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Čepkeliai Marsh
The Čepkeliai Marsh () is the largest bog (a mire) in Lithuania. Located in Varėna District Municipality, south of Marcinkonys village and north of Kotra River, which flows along the Belarus–Lithuania border in this area. Its area is a nature reserve and a Ramsar site. Protected status The area of the swamp is protected as a state nature reserve (Čepkēliai Reserve), with its administration in Marcinkonys, and part of the cross-border wetlands of international importance: Kotra-Cepkeliai Transboundary Ramsar Site established in 2010. It consists of the Kotra Ramsar site in Belarus (designated in 2002) and the Čepkeliai Mire Ramsar site in Lithuania (designated in 1993). In 2011 the Čepkeliai Nature Reserve together with Dzūkija National Park were certified as PAN parks. The bog itself covers an area of , while the larger area of which also includes some neighboring sections of the Dainava Forest is declared as the Čepkeliai Nature Reserve. It was created in 1975, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Varėna District Municipality
Varėna () is a city in Dzūkija, southern Lithuania. It is the capital of the Varėna district municipality, district of Varėna. Currently, there are 7,794 residents. The Varėna district is the largest and most forested Municipalities of Lithuania, municipality of Lithuania as more than 50% of the district's territory is covered with forests. Etymology The name of the town comes from an old village - Senoji Varėna (at the time called simply Varėna), while the new, present Varėna was being established nearby. The place name itself comes from the name of the Varėnė River. In other languages, the town is referred to as: ; ; ''Oran''. History Varėna was founded in 1862 as a railway town of the Warsaw – Saint Petersburg Railway, south of Sena Varėna (Old Varėna). The exact date of the town's foundation is considered to be 5 September 1862 according to the Julian calendar, or 17 September according to the current Gregorian calendar: that's when the first train arrived a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Peat
Peat is an accumulation of partially Decomposition, decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, Moorland, moors, or muskegs. ''Sphagnum'' moss, also called peat moss, is one of the most common components in peat, although many other plants can contribute. The biological features of sphagnum mosses act to create a habitat aiding peat formation, a phenomenon termed 'habitat manipulation'. Soils consisting primarily of peat are known as histosols. Peat forms in wetland conditions, where flooding or stagnant water obstructs the flow of oxygen from the atmosphere, slowing the rate of decomposition. Peat properties such as organic matter content and saturated hydraulic conductivity can exhibit high spatial heterogeneity. Peatlands, particularly bogs, are the primary source of peat; although less common, other wetlands, including fens, pocosins and peat swamp forests, also deposit peat. Landscapes covered in peat are home to sp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Heath
A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and is characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a cooler and damper climate. Heaths are widespread worldwide but are rapidly disappearing and considered a rare habitat in Europe. They form extensive and highly diverse communities across Australia in humid and sub-humid areas where fire regimes with recurring burning are required for the maintenance of the heathlands.Specht, R.L. 'Heathlands' in 'Australian Vegetation' R.H. Groves ed. Cambridge University Press 1988 Even more diverse though less widespread heath communities occur in Southern Africa. Extensive heath communities can also be found in the Texas chaparral, New Caledonia, central Chile, and along the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. In addition to these extensive heath areas, the vegetation type is also found in scattered locations a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Belorussians
Belarusians ( ) are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Belarus. They natively speak Belarusian, an East Slavic language. More than 9 million people proclaim Belarusian ethnicity worldwide. Nearly 7.99 million Belarusians reside in Belarus, with the United States and Russia being home to more than 500,000 Belarusians each. The majority of Belarusians adhere to Eastern Orthodoxy. Name During the Soviet era, Belarusians were referred to as ''Byelorussians'' or ''Belorussians'' (from Byelorussia, derived from Russian "Белоруссия"). Before, they were typically known as ''White Russians'' or ''White Ruthenians'' (from White Russia or White Ruthenia, based on "Белая Русь"). Upon Belarusian independence in 1991, they became known as ''Belarusians'' (from Belarus, derived from "Беларусь"), sometimes spelled as ''Belarusans'', ''Belarussians'' or ''Belorusians''. The term '' White Rus''' (), also known as ''White Ruthenia'' or ''White Russia'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Delfi
Delfi (occasionally capitalized as DELFI) is a news website in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania providing daily news, ranging from gardening to politics. It ranks as one of the most popular websites among Baltic users. Delfi operates in the respective Baltic countries under the domain names delfi.ee, delfi.lv, and delfi.lt. Aside from versions in the Estonian language, Estonian, