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A quick sniff and then move on. That was the extent of muskox dating activity on this day.
Taken on the Seward Peninsula, Alaska.
Micro Crossover: A-Segment-SUV, Min-SUV.
FW - City-SUV - mit Frontantrieb.
Mehr Übersicht:
Higher ground clearance + Higher seating position (gives to some extent SUV feeling)
Front:
mit Unterfahrschutz und military Jeep ähnlichem Grill.
Der Suzuki Ignis verwandelt sich mit dem Facelift wieder mehr in ein SUV zurück: das bringt er mit der neuen Suzuki-SUV-Nase und den verstärkten Schwellern optisch zum Ausdruck.
Unter der Haube arbeiten ab sofort ausschließlich der verbesserte Benziner und sein modifiziertes Mildhybridsystem. Dessen Effizienz ist gestiegen;
Für Suzuki selbst ist der Ignis im Augenblick konkurrenzlos: er ist das einzige ultrakompakte SUV auf dem Markt.
Die geschwärzten A- und B-Säulen verleihen ihm einen Schuss Extravaganz.
Facelift im Modelljahr 2020 (4/2020)
Im Rahmen der Modell-überarbeitung (Facelift) unterzog sich das kleine Micro-Crossover einer optischen
Auffrischung.
An der Front sind Veränderungen an Kühlergrill und Stoßfänger zu erkennen.
Der
neue silberfarbene Bügel unterstreicht den Offroad-Charme des Fahrzeugs.
Die Scheinwerfer mit
dem Tagfahrlicht sind in LED ausgeführt und bescheren dem Ignis ein ausdrucksstarkes Gesicht.
Der Wiedererkennungswert ist unbestritten. Das Fahrzeug ist in seinen Proportionen prägnant und
einzigartig.
-
refined engine
Rear:
Am Heck findet sich ein neu
gestalteter Stoßfänger mit Unterfahrschutz.
und an der Kofferraumklappe der Schriftzug Hybrid.
Der IGNIS erweist sich als Freund des leichten Ein- und Aussteigens, auch in engen Parklücken
Diesen Monat entscheidet es sich.
Dank der hohen Karosserie freuen sich auch großgewachsene über viel Kopffreiheit.
Mit seiner sympathisch-eigenständigen Optik vereint der neue Suzuki Ignis die praktischen Eigenschaften von Kleinstwagen und SUV miteinander.
Seit dem Facelift 2020 gibt es den aufgefrischten Micro-Crossover mit einem 83 PS starken Mild-Hybrid-Antrieb
Federung wurde verbessert: auf Komfort getrimmtes Fahrwerk.
-
Neuer Ignis sparsam, aber nicht sportlich.
###########
Kraftstoffverbrauch Suzuki Ignis 1.2 M/T DUALJET HYBRID
(61 kW | 83 PS |
Typ MF
Version: MT-4/L
Variant H91S
5-Gang-Schaltgetriebe
| Hubraum 1.197 ccm |
Kraftstoffart Benzin:
WLTP
Comfort und Comfort+!!
innerstädtisch (langsam) 4,9 l/100 km,
Stadtrand (mittel) 4,2 l/100 km,
Landstraße (schnell) 4,3 l/100 km,
Autobahn (sehr schnell) 5,9 l/100 km,
Sehr schnelle Autobahn Fahrten:
120 bis 145 kmh, große und PS starke Motoren sind hier im Vorteil.
- bei Anstiegen auf der Autobahn muss man immer wieder in den vierten Gang wechseln.
Kraftstoffverbrauch kombiniert 5,0 l/100 km;
CO2-Emissionen kombiniert 112 g/km.
Die Ausstattung ist mit entscheidend!
Allgrip und CVT-Automatic Version: 5,4 l/100 km, kombiniert
Nur die Basis Version "Club" kommt auf 4.9 l/100 km, kombiniert.
ps
Der Vorgänger hatte noch 90 PS, war aber etwas durstiger, und schaffte von
0 - 100 km/hin 10,0 s- 11,0 s
Verbrauch5,8 l S/100 km
83 PS, jetzt 11% sparsamer und mit besserem Mild Hybrid System:
braucht
0 - 100 km/h 11,5 s - 12,5 s.
Verbrauch4,8 l S/100 km
Der Motor muss eingefahren sein!
Angaben
offiziell, Oktober 2021
Von Suzuki Deutschland
Höchste Ausstattungs-Variante ist empfehlenswert.
Highest trim level: GLX aka Comfort+, BS6, or shine
Suzuki bietet seine Modell in anderen Ländern jeweils unterschiedlich an.
Wenn die Gesetze wenig Wert auf Umwelt legen, gibt es auch keinen Mild Hybrid.
Intelligente Allrad-Unterstützung gibt es nur mit 5 Gang-Schaltung, im Prinzip!
Die Comfort+ - Ausstattung macht viel her:
etwa mit Klimaautomatik, Navi (voice comanded - sprachgesteuert, sensitive display) , Sitzheizung beidseitig und einem umfangreichen Paket modernster Sicherheitsassistenten; und NCAP Test : 5 Sterne.
komplett – nur Metalliclack und ein schwarzes Dach, oder andere Alu-Felgen, kostet extra.
(Aral Sea: left 2014 and right 2000, 1960 extent black line)
In the 1960s, the Soviet Union undertook a major water diversion project on the arid plains of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. The region’s two major rivers, fed by snowmelt and precipitation in faraway mountains, were used to transform the desert into farms for cotton and other crops. Before the project, the Syr Darya and the Amu Darya rivers flowed down from the mountains, cut northwest through the Kyzylkum Desert, and finally pooled together in the lowest part of the basin. The lake they made, the Aral Sea, was once the fourth largest in the world.
Although irrigation made the desert bloom, it devastated the Aral Sea. This series of images from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite documents the changes. At the start of the series in 2000, the lake was already a fraction of its 1960 extent (black line). The Northern Aral Sea (sometimes called the Small Aral Sea) had separated from the Southern (Large) Aral Sea. The Southern Aral Sea had split into eastern and western lobes that remained tenuously connected at both ends.
By 2001, the southern connection had been severed, and the shallower eastern part retreated rapidly over the next several years. Especially large retreats in the eastern lobe of the Southern Sea appear to have occurred between 2005 and 2009, when drought limited and then cut off the flow of the Amu Darya. Water levels then fluctuated annually between 2009 and 2014 in alternately dry and wet years. Dry conditions in 2014 caused the Southern Sea’s eastern lobe to completely dry up for the first time in modern times. Continue reading: 1.usa.gov/1nLX9Ku
Read more: 1.usa.gov/1pqEnDj
Credit: NASA Earth Observatory
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission.
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The large niltava is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae. It is found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Scientific name: Niltava grandis
This species has an extremely large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence 30% decline over ten years or three generations). The population size has not been quantified, but it is not believed to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern.
A Shot at Sunciti Home.
Why Full Moon in the month of Karthigai is significant. Let me explain.
As per Vedic Astrology and Hindu Almanac, Moon the planet which control the mind and thought of people is in an Exalted position while in the II house , i.e Rishab. Moon is under greater influence of Constellation of Bharani and Karthigai, to some extent Mrigashiridam.
These three stars or group of stars of constellations are supposed to be so huge, many times larger than our Sun, and considered to be very bright and Hot Stars.
More over during the month of Karthigai, Sun is in the eight house Vrichiham and directly aspects the on this particular day.
Therefore Moon's power is at it's peak on this day.
I was at a bookstore yesterday, leafing through one photobook after another trying to learn something from the giants. It's a whole different kind of experience, holding a physical print in your hand, to the extent that you can almost touch the grains on the surface.
At the same time, I had a very 'normalizing' experience, in that in the film days, any noise you get on your shots was considered part of your work.
Now back to this shot. This is another one from the Hong Kong trip in the summer of 2011. Apart from the composition, there's not much to like, technique-wise. I basically let the camera decide how it wanted to capture the scene, which resulted in an extremely high ISO (for a 7D) while the shutter remained open for one quarter of a second.
I, however, decided to leave the noise produced in such a process. Now that I have been shooting for almost 2 years, I see a same image taken a while ago in a very different way (hence the title). What I mean is, some of the marvels that technology had allowed us may not always 'enhance' our photographic experience, either as a doer, or as a consumer.
The bodywork had gone in the same places as mine (with the exception of the tailgate) but to a slightly worse extent. Both rear arches had been repaired like this and I suspect it would be a bigger job to get them sorted than I had done on mine back in the summer.
“The joy that comes past hope and beyond expectation is like no other pleasure in extent.” Sophocles.
Having to suspend a two-week photo trip is not very pleasant. But I like to believe that things happen for something, and if I can not be where I had planned, there are always alternatives. In my case I have the immense fortune of being from a province that hides wonderful corners. So yesterday, although the sky did not promise much, I took my gear and I went with some friends to the always charming coves of the Cape of Roche.
I have seen some of the most incredible sunsets of my life on these small beaches surrounded by cliffs. This time I was not disappointed again, and although it was quite difficult to find a good composition, in the end everything was aligned. The result is this photograph full of that special light that seems to exist only in Cadiz.
--------------------------
"La alegría que viene más allá de la esperanza y más allá de la expectativa es como ningún otro placer en extensión." Sófocles.
Tener que suspender un viaje fotográfico de dos semanas no es muy agradable. Pero me gusta creer que las cosas suceden por algo, y si no puedo estar donde había planeado siempre existen alternativas. En mi caso tengo la inmensa fortuna de ser de una provincia que esconde rincones maravillosos. Así que ayer, a pesar de que el cielo no prometía mucho, cogí mi equipo fotográfico y me dirigí con unos amigos a las siempre encantadoras calas del Cabo de Roche.
Algunos de los atardeceres más increíbles de mi vida los he visto en estas pequeñas playas rodeadas de acantilados. En esta ocasión no me volvieron a defraudar, y aunque me resultó bastante complicado encontrar una buena composición, al final todo se alineó. El resultado es esta fotografía llena de esa luz especial que parece existir solo en Cádiz.
++++ FROM WIKIPEDIA ++++
Inle Lake (Burmese: အင်းလေးကန်, pronounced [ʔɪ́ɴlé kàɴ]), is a freshwater lake located in the Nyaungshwe Township of Taunggyi District of Shan State, part of Shan Hills in Myanmar (Burma). It is the second largest lake in Myanmar with an estimated surface area of 44.9 square miles (116 km2), and one of the highest at an elevation of 2,900 feet (880 m). During the dry season, the average water depth is 7 feet (2.1 m), with the deepest point being 12 feet (3.7 m), but during the rainy season this can increase by 5 feet (1.5 m).
The watershed area for the lake lies to a large extent to the north and west of the lake. The lake drains through the Nam Pilu or Balu Chaung on its southern end. There is also a hot spring on its northwestern shore.
Although the lake is not large, it contains a number of endemic species. Over twenty species of snails and nine species of fish are found nowhere else in the world. Some of these, like the silver-blue scaleless Sawbwa barb, the crossbanded dwarf danio, and the Lake Inle danio, are of minor commercial importance for the aquarium trade. It hosts approximately 20,000 brown and black head migratory seagulls in November, December and January.[1]
In June 2015, it became Myanmar's first designated place of World Network of Biosphere Reserves.[2] It was one of 20 places added at the Unesco's 27th Man and the Biosphere (MAB) International Coordinating Council (ICC) meeting.[3]
Contents
1 People and culture
2 Climate
3 Environmental concerns
4 Tourism
5 Cuisine
6 See also
7 References
8 External links
People and culture
The people of Inle Lake (called Intha), some 70,000 of them, live in four cities bordering the lake, in numerous small villages along the lake's shores, and on the lake itself. The entire lake area is in Nyaung Shwe township. The population consists predominantly of Intha, with a mix of other Shan, Taungyo, Pa-O (Taungthu), Danu, Kayah, Danaw and Bamar ethnicities. Most are devout Buddhists, and live in simple houses of wood and woven bamboo on stilts; they are largely self-sufficient farmers.
Transportation on the lake is traditionally by small boats, or by somewhat larger boats fitted with single cylinder inboard diesel engines. Local fishermen are known for practicing a distinctive rowing style which involves standing at the stern on one leg and wrapping the other leg around the oar. This unique style evolved out of necessity as the lake is covered by reeds and floating plants, making it difficult to see above them while sitting. Standing provides the rower with a view beyond the reeds. However, the leg rowing style is only practiced by the men. Women row in the customary style, using the oar with their hands, sitting cross legged at the stern.
Lotus thread is used to weave a special robe for the Buddha.
On the way home from harvesting weeds in the lake
Fish caught from the lake - the most abundant kind is called nga hpein locally (Inle carp, Cyprinus intha) - are a staple of the local diet. A popular local dish is htamin gyin - 'fermented' rice kneaded with fish and/or potato - served with hnapyan gyaw (literally twice fried - Shan tofu). In addition to fishing, locals grow vegetables and fruit in large gardens that float on the surface of the lake. The floating garden beds are formed by extensive manual labor. The farmers gather up lake-bottom weeds from the deeper parts of the lake, bring them back in boats and make them into floating beds in their garden areas, anchored by bamboo poles. These gardens rise and fall with changes in the water level, and so are resistant to flooding. The constant availability of nutrient-laden water results in these gardens being incredibly fertile. Rice cultivation and consumption is also significant facet of the local diet and agricultural tradition.
Climate
Inle Lake is suffering from the environmental effects of increased population and rapid growth in both agriculture and tourism. During the 65-year period from 1935 to 2000, the net open water area of Inle Lake decreased from 69.10 km² to 46.69 km², a loss of 32.4%, with development of floating garden agriculture, which occurs largely on the west side of the lake (a practice introduced in the 1960s).[4]
Lumber removal and unsustainable cultivation practices (slash and burn farming techniques) on the hills surrounding the lake are causing ever-increasing amounts of silt and nutrients to run off into the rivers that feed the lake, especially along its western and northern watershed areas. This silt fills up the lake; the nutrients encourage the growth of weeds and algae. More important however is the development of floating garden agriculture, largely along the western side of the lake. This practice encroaches into the diminishing area of the lake, since over time, the floating beds become solid ground. About 93% (nearly 21 km²) of the recent loss in open water area of the lake, largely along its western side, is thought to be due to this agricultural practice. Direct environmental impacts associated with these combined agricultural activities within the wetlands and surrounding hills of the lake include sedimentation, eutrophication, and pollution.[4]
The water hyacinth, a plant not native to the lake, also poses a major problem. It grows rapidly, filling up the smaller streams and large expanses of the lake, robbing native plants and animals of nutrients and sunlight. At one time, all boats coming into Nyaung Shwe were required to bring in a specified amount of water hyacinth. Over the past twenty years, large-scale use of dredges and pumps has been employed with some success in controlling the growth of this plant. On a smaller scale, public awareness education and small-scale control have also been successful.
