On Saturday, Anya's parents were preparing to leave early in the morning. Her father had a business trip to a neighboring city, and her mother wanted to go with him to shop and stroll through the stores. So early in the morning, there was a gentle knock on the door—it was Zinaida Pavlovna, Anya's grandmother, who came to spend the weekend with her granddaughter.
Anya lingered in bed a bit longer before deciding to get up. In the kitchen, her grandmother had already baked her favorite pancakes and set out a whole bowl of delicious strawberry jam.
Hi, Grandma!
Anya said cheerfully.
Hooray, my favorite pancakes! I love it so much when you come visit us! What should we do today?
Hello, Anya!
Her grandmother replied.
Have your breakfast! The weather forecast promises sunshine today, so let's go for a walk in the Botanical Garden. It's especially beautiful there in January!
Anya ate five whole pancakes with strawberry jam and washed it all down with milk, then hurried to get dressed.
The girl lived with her parents not far from the park—just two bus stops away.
Soon Anya and her grandmother got off the bus and headed toward the gates that served as the entrance to the botanical garden. How beautiful it was here, as if by a wave of a magic wand, you had stepped from a big city into another world. The paths were smooth, all covered with pristine white snow that had fallen all night long. And there were so many amazing and unique trees here. The landscape design was absolutely beautiful.
Running along the paths, Anya noticed a botanical garden worker throwing snow under one of the trees.
Grandma, why is that man throwing snow under the trees?
The girl asked curiously. From birth, she had been very inquisitive, like most children her age.
Why don't you ask the botanical garden worker about it yourself?
Zinaida Pavlovna replied.
I think he'll explain everything to you.
Anya was a brave enough girl for her age, so she ran up to the gardener and asked her question.
Hello!
She approached the man.
Please tell me, why are you throwing snow under these trees?
The gardener, whose name was Nikolai Semyonovich, hadn't expected anyone to notice his work—he was even pleased. Of course, he turned to the girl with great enthusiasm.
Good day, young lady. I'll be happy to answer your question.
The botanical garden worker began the conversation.
There's so little snow this year, and we have strong frosts at night. We're worried that heat-loving trees might not survive the winter well, so we're creating a snow cushion.
How's that?
Anya was surprised.
You're making pillows for them?
For trees, snowdrifts act like a down comforter. They wrap the root system and the above-ground part, protecting them from severe frosts and icy wind.
The gardener answered with a smile.
And around young trees, we botanical garden workers try to pack the snow more tightly so that mice don't reach the tree trunks in winter and damage the young plants. Adult trees aren't afraid of rodents, so they just need snow. Snowdrifts are like batteries that create a certain microclimate for trees and maintain a comfortable temperature for plants. Plus, snow creates a supply of fresh water that the tree will need in spring.
Thank you very much. You explained everything so interestingly.
The girl said to Nikolai Semyonovich, and she and her grandmother continued their walk.
Grandma, on Monday we'll have a lesson where I'll definitely tell everyone what I learned today.
Little Anya shared her impressions, and she absolutely had to tell Mom and Dad to cover all their apple trees with snow at the dacha. After all, they don't know anything about this.
