consistently decorative. Forms loose thickets.

Growing conditions. Reservoirs.

Reproduction. Sections of rhizomes with a renewal bud (at the end of summer).

Reed (PHRAGMITES). Poa family (grasses).

Common reed (P. communis)- long-rhizome tall grass (150-200 cm), forming thickets along the banks and shallow waters of reservoirs.

Growing conditions. Sunny and semi-shaded areas with wet soils, low banks of reservoirs. This coastal plant can also be grown in shallow water.

Reproduction. Sections of rhizomes with a renewal bud (spring, late summer). Planting density - 5 pcs. per 1 m2.

Perennial aquatic flowers and ornamental herbaceous plants

Aquatic flowers and plants are a real decoration of ponds. But herbaceous aquatic plants are no less interesting, attracting attention with their rich greenery.

Arrow leaf (SAGITTARIA). Chastukhov family.

These are aquatic flowers, which are rhizomatous perennials, rooted at a depth of 10-50 cm. The leaves are dark green, shiny, dense. Flowers in inflorescence are a sparse raceme.

Types and varieties:

Arrowhead Broadleaf(S. LatifoLia)- height 50-70 cm, flowers with a yellow center; arrowhead arrowhead (S. sagittifoLia) - height 30-50 cm, flowers with a red center.

Growing conditions. Planting in reservoirs with standing or slowly flowing water to a depth of 10-50 cm.

Reproduction. By seeds (sowing in spring in containers and then planting in water).

Chastukha (ALISMA). Chastukha family.

A perennial aquatic plant with beautiful ribbed leaves on long petioles. They bloom all summer. The flowers are small, with three petals, arranged in whorls.

Types and varieties:

Chastukha plantain (A. plantagoaquatica)- pink flowers; small-flowered chastuha (A. parviflora) - white flowers.

Growing conditions. These plants live in an aquatic environment in the shallow waters of natural reservoirs. Planting depth 5-10 cm.

Reproduction. By dividing the bush (summer) or seeds (spring).

Wetland plants growing near water

Marigold (CALTHA). Ranunculaceae family.

Marsh marigold(C. palustris)– a perennial wetland plant with a short rhizome. The basal leaves are entire, round, bright green, shiny. The flowers are bright yellow, as if varnished. Abundant seed production in July-August. More often in gardens, the double form of this species is grown - marsh marigold "Multiplex".

Growing conditions. Sunny places with clay soils that retain water well.

Reproduction. By dividing the bush at the end of summer. The bush grows slowly, so division is carried out after 6-7 years. It is propagated by freshly collected seeds; they germinate the following spring, but the seedlings bloom in the 5-6th year. Planting density - 9 pcs. per 1 m2.

An excellent plant for decorating the banks of reservoirs and in “natural garden” flower beds that imitate wet meadows. Here marigold is planted together with loosestrife, drooping sedge, knotweed, crayfish, etc.

Reed (SCIRPUS). The sedge family.

Bulrush (S. lacustris)- a perennial with a thick creeping rhizome 100-120 cm high, growing along the banks of reservoirs in Europe and North America. The inflorescence is paniculate, the leaves are subulate.

Growing conditions. Wet, low places along the banks of reservoirs.

Reproduction. By dividing the bush (in spring and late summer), by seeds (sowing before winter).

Swamp flower (NYMPHOIDES). A family of shift workers.

Marsh-leaved herb(N. peltata)- an aquatic perennial with a rhizome, rounded shiny leaves on long petioles and numerous flowers emerging from the leaf axil. The name of this aquatic plant speaks for itself - it prefers exclusively marshy areas.

Growing conditions. Reservoirs with standing or slowly flowing water, depth 20-100 cm.

Reproduction. By seeds (into the ground under water), by dividing the bush.

Used when decorating reservoirs.

Floating aquatic flowering and herbaceous plants

Watercolor (HYDROCHARIS). Family of watercolors.

Common watercolor (H. morsusranae)- a floating aquatic plant of standing or slowly flowing waters with developed shoots and rounded dense dark green leaves in rosettes on long petioles and white 15-30 cm, flowering all summer.

Growing conditions. Aquatic plant.

Reproduction. Seeds, rosettes of leaves.

Used in ponds.

Water chestnut (TRAPA). Water chestnut family.

Common water chestnut (T. natans)- annual aquatic herbaceous plants growing in slowly flowing waters. There are thread-like submerged leaves and a beautiful rosette of floating leaves.

Growing conditions. Reservoirs.

Reproduction. Place seeds (nuts) on the bottom of the reservoir in the fall.

Used to decorate natural reservoirs.

Egg pod (NUPHAR). The water lily family.

Yellow egg capsule(N. iutea)- a perennial aquatic flowering plant with a fleshy underwater rhizome and wide, dense, leathery leaves above the water. A large waxy flower appears above them in June. The name of these aquatic flowers is quite justified - the flower really resembles a water capsule. Widely distributed in natural reservoirs of the temperate zone.

Growing conditions. Ponds, lakes with standing or slowly flowing water, at a depth of 30-80 cm.

Reproduction. Seeds (sow freshly harvested), sections of rhizome with renewal bud (at the end of summer). Planting density - 12 pcs. per 1 m2.

Waterlily (NYMPHAEA). The water lily family.

The genus includes about 30 species of aquatic plants growing in water bodies of temperate and tropical zones.

Types and varieties. In the reservoirs of central Russia, white plant (N. alba) grows - a rhizomatous perennial with round, unequal leaves on long petioles floating on the surface of the water. The leaves are green above, reddish below.

Look at the photo of these aquatic flowers - they are all large, mostly white. They have a pronounced aroma.

Numerous varieties available k. hybrid (N. xhybrida):

"Gladstoniana", "Fire Opal"

"Hollandia", "Rose Arey" and etc.

Growing conditions. These aquatic flowering plants prefer ponds with standing or slowly flowing water and grow at a depth of 30-100 cm.

Reproduction. Seeds (in the fall to the bottom of the reservoir), sections of rhizomes with a renewal bud (at the end of summer in the soil of the reservoir). Planting density - 12 pcs. per 1 m2.

These ornamental aquatic plants are used to decorate ponds.

Aquatic plants of the coastal zone of the pond, growing in the water and on the shore

Susak (BUTOMUS). Susakov family.

Susak umbrella (B. umbellatus)- grows in water bodies of Europe and Asia. Height 60-100 cm. This is a common aquatic plant of ponds and lakes (bodies of standing water) with long linear-triangular leaves and a large terminal umbrella-shaped inflorescence of large pink flowers.

Growing conditions. This is a plant that grows both in water and on the shore.

Reproduction. Cuttings of rhizomes in spring and late summer.

Mannik (GLYCERIA). Poa family.

Mannik is the largest (G. maxima)- a tall (70-100 cm) perennial with a long creeping rhizome, forms thickets in coastal waters at a depth of 0-10 cm. The leaves are wide, with white stripes, blooms in July-August. The panicle is spreading. Manna is a plant that grows in the water of ponds and lakes, as well as in water meadows and near streams.

Growing conditions. Sunny and semi-shaded shores of reservoirs. It is also possible to plant lengthwise at a depth of up to 10 cm.

Reproduction. This plant of the coastal zone of the pond and shallow waters reproduces by cuttings of rhizomes with a renewal bud at the end of summer.

Any representative of the kingdom of Neptune in one way or another gravitates towards thickets of aquatic vegetation - a fish table and a house. It is easier for juvenile fish to hide from predators among plants; right there, together with the adults, the “small fry” find food for themselves; in the heat of the day, many species cool off among the thickets of reeds and cattails, where the water temperature is always slightly lower than outside them...

The role of aquatic plants in the life of aquatic inhabitants is enormous and it is difficult to overestimate it.

Diversity of aquatic vegetation

Higher aquatic plants in any reservoirs perform very important functions. Hara, cladophora, ulothrix, poisonous buttercup, marigold, three-leaved watch, arrowleaf, cattail, iris, egg capsule, water kras and many other plants growing under water, on the surface of reservoirs or in shallow waters - a refuge for aquatic animals, a substrate for the spawning of phytophilous ( "plant-loving") fish, a natural filter between the catchment and the reservoir.

In addition, vegetation plays a vital role in the process of self-purification of reservoirs, rivers, and ponds; it is a competitor to algae that cause water blooms. In shallow areas of reservoirs overgrown with reeds and reeds, waterfowl and wading birds breed and feed...

In seas and oceans, aquatic plants often grow around coral reefs, protecting them from pollution in ocean waters (plants serve as a natural filter, absorbing pollution). Aquatic grass roots slow erosion, helping stabilize shorelines.

Aquatic plants can reach lengths from several centimeters to tens of meters. They form true sea meadows in coastal waters from the Arctic to the tropics. The largest underwater grasslands exist off the east coast of North America, covering several hundred square kilometers. Submerged meadows grow in Australian coastal waters. One such meadow near Adelaide covers an area of ​​4000 km2, and this meadow is more than a thousand years old.

The flora of the Dnieper reservoirs includes more than 1000 plant species, of which about 200 are purely aquatic or “water-loving” species. Below we give a description of some plants that are of no small importance in the life of fish.

Cattail (kuga)

Cattail is a plant with a dense and strong stem surrounded by wide leaves. It is crowned on top with a velvety dark brown cob (often called a “rocking chair”) with ripened fruits. This plant is sometimes incorrectly called rush.

On the reservoirs in the cattails, crucian carp, roach, rudd, and carp are excellently caught.

Duckweed is a tiny, free-floating plant. On the surface of standing water in lakes and ponds, duckweed often forms a solid light green coating.

Due to its high protein content, duckweed can compete with legumes. Therefore, both waterfowl and various fish enjoy it with pleasure.

Reed

Reed - has a long, smooth stem of dark green color, which is completely devoid of leaves. Often forms continuous thickets in the water near the shore. At the bottom the stem is as thick as a finger. In the upper part there is a brown inflorescence consisting of several spikelets. The length of the reed reaches five meters or more.

Reed stems are porous, filled with a mass similar to the lightest polystyrene foam. The plant is densely permeated with a network of air channels.

Unlike reeds, reed stems from below to the very top are covered with flat, linear-lanceolate, up to 7 cm wide, with sharply rough leaves at the edges. At the top of the stem there is a panicle 20-50 cm long. Inventive fishermen make wonderful light 3-4-meter fishing rods from individual dry reeds.

Elodea is often called the “water plague” because of its ability to rapidly grow and “capture” free water areas. Elodea is historically “not our” plant; it came to us from North America, having mastered the reservoirs of Western Europe along the way.

In the fishing literature there is a statement that the fish avoids dense thickets of elodea and cannot be caught there. However, it is not. Grass carp and some other fish happily feed on the “water plague”.

Filamentum, or mulberry

Filamentum is a bright green filamentous algae. Its strands are attached at one end to a pile, stone, snag or other underwater objects and freely “rinse” or flutter in the current. When the reservoir is heavily overgrown, the filament floats to the surface, forming large areas of green mud. This plant is loved by many species of fish.

Amphibious buckwheat

Determining the depth of the reservoir... by plants

Based on the nature of aquatic vegetation, an angler can quite accurately (provided that he can distinguish at least cattails from reeds) judge the bottom topography.

In the coastal zone, dark green sedges, vekh, and poisonous buttercups find favorable living conditions. Marigold sometimes forms a continuous carpet near the water itself.