Another cause for concern is the planned introduction of non-native fish species, such as the Grass Carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella)] intended to improve fishery.
Sanitation in the villages around the lake is an ongoing concern for public health authorities, due to untreated sewage (with 72% of households using open pits, not latrines) and waste water flowing into the lake.[5] To ensure fresh and clean water, some villages now have enclosed wells and public access to the well water. Some studies of the lake's surface water quality indicates that the water is not safe for consumption.[5] Water from Inle Lake has dissolved oxygen ranges lower than those necessary for fisheries and aquatic life, while nitrite, nitrate and phosphate ranges are unusually high.[5]
Noise pollution is also a noticeable issue. The noise from the cheaper poorly muffled diesel engines driving the stern drive propellers is significant, and can be a distraction to the otherwise tranquil lake.
The summer of 2010 registered very high temperatures causing the water level of the lake to drop so low, the lowest in nearly 50 years, that drinking water had to be fetched from elsewhere and the floating market was in danger of disappearing.[6] One other serious consequence was that the hydroelectric plant at Lawpita, where the former capital Yangon received its power supply from, could not operate at its full capacity.[7]
In 2015 the United Nations added Inle lake to its World Network Biosphere Reserves. There are a total of 651 sites in 120 countries in this network, but Inle Lake is the first biosphere reserve to be added for Myanmar.[8]
Tourism
Inle Lake is a major tourist attraction, and this has led to some development of tourist infrastructure. Many small and large privately owned hotels and tour operations have arisen during the past few years. Local shops are flooded with consumer items, both local and foreign. The nearest airport is Heho Airport which is 35 km away. There are flights from both Yangon and Mandalay. Yangon is 660 km away by road, Mandalay 330 km.
A number of festivals occur from August to October on Inle Lake and in the surrounding areas. The ceremonial Hpaung Daw U Festival, which lasts for a total of 18 days, is closely followed by the Thadingyut festival of lights. Inthas and Shan turn out in their best clothes in great numbers to celebrate the Buddhist Lent. Traditional boat racing, with dozens of leg-rowers in traditional Shan dress compete on teams with a team on each boat. These boat races are locally one of the most anticipated affairs during the Hpaung Daw U Festival.[9]
Inle Boat Miniature
One of the tourist attractions in the village on the lake itself is the traditional silversmithing, which has fed into the local tourist economy. The silver is brought in from the mines that line the hills surrounding the lake and is boated into the village. Almost all the houses in the village on the lake itself sit on stilts and are made of woven bamboo. Tourists can satisfy their need for trinkets and memorable tokens by observing the silver being smithed and purchase items on-site. If silversmithing doesn't interest a visitor there are also local silk workshops that operate on the lake in a very similar manner as the silversmiths.[10]
Floating farm
Hand-made goods for local use and trading are another source of commerce. Typical products include tools, carvings and other ornamental objects, textiles, and cheroots. A local market serves most common shopping needs and is held daily but the location of the event rotates through five different sites around the lake area, thus each of them hosting an itinerant market every fifth day.[11] When held on the lake itself, trading is conducted from small boats. This 'floating-market' event tends to emphasize tourist trade much more than the other four.
The Inle lake area is renowned for its weaving industry. The Shan-bags, used daily by many Burmese as a tote-bag, are produced in large quantities here. Silk-weaving is another very important industry, producing high-quality hand-woven silk fabrics of distinctive design called Inle longyi. A unique fabric from the lotus plant fibers is produced only at Inle lake and is used for weaving special robes for Buddha images called kya thingahn (lotus robe).[12]
While hot air balloon flights are more popular in Bagan, they are also provided over Inle Lake with Balloons Over Bagan. There is also a winery near the lake, called Red Mountain Estate.[13]
Cuisine
Inle cuisine is different from Shan cuisine, as it incorporates local natural produce. The most well-known Inle dish would be the Htamin jin - a rice, tomato and potato or fish salad kneaded into round balls dressed and garnished with crisp fried onion in oil, tamarind sauce, coriander and spring onions often with garlic, Chinese chives roots (ju myit), fried whole dried chili, grilled dried fermented bean cakes (pè bouk) and fried dried tofu (topu jauk kyaw) on the side.
31mm Extention Tube Attached To 60mm lens:
Small Red, Yellow, Green And Blue Lights Placed Inside A Wine Glass .
Fork-tailed Woodnymph
A text, in english, from Birdlife International:
Justification
This species has an extremely large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence 30% decline over ten years or three generations). The population size has not been quantified, but it is not believed to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern.
Taxonomic source(s)
del Hoyo, J.; Collar, N. J.; Christie, D. A.; Elliott, A.; Fishpool, L. D. C. 2014. HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge UK: Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International.
SACC. 2006. A classification of the bird species of South America. Available at: #http://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.html#.
Population justification
The global population size has not been quantified, but this species is described as 'common' (Stotz et al. (1996).
Trend justification
This species is suspected to lose 15.9-17.6% of suitable habitat within its distribution over three generations (12 years) based on a model of Amazonian deforestation (Soares-Filho et al. 2006, Bird et al. 2011). It is therefore suspected to decline by <25% over three generations.
References
Stotz, D. F.; Fitzpatrick, J. W.; Parker, T. A.; Moskovits, D. K. 1996. Neotropical birds: ecology and conservation. University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
Further web sources of information
Explore HBW Alive for further information on this species
Search for photos and videos,and hear sounds of this species from the Internet Bird Collection
Text account compilers
Ekstrom, J., Butchart, S.
IUCN Red List evaluators
Butchart, S., Symes, A.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2015) Species factsheet: Thalurania furcata. Downloaded from www.birdlife.org on 14/12/2015. Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2015) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from www.birdlife.org on 14/12/2015.
This information is based upon, and updates, the information published in BirdLife International (2000) Threatened birds of the world. Barcelona and Cambridge, UK: Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, BirdLife International (2004) Threatened birds of the world 2004 CD-ROM and BirdLife International (2008) Threatened birds of the world 2008 CD-ROM. These sources provide the information for species accounts for the birds on the IUCN Red List.
To provide new information to update this factsheet or to correct any errors, please email BirdLife
To contribute to discussions on the evaluation of the IUCN Red List status of Globally Threatened Birds, please visit BirdLife's Globally Threatened Bird Forums.
Beija-flor-tesoura-verde
Texto, em português, da WikiAves:
O beija-flor-tesoura-verde é uma ave da ordem dos Apodiformes, da família Trochilidae.
Também é conhecido como beija-flor-de-barriga-violeta. No livro Aves do Brasil, edição Pantanal e Cerrado, consta como beija-flor-de-ventre-roxo.
Seu nome significa: do (grego) thalos = criança, descendente de; e ouranos céu, celeste, referente ao azul do céu; e do (latim) furcata, furcatus = bifurcada. ⇒ Pássaro filho do azul celeste com cauda bifurcada.
Mede cerca de 9,7 cm de comprimento. Macho com partes superiores esverdeadas, garganta verde-metálica, peito e barriga azul-violeta-brilhante; fêmea com as partes inferiores cinza.
Possui doze subespécies:
Thalurania furcata furcata (Gmelin, 1788) - ocorre no extremo Leste da Venezuela, Guianas e Norte do Brasil, ao norte do Rio Amazonas;
Thalurania furcata refulgens (Gould, 1853) - ocorre no Nordeste da Venezuela, na Península de Paría e na Serra de Cumaná;
Thalurania furcata fissilis (Berlepsch & Hartert, 1902) - ocorre no Leste da Venezuela, e na região adjacente no extremo Oeste da Guiana e Nordeste do Brasil;
Thalurania furcata nigrofasciata (Gould, 1846) - ocorre do Sudoeste da Colômbia até o extremo Sul da Venezuela e Noroeste do Brasil;
Thalurania furcata viridipectus (Gould, 1848) - ocorre do Leste da Cordilheira dos Andes na Leste da Colômbia até o Nordeste do Peru;
Thalurania furcata jelskii (Taczanowski, 1874) - ocorre na região tropical Leste do Peru e na região adjacente no Brasil;
Thalurania furcata simoni (Hellmayr, 1906) - ocorre na Amazônia ao Sul do Rio Amazonas no extremo Leste do Peru e no Oeste do Brasil;
Thalurania furcata balzani (Simon, 1896) - ocorre na região Norte e Central do Brasil ao sul do Rio Amazonas;
Thalurania furcata furcatoides (Gould, 1861) - ocorre no baixo Rio Amazonas, na região Leste do Brasil ao Sul do Rio Amazonas;
Thalurania furcata boliviana (Boucard, 1894) - ocorre nos sopés da Cordilheira dos Andes no Sudeste do Peru e no Nordeste da Bolívia;
Thalurania furcata baeri (Hellmayr, 1907) - ocorre da região Central e Nordeste do Brasil até o Sudeste da Bolívia e no Norte da Argentina;
Thalurania furcata eriphile (Lesson, 1832) - ocorre do Sudeste do Brasil, Leste do Paraguai até o Nordeste da Argentina, na região de Misiones.
Alimenta-se em flores à pouca altura, buscando também insetos na vegetação ou capturando-os no ar.
Faz ninho em forma de taça profunda, preso por teias de aranha a forquilhas ou pequenos ramos, a cerca de 2 m de altura. Põe 2 ovos brancos. Os filhotes deixam o ninho após 18 a 24 dias.
Comum no sub-bosque de florestas altas, capoeiras e florestas de várzea. Vive solitário, defendendo seu território de maneira agressiva.
Distribuição Geográfica:
Quase todo o Brasil, da Amazônia ao Paraná. Encontrado também do México à Bolívia, Paraguai e Argentina.
Referências:
Portal Brasil 500 Pássaros, Beija-flor-tesoura-verde - Disponível em webserver.eln.gov.br/Pass500/BIRDS/1birds/p159.htm Acesso em 09 mai. 2009
CLEMENTS, J. F.; The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. Cornell: Cornell University Press, 2005.
Classificação Científica
Reino: Animalia
Filo: Chordata
Classe: Aves
Ordem: Apodiformes
Família: Trochilidae
Vigors, 1825
Subfamília: Trochilinae
Vigors, 1825
Espécie: T. furcata
Nome Científico
Thalurania furcata
(Gmelin, 1788)
Nome em Inglês
Fork-tailed Woodnymph
Estado de Conservação
(IUCN 3.1)
Pouco Preocupante
The Sombrero lies about 28 million light years away in the constellation of Virgo. It is an unbarred spiral galaxy seen nearly edge on. Among nearby galaxies, it is likely that it has one of the most massive black holes at its core - with a mass of approximately 1 billion times the mass of our sun.
This deep image begins to show the large extent of the halo of stars that surround the galaxy. Recent observations show that this halo is indicative of a giant eliptical galaxy.
This is a 7.0 hr LRGB image (150, 90, 90,90 mins). Subs were 15 mins.
FOV is 30.1 x 20.0 arcmins @ 1.05 arcsec/pixel.
Takahashi TOA-150 refractor @ F11.7 (FL=1760mm) using an SBIG STL 11000M camera.
I've been having a hard time lately trying to truly enjoy myself. maybe it is the pressure that I put onto my daily routine, sticking to my values and aspirations and living life up to the extent of that I can lie in bed in the evening and feel exhausted not only of smoothing the pillows and bed-sheet but actually adding up all the thoughts in my head and making something out of that. a good friend of mine once told me that if we did all the things we do the way I smoke my cigarettes, then we'd be finding the peace we are looking for. she said that we shouldn't only smoke cigarettes in that sense. we should smoke books and movies and tea and the sundown and all those things that we lose during the day. everyday's little things. another friend of mine wrote me a letter and as he was discussing his view on infinity, he wrote "the infinite is everyday's little things", and thinking about it, nothing is more endless than finding peace with that. I don't know if I should try to enjoy myself more. it's a hard thing to stand still when you are always on the run trying to be the first.
The San Francisco cable car system is the world's last manually operated cable car system and an icon of the city of San Francisco. The system forms part of the intermodal urban transport network operated by the San Francisco Municipal Railway, which also includes the separate E Embarcadero and F Market & Wharves heritage streetcar lines, and the Muni Metro modern light rail system. Of the 23 cable car lines established between 1873 and 1890, only three remain (one of which combines parts of two earlier lines): two routes from downtown near Union Square to Fisherman's Wharf, and a third route along California Street. While the cable cars are used to a certain extent by commuters, the vast majority of the millions of passengers who use the system every year are tourists, and as a result, the wait to get on can often reach two hours or more. They are among the most significant tourist attractions in the city, along with Alcatraz Island, the Golden Gate Bridge, and Fisherman's Wharf. San Francisco's cable cars are listed on the National Register of Historic Places and are designated as a National Historic Landmark.
In 1869, Andrew Smith Hallidie had the idea for a cable car system in San Francisco, reportedly after witnessing an accident in which a streetcar drawn by horses over wet cobblestones slid backwards, killing the horses. Hallidie solicited financial support in 1871 and 1872, and his primary backers were Henry L. Davis, Joseph Britton, and James Moffit.
The first successful cable-operated street running train was the Clay Street Hill Railroad, which had its inaugural run on August 2, 1873. The promoter of the line was Hallidie, and the engineer was William Eppelsheimer; both Hallidie and Eppelsheimer obtained several patents for their work on the Clay Street line. The line involved the use of grip cars, which carried the grip that engaged with the cable, towing trailer cars; the design was the first to use grips. The term "grip" became synonymous with the operator.
The line started regular service on September 1, 1873, and its success led it to become the template for other cable car transit systems. It was a financial success, and Hallidie's patents were enforced on other cable car promoters, making him wealthy.
Accounts differ as to the precise degree of Hallidie's involvement in the inception of the line, and to the exact date on which it first ran. According to the franchise granted by the city, operations were required to begin by August 1, 1873. Retrospective published in 1895 stated that a single car was run over the line at 4 AM on the morning of August 1 with few witnesses to ensure the franchise would not expire. Eppelsheimer would later bring a suit against Hallidie and the Clay Street Hill RR in June 1877 over patents, but dismissed it voluntarily the following March.
