Landmarks of orienteering

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Every element of nature around us has its own significance and is closely related to other seemingly useless objects.

And whether it is a small insect or a fixed stone, it is collectively our home, which we must cherish. When a person finds himself in a situation in which he needs to orient himself without having a compass, nature gives him clues, which we will now consider in detail. So, what are the natural signs of orientation on the terrain?

Orienteering by mushrooms

Many of us know that mushrooms like to grow under trees or on stumps. But have you ever noticed that they grow mostly on the north side of a tree or stump?

Moss also likes to grow on that side. In fact, it is quite common to see the north side of a stump covered with moss where mushrooms grow. Thus, mushrooms are a good sign for orienteering. On the eastern and western sides of the tree there are usually not so many mushrooms, and on the southern side, if the dry weather is prolonged, they are very rare. Redheads grow in a consistent location each year, such as under the same pine tree on the north side or to the northeast and northwest.

Redheads growing south of the tree have a greenish-blue coloring, a rough, dry surface, although the stem and cap are red and juicy in section.

Berries are signs for orienteering

Berries also help in orienteering. In an open forest glade, fruits ripen earlier from the south. So, the north is in the opposite direction.

In the forest berries (blueberries, blackberries, cowberries, blueberries, cloudberries, cranberries) on the southern side are heated better and ripen faster than on the northern side. Once, in the second half of August, the high school students went to the forest to pick cranberries. There were few berries in the nearest forest glades. So the children went deeper into the forest, found a lot of cowberries in the young growth, got carried away and, running from bush to bush; got lost.

The sky was covered with gray clouds, rain began to pour down. The clearing, overgrown with young pine trees, occupied dozens of square kilometers. Around the horizon, the upper line of the dark forest, covered with a shroud of fog, was visible.

Even experienced people could not easily understand and orient themselves in such an environment. The children became despondent. Everyone was thinking about what signs of orientation could be found in the forest. Suddenly one of the boys came to the berry bushes near the nearest stumps.

- Here, look, - he said, - on one side there are more berries and they are riper - this is the southern side. And in the morning we went northward into the forest, I noticed the Sun in the cloud gap, it was on the right. It means that we have to go back home to the south.

Everyone carefully examined the berry patch and, convinced of the correctness of his comrade's words, went home, where they were eagerly awaited. Thus orienteering by berries helped to find the way.

Signs of orienteering by grass

In open forest glades, the direction is indicated by the grass cover. In spring, the grass on the shady, northern edges is thicker than on the southern edges. In the summertime, around freestanding trees, stumps, poles, large stones, the grass at first glance seems to be the same from all sides.

However, if you look closely, you will notice that the grass is thicker on the southern side than on the northern side. Around the second half of summer, the grass starts to turn yellow. On the north side, the green color lasts longer.

Other orienteering signs can be found in the article on orienteering in the forest.