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Schlangenberg Nature Reserve
The nature reserve of Schlangenberg which means ''snake-mountain'' is located in the west of Germany close to the Dutch and Belgian border. The reserve is near the village Breinigerberg, 15 kilometres from Aachen or 7 kilometres distant from the city of Stolberg (Rhineland). ''Schlangenberg'' itself is a small hill peaking 276 m above sea level. The large area is famous for its calamine flora. Geology The soil of the nature reserve is basically limestone which was precipitated about 400 million years ago by an ancient ocean. In the following million years geological movements carried it to the surface where erosion removed large amounts. About 200 million years ago aqueous metal solutions filled the cavernous rocks. Primary ores were created mostly consisting of Sphalerite, Marcasite and Galena. The process continued and the ore close to the surface decomposed due to the influence of carbon dioxide and water. In this process as a secondary ore calamine ZnCO3 which is known as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Panorama Schlangenberg
A panorama (formed from Greek πᾶν "all" + ὅραμα "view") is any wide-angle view or representation of a physical space, whether in painting, drawing, photography, film, seismic images, or 3D modeling. The word was originally coined in the 18th century by the English (Irish descent) painter Robert Barker to describe his panoramic paintings of Edinburgh and London. The motion-picture term ''panning'' is derived from ''panorama''. A panoramic view is also purposed for multimedia, cross-scale applications to an outline overview (from a distance) along and across repositories. This so-called "cognitive panorama" is a panoramic view over, and a combination of, cognitive spaces used to capture the larger scale. History The device of the panorama existed in painting, particularly in murals, as early as 20 A.D., in those found in Pompeii, as a means of generating an immersive "panoptic" experience of a vista. Cartographic experiments during the Enlightenment era preced ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mountains And Hills Of North Rhine-Westphalia
A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher than a hill, typically rising at least 300 metres (1,000 feet) above the surrounding land. A few mountains are isolated summits, but most occur in mountain ranges. Mountains are formed through tectonic forces, erosion, or volcanism, which act on time scales of up to tens of millions of years. Once mountain building ceases, mountains are slowly leveled through the action of weathering, through slumping and other forms of mass wasting, as well as through erosion by rivers and glaciers. High elevations on mountains produce colder climates than at sea level at similar latitude. These colder climates strongly affect the ecosystems of mountains: different elevations have different plants and animals. Because of the less hospitable terrain and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aachen (district)
The district of Aachen (german: link=yes, Städteregion Aachen) is a district in the west of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Heinsberg, Düren, Euskirchen, and also the Netherlands province of Limburg and the Belgian province of Liège. Its administrative body is the ''Städteregionsparlament'' ("regional parliament"), headed by the ''Städteregionspräsident'' or "region president" (Tim Grüttemeier ( CDU) since 2019). History Becoming effective on 21 October 2009, the ''Städteregion Aachen'' (literally: "cities region" Aachen) was formed from the former district Aachen (''Kreis Aachen'') and the city of Aachen. This is the first ''Städteregion'' that was formed in North Rhine-Westphalia. Its status is similar to that of the district Hanover (''Region Hannover'') in Lower Saxony, in that the powers of the city of Aachen are slightly less than those of a district-free city (''Kreisfreie Stadt''). The former district Aachen was created in 1975 in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pine
A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accepts 187 species names of pines as current, together with more synonyms. The American Conifer Society (ACS) and the Royal Horticultural Society accept 121 species. Pines are commonly found in the Northern Hemisphere. ''Pine'' may also refer to the lumber derived from pine trees; it is one of the more extensively used types of lumber. The pine family is the largest conifer family and there are currently 818 named cultivars (or trinomials) recognized by the ACS. Description Pine trees are evergreen, coniferous resinous trees (or, rarely, shrubs) growing tall, with the majority of species reaching tall. The smallest are Siberian dwarf pine and Potosi pinyon, and the tallest is an tall ponderosa pine located in southern Oregon's Rogue Riv ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yellow-bellied Toad
The yellow-bellied toad (''Bombina variegata'') belongs to the order Anura, the family Bombinatoridae, and the genus of fire-bellied toads. The toad is distributed mainly across western Europe as well as a handful of countries in eastern Europe. While the population of the toad is steadily decreasing over time, its numbers are not critical enough to be considered threatened or extinct. Conservation efforts in Germany are taking place to remedy the declining population before it is too late. The toad is characterized by its bright ‘yellow belly,’ and has a dark brown and green dorsal body. The toad displays crypsis to camouflage itself from predators. It also positions itself to display yellow coloration when facing a threat. The warts found on the dorsal side allow for the toad's toxins to be readily excreted when needed. The yellow-bellied toad is fascinating species to study because of its breeding choices; it chooses calculated risk when deciding to breed in shallow, un ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Woodlark
