Phlox subulata (foreground) during spring prescribed fire to maintain serpentine grassland
Large Amu Darya shovelnose sturgeon (small-narrownose form)
Nukus Balyk fish hatchery (Nukus, Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan)
Recirculating aquaculture system (RAS)
April 2024
Video: https://youtu.be/a-ODfTTvXu4
The fish was caught in the Amu Darya river in Khanka area (Khorezm province, Uzbekistan)
In 2020 Nukus Balyk fish hatchery (Nukus, Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan) was registered as Amu Darya shovelnose sturgeons propagation facility. It provided the Amu Darya shovelnose conservation project (https://life-on-earth.ru/amu-darya-and-syr-darya-shovelnose-sturgeons/amu-darya-shovelnose-sturgeons-conservation-uzbekistan) with a line of recirculating aquaculture system (RAS). Water in the system is refreshed from the Amu Darya river through a canal.
It"s the first step towards Amu Darya shovelnose sturgeons propagation and conservation efforts.
Nukus Balyk fish hatchery (Nukus, Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan) is opened for visiting to watch Amu Darya shovelnose sturgeons on preliminary arrangement. Addrress and the contact are mentioned below.
The Amu Darya shovelnose sturgeons Conservation Project in Nukus currently needs the following equipment:
EHEIM Universal 3400 water pump
https://eheim.com/en_GB/aquatics/technology/pumps/universal/universal-3400
EHEIM Universal 2400 water pump
https://eheim.com/en_GB/aquatics/technology/pumps/universal/universal-2400
EHEIM compactON 600 water pump
https://eheim.com/en_GB/aquatics/technology/pumps/compacton/compacton-600?c=1776
Schego WS3 air pump
https://schego.de/en/hobby/
If you have an ability and good will to help the project you may buy the equipment mentioned above and send it directly to Nukus:
230903 Uzbekistan, Karakalpakstan Republic, Nukus district, SSG "Samanbay", Rybzavod
Tel./ Telegram/ WhatsApp: +998 91 2610001 Kallybek Primbetov
230903 Узбекистан, Республика Каракалпакстан, Нукусский район, ССГ "Саманбай", Pыбзавод. Тел./ Telegram/ WhatsApp: +998 91 2610001 Каллыбек Примбетов
You may also communicate with Alexey Chernyak. Tel./ Telegram/ WhatsApp: +7 926 5288128
Large Amu Darya shovelnose sturgeon (big-broadnose form)
Weight 450 gr
Nukus Balyk fish hatchery (Nukus, Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan)
Recirculating aquaculture system (RAS)
April 2024
Video-1: https://youtu.be/UmqKsT4xNKg
Video-2: https://youtu.be/sPYCA2JNkJg
Video-3: https://youtu.be/xtfyH2JlljU
Video-4: https://youtu.be/_rV-aHMcZWg
Video-5: https://youtu.be/P62TEOlaWlQ
Video-6: https://youtu.be/P62TEOlaWlQ
Video-7: https://youtu.be/rIKEFQkXz9E
The fish was caught in the Amu Darya river in Khanka area (Khorezm province, Uzbekistan)
In 2020 Nukus Balyk fish hatchery (Nukus, Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan) was registered as Amu Darya shovelnose sturgeons propagation facility. It provided the Amu Darya shovelnose conservation project (https://life-on-earth.ru/amu-darya-and-syr-darya-shovelnose-sturgeons/amu-darya-shovelnose-sturgeons-conservation-uzbekistan) with a line of recirculating aquaculture system (RAS). Water in the system is refreshed from the Amu Darya river through a canal.
It"s the first step towards Amu Darya shovelnose sturgeons propagation and conservation efforts.
Nukus Balyk fish hatchery (Nukus, Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan) is opened for visiting to watch Amu Darya shovelnose sturgeons on preliminary arrangement. Addrress and the contact are mentioned below.
If you have an ability and good will to help the project you may contact the hatchery:
230903 Uzbekistan, Karakalpakstan Republic, Nukus district, SSG "Samanbay", Rybzavod
Tel./ Telegram/ WhatsApp: +998 91 2610001 Kallybek Primbetov
230903 Узбекистан, Республика Каракалпакстан, Нукусский район, ССГ "Саманбай", Pыбзавод. Тел./ Telegram/ WhatsApp: +998 91 2610001 Каллыбек Примбетов
You may also communicate with curator of the project - Alexey Chernyak. Tel./ Telegram/ WhatsApp: +7 926 5288128
I'm aware this orchid is out of its known range. I've only seen it in one place, on a live oak branch on the north end of the island.
It began blooming on June 18.
Unusual red oak that I suspect to be the unnamed hybrid Quercus coccinea × falcata.
This tree caught my eye because its drooping leaves were reminiscent of southern red oak, but they were not turning the characteristic chocolate brown of that species and had an irregular shape.
The upper canopy leaves, despite favoring southern red oak, especially with the deep yellow petioles, were entirely glabrous besides small tufts of hair in the vein axes. The petioles and twigs were also glabrous. Only the bud scales remain densely hairy.
The lower canopy leaves, however, look very uncharacteristic for southern red oak. They're closer to the lower canopy leaves of black oak, or perhaps enlarged versions of the lower leaves of scarlet oak. They're also hairy on the underside, with the hairs clustered in the vein axes but also sparsely distributed over the whole leaf surface. This hair distribution is very similar to that of Garland's oak, another southern red oak hybrid. The lower twigs and petioles are also pubescent.
Few acorn remains were present and only one that seemed well-developed and intact. The cup has loose scales that resemble black oak, but they're rather wide and cover most of the nut as with scarlet oak.
The only mature red oaks in the immediate vicinity were scarlet oak, but southern red oak and black oak are abundant in the general area.
Alnus maritima subsp. georgiensis J.A. Schrad. & W.R. Graves
The third photo compares A. maritima (1) to A. serrulata (2), which were growing together at this site.
My thanks to Joel McNeal for bringing me to this site.
24 to 27 m
First record of Longleaf Pine in Simpson Co since this record in 1964: https://sernecportal.org/portal/collections/individual/index.php?occid=5868934
The Finkbine-Guild Lumber Company was established to harvest and market the virgin longleaf pine (Pinus palustris L.) stands of southern Mississippi during the early 20th century. The main sawmills were located in Wiggins and D'Lo, Mississippi. In July 1915, the Finkbine Lumber Company began construction at D'Lo, Simpson County, of an all electric sawmill containing two band saws, a gang saw and a resaw. When operations began in July 1916, this mill had a cutting capacity of 200,000 feet in 10 hours. The timber supply extended over parts of Simpson, Rankin, Smith and Scott counties, running east from D'Lo for about 50 miles. About August 1927 the supply of pine was cut out, after which the mill switched to cutting redwood shipped from the Finkbine-Guild mill in California through the Panama Canal to Gulfport.
The D'Lo mill cut out for good in August 1929, and the Longleaf Pine-the dominant tree in the county that provided shelter for thousands of species, started to be forgotten. A lost relic of an ecosystem once prominent, This tree is a survivor, likely being a descendant of those first trees that were cut.
Hundreds of larvae found during some mass occurrence event.
The only large black hairy thing in the woods around here
Adult male found under a log near a sinkhole pond. My first lifer herp of the decade. Extremely exciting to find this very rare species in VA!