The next cable car line to open was the Sutter Street Railway, which converted from horse operation in January 1877. This line introduced the side grip, and lever operation, both designed by Henry Casebolt and his assistant Asa Hovey, and patented by Casebolt. This idea came about because Casebolt did not want to pay Hallidie royalties of $50,000 a year for the use of his patent. The side grip allowed cable cars to cross at intersections.
In 1878, Leland Stanford opened his California Street Cable Railroad (Cal Cable). This company's first line was on California Street, and is the oldest cable car line still in operation. In 1880, the Geary Street, Park & Ocean Railway began operation. The Presidio and Ferries Railway followed two years later, and was the first cable company to include curves on its routes. The curves were "let-go" curves, in which the car drops the cable and coasts around the curve on its own momentum.
In 1883, the Market Street Cable Railway opened its first line. This company was controlled by the Southern Pacific Railroad and would grow to become San Francisco's largest cable car operator. At its peak, it operated five lines, all of which converged on Market Street to a common terminus at the Ferry Building. During rush hours, cars left that terminus every 15 seconds.
In 1888, the Ferries and Cliff House Railway opened its initial two-line system. The Powell–Mason line is still operated on the same route today; their other route was the Powell–Washington–Jackson line, stretches of which are used by today's Powell–Hyde line. The Ferries & Cliff House Railway was also responsible for the building of a car barn and powerhouse at Washington and Mason, and this site is still in use today. In the same year, it also purchased the original Clay Street Hill Railway, which it incorporated into a new Sacramento–Clay line in 1892.
In 1889, the Omnibus Railroad and Cable Company became the last new cable car operator in San Francisco. The following year the California Street Cable Railroad opened two new lines, these being the last entirely new cable car lines built in the city. One of them was the O'Farrell–Jones–Hyde line, the Hyde section of which still remains in operation as part of the current Powell–Hyde line.
In all, twenty-three lines were established between 1873 and 1890.
Originally, the cables were powered by stationary steam engines. For the initial three cables, the Ferries & Cliff House Railway constructed a three-story structure to house two 450-horsepower coal-burning steam engines. The building was complete with a 185-foot-tall smokestack to vent away the heavy black smoke created by the Welsh anthracite coal that the company burned. Expansion of service required two additional 500-horsepower coal-fired steam engines in 1890, and the number and type of engines continued to vary over time. Coal consumption in 1893 was about 10 tons per day. The system was converted to oil in 1901, and the lessened amount of smoke allowed the smokestack to be shortened to 60’; this shortened smokestack still exists at Washington-Mason today.
Electric energy was introduced in 1912, when a 600-horsepower General Electric motor came on-line. By 1926, all steam operation of the cable ended when a second complete electrical drive was installed, a 750-horsepower General Electric product. With reduction in the number of cable car lines, the single 750-horsepower electric motor took over the job of running all of the lines. The problem with that configuration was that if one cable car on one line broke down, all lines had to be stopped. After the 1984 reconstruction, each of the four cables for the three lines (California, Hyde, Mason and Powell) is separately powered by its own 510-hp electric motor.
The first electric streetcars in San Francisco began operation in 1892 under the auspices of the San Francisco and San Mateo Electric Railway.
By the beginning of 1906 many of San Francisco's remaining cable cars were under the control of the United Railroads of San Francisco (URR), although Cal Cable and the Geary Street Company remained independent. URR was pressing to convert many of its cable lines to overhead electric traction, but this was met with resistance from opponents who objected to what they saw as ugly overhead lines on the major thoroughfares of the city center.
Those objections disappeared after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. The quake and resulting fire destroyed the power houses and car barns of both the Cal Cable and the URR's Powell Street lines, together with the 117 cable cars stored within them. The subsequent race to rebuild the city allowed the URR to replace most of its cable car lines with electric streetcar lines. By 1912, only eight cable car lines remained, all with steep grades impassable to electric streetcars. In the 1920s and 1930s, these remaining lines came under pressure from the much improved motor buses of the era, which could now climb steeper hills than the electric streetcar. By 1944, five of those cable car lines had survived: the two Powell Street lines – by then under municipal ownership, as part of Muni – and the three lines owned by the still-independent Cal Cable.
In 1947, Mayor Roger Lapham proposed the closure of the two municipally owned lines. In response, a joint meeting of 27 women's civic groups, led by Friedel Klussmann, formed the Citizens' Committee to Save the Cable Cars. In a famous battle of wills, the citizens' committee eventually forced a referendum on an amendment to the city charter, compelling the city to continue operating the Powell Street lines. This passed overwhelmingly, by 166,989 votes to 51,457. Klussman led another campaign in 1948 to have the city acquire Cal Cable, but the referendum fell short of the required 2⁄3 majority, with 58% in favor of acquisition; a second referendum in 1949, requiring a simple majority, passed and the city began negotiations with Cal Cable.
In August 1951, the three Cal Cable lines were shut down when the company was unable to afford insurance. The city purchased and reopened the lines in January 1952, but another referendum that would have funded maintenance for the California Street tracks and the powerhouse and car barn at Hyde and California failed in November 1953. The amendment to the city charter did not protect the newly acquired Cal Cable lines, and the city proceeded with plans to replace them with buses; in addition, businesses in Union Square and downtown began advancing plans to convert O'Farrell to automobile traffic, which would remove service through the Tenderloin district via the inner section of the O'Farrell Jones & Hyde line. The result was a compromise that formed the current system: a protected system made up of the California Street line from Cal Cable, the Powell–Mason line already in municipal ownership, and a third hybrid line formed by grafting the Hyde Street section of Cal Cable's O'Farrell-Jones-Hyde line onto a truncated Powell–Washington–Jackson line, now known as the Powell–Hyde line.
This solution required some rebuilding to convert the Hyde Street trackage and terminus to operation by the single-ended cars of the Powell line, and also to allow the whole system to be operated from a single car barn and power house. Much of the infrastructure remained unchanged from the time of the earthquake.
By 1979, the cable car system had become unsafe; it needed to be closed for seven months for urgently-needed repairs. A subsequent engineering evaluation concluded that it needed comprehensive rebuilding at a cost of $60 million. Mayor Dianne Feinstein, who took charge of the effort, helped win federal funding for the bulk of the rebuilding job. In 1982 the cable car system was closed again for a complete rebuild. This involved the complete replacement of 69 city blocks' worth of tracks and cable channels, the complete rebuilding of the car barn and powerhouse within the original outer brick walls, new propulsion equipment, and the repair or rebuild of 37 cable cars. The system reopened on June 21, 1984, in time to benefit from the publicity that accompanied San Francisco's hosting of that year's Democratic National Convention.
Since 1984, Muni has continued to upgrade the system. Work has included rebuilding of another historical car, the building of nine brand new replacement cars, the building of a new terminal and turntable at the Hyde and Beach terminus, and a new turntable at the Powell and Market terminus.
Between 2017 and 2019, the system received a second, but less extensive rebuild. Over the two year project, Muni rehabilitated the cable car system's gearboxes, which had been in service since the last rebuild in 1984.
The system was shut down in March 2020 to protect operators during the COVID-19 pandemic, as cable cars do not offer a compartment separating them from passengers (unlike Muni buses, which kept running). Limited service on all three lines resumed on August 2, 2021. Full revenue service began on September 4. On September 9, a valve failure caused the fire suppression system in the carbarn to activate, shutting down electric power to the powerhouse. Service resumed on September 18.
The cable cars are an iconic part of San Francisco and are protected National Historic Landmarks, but they are not without their critics. Most complaints center around the high cost of operating a system that mostly serves tourists, and the large number of accidents involving the cable cars.
The cable car lines serve around seven million passengers per year, but the vast majority are tourists, rather than commuters. The area where the cable cars operate is well-served by a large number of buses and trolleybuses that often give residents better options for their trips. Also, during busy times, the wait to board a cable car can often reach two hours or more.
While Muni does allow monthly passholders to ride the cable cars at no additional charge, single ride fares are more than triple the fares charged on other Muni routes. The high fares led the San Francisco Chronicle to describe the cable cars in 2017 as a "cash cow" for Muni, yielding a yearly revenue of around $30 million. Still, according to Mission Local, the cable car system had a $46 million operating deficit in 2019. In 2006, then-Mayor Gavin Newsom reported that he had observed several conductors pocketing cash fares from riders without receipt. The following year, the San Francisco auditor's office reported that the city was not receiving the expected revenue from cable cars, with an estimated 40% of cable car riders riding for free. Muni's management disputed this figure and pointed out that safe operation, rather than revenue collection, is the primary duty of conductors. In 2017, after an audit showing that some conductors were "consistently turn[ing] in low amounts of cash", as well as a sting operation, one conductor was arrested on charges of felony embezzlement.
Among U.S. mass transportation systems the cable cars have the most accidents per year and per vehicle mile, with 126 accidents and 151 injuries reported in the 10 years ending 2013. In the three years ending 2013 the city paid some $8 million to settle four dozen cable car accident claims.
I can’t help it, I love ruins —they sadden me of course, on the one hand, because destruction is never pleasant to behold, but on the other there is also survival, albeit partial, and ruins are so full of atmosphere and so evocative that I can very much understand (and, to some extent, share) the attraction that 19th century “Romantics” felt for them. It is this very attraction that gave rise to the conviction that historic ruins should be protected and preserved, and that conviction, at the beginning only shared between the members of an intellectual élite, trickled down into the general public and turned into our modern concepts of heritage, protection and restoration of “old stones”... hopefully before they do turn into ruins!
The ruined priory church in the Burgundy village of Le Puley, which we will visit over a couple of days, exemplifies both this interest of mine, and the more and more widespread conviction that historic monuments and buildings must be cared for and, if at all possible, saved, or at least preserved from further decay, as I will explain below.
It is said here and there that the church was built between 1100 and 1150, but personally, I would rather date it between 1050 and 1100. For a Cluny subsidiary (which this priory of Benedictine nuns was from the beginning, except for the very few first years during which the sisters were canonesses), I find the apparel quite rough, and this indicates old age. I also see the beautiful bandes lombardes on the façade, and the archaic shape of the apse and apsidioles I will show tomorrow: all of this tells me that the church was built before 1100. If it had been built after, it would look more “accomplished”, so to speak. Cluny had the technical and monetary means to do better, and they did in all the subsidiaries I have visited to date.
What I would also like to stress is that the church was restored and saved from ruin entirely by volunteers between 1969 and 1984. Its bell tower had fallen during a thunderstorm in 1877. Even now, two-month restoration periods are conducted on the site every Summer under the ægis of the Rempart non-profit organization, the works being carried out mostly by architecture and archæology students.
Three-quarters view of the nave from the southern aisle, looking to the Northeast. This photo allows you to get a better idea of the proportions of the church and to appreciate architectural and decorative details: one of the squinches that supported the cupola under the bell tower is still intact, and another one is partly preserved; bandes lombardes ran at least along the false transept, maybe more. This is a very unusual decorative choice, as such small, blind arcatures are more often seen on the outside of churches (remember that this one also features them on its façade). You can also see the beginning of the arcs doubleaux (“transverse arches”) that supported the barrel-vaulted ceiling. They rested on barely raised pilasters (which can be better seen in the northern aisle) instead of engaged columns, which is a sober, almost Cistercian choice, rather than Cluniac. :o)
This church is decidedly a disturbing mix of rough, very careful but unskilled and quite poor countryside work, and technically perfect architectural concepts... In one of the next photos uploaded today, you will see an enormous and strong stone pile buttressing (pointlessly?) the low-hanging apse... and in the nave, you see those perfect pilasters, jutting out just slightly and not one centimeter more than strictly needed as per an experienced architect’s calculations...
The photographs in this album were not taken by myself. They were taken in and around London in late March 2020 and show the extent the people in this lovely city are taking the current pandemic very seriously indeed.
Like millions of others in the UK I’m adhering to the advice of the government to remain in my home so that my own chances of catching the Covid-19 virus are minimised.
The pictures show how quiet some major London landmarks are at this worrying time.
I’d love to go out and take some pictures of my own but know that to do so would be irresponsible.
I hope that the pictures give my friends and contacts on flickr some idea of how serious the people of the UK are taking this potential health crisis.
The vast majority of the UK is trying extremely hard to:
#FlattenTheCurve
My thoughts at this worrying time are with all of the families around the world who are having to bear the loss of their loved ones.
Event: Capesthorne Hall Classic Car Show
Location: Capesthorne Hall, Macclesfield, Cheshire
Camera: Thornton Pickard Imperial Triple Extension Half-Plate Field Camera
Lens(s): Thornton Pickard Rectoplanat 9” f/8
Plate: J. Lane Standard Plate
Shot ISO: 2
Light Meter: Weston Master II
Movements: None
Bellows: 240mm (+0)
Exposure: 20s @ f/22
Lighting: Overcast & drizzle - 10:15am
Mounting: Tripod - Manfrotto
Firing: Lens cap removal
Developer: Ilford Ilfotec HC (1+31) - 6 mins by inspection
Scanner: Epson V800
Post: Adobe Lightroom & Photoshop (dust removal)
Fraser's dolphin or the Sarawak dolphin (Lagenodelphis hosei) is a cetacean in the family Delphinidae found in deep waters in the Pacific Ocean and to a lesser extent in the Indian and Atlantic Oceans.
Fraser's dolphins are about 1 m (3 ft 3 in) long and 20 kg (44 lb) weight at birth, growing to 2.75 m (9 ft 0 in) and 200 kg (440 lb) by adulthood. They have a stocky build, a small fin in relation to the size of the body, as well as conspicuously small flippers. The dorsal fin and beak are also shorter than other species of dolphin. The upper side is a gray-blue to gray-brown. A dirty cream-colored line runs along the flanks from the beak, above the eye, to the anus. There is a dark stripe under this line. The belly and throat are usually white, sometimes tinged pink. The lack of a prominent beak is a distinguishing characteristic of this dolphin. From a distance, however, it may be confused with the striped dolphin, which has a similar coloration and is found in the same regions.
Fraser's dolphins swim quickly in large, tightly-packed groups, numbering anywhere from 100 to 1,000 in number. Often porpoising, the groups chop up the water tremendously. The sight of seeing a large group fleeing from a fishing vessel has been reported as "very dramatic".
It is also unique in having the smallest genitalia of any open sea dolphin.
The species feeds on pelagic fish, squid and shrimp found some distance below the surface of the water (200 m/660 ft to 500 m/1,600 ft). Virtually no sunlight penetrates this depth, so feeding is carried out using echolocation alone.