The woodlark or wood lark (''Lullula arborea'') is the only extant species in the lark genus ''Lullula''. It is found across most of Europe, the Middle East, western Asia and the mountains of north Africa. It is mainly resident (non- migratory) in the west of its range, but eastern populations of this passerine bird are more migratory, moving further south in winter. There are two subspecies of woodlark, ''L. a. arborea'' and ''L. a. pallida''. The former is native to northern regions of Europe, while the latter can be found in the south of the woodlark's range. Their diet is mostly composed of seeds but also includes insects during the breeding period. A comparatively small bird, the woodlark is between 13.5 and 15 centimetres long and roughly 20% shorter than the skylark. It is a brown bird with a pale underside and has a white-tipped tail. Taxonomy and systematics The woodlark was described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his ''System ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Coronella Austriaca
The smooth snake (''Coronella austriaca'')Street D (1979). ''The Reptiles of Northern and Central Europe''. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd. 268 pp. . is a species of non-venomous snake in the family Colubridae. The species is found in northern and central Europe, but also as far east as northern Iran. The Reptile Database recognizes two subspecies as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies described here. Description Both sexes of ''C. austriaca'' grow to an average total length (including tail) of about to . Two specimens measuring have been recorded in Sweden, as well as one in Russia that was . The head has a rostral scale that is at least as deep as it is wide, creating a triangular indentation between the internasal scales (rarely separating them). The top of the head is covered with nine large plates. The nasal scale is often divided. There is one (rarely two) preoculars and two postoculars. The temporals number 2+2 or 2+3 (rarely 1+2) . There are seven (rare ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wart-biter
The wart-biter (''Decticus verrucivorus'') is a bush-cricket in the family Tettigoniidae. Its common and scientific names derive from the eighteenth-century Swedish practice of allowing the crickets to nibble at warts to remove them. Description Adult wart-biters are , with females being significantly larger than males. They are typically dark green in colour, usually with dark brown blotches on the pronotum and wings (a dark brown morphotype also occurs). The female has a long and slightly upcurved ovipositor. The wart-biter has a song consisting of a rapidly repeated series of short bursts of clicks, sometimes lasting for several minutes. Wart-biters normally move about by walking; they rarely fly, except when frightened. Most can only fly at a time. Subspecies The ''Orthoptera Species File'' lists: * ''D. verrucivorus assiduus'' Ingrisch, Willemse & Heller, 1992 * ''D. verrucivorus brevipennis'' Götz, 1970 * ''D. verrucivorus crassus'' Götz, 1970 * ''D. verrucivorus grac ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fly Orchid
''Ophrys insectifera'', the fly orchid, is a species of orchid and the type species of the genus ''Ophrys''. It is remarkable as an example of the use of sexually deceptive pollination and floral mimicry, as well as a highly selective and highly evolved plant–pollinator relationship. Description ''Ophrys insectifera'' is a tuberous perennial, reaching in height, which flowers across its range from May to July. It is a slender plant, with narrow upright leaves. A flower spike may carry 1-10 flowers, which have yellow-green sepals, very reduced, dark brown/black petals resembling the antennae of an insect and a long, narrow, lobed labellum, which is dark in color, varying from maroon to black and on which there are two glossy depressions known as 'pseudo-eyes' as well as an iridescent blue/grey patch evolved to resemble an insect's glistening wings. There is a rare yellow-flowered form of ''O. insectifera''. Chromosomes 2n=36 Taxonomy The genus name "''Ophrys''" derives from the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dark Red Helleborine
''Epipactis atrorubens'', the dark-red helleborine or royal helleborine, is an herbaceous plant in the orchid family, Orchidaceae. As with many other species of orchids, the species is legally protected in some countries. Plantlife designated the dark-red helleborine as the county flower for Banffshire, Scotland. Description The plant is hardy and has a short rootstalk, often with multiple, fleshy roots. It blooms from June to August with erect, mostly purple inflorescences with dense hair on the tops, standing between in height. The blossoms emit a strong vanilla scent, especially in warm weather. The flowers sometimes vary in color, but are in general reddish-brown. The fruit is a capsule, out of which the light, dustlike seeds are spread by the wind. A number of natural hybrids with other ''Epipactis'' species are known. Taxonomy ''Epipactis atrorubens'' (Hoffm.) Besser is an accepted species, though ''Epipactis atrorubens'' Rostk. ex Spreng. ''nom. illeg.'' is a synonym of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