0.5-1.0 meters. Amphibious plants grow on the border between water and land: three-leafed plant, arrowhead, thickets of chastukha, string, horsetails, cattails.

1.0-1.5 meters. The next belt consists of half-submerged plants: manna, sedge, and water buckwheat grow in shallows with depths of up to one meter. Pondweeds and hara settle somewhat deeper - at a depth of 1-2 meters.

1.5-2.0 meters. Kuga (lake reeds) and reeds in reservoirs with variable level regimes grow at depths of up to 2 meters, in rivers and lakes - up to 1.5 meters.

2.0-3.0 meters. This is a belt of plants with leaves floating on the surface: white water lily, yellow water lily, pondweed, amphibian buckwheat, water lily. The egg lily and white water lily (lovers of clean and running water) grow in rivers and lakes at depths of up to 2.5 meters, in reservoirs - up to 3 meters.

3.0-4.0 meters. At depths of up to 4 meters, charophyte algae grow - hornwort, urut, elodea (vacationers on the beaches are well familiar with these plants). Although the densest thickets are observed at a depth of one meter to one and a half meters.

4 meters and deeper. Deeper than 4 meters on reservoirs, hard vegetation is sparse; soft vegetation is found in small “bushes”.

Each fish loves its own plants

Different types of fish prefer “their” vegetation. Crucian carp and tench love to feed in thickets of sedge and cattail, and are often caught at a depth of 20-30 cm. Perch, roach, and rudd settle near reeds and reeds; pike often lie in ambush at a depth of 1-2 meters. In rivers and lakes, among thickets of egg capsules, roach and rudd feed; Uruti thickets are inhabited by a variety of fish, both peaceful and predatory.

There are practically no adult fish among the hornwort shoots. The larvae of aquatic insects - fish food - do not settle on the leaves of this plant “thanks” to the release of a tannin substance by the plant - tannin. In addition, in the scientific literature there is a statement that fine hornwort pollen during its flowering gets into the gills of fish with water and clogs them.

There are a lot of adult fish and “fish” in the thickets of pondweed and uruti, where it finds abundant food, spawns and successfully hides from predators. Carp often lays eggs in pondweed thickets, where the saturation of water with oxygen both day and night is significantly higher than in the surrounding open areas of the reservoir.

All daylight hours in summer and early autumn you can catch rudd, roach, tench, dace, crucian carp and small carp in the windows between the leaves of water lilies, on the border of reed and cattail thickets.

Observant anglers have noticed how many fish sometimes gather late autumn and in winter in horsetail thickets. It is believed that these plants have the ability to alkalize the water around them. In addition, in winter, the water is enriched with oxygen coming from the air through the hollow stems of plants.

* 1. Fish in whose diet higher plants are of exclusive or predominant importance.
* 2. Omnivorous euryphagous fish, in whose diet higher plants have more or less equal importance with animal food.
* 3. Omnivorous euryphagous fish, in whose diet higher plants play the role of additional food.

The first group usually includes species such as grass carp and rudd.

Juveniles cupid in the first stages of active feeding, it consumes small planktonic animals and feeds on worms. Adult fish eat a variety of plants: aquatic submerged and semi-submersible, and in some cases terrestrial. The most consumed plants (at any water temperature) are filamentous and narrow-leaved pondweeds, elodea, reeds (young shoots), and sexually mature carps manage to eat plants even at a height of 50-70 cm from the surface of the reservoir, jumping high out of the water.

DOES NOT use food for food is white carp, pierced-leaved pondweed (old), shiny and reddening, egg capsule, pure white water lily, water lily, gorse, bladderwrack, buckwheat, large cattail, sedge, susak, chara algae.

Consequently, it makes no sense for an angler to watch for carp near these plants.

Rudd They are considered a transitional species from purely herbivorous fish to fish with a plant-animal diet. Until the age of two, these fish still feed on invertebrates and plants, and when they reach 8-10 cm in length, they almost completely switch to plant nutrition (higher plants, filamentous algae, diatoms).