This image was taken near Castries in St Lucia.
The San Francisco cable car system is the world's last manually operated cable car system. An icon of San Francisco, the cable car system forms part of the intermodal urban transport network operated by the San Francisco Municipal Railway. Of the twenty-three lines established between 1873 and 1890, three remain (one of which combines parts of two earlier lines): two routes from downtown near Union Square to Fisherman's Wharf, and a third route along California Street. While the cable cars are used to a certain extent by commuters, the vast majority of their 7 million annual passengers are tourists. The cable cars are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Yes, I know, this is nothing but thy love, O beloved of my heart -
This golden light that dances upon the leaves...
This passing breeze leaving its coolness upon my forehead.
-Rabindranath Tagore ( Nobel Laureate Indian Poet )
Chicago Botanic Garden, 'Butterflies and Blooms' tent, housing 2500 butterflies they claim.
Shot with Shot with Nikon D610, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR and a 20mm automatic extention tube. 150mm, f7.1, 1/400sec, ISO 800, AF-C focus mode. Ring flash
PNT_9575 close
You have until Wednesday May 11th at 11:59pm slt!
Hunt for Lore Pages and get a great gift at the end!
Go get some photos and grab the lore folks. There is still time! Lots of Prizes and even some Cash to win!
secondlifesyndicate.com/2022/05/09/atheneum-contest-and-l...
shot on Fuji Provia RHP about 20 years ago with my Bronica GS1 medium format film camera. Probably with a 100mm lens (50mm equivalent) and macro extention tube.
This photo of the Changu Naryan temple gives some idea of the extent and quality of the decoration you can find on Hinu temples in Nepal.
Like many of the temples we visited in Nepal (and unlike most Western churches) it felt it was an important part of the residents everyday routine rather than a something that's been preserved as a tourist attraction.
More photos from my Kathmandu trip here : www.flickr.com/photos/darrellg/albums/72157709610673461
From Wikipedia : "The ancient Hindu temple of Changu Narayan is located on a high hilltop that is also known as Changu or Dolagiri. The temple was surrounded by champak tree forest and a small village known as Changu. The temple is located in Changunarayan VDC of Bhaktapur District, Nepal. This hill is about 7 miles or 12 km east of Kathmandu and a few miles north of Bhaktapur. The Manahara River flows beside the hill. This shrine is dedicated to lord Visnu and held in special reverence by the Hindu people. This temple is considered to be the oldest temple in the history of Nepal. The Kashmiri king gave his daughter, Champak, in marriage to the prince of Bhaktapur. Changu Narayan Temple is named after her."
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© D.Godliman
The Pacific reef heron, also known as the eastern reef heron or eastern reef egret, is a kind of heron.
Scientific name: Egretta sacra
This species has a very large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence 30% decline over ten years or three generations). The population size is very large, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern.
Fast asleep on a narrow neck of beach. I tiptoed past as far away as I could (about 10m). Luckily I didn't wake him!
This is a 20x Zoom lens so not as close as it looks :-)
The New Zealand sea lion (Phocarctos hookeri) also known as Hooker's sea lion or whakahao in Māori is a species of sea lion that primarily breeds on New Zealand's Sub-Antarctic Auckland and Campbell Islands and to some extent around the coast of New Zealand's South and Stewart Islands.
November to January many male sea lions swim roughly 700km south to the Auckland islands for breeding season. A few remain on Otago and Southland beaches...this was one of them. The males are typically 350-500kg. Females are smaller at 100-160kg.
I could not help but notice this pleasant scene of 3 blossoms....Gorse, Hawthorn and Rapeseed. To get the 3 together was awesome.
Ulex (gorse, furze or whin) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. The genus comprises about 20 plant species of thorny evergreen shrubs in the subfamily Faboideae of the pea family Fabaceae. The species are native to parts of western Europe and northwest Africa, with the majority of species in Iberia.
Gorse is closely related to the brooms, and like them, has green stems and very small leaves and is adapted to dry growing conditions. However it differs in its extreme thorniness, the shoots being modified into branched thorns 1–4 centimetres (0.39–1.6 in) long, which almost wholly replace the leaves as the plant's functioning photosynthetic organs. The leaves of young plants are trifoliate, but in mature plants they are reduced to scales or small spines.[1] All the species have yellow flowers, generally showy, some with a very long flowering season.
Species
The most widely familiar species is common gorse (Ulex europaeus), the only species native to much of western Europe, where it grows in sunny sites, usually on dry, sandy soils. It is also the largest species, reaching 2–3 metres (7–10 ft) in height; this compares with typically 20–40 centimetres (7.9–16 in) for Western Gorse (Ulex gallii). This latter species is characteristic of highly exposed Atlantic coastal heathland and montane habitats. In the eastern part of Great Britain, dwarf furze (Ulex minor) replaces western gorse. Ulex minor grows only about 30 centimetres (12 in) tall, a habit characteristic of sandy lowland heathland.
Common gorse flowers a little in late autumn and through the winter, coming into flower most strongly in spring. Western Gorse and Dwarf Furze flower in late summer (August-September in Ireland and Great Britain|Britain). Between the different species, some gorse is almost always in flower, hence the old country phrase: "When gorse is out of blossom, kissing's out of fashion". Gorse flowers have a distinctive coconut scent, experienced very strongly by some individuals, but weakly by others.[2
Ecology
Gorse may grow as a fire-climax plant, well adapted to encourage and withstand fires, being highly flammable,[4] and having seed pods that are to a large extent opened by fire, thus allowing rapid regeneration after fire. The burnt stumps also readily sprout new growth from the roots. Where fire is excluded, gorse soon tends to be shaded out by taller-growing trees, unless other factors like exposure also apply. Typical fire recurrence periods in gorse stands are 5–20 years.
Gorse thrives in poor growing areas and conditions including drought;[5] it is sometimes found on very rocky soils,[6] where many species cannot thrive. Moreover, it is widely used for land reclamation (e.g., mine tailings), where its nitrogen-fixing capacity helps other plants establish better.
Gorse is a valuable plant for wildlife, providing dense thorny cover ideal for protecting bird nests. In Britain, France and Ireland, it is particularly noted for supporting Dartford Warblers (Sylvia undata) and European Stonechats (Saxicola rubicola); the common name of the Whinchat (Saxicola rubetra) attests to its close association with gorse. The flowers are sometimes eaten by the caterpillars of the Double-striped Pug moth (Gymnoscelis rufifasciata), while those of the case-bearer moth Coleophora albicosta feed exclusively on gorse. The dry wood of dead gorse stems provides food for the caterpillars of the concealer moth Batia lambdella.
Invasive Species
In many areas of North America (notably California and Oregon), southern South America, Australia, New Zealand and Hawaii, the common gorse, introduced as an ornamental plant or hedge, has become an invasive species due to its aggressive seed dispersal; it has proved very difficult to eradicate and detrimental in native habitats. Common gorse is also an invasive species in the montane grasslands of Horton Plains National Park in Sri Lanka.[7]
Management
Gorse readily becomes dominant in suitable conditions, and where this is undesirable for agricultural or ecological reasons control is required, either to remove gorse completely, or to limit its extent. Gorse stands are often managed by regular burning or flailing, allowing them to regrow from stumps or seed. Denser areas of gorse may be bulldozed.
for cattle.
Uses
Foods
Gorse flowers are edible and can be used in salads, tea and to make a non-grape-based fruit wine.
As fodder, gorse is high in protein[citation needed] and may be used as feed for livestock, particularly in winter when other greenstuff is not available. Traditionally it was used as fodder for cattle, being made palatable either by "bruising" (crushing) with hand-held mallets, or grinding to a moss-like consistency with hand- or water-driven mills, or being finely chopped and mixed with straw chaff.[citation needed] Gorse is also eaten as forage by some livestock, such as feral ponies, which may eat little else in winter. Ponies may also eat the thinner stems of burnt gorse.
Fuel
Gorse bushes are highly flammable, and in many areas bundles of gorse were used to fire traditional bread ovens.[8]
Wood
Gorse wood has been used to make small objects; being non-toxic, it is especially suited for cutlery. In spite of its durability it is not used for construction because the plant is too small and the wood is unstable, being prone to warping. Gorse is useful for garden ornaments because it is resistant to weather and rot.
Gorse-based symbols
The furze is the badge of the Sinclair and MacLennan clans of Scotland. Compare this with the broom (Planta genista) as the emblem and basis of the name of the Plantagenet kings of England.
The flower, known as chorima in the Galician language, is considered the national flower of Galicia in NW Spain.
Gorse in popular culture
In Thomas Hardy's classic novel The Return of the Native, when Clym is partially blinded through excessive reading, he becomes a furze-cutter on Egdon Heath, to the dismay of his wife, Eustacia. In the book, the timeless, gorse-covered heath is described in each season of the novel's year-and-a-day timeline and becomes symbolic of the greater nature of mankind.
Its flammability rendered gorse symbolic as quickly flammable and quickly burning out; for example, Doyle, in his book "Sir Nigel" has Sir John Chandos say: "...They flare up like a furzebush in the flames, but if for a short space you may abide the heat of it, then there is a chance that it may be cooler... If the Welsh be like the furze fire, then, pardieu! the Scotch are the peat, for they will smolder and you will never come to the end of them."[9]
Winnie-the-Pooh fell into a gorse bush while trying to get honey in the first chapter of the book of the same name.[10]
In The second book of Tolkien's "Lord of the rings" trilogy, "The Two Towers", Frodo and Sam led by Gollum walked underneath very old and tall thickets of gorse on their way to pass by Minas Morgul. [11]
In "[[Red Doc>]]", Anne Carson's 2013 sequel to her 1998 novel-in-verse entitled "Autobiography of Red", the protagonist, G, owns a herd of musk oxen who like to feed on gorse; one ox in particular, Io, eats gorse flowers and hallucinates that she can fly.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_hawthorn
Crataegus monogyna, known as common hawthorn or single-seeded hawthorn, is a species of hawthorn native to Europe, northwest Africa and western Asia. It has been introduced in many other parts of the world where it is an invasive weed. Other common names include may, mayblossom, maythorn, quickthorn, whitethorn, motherdie, and haw. This species is one of several that have been referred to as Crataegus oxyacantha, a name that has been rejected by the botanical community as too ambiguous.
Description
The Common Hawthorn is a shrub or small tree 5–14 m tall, with a dense crown. The bark is dull brown with vertical orange cracks. The younger stems bear sharp thorns, 1 to 1.5 cm long. The leaves are 2–4 cm long, obovate and deeply lobed, sometimes almost to the midrib, with the lobes spreading at a wide angle. The upper surface is dark green above and paler underneath.
The hermaphrodite flowers are produced in late spring (May to early June in its native area) in corymbs of 5-25 together; each flower is about 1 cm diameter, and has five white petals, numerous red stamens, and a single style; they are moderately fragrant. They are pollinated by midges, bees and other insects and later in the year bear numerous haws. The haw is a small, oval dark red fruit about 1 cm long, berry-like, but structurally a pome containing a single seed. Haws are important for wildlife in winter, particularly thrushes and waxwings; these birds eat the haws and disperse the seeds in their droppings.
It is distinguished from the related but less widespread Midland Hawthorn (C. laevigata) by its more upright growth, the leaves being deeply lobed, with spreading lobes, and in the flowers having just one style, not two or three. However they are inter-fertile and hybrids occur frequently; they are only entirely distinct in their more typical forms.
Uses
Medicinal use
Crataegus monogyna is one of the most common species used as the "hawthorn" of traditional herbalism, which is of considerable interest for treating cardiac insufficiency by evidence-based medicine. The plant parts used medicinally are usually sprigs with both leaves and flowers, or alternatively the fruit. Several species of Crataegus have both traditional and modern medicinal uses. It is a good source of antioxidant phytochemicals,especially extracts of hawthorn leaves with flowers.
In gardening and agriculture
Common Hawthorn is extensively planted as a hedge plant, especially for agricultural use. Its spines and close branching habit render it effectively stock and human proof with some basic maintenance. The traditional practice of hedge laying is most commonly practised with this species. It is a good fire wood which burns with a good heat and little smoke.[3]
Numerous hybrids exist, some of which are used as garden shrubs. The most widely used hybrid is C. × media (C. monogyna × C. laevigata), of which several cultivars are known, including the very popular 'Paul's Scarlet' with dark pink double flowers. Other garden shrubs that have sometimes been suggested as possible hybrids involving the Common Hawthorn[citation needed], include the Various-leaved Hawthorn of the Caucasus, which is only very occasionally found in parks and gardens.
Edible "berries", petals, and leaves
The fruit of hawthorn, called haws, are edible raw but are commonly made into jellies, jams, and syrups, used to make wine, or to add flavour to brandy. Botanically they are pomes, but they look similar to berries. A haw is small and oblong, similar in size and shape to a small olive or grape, and red when ripe. Haws develop in groups of 2-3 along smaller branches. They are pulpy and delicate in taste. In this species (C. monogyna) they have only one seed, but in other species of hawthorn there may be up to 5 seeds.
Petals are also edible,[4] as are the leaves, which if picked in spring when still young are tender enough to be used in salads.
Notable trees
An ancient specimen, and reputedly the oldest tree of any species in France, is to be found alongside the church at Saint Mars sur la Futaie, Mayenne [1]. The tree has a height of 9 m, and a girth of 2.65 m (2009). The inscription on the plaque beneath reads: "This hawthorn is probably the oldest tree in France. Its origin goes back to St Julien (3rd century)", but such claims are impossible to verify.
A famous specimen in England was the Glastonbury or Holy Thorn which, according to legend, sprouted from the staff of Joseph of Arimathea after he thrust it into the ground whilst visiting Glastonbury in the 1st century AD. The tree was noteworthy because it flowered twice in a year, once in the late spring which is normal, but also once after the harshness of midwinter has passed. The original tree at Glastonbury Abbey, felled in 1640s during the English Civil War,[2] has been propagated as the cultivar 'Biflora'.[6] A replacement was planted by the local council in 1951, but was cut down by vandals in 2010. [3]
The oldest known living specimen in East Anglia, and possibly in the United Kingdom, is known as "The Hethel Old Thorn",[7] and is located in the churchyard in the small village of Hethel, south of Norwich, in Norfolk. It is reputed to be more than 700 years old, having been planted in the 13th century.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapeseed
Rapeseed (Brassica napus), also known as rape, oilseed rape, rapa, rappi, rapaseed (and, in the case of one particular group of cultivars, canola), is a bright yellow flowering member of the family Brassicaceae (mustard or cabbage family). The name derives from the Latin for turnip, rāpa or rāpum, and is first recorded in English at the end of the 14th century. Older writers usually distinguished the turnip and rape by the adjectives round and long (-rooted), respectively.[2] See also Brassica napobrassica, which may be considered a variety of Brassica napus. Some botanists include the closely related Brassica campestris within B. napus. (See Triangle of U).
Brassica napus is cultivated mainly for its oil-rich seed, the third largest source of vegetable oil in the world.[
Cultivation and uses
Rapeseed oil was produced in the 19th century as a source of a lubricant for steam engines. It was less useful as food for animals or humans because it has a bitter taste due to high levels of glucosinolates. Varieties have now, however, been bred to reduce the content of glucosinolates, yielding a more palatable oil. This has had the side effect that the oil contains much less erucic acid.[citation needed]
Rapeseed is grown for the production of animal feed, vegetable oil for human consumption, and biodiesel; leading producers include the European Union, Canada, the United States, Australia, China and India. In India, it is grown on 13% of cropped land.[citation needed] According to the United States Department of Agriculture, rapeseed was the third leading source of vegetable oil in the world in 2000, after soybean and oil palm, and also the world's second leading source of protein meal, although only one-fifth of the production of the leading soybean meal.[citation needed]
World production is growing rapidly, with FAO reporting 36 million tons of rapeseed were produced in the 2003-2004 season, and estimating 58.4 million tons in the 2010-2011 season.[4] In Europe, rapeseed is primarily cultivated for animal feed,[citation needed] owing to its very high lipid and medium protein content.[citation needed]
Natural rapeseed oil contains 50% erucic acid. Wild type seeds also contain high levels of glucosinolates (mustard oil glucosindes), chemical compounds that significantly lowered the nutritional value of rapeseed press cakes for animal feed. In North America, the term "canola", originally a syncopated form of the abbreviation "Can.O., L-A." (Canadian Oilseed, Low-Acid) that was used by the Manitoba government to label the seed during its experimental stages, is widely used to refer to rapeseed, and is now a tradename for "double low" (low erucic acid and low glucosinolate) rapeseed.[5]
The rapeseed is the valuable, harvested component of the crop. The crop is also grown as a winter-cover crop. It provides good coverage of the soil in winter, and limits nitrogen run-off. The plant is ploughed back in the soil or used as bedding. On some organic operations, livestock such as sheep or cattle are allowed to graze on the plants.
Processing of rapeseed for oil production produces rapeseed meal as a byproduct. The byproduct is a high-protein animal feed, competitive with soya.[citation needed] The feed is mostly employed for cattle feeding, but also for pigs and chickens (though less valuable for these). The meal has a very low content of the glucosinolates responsible for metabolism disruption in cattle and pigs.[6] Neither canola nor soy is recommended as feed for organic animal products, as both are predominantly GMO (some estimates are now at 90%), which is prohibited by organic standards.[citation needed]
Rapeseed "oil cake" is also used as a fertilizer in China, and may be used for ornamentals, such as bonsai, as well.[citation needed]
Rapeseed leaves and stems are also edible, similar to those of the related bok choy or kale. Some varieties of rapeseed (called 油菜, yóu cài, lit. "oil vegetable" in Chinese; yau choy in Cantonese; cải dầu in Vietnamese; phak kat kan khao [ผักกาดก้านขาว] in Thai; and nanohana [菜の花]/nabana [菜花] in Japanese) are sold as greens, primarily in Asian groceries, including those in California, where it is known as yao choy or tender greens. They are eaten as sag (spinach) in Indian and Nepalese cuisine, usually stir-fried with salt, garlic and spices.
Rapeseed produces great quantities of nectar, and honeybees produce a light-colored, but peppery honey from it. It must be extracted immediately after processing is finished, as it will quickly granulate in the honeycomb and will be impossible to extract. The honey is usually blended with milder honeys, if used for table use or sold as bakery grade. Rapeseed growers contract with beekeepers for the pollination of the crop.
"Total loss" chain and bar oil for chainsaws have been developed which are typically 70% or more canola/rapeseed oil. These lubricants are claimed to be less harmful to the environment and less hazardous to users than traditional mineral oil products,[7] although they are currently typically two to five times more expensive, leading some to use inexpensive cooking oil instead. Some countries, such as Austria, have banned the use of petroleum-based chainsaw oil.[8] These "biolubricants" are generally reported to be functionally comparable to traditional mineral oil products, with some reports claiming one or other is superior,[8] but with no overall consensus yet evident.
Rapeseed has also been researched as means of containing radionuclides that contaminated the soil after the Chernobyl disaster.[9][10][11] It was discovered by researchers at the Belarusian Research Institute for Soil Science and Agrochemistry that rapeseed has a rate of uptake up to three times more efficient than other grains, and only about 3 to 6% of the radionuclides goes into the parts of the plant that could potentially enter the food chain. As oil repels radionuclides, it could be produced canola oil free from contaminants being concentrated in other parts of the plant – the straw, the roots, the seed pods, etc., which then can be ploughed back into the soil and create a recycling process.[9]
Biodiesel
Rapeseed oil is used as diesel fuel, either as biodiesel, straight in heated fuel systems, or blended with petroleum distillates for powering motor vehicles. Biodiesel may be used in pure form in newer engines without engine damage and is frequently combined with fossil-fuel diesel in ratios varying from 2% to 20% biodiesel. Owing to the costs of growing, crushing, and refining rapeseed biodiesel, rapeseed-derived biodiesel from new oil costs more to produce than standard diesel fuel, so diesel fuels are commonly made from the used oil. Rapeseed oil is the preferred oil stock for biodiesel production in most of Europe, accounting for about 80% of the feedstock,[12] partly because rapeseed produces more oil per unit of land area compared to other oil sources, such as soybeans, but primarily because canola oil has a significantly lower Gel point (petroleum) than most other vegetable oils. An estimated 66% of total rapeseed oil supply in the European Union is expected to be used for biodiesel production in the 2010-2011 year.[12]
Rapeseed is currently grown with a high level of nitrogen-containing fertilisers, and the manufacture of these generates N2O, a potent greenhouse gas with 296 times the global warming potential of CO2. An estimated 3-5% of nitrogen provided as fertilizer for rapeseed is converted to N2O.[13]
Cultivars
Canola was originally a trademark, but is now a generic term in North America for edible varieties of rapeseed oil. In Canada, an official definition of canola is codified in Canadian law.
Rapeseed oil had a distinctive taste and a greenish colour due to the presence of chlorophyll. It also contained a high concentration[specify] of erucic acid.
A variety of rapeseed developed in 1998 is considered to be the most disease- and drought-resistant canola. This and other recent varieties have been produced by using genetic engineering. In 2009, 90% of the rapeseed crops planted in Canada were GM (genetically modified), herbicide-tolerant canola varieties.[14]
Health effects
Rapeseed oil is one of the oldest vegetable oils, but historically was used in limited quantities due to high levels of erucic acid, which is damaging to cardiac muscle, and glucosinolates, which made it less nutritious in animal feed.[15] Unmodified rapeseed oil can contain up to 45% erucic acid.[16] Food-grade canola oil derived from rapeseed cultivars, also known as rapeseed 00 oil, low erucic acid rapeseed oil, LEAR oil, and rapeseed canola-equivalent oil, has been generally recognized as safe by the United States Food and Drug Administration.[17] Canola oil is limited by government regulation to a maximum of 2% erucic acid by weight in the USA[17] and 5% in the EU,[18] with special regulations for infant food. These low levels of erucic acid are not believed to cause harm in human neonates.[17][18]
In 1981, a deadly outbreak of disease in Spain, known as toxic oil syndrome,[19] was caused by the consumption of rapeseed oil for industrial use that was fraudulently sold as cooking oil.
Rapeseed pollen contains known allergens.[20][21] Whether rape pollen causes hay fever has not been well established, because rape is an insect-pollinated (entomophilous) crop, whereas hay fever is usually caused by wind-pollinated plants. The inhalation of oilseed rape dust may cause asthma in agricultural workers.[22]
Production
Worldwide production of rapeseed (including canola) has increased sixfold between 1975 and 2007. The production of canola and rapeseed 00 since 1975 has opened up the edible oil market for rapeseed oil. Since 2002, production of biodiesel has been steadily increasing in EU and USA to 6 million metric tons in 2006. Rapeseed oil is positioned to supply a good portion of the vegetable oils needed to produce that fuel. World production is thus expected to trend further upward between 2005 and 2015 as biodiesel content requirements in Europe go into effect.[23] Every ton of rapeseed yields about 400 kg of oil.
Top rapeseed producers
(million metric ton)
Country19651975198519952000200520072009
China
1.11.55.69.811.313.010.513.5
Canada
0.51.83.56.47.29.49.611.8
India
1.52.33.15.85.87.67.47.2
Germany
0.30.61.23.13.65.05.36.3
France
0.30.51.42.83.54.54.75.6
Poland
0.50.71.11.41.01.42.12.5
United Kingdom
<0.0070.060.91.21.21.92.12.0
Australia
<0.007<0.060.10.61.81.41.11.9
Ukraine
<0.007<0.06<0.03<0.10.10.31.01.9
Czech Republic
0.070.10.30.70.80.71.01.1
United States
<0.007<0.06<0.030.20.90.70.70.7
Russia
N/AN/AN/A0.10.10.30.60.7
Denmark
0.050.10.50.30.30.30.60.6
Belarus
N/AN/AN/A0.030.070.10.20.6
Hungary
0.0080.10.10.10.20.30.50.6
Romania
0.010.020.040.040.10.10.40.6
European Union
-------19.3
World Total5.28.819.234.239.546.450.561.6
Source:
UN Food & Agriculture Organisation (FAO)[24]
Pests and diseases
Animal pests
•Bertha armyworms (Mamestra configurata)
•Bronzed field beetle (Adelium brevicorne) larvae
•Cyst nematode (Heterodera schachtii)
•Diamondback moths (Plutella xylostella)
•Flea beetles (Phyllotreta sp.)
•Grasshoppers (order Orthoptera)
•Harlequin bug (Murgantia histrionica)
•Lygus bugs (Lygus spp.)
•Pollen beetle (Meligethes aeneus)
•Root maggots (Delia spp.)
•Snails and slugs
Diseases
•Beet western yellows virus (Luteoviridae family)
•Blackleg (caused by the fungus species Leptosphaeria maculans)
•Clubroot (caused by the protist Plasmodiophora brassicae)
•Sclerotinia white stem rot (caused by the fungus genus Sclerotinia)
•White rust disease (caused by the fungus species Albugo candida)
Genome sequencing and genetics
Bayer Cropscience (in collaboration with BGI-Shenzhen, China, Keygene N.V., the Netherlands and the University of Queensland, Australia) announced it had sequenced the entire genome of Brassica napus and its constituent genomes present in Brassica rapa and Brassica oleracea in 2009. The "A" genome component of the amphidiploid rapeseed species B. napus is currently being sequenced by the Multinational Brassica Genome Project.[25][dated info]
GMO (genetically modified organism) controversy[edit]
The Monsanto Company has genetically engineered new cultivars of rapeseed to be resistant to the effects of its herbicide, Roundup. They have sought compensation from farmers found to have the Roundup Ready gene in canola in their fields without paying a license fee. These farmers have claimed the Roundup Ready gene was blown into their fields and crossed with unaltered canola. Other farmers claim that after spraying Roundup in non-canola fields to kill weeds before planting, Roundup Ready volunteers are left behind, causing extra expense to rid their fields of the weeds.
In a closely followed legal battle, the Supreme Court of Canada found in favor of Monsanto's patent infringement claim for unlicensed growing of Roundup Ready in its 2004 ruling on Monsanto Canada Inc. v. Schmeiser. The case garnered international controversy, as a court-sanctioned legitimation for the global patent protection of genetically modified crops. However, Schmeiser was not required to pay damages, as he did not benefit financially from the GMO crop in his field.[citation needed]
In March 2008, an out-of-court settlement between Monsanto and Schmeiser has an agreement for Monsanto to clean up the entire GMO-canola crop on Schmeiser's farm at a cost of $660.
From this viewpoint, the extent of the isthmus (littoral strip) isolating the lagoon (on the right) from the bay of Vlora and the Adriatic sea (on the left) is well visible
The area, though protected in a national park, is not quite as pristine as it appears here : unsightly artifacts have been airbrushed out of this picture, leaving only the lighthouse
And the section of the coast that starts to the east of this viewpoint (south of the lagoon) is entirely developed, blanketed by lidos and beach hotels all the way to the city center of Vlora...
A mosaic of the 11-day-old gibbous Moon, on March 17, 2019, showing the full disk and extent of incredible detail along the terminator, the dividing line between the day and night sides of the Moon where the Sun is rising as seen from the surface of the Moon.
At bottom in the south, Tycho is brightening and its rays are now obvious splashing across the lower half of the Moon. At lower left on the terminator is the elongated crater Schiller. The rim of another large crater, Schickard, is just beginning to catch the Sun. The most famous of the craters along the terminator at this phase in Artistarchus, one of the brightest spots on the Moon. Below it, Marius is site to a complex of volcanic hills. The vast expanse of Oceanus Procellarum the Ocean of Storms, is coming into sunlight. Amid that ocean Copernicus and Kepler and their ray patterns are obvious.
On the western shore of Imbrium the curving arc of Sinus Iridum is now better lit than a day before.
To the eastern side of the Moon craters are now lit by a high Sun and reveal their bright rays structures. A good example is Proclus.
I have boosted the colour saturation and contrast somewhat to bring out the colour difference between the grey Sea of Serenity above center and the bluish Sea of Tranquillity right of centre. Plus differences in the colours of the lava flows in Mare Imbrium show up now.
This is a panorama or mosaic of ten images, five covering the western side from south to north, and five covering the eastern side, taken through a Celestron C9.25-inch SCT telescope but also with a Canon 1.4x telextender to increase the effective focal lengh even more to 3300mm at f/14. Each segment is a single exposure at ISO 100 of 1/50 second with the Sony a7III. Stitching was with Adobe Camera Raw using Perspective projection.
Morning dew taken using extention tubes & a 50mm on a tripod.
I thought the little palm tree reflection was pretty cool.
The brokeh is all natural from the tubes (and a little background breeze).
With the end of the Second Colony War came the end of the UEF's control of the colonies and to a large extent, Earth as well. Although emerging as the victor, the war left the UEF in a pitiable state with it's fleets and armies scattered and more enemies than originally had been. The UEF no longer had the capability to go on all out wars as it had done twice before and the focus of it's military activities switched to a defensive role. With changes in military policy came the emergence of the Earth Colony Special Operations Division. Originally a minor special forces division that operated on the colonies during the First Colony War, ECSO had been steadily consolidating power and gathered the other special forces divisions under it's ever growing umbrella. By the time of the Second Colony War, ECSO was the largest special forces division available to the UEF with operations on Earth and in space. Following the end of the Second Colony War, ECSO became the spear point of all UEF military endeavours.
The MA-02F2D Seraphim III entered service with ECSO in NC 0192 often being used to harass Arcadian supply lines, take part in covert operations and scout ahead of the main assault forces. It would remain the mainstay of ECSO for many years to come, seeing action against Arcadian remnants and other colonial forces including the Union.
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-UEF is back, baby! :P
-The rather monotone colour scheme was supposed to be an indication of this model's special forces role.
-Additional photos will be sometime soon.
-The next few pages of the Patriot instructions will also be sometime soon. :P
EXTENT OVER THE CLOUDS OF THE MATRIX / FINAL / CHRISTELLE GEISER & AEON VON ZARK / NAKED EYE PROJECT BIENNE / ALTERED STATE SERIE / THE WEIRD DREAM .
Deutschland - Baden-Württemberg - Kaiserstuhl
Eichelspitze
The Kaiserstuhl (German: [ˈkaɪzɐʃtuːl], lit. "Emperor’s Chair") is a range of hills in the state of Baden-Württemberg in southwest Germany with a maximum height of 556.6 metres (1,826 ft). It is of volcanic origin and located in the southwest of the state in the counties of Emmendingen and Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald. In terms of natural regions it is considered to be a part of the Upper Rhine Plain.
Name
The name "Kaiserstuhl" is believed to refer to King Otto III, who held court near Sasbach on 22 December 994. From then on, the whole hill range was called the Königsstuhl – the King’s Chair. In May 996, Otto III was crowned Emperor and the King’s Chair eventually became the Emperor’s Chair – "Kaiserstuhl". Reliable sources mention the name Kaiserstuhl only as early as 1304 and historians thus suppose that the term Kaiserstuhl was not coined until the 13th century.
Geography
Location
The Kaiserstuhl is situated in South Baden, mainly in Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald county or district. However, the smaller northern part belongs to Emmendingen. Within the Upper Rhine Plain it is situated about 16 km northwest of the city of Freiburg, right next to the eastern bank of the Rhine and a short distance west of the Dreisam. It reaches up to 377 metres above the level of the Rhine downstream (179.5 m a.s.l.) from the weir close to Burkheim.
At its greatest extent, from the Michaelsberg near Riegel in the northeast, to the Fohrenberg, by Ihringen in the southwest, the Kaiserstuhl is about 15 km long. Its maximum width is about 12.5 km.
Hills
The hills of the Kaiserstuhl include the following (sorted by height in metres above sea level):
Totenkopf (556.6 m), 1.9 km east of Bickensohl; with the Vogtsburg 1 telecommunication tower and Neunlinden observation tower
Eichelspitze (521.3 m), 2.8 km northwest of Bötzingen
Katharinenberg (492.4 m), 1.3 km southeast of Amoltern
Bisamberg (469.0 m), 1.2 km south of Amoltern
Staffelberg (446.0 m), 1.5 km northwest of Schelingen
Badberg (432.7 m) (protected area), 1.5 km east of Oberbergen
Holzeck (431.9 m), 1.7 km northeast of Ihringen; with tower
Hochbuck (374.8 m), 900 m south of Achkarren
Schlossberg (352.1 m), 500 m northwest of Achkarren; with Höhingen Castle ruins
Böselsberg (340.1 m), 500 m northwest of Wasenweiler
Büchsenberg (283.7 m), 1.3 km west of Achkarren
Geology
The formation of the Kaiserstuhl volcano during the Tertiary was the climax and at the same time the end of volcanic activity in the Upper Rhine Valley Rift. Volcanism started as early as the Cretaceous Period. Volcanic landforms include heavily eroded volcanic vents. The Kaiserstuhl is the only larger volcano from this period in the rift valley. Geologically the Kaiserstuhl can be divided into two parts: the sedimentary and volcanic part. Due to these peculiarities the Kaiserstuhl has been labeled one of the most important national geotopes.
Sedimentary base
The horizontal sedimentary layers forming the eastern third of the Kaiserstuhl date back to the Jurassic and the Tertiary long before the volcanic activity. Important stratigraphic outcrops include the Hauptrogenstein (local oolite) which is found mainly near the village of Riegel and the Pechelbronner Schichten (local Tertiary layers in the South German Scarplands) near Bötzingen. During the formation of the Upper Rhine Plain this part of the Kaiserstuhl sloped less in respect to its surrounding area – and thus appears as a so-called horst. In terms of its geological structure and the sequence of its escarpments, the Kaiserstuhl is comparable to the nearby Tuniberg, Nimberg and also to the Schönberg, which is situated south of the city of Freiburg.
Volcanic activity
Petrologically the volcanic Kaiserstuhl is an alkali-carbonate rock formation. The volcanic rocks making up a large part of the central and western Kaiserstuhl were the result of numerous volcanic eruptions during the Miocene, about 19 to 16 million years ago. They cover parts of the sedimentary base of the eastern Kaiserstuhl, which is why in some places changes in the base’s mineralogical composition occurred. The driving force behind this process of contact metamorphism was an increase in temperature. Due to the alternate eruption of tephra and lava flows from several vents a complex stratovolcano came into existence. Some of the rising magma solidified as volcanic intrusions below the surface – and today forms the central part of the Kaiserstuhl. Laterally rising phonolite magma also intruded into the sedimentary base of the Eastern Kaiserstuhl. Several hundred metres of the original volcano have been eroded.
Volcanic rocks
The entire volcanic Kaiserstuhl consists of rock types that contain feldspathoid minerals and olivine and are undersaturated with SiO2. Most igneous rocks at the surface are leucite-tephrites, with subordinate phonolites, limburgites, and olivine-nephelinites (at the Limberg Mountain near Sasbach), the last of which is rich in xenoliths from the Earth’s mantle. Carbonatite ignimbrite and lapilli are local peculiarities; they can be found in places in the western part of the Kaiserstuhl (Henkenberg near Burkheim, Kirchberg near Oberrotweil).
The subvolcanic and intrusive rocks of the central Kaiserstuhl are plutonic equivalents of the erupted material (essexite, carbonatite and coarse-granular phonolite). Several local terms which do not carry official status with the International Union of Geological Sciences have been used for different varieties of the intrusive rocks. Of major scientific interest is the consolidated carbonatite near Altvogtsburg und Schelingen. It is a quite rare volcanic rock, which crystallized from a carbonate magmatic melt rather than a silicate one. Given its unusual composition for an igneous rock, the magmatic nature of the carbonatite was not proposed for a long time and remained doubtful subsequently. An alternative interpretation was that it was a metamorphically altered sedimentary rock, examples of which can be found nearby. Only in the 1950s and 1960s did research prove that it was a carbonatite; one of the clues was identification of the eruptive carbonatites found in the western part of the Kaiserstuhl. The carbonatite contains the niobium rich pyrochlore; attempts to mine the carbonatite rock for niobium were carried out in the middle of the 20th century, but the amount turned out to be too small to be economical.
Minerals
For a long time the Kaiserstuhl has been known for rare minerals. Examples include the quarries at the Limberg (zeolites), Badberg (carbonatites), Orberg and Fohberg. Well-crystallized minerals can be found predominantly in clefts or cavities in the volcanic rock.
Loess
The Kaiserstuhl is today largely covered by a Quaternary loess layer, a loosely cemented sediment. It is derived from other rocks through erosion and is then transported by the wind. The loess at the Kaiserstuhl – as in all the peripheral areas of the Upper Rhine Valley – was formed during the last Ice Age. Large parts were bare of vegetation and so loess was winnowed out from the Rhine sediments. It was then deposited in the periglacial area (i.e. ice-free, but surrounded by glaciers) at the Kaiserstuhl. The major process active here was frost weathering resulting in crushed rocks. The wind blew strongly, as there was no vegetation that could have moderated it – entraining the lightest material and depositing it at obstacles like the Kaiserstuhl. Deposition took place northeast of the Kaiserstuhl, as the winds blew from the southwest.
The higher the place of sedimentation, the thinner the layer of the sedimented material is. At the Kaiserstuhl the thickness of the loess layer varies between 10 and 40 metres. There are, however, also areas in the southwest where no loess has been deposited. The Northern Limestone Alps are considered the main source of the Kaiserstuhl loess. A rust-coloured band occurs at irregular intervals. It developed as a new material and did not arrive regularly but in phases of different intensities. In a phase of weak sedimentation the material on top weathered – and the calcium carbonate was washed out. It then precipitated further down and formed a particular type of soil horizon, which contains concretions of calcium carbonate.
The Kaiserstuhl loess soils are used for intensive farming, as they offer good aeration, high water storage capacities and good mechanical qualities. Besides, as a result of farming deep narrow ravine-like paths developed.
As the loess developed over time it is, furthermore, significant for flood control. Sponge-like, it absorbs and then gently releases rainfall. This quality is however lost when bulldozers, employed to construct large terraces for viticulture, compress the loess.
Climate
General
The Kaiserstuhl is one of the warmest regions in Germany. The winters are relatively mild for the area, and the summers are warm or even hot, with possible average temperatures of over 20 °C (68 °F) in July and August. Because of its loess covered volcanic soils it is a very good wine-producing region. The climatic situation of the Kaiserstuhl is outstanding in the area. It is rain-shadowed by the Vosges Mountains, under the climatic influence of the Belfort Gap and is characterized by a drier and hotter climate, which one would rather expect not to be typical of the area. Despite this, winters remain cold and dry, and summers wet, in comparison with Mediterranean climate (which instead has a rainfall peak during winter, which can see few frost days, and a dry season in summer).
Meteorological data
The average annual temperature is 9.9 °C (49.8 °F), with 50–60 days with a maximum temperature above 25 °C (77 °F) as well as 60–70 days with a minimum temperature below 0 °C (32 °F). This illustrates a special feature of the Kaiserstuhl: it is characterized by its relatively extreme climate. The average difference between the lowest and the highest average temperatures within one year is 18.5 °C (65.3 °F). The mean precipitation at the Kaiserstuhl is approximately 600–700 millimetres (24–28 in), with about 1,720 hours of sunshine per year.
Flora and fauna
The climate of the Kaiserstuhl also explains the vast richness of thermophile flora and fauna. The Kaiserstuhl is for example one of the places with the largest variety of orchids in Europe – more than 30 species have been recorded. Among the vines wild grape hyacinths sprawl and along acclivities iris plants blossom. Furthermore, sand lizards (lacerta bilineata) and praying mantis (Mantis religiosa) live here – species which mainly occur in the Mediterranean area. (However, according to the latest research results the sand lizard presumably belongs to the allochthonous species of the European green lizard (Lacerta viridis)). The pubescent oak (Quercus pubescens) is a Xerophyte and normally only occurs in Southern Europe, but is also able to survive at the Kaiserstuhl. This species has a disjunct distribution, which means away from its normal habitat. It is a relict of a postglacial warm period where there had been a much warmer climate around the Kaiserstuhl. After the end of the warm period only the named species were able to survive. Besides there is a larger population of the May beetle (Melolontha melolontha). In spite of protests from conservationists the May Beetle is controlled by the use of insecticides.
Changes in landscape
The terrain of the Kaiserstuhl has been altered by the people living there since it was settled. The loam there is strongly susceptible to erosion as a result of soil cultivation, thus terraces had to be added, which were then mostly used as vineyards, as well as fruit growing or for other agricultural uses. As a result, the typical small "patio" hillsides and the streaked loess sunken roads typical of the region came into being.
To start with, it was for this reason that smaller terraces were merged in around 1950, this resulted in large scale reallocation, which turned parts of the original landscape completely upside down.
The phases of this reallocation were:-
Small-scale realignment between 1950 and 1960. At the same time the terrain was generally modified by manual labour with the help of in-house machines. During this time approximately 950 hectares were enclosed by the farmland consolidation authority.
Between 1960 and 1970 the loess slopes were more comprehensively modified, whereby large rectangular terraced areas with corresponding high embankments were made. The terraces were arranged with mountain like slopes so that now only the multiple slope edges are visible from the valley. About 650 hectares of the surface were styled in this way.
The plans to create large-scale terraces made between 1970 and 1976 were executed with the help of heavy machinery, changing the landscape radically. Before the original, naturally formed, depressions had still been visible in the gentle hillsides with only small terraces. Natural and man-made structures existed side by side. However, these small-scale structures were then obliterated completely. Monstrous areas resembling fortresses and entirely incongruous to the region were created. The total wine-growing area of the terraces was 630 ha. As the embankments and other areas exceeded the size of the wine-growing areas, the changes affected more than twice the newly created arable area. The land reforms of Oberrotweil-Oberberg, Ihringen-Abtsweingarten, Eichstetten-Hättlinsberg and Endingen am Kaiserstuhl-Schambach are examples of this phase.
The last phase of wine-growing land reforms was realized between 1976 and 1982. Due, in part, to protests against plans for further large scale terraces the changes were not as radical as the previous phase: the maximum height for embankments was "limited" to 10 m and their shapes were "made smooth and adjusted to the landscape" (Mayer 1986, citation translated). This procedure was, for example, applied to about 330 ha of wine-growing area in Oberbergen-Baßgeige or in Bickensohl-Herrenstück.
From 1977 on, several longer periods of enhanced precipitation caused damage to the embankments. During one week in May 1983 for example, the amount of precipitation was so large that in some areas it was equivalent to one third of the annual average, causing great damage in the modified areas.
The surfaces of the acclivities often slid off together with the vegetation. Former valleys, which had been blocked due to re-allocation, were flushed out. In some terraces dramatic shear failures developed. In addition extensive, devastating frost damage occurred; due to the incline of the mountainside at the surfaces of the acclivities, cold air pockets were formed in which the vines in bloom were frostbitten. Additionally substantial frost damage occurred in the woody part of the vines, especially in the vineyards which were situated in lower regions. In earlier times fruit had mostly been grown here but later this was changed to vineyards.
The activity of the farmland consolidation authority was narrowed to repairing and partly to rescheduling which at least was meant to correct the most severe consequences of the transformations from 1982 on.
Hiking
There are many opportunities for hiking in the Kaiserstuhl. The best known trail is the North-South Trail (check mark: blue rhomb on yellow background) from Endingen across the Katharinenberg and the Totenkopf and the Neunlinden viewing point to Ihringen. From the trail there are panoramic views over the Black Forest, the Upper Rhine Valley and the Vosges.
(Wikipedia)
Der Kaiserstuhl ist ein bis 556,8 m ü. NHN hohes, kleines Mittelgebirge vulkanischen Ursprungs in der Oberrheinischen Tiefebene. Es erhebt sich im Südwesten von Baden-Württemberg (Deutschland), in den Landkreisen Emmendingen und Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald.
Namensdeutung
Seinen Namen hat der Kaiserstuhl vermutlich von König Otto III., der bei Sasbach am 22. Dezember 994 einen Gerichtstag abhielt. Nach diesem Gerichtstag wurde das ganze Gebirge als „Königsstuhl“ bezeichnet. Nachdem Otto III. im Mai 996 zum Kaiser gekrönt worden war, wurde aus dem „Königsstuhl“ der „Kaiserstuhl“. Nachweislich belegt ist die Bezeichnung „Kaiserstuhl“ erst seit 1304. Historiker vermuten, dass der Begriff „Kaiserstuhl“ nicht vor dem 13. Jahrhundert entstand.
Geographie
Lage
Naturräumlich wird der Kaiserstuhl zum Oberrheinischen Tiefland gezählt und stellt dort die Haupteinheit 203 dar. Er befindet sich in Südbaden zum Großteil im Landkreis Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald, der kleine Nordteil gehört zum Landkreis Emmendingen. Innerhalb der Oberrheinischen Tiefebene liegt er etwa 16 km nordwestlich der Großstadt Freiburg, direkt östlich des Rheins und etwas westlich der Dreisam. Er erhebt sich maximal 377,1 m über den Rhein unterhalb (179,5 m) des Stauwehrs bei Burkheim.
In seiner weitesten Ausdehnung vom Michaelsberg bei Riegel im Nordosten bis zum Fohrenberg bei Ihringen im Südwesten ist der Kaiserstuhl rund 15 km lang, seine größte Breite beträgt etwa 12,5 km.
Berge
Zu den Bergen, Erhebungen und deren Ausläufern des Kaiserstuhls gehören – sortiert nach Höhe in Meter (m) über Normalhöhennull[1]:
Totenkopf (556,8 m), 1,9 km östlich von Bickensohl; mit Fernmeldeturm Vogtsburg-Totenkopf und Aussichtsturm Neunlinden
Eichelspitze (521,3 m), 2,8 km nordwestlich von Bötzingen mit dem Eichelspitzturm
Katharinenberg (491,9 m), 1,3 km südsüdöstlich von Amoltern
Bisamberg (469,6 m), 1,2 km südlich von Amoltern
Staffelberg (447,6 m), 1,5 km nordnordwestlich von Schelingen
Badberg (432,7 m) (Naturschutzgebiet), 1,5 km östlich von Oberbergen
Holzeck (431,9 m), 1,7 km nordnordöstlich von Ihringen; mit Sendeturm
Hochbuck (375,2 m), 900 m südlich von Achkarren
Schlossberg (351,9 m), 500 m nordwestlich von Achkarren; mit Burgruine Höhingen
Böselsberg (340,1 m), 500 m nordwestlich von Wasenweiler
Hochberg, (288,7 m), 900 m nordöstlich von Jechtingen
Büchsenberg (283,7 m), 1,3 km westlich von Achkarren
Geologie
Die Entstehung des Kaiserstuhlvulkans im Tertiär stellt sowohl den Höhepunkt als auch den Schlusspunkt der vulkanischen Aktivität im Oberrheingraben dar. Diese begann schon in der Kreidezeit und zeigt sich in zahlreichen, heute tief erodierten Vulkanschloten. Der Kaiserstuhl ist der einzige größere Vulkan aus dieser Zeit im Bereich des Oberrheingrabens. Dieser trifft hier auf den Bonndorfer Graben, der über den Hegau zum Bodensee führt. Gegen Ende des Oligozäns drang Magma empor, erstarrte jedoch noch unter der Erdoberfläche. Erst im Miozän kam es zu einem Durchbruch und zu großflächigen Lavaströmen. Geologisch gesehen lässt sich der Kaiserstuhl in einen sedimentären und einen vulkanischen Teil gliedern. Aufgrund dieser Besonderheiten wurde der Kaiserstuhl als eines der bedeutendsten nationalen Geotope Deutschlands ausgezeichnet.
Sedimentärer Sockel
Die das östliche Drittel bildenden, nahezu horizontal lagernden Sedimentgesteine wurden lange vor der vulkanischen Aktivität zu Zeiten des Juras und Tertiärs gebildet. Wichtige aufgeschlossene stratigraphische Einheiten sind der Hauptrogenstein (hauptsächlich in Riegel) und die Pechelbronner Schichten (in der Gegend von Bötzingen). Dieser Teil des Kaiserstuhls wurde während der Entstehung des Oberrheingrabens weniger stark als seine Umgebung abgesenkt und stellt einen sogenannten Horst dar. Er entspricht im Aufbau und der Schichtenfolge äquivalenten Strukturen im näheren Umkreis, wie dem Tuniberg und Nimberg westlich sowie dem Schönberg südlich von Freiburg im Breisgau.
Vulkanismus
Petrologisch handelt es sich beim vulkanischen Kaiserstuhl um einen Alkaligesteins-Karbonatit-Komplex. Die den Großteil des zentralen und westlichen Kaiserstuhls aufbauenden vulkanischen Gesteine wurden vor rund 19 bis 16 Millionen Jahren im Miozän durch zahlreiche Vulkanausbrüche gebildet. Sie überlagern teilweise den sedimentären Sockel des östlichen Kaiserstuhls, wodurch dieser stellenweise kontaktmetamorph, das heißt durch Einwirkung hoher Temperatur, verändert wurde. Durch abwechselnde Eruption von Tephra und Lavaströmen aus mehreren Schloten bildete sich ein komplexer Schicht- oder Stratovulkan. Emporquellendes Magma erstarrte teilweise als subvulkanische Intrusion im Vulkangebäude und baut heute den Zentralkaiserstuhl auf. Lateral aufsteigende phonolithische Schmelzen drangen auch in den sedimentären Sockel des östlichen Kaiserstuhls. Bis heute wurden durch Erosion mehrere 100 m des ursprünglichen Vulkans abgetragen.
Vulkanische Gesteine
Der gesamte vulkanische Kaiserstuhl besteht aus Foid- und/oder Olivin-führenden, SiO2-untersättigten Gesteinen. Bei den Eruptivgesteinen handelt es sich zum größten Teil um Leucit-Tephrit, untergeordnet auch Phonolith, Limburgit und Olivin-Nephelinit (am Limberg bei Sasbach). Letzterer ist sehr reich an Xenolithen aus dem Erdmantel. Als Besonderheit bei den Eruptivgesteinen sind karbonatitische Ignimbrite und Lapilli zu nennen, die im Westkaiserstuhl an einigen Stellen (Henkenberg bei Burkheim, Kirchberg bei Oberrotweil) aufgeschlossen sind.
Bei den subvulkanischen Intrusionen und Ganggesteinen des zentralen Kaiserstuhls handelt es sich um die Tiefengesteinsäquivalente der Ausbruchsprodukte (Essexit, Karbonatit und grobkörnigerer Phonolith). Für verschiedene Varietäten der Ganggesteine existieren in der Literatur eine Fülle weiterer Bezeichnungen (Alvikit, Hauynophyr, Mondhaldeit, Tinguait, Monchiquit und viele andere), die aber teilweise keine allgemein anerkannten Gesteinsnamen sind. Von großem wissenschaftlichen Interesse ist der bei Altvogtsburg und Schelingen anstehende Karbonatit. Dabei handelt es sich um ein recht seltenes vulkanisches Gestein, das nicht aus einer silikatischen, sondern aus einer karbonatischen Schmelze auskristallisierte. Aufgrund dieses ungewöhnlichen Umstandes wurde die magmatische Natur des Karbonatits lange Zeit nicht erkannt oder in Zweifel gezogen. Alternative Interpretationen gingen von kontaktmetamorph veränderten Sedimentgesteinen aus, die bekanntermaßen in unmittelbarer Nähe zu finden sind. Erst in den 1950er- und 1960er-Jahren gelang es, das Gestein gesichert als Karbonatit zu identifizieren, unter anderem durch das Auffinden der eruptiven Karbonatite im westlichen Kaiserstuhl. Wegen des in ihm auftretenden Niob-Minerals Koppit wurde der Karbonatit in der Mitte des 20. Jahrhunderts versuchsweise bergmännisch abgebaut. Allerdings erwiesen sich die Gehalte als zu gering für eine Nutzung in größerem Umfang.
Minerale
Seit langer Zeit ist der Kaiserstuhl als Fundstelle für zum Teil seltene Minerale bekannt. Besondere Fundstellen sind die Steinbrüche im Limburgit des Limbergs (verschiedene Zeolithe), im Karbonatit am Badberg und Orberg (Koppit) und im Phonolith des Fohbergs und des Kirchbergs (Zeolithe, Wollastonit, Melanit). Überwiegend treten diese als Kluftminerale oder Blasenfüllungen (Mandelstein) auf.
Lössbedeckung
Der Kaiserstuhl ist heute weitgehend von einer quartären Lössschicht bedeckt. Löss ist ein Lockersediment, welches durch Erosion anderer Gesteine entsteht und durch äolischen Transport an seinen Ablagerungsort befördert wird. Der Löss entstand – wie im gesamten Randbereich der Oberrheinebene – während der letzten weitgehend vegetationsfreien Eiszeit durch Auswehung aus dem Rheinschlamm. Die Ablagerung fand im periglazialen (eisfreien, jedoch von Gletschereis umgebenen) Gebiet um den Kaiserstuhl statt. Der Hauptprozess, der in dieser Region stattfindet, ist Frostsprengung von Gestein. Da keine Vegetation vorhanden ist, die den Wind bremsen könnte, weht dieser beständig stark. Er nimmt das leichteste Material mit und lagert es an Hindernissen, beispielsweise dem Kaiserstuhl, wieder ab. Hierbei ist zu beachten, dass die Ablagerung im Lee stattfindet, im Falle des Kaiserstuhls – wo der Wind aus Südwesten wehte – also im Nordosten. Je höher der Sedimentationsort liegt, desto dünner ist die Schicht tatsächlich abgelagerten Materials. Am Kaiserstuhl liegt die Mächtigkeit der Lössschicht zwischen 10 und 40 Metern, es gibt jedoch auch Orte im Südwesten, an denen kein Löss sedimentiert wurde. Der Herkunftsort des Lösses am Kaiserstuhl lag hauptsächlich in den nördlichen Kalkalpen. Auffällig im anstehenden Löss ist ein sich in unregelmäßigen Abständen wiederholender, rostfarbener Streifen. Dieser entsteht durch die phasenweise Anlieferung neuen Materials. Während einer schwachen Sedimentationsphase verwittert das obenauf liegende Material, wobei der Kalk ausgewaschen wird. Hierbei bildet sich Lösslehm. Der ausgewaschene Kalkanteil fällt weiter unten im Bodenprofil wieder aus und bildet den sogenannten Lösskindelhorizont. Zu jedem Ausfällungshorizont gehört deshalb ein Anreicherungshorizont.
Die Lössböden des Kaiserstuhls werden agrarisch intensiv genutzt, da sie eine gute Belüftung bieten und eine hohe Wasserspeicherfähigkeit sowie mechanisch gute Eigenschaften besitzen. Außerdem sind im Zuge der landwirtschaftlichen Nutzung die sogenannten Lösshohlwege entstanden.
Der gewachsene Löss ist zudem für den Hochwasserschutz von Bedeutung, da er starke Niederschläge wie ein Schwamm aufnimmt und dann gleichmäßig wieder abgibt. Durch die Anlage von Großterrassen für den Weinbau am Kaiserstuhl wird der Löss jedoch mit Planierraupen verdichtet und verliert diese Eigenschaft.
Klima
Allgemeines
Klimatisch zählt der Kaiserstuhl zur temperaten (gemäßigten) Klimazone. Durch die in der Oberrheinebene vorherrschende Wärmebegünstigung gehört er jedoch zu den wärmsten Orten Deutschlands mit für Mitteleuropa vergleichsweise milden Wintern und warmen Sommern, die teilweise sogar Durchschnittstemperaturen von über 20 Grad in den Monaten Juli und August aufweisen können. Durch seine mit Löss bedeckten vulkanischen Böden ist er ein sehr gutes Weinanbaugebiet. Die klimatischen Voraussetzungen des Kaiserstuhls heben sich von seiner Umgebung deutlich ab. Er liegt im Regenschatten der Vogesen, im Einfluss der Burgundischen Pforte, und hat somit ein eher trockenes Klima.
Meteorologische Daten
Die Jahresmitteltemperatur beträgt 9,9 °C, wobei sowohl 50 bis 60 Sommertage als auch 60 bis 70 Frosttage zu verzeichnen sind. Dies spiegelt schon ein besonderes Merkmal des Kaiserstuhls wider, denn er zeichnet sich durch recht extreme Klimaverhältnisse aus, was sich besonders in der durchschnittlichen jährlichen Temperaturschwankung von 18,5 °C ausdrückt. Der mittlere Niederschlag auf dem Kaiserstuhl beträgt etwa 600 bis 700 mm, bei jährlich rund 1.720 Stunden Sonnenschein.
Flora und Fauna
Das Klima des Kaiserstuhls erklärt auch die große Fülle an wärmeliebender Flora und Fauna. Beispielsweise ist der Kaiserstuhl einer der Orte mit der größten Orchideenvielfalt in Europa – mehr als 30 Arten wurden registriert. Zwischen den Rebstöcken wuchern wilde Traubenhyazinthen, und an Böschungen blühen Schwertlilien. Außerdem leben hier Bienenfresser, Smaragdeidechsen und Gottesanbeterinnen (Mantis religiosa) – Arten, die ihren Verbreitungsschwerpunkt im mediterranen Bereich haben (nach neuen genetischen Studien handelt es sich bei der Smaragdeidechse allerdings um eine wahrscheinlich allochthone Population der Östlichen Smaragdeidechse). Die Flaumeiche ist ein Xerophyt und kommt sonst vor allem in Südeuropa vor, am Kaiserstuhl kann sie sich jedoch vor allem im Flaumeichenwald am Büchsenberg als Niederwald halten. Diese Arten leben in einem disjunkten Areal, also von ihrem normalen Verbreitungsgebiet abgetrennt. Dies ist ein Relikt einer postglazialen Warmzeit, zu der auch im Gebiet um den Kaiserstuhl ein deutlich wärmeres Klima herrschte. Nach Ende der Warmzeit konnten die genannten Arten nur noch am Kaiserstuhl überleben. Außerdem gibt es am Kaiserstuhl größere Populationen des Maikäfers. Die Art wurde in der Vergangenheit trotz Kritik von Umweltschützern mit Insektiziden bekämpft, so etwa im Jahr 2009. Die Aktion wurde damit begründet, dass der Maikäfer ansonsten existenzbedrohende Schäden in der umliegenden Landwirtschaft auslösen könnte.
Landschaftsveränderung
Die Oberfläche des Kaiserstuhls wurde vom wirtschaftenden Menschen seit dessen Besiedlung verändert. Da Löss infolge der Bodenbearbeitung stark erosionsanfällig ist, mussten Terrassen geschaffen werden, die meist als Rebflächen, teilweise auch für Obst- oder zum Ackerbau genutzt wurden. Dadurch entstanden schon früh die typischen kleinterrassierten Hänge, die zudem von den ebenfalls durch die „Nutzung“ entstandenen Lösshohlwegen durchzogen wurden.
Im Sinne der Flurbereinigung wurde um 1950 damit begonnen, zunächst kleinere Terrassen zusammenzulegen; dies endete in Großumlegungen, welche die ursprüngliche Landschaft in Teilbereichen völlig umgestalteten. Diese Umgestaltung begann zwischen 1950 und 1960 mit kleinräumigen Neuordnungen. Dabei wurde das Gelände meist in Handarbeit bzw. mit Hilfe betriebseigener Maschinen umgestaltet. In dieser Zeit wurden rund 950 ha von den Flurbereinigungsbehörden flurbereinigt.
Zwischen 1960 und 1970 wurden die Lösshänge umfassender umgestaltet, wobei große, tiefe und möglichst rechteckige Terrassenflächen mit entsprechend hohen Böschungen entstanden. Die Terrassen wurden mit bergseitiger Neigung angelegt, so dass jetzt vom Tal aus vielfach nur noch die Kanten sichtbar sind. Auf diese Art entstanden rund 650 ha Rebfläche.
Mit umfassendem Maschineneinsatz wurden die Großterrassenplanungen der Jahre 1970 bis 1976 umgesetzt, die das Landschaftsbild deutlich veränderten. Vor diesen Maßnahmen zeichneten sich in den sanften Hängen, deren Oberflächen von den kleinen Terrassen überprägt waren, noch die ursprünglich natürlich entstandenen Senken ab. Statt diesem Nebeneinander von natürlichen und vom Menschen geschaffenen Strukturen nehmen die Kritiker nun festungsartige und landschaftsfremde Oberflächen wahr, die eine Gesamtgröße von ca. 630 ha Rebfläche bieten. Da die Böschungen und sonstigen Flächen größer waren als die Rebflächen, erstreckte sich die Landschaftsveränderung jeweils auf mehr als das Doppelte der neu geschaffenen nutzbaren Fläche. Beispiele für diese Phase sind die Flurbereinigungen Oberrotweil-Oberberg, Ihringen-Abtsweingarten, Eichstetten-Hättlinsberg und Endingen am Kaiserstuhl-Schambach. Inzwischen war der Großteil der Lösshohlwege durch die Flurbereinigung verschwunden, die zuvor ökologische Nischen speziell für Wildbienen und Vögel gewesen waren.
Die letzte Phase der Rebflurbereinigung erstreckte sich auf die Zeit zwischen 1976 und 1982, in der unter anderem wegen der Proteste gegen die Großterrassenplanungen gemäßigt vorgegangen wurde: Die Böschungshöhen wurden auf maximal 10 m „beschränkt“, der Böschungsverlauf wurde „geschwungen angelegt und der Landschaft angepasst“. Mit diesen Verfahren wurden zum Beispiel in Oberbergen-Baßgeige oder in Bickensohl-Herrenstück rund 330 ha Rebfläche bearbeitet.
Nachdem ab 1977 durch länger anhaltende niederschlagsreiche Perioden Böschungsschäden entstanden waren, fielen in der Pfingstwoche des Jahres 1983 Niederschlagsmengen, die teilweise ein Drittel des Jahresmittels ausmachten. Diese führten in den umgelegten Gebieten zu Schäden: Die Böschungsoberflächen rutschten vielfach mitsamt der Vegetation ab, ehemalige, durch die Umlegungen verschüttete Talzüge wurden ausgeschwemmt, in einzelnen Terrassen entstanden tiefgreifende Grundbrüche. Überdies kam es in den Folgejahren zu Frostschäden. Durch die bergseitige Neigung der Terrassenoberflächen konnten sich Kaltluftseen bilden, in denen die Reben vor allem in der Blüte erfroren.[6] Außerdem entstanden, vor allem in den niedriger gelegenen Rebflächen, in denen zuvor meist Obst angebaut worden war, erhebliche Frostschäden am Holz der Rebbestände.
Die Tätigkeit der Flurbereinigungsbehörden beschränkte sich in der Zeit nach 1982 auf Reparaturarbeiten und partielle Umplanungen, die zumindest die schwersten Folgen der Umgestaltungen korrigieren sollten. Inzwischen hatte man auch begonnen, die verbliebenen Lösshohlwege als Naturdenkmale auszuweisen und sie zu schützen.
Seit 2021 wird auf einer Fläche von etwa einem Hektar Echter Lavendel und Lavandin angebaut. Dank der Wärme und der kalkreichen Böden gedeiht er gut. Zwei der vier Felder liegen in Bischoffingen, wo es auch einen Hofladen gibt und je eines in Königschaffhausen und Burkheim. Auf letzterem wachsen neun verschiedene Sorten.
Wandern
Der bekannteste und „klassische“ Wanderweg ist der Neunlindenpfad (Nord-Süd-Weg); er ist einer von acht Themenpfaden und führt von Endingen über den Katharinenberg und den Totenkopf mit Aussichtsturm Neunlinden nach Ihringen. Von den Wegen bieten sich vielerorts Ausblicke auf den Schwarzwald, die Rheinebene und die Vogesen. Auch der Querweg Schwarzwald–Kaiserstuhl–Rhein führt über den Kaiserstuhl.
Als Wissenschaftlicher Lehrpfad wurde 1977 der Limberg-Weg angelegt. Er umfasst 90 Stationen zu den Themen Geologie und Mineralogie, Geschichte, Naturschutz und Landschaftspflege, Forstwirtschaft, Wein- und Obstbau, Rheinbau und Wasserwirtschaft, sowie Landeskunde.
Die acht Themenpfade wurden 2007 mit einer Gesamtlänge von 140 km eröffnet und in das bestehende Wanderwegenetz des Schwarzwaldvereins (Markierung: gelber Rhombus auf weißem Hintergrund) integriert. Dabei wurde das Wanderwegenetz mit 430 neuen Wegweisern ausgeschildert. Große Tafeln mit einer Übersichtskarte und mit Standortinformationen sind an zentralen Punkten wie zum Beispiel an Bahnhöfen in den von den Themenpfaden verbundenen oder durchlaufenden Ortschaften aufgestellt. Jeder Themenpfad ist durch eine eigene Farbe und ein dem Namen entsprechendes Symbol auf den Eingangsportalen und den Wegweisern optisch gekennzeichnet. Weitere 120 kleinere Thementafeln erläutern entlang der Wanderwege lokale Besonderheiten. Örtliche Pfade, wie zum Beispiel der Brunnenpfad (7 km) in Bötzingen, wurden in das neue Netz der Themenpfade integriert.
Die acht Themenpfade wurden 2010 durch den Kaiserstuhlpfad ergänzt, der als Prädikatswanderweg das Gütesiegel „Qualitätsweg Wanderbares Deutschland“ erhielt. Der 21,7 km lange Kaiserstuhlpfad orientiert sich mit einigen Erweiterungen am Neunlindenpfad (Nord-Süd-Weg) und führt von Endingen durch das Erletal hoch zur Katharinenkapelle, entlang der Naturschutzgebiete Badberg und Haselschacher Buck zum Eichelspitzturm, weiter über den Vogelsang-Pass zum Neunlindenturm, durch den Lößhohlweg Eichgasse nach Bickensohl und über den Kreuzenbuck durch die Lenzengasse nach Ihringen.
(Wikipedia)
Die Eichelspitze ist ein 521,3 m ü. NHN hoher Berg. Er bildet nach dem Totenkopf (556,8 m ü. NHN) die zweithöchste Erhebung des Kaiserstuhls in Baden-Württemberg. Ihr Gipfel liegt am Ostrand dieses Mittelgebirges, nahe dem Treffpunkt der Gemarkungsgrenzen von Eichstetten, Bötzingen und Vogtsburg.
Bruderhäusle und St. Erhardskapelle
Auf dem Gipfel der Eichelspitze hat sich eine spätmittelalterliche, aus Küche und Schlafraum bestehende Eremiten-Einsiedlei mit angrenzender St. Erhards-Kapelle nachweisen lassen. Nach ersten Lesefunden von Hobbyarchäologen fanden die Reste der Gebäude besondere Beachtung, als im Zuge der Errichtung eines provisorischen Aussichtsturmes weitere Funde aus dem 14. bis 16. Jahrhundert zu Tage kamen. Bei der gezielten Grabung vor der Errichtung des heutigen Eichelspitzturmes (Eröffnung im Juli 2006) kamen unter anderem zahlreiche Ofenkacheln, Bruchstücke von Geschirrkeramik, Maultrommeln und eine Ringfibel aus Bronze hinzu, die einen guten Einblick in das alltägliche Leben der vor Ort lebenden Eremiten bieten.
Der Gebäudekomplex war Teil des in Sichtweite, 2,1 km (Luftlinie) entfernt gelegenen St. Petersklosters auf dem Neunlinden-Buck (555 m ü. NHN; Totenkopf-Nebengipfel), das Hesso von Baden-Hachberg einigen Pauliner-Ordensbrüdern 1387 übertrug. Die St. Erhards-Kapelle wird unter anderem 1491 in einem Urbar der Eichstetter Pfarrei erwähnt, das die Einnahmen der kleinen Kirche thematisiert.
Da Eichstetten zur Herrschaft Hachberg gehörte und sich somit schon früh der Reformation anschloss, wurde die Einsiedelei wahrscheinlich in dieser Zeit aufgegeben. Schichten von Ofenbauteilen und Baumaterial lassen auf einen Abbruch des Gebäudes schließen. Von dem einst von einem Graben umgebenen Gebäudekomplex von ungefähr 16 auf 9 Meter (mittels Georadar nachgewiesen) ist heute noch ein Mauerrest von 4 m Breite und 2,5 m Höhe zu sehen. Die bauliche Struktur des Bruderhäusles ist seit der Eröffnung des Fundortes als Bodendenkmal durch eine Lage oberirdischer Granitblöcke nachgebildet.
Eichelspitzturm
Seit Juli 2006 steht auf der Eichelspitze der insgesamt 42,5 Meter hohe Eichelspitzturm, der in einer Gemeinschaftsaktion der Gemeinden Eichstetten, Bötzingen, Bahlingen und Vogtsburg sowie des Fördervereins Eichelspitztum e. V., des Landes Baden-Württemberg und dem Mobilfunkanbieter O2 realisiert wurde. Die Höhe der Besucherplattform beträgt 28 Meter, von dort bietet sich ein guter Rundumblick auf Kaiserstuhl, Schwarzwald und Vogesen.
Besichtigung der Eichelspitze
Die Eichelspitze ist nicht mit dem Auto befahrbar, kann aber über einen als Rundweg konzipierten Geopfad erreicht werden, der im Samengarten der Stiftung Kaiserstühler Garten in Eichstetten startet. Der gut neun Kilometer lange Weg führt in etwa 1,5 Stunden über den alten Eichstetter Steinbruch zum Gipfel. Vom Parkplatz Fohrenbuck (Eichstetten) ist es etwa ein Kilometer Fußmarsch auf die Anhöhe, die Eichelspitze ist auch gut vom Vogelsang-Pass (277 m ü. NHN) zwischen Bötzingen und Vogtsburg zu erreichen.
(Wikipedia)
The Indian rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis), also called the greater one-horned rhinoceros and great Indian rhinoceros, is a rhinoceros native to the Indian subcontinent. It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, as populations are fragmented and restricted to less than 20,000 km2 (7,700 sq mi). Moreover, the extent and quality of the rhino's most important habitat, alluvial grassland and riverine forest, is considered to be in decline due to human and livestock encroachment.
To outsiders the Moot looks like a safe and happy land. The extent to which that’s true is due to the Fieldwardens.
These Halflings patrol the borders of the Moot, keeping away threats and unwanted outsiders. They are skilled skirmishers who use their intimate knowledge of the Moot to maximum advantage. They prefer to attack from ambush, using their superior skill with missile weapons to neutralize the size advantage of their foes. Since the Moot shares a border with Sylvania, the Fieldwardens have particular expertise in dealing with the living dead. More than one band of zombies has been brought down by a fusillade of slingstones from determined Fieldwardens.
The Fieldwarden is an esteemed figure in the halfling community. Empire folk may fret about the constant threat of heresy and invisible "enemies within", but halflings are a peaceful and easygoing folk with little concern beyond what the tavern has on the board for supper. Halflings live uncomplicated lives with simple tastes and an appreciation for the status quo. Chaos and disorder are to be avoided at all costs, and Mootlanders look to their vaunted Fieldwardens to maintain cherished continuity.
When not attached to a border patrol, a Fieldwarden's primary responsibility is to simply walk about the community and present a friendly and visible presence. Other times, the Fieldwarden is called upon to fill just about any job imaginable, from mending fences to helping at harvest time. The Fieldwarden knows the names and faces of every halfling family in his area, as well as the type of baked delectables they put out with tea. It’s a great honour for a halfling household to host a Fieldwarden to a Bakeday meal, and the wardens are often booked for meals months in advance. These dinners sometimes evoke friendly competitions between hosting families as they attempt to outdo each other with increasingly elaborate menus.
Source: Wikipedia