The rudd spends its entire life near thickets of vegetation, practically never leaving them. Experienced fishermen know that catching a rudd, say, on a river bed is real nonsense.

In reservoirs where there is little vegetation, rudd grows poorly. Favorite plants for this fish are coastal reed, elodea, and hornwort.

In summer, the rudd fasts. She prefers vegetarian food during almost the entire warm season. That is why its meat tastes bitter.

The herbivorous period almost stops for the rudd before autumn, when larvae of mosquitoes and other insects and aquatic invertebrates appear more and more often in its diet.

The second group (euryphage fish, i.e. species with a wide food spectrum, omnivores) includes carp (carp), chub, ide, roach (ram), tench.

Experienced anglers know, for example, that roaches are partial to mulberry (a bright green algae often called filament). Floaters and guides use it as an excellent bait for heavy roaches. In general, some researchers noted up to 45 food items in the diet of roach, among which the most beloved by fish are fouling algae, pondweed, and urut.

Large roach almost completely switches to eating animal feed - shellfish.

Adults carps almost omnivorous, they eat a variety of plant and animal foods: seeds and young shoots of aquatic plants (reed, buckwheat, uruti), mollusks, crustaceans. In the literature for amateur fishermen, this majestic fish is often called the “water pig” due to its ability to consume various foods of animal and plant origin without going overboard.

in spring carps and carp They happily eat the tender shoots of cattail; in summer, the share of plant food in their diet is insignificant, although from time to time these fish feed on chara, diatoms and green algae.

By the way, it was found that for the normal development of carp it is necessary that the feed ration contains at least 25% animal food rich in amino acids and vitamins.
Podust is a periphyton eater - it feeds on aquatic inhabitants attached to the stems and leaves of plants: rotifers, insect larvae, worms, mollusks, lower algae. Silt and higher aquatic plants (urut) can be found in the food of the podust, although the latter are not the main, but an additional food.

crucian carp prefers animal food, although in summer it happily feeds on filamentous algae and “grazes” in cattail thickets, pecking aquatic invertebrates from the stems. Hornwort, pondweed and urut are used by silver crucian carp as additional food.

Large individuals of benthos-eating and mollusc-eating fish: carp, ram, bream, silver bream, blue bream love to feed at depths from 3 to 10-12 meters, where the bottom of Eastern European and southern reservoirs and rivers is almost completely covered with a carpet of zebra mussels - a shell mollusk.

Chub During the period of open water, it feeds mainly on aerial insects, sometimes “snack” on pondweed shoots and plucking mulberry.

Ukleya, despite the predominant feeding on animal feed, sometimes pays attention to higher aquatic plants; in reservoirs it uses elodea and pondweed for food when there is a lack of food (high competition).

River perch, as paradoxical as it may seem for fishermen, is by no means an absolute predator. In its diet, in addition to a small proportion of aerial insects, there is also vegetation. In the reservoirs of Kazakhstan, in the lakes of the Urals and Trans-Urals, for example, in large perches (weighing more than 600 g), the frequency of occurrence of plants (cattails!) reaches 18%, and in the floodplain reservoirs of the Middle Volga, ichthyologists caught perches, in the intestines of which higher plants amounted to up to 36 % by weight. Moreover, the perches ate the plants in the presence of a huge number of juvenile fish!

But not only in distant lands is perch “vegetarian”. According to researchers, small perch in the Dnieper and Dnieper reservoirs feed on plants, fish eggs and invertebrates. Although scientists recognize that plants still play an additional role in the food of these predators.

It’s hard to imagine our bodies of water without the familiar reeds and reeds, the water column and river bottoms without pondweed, arrowhead or mulberry. Aquatic plants are a reliable home and a nourishing table for all fish without exception. And an inquisitive fisherman who knows the fish’s preferences will always come home with a rich catch!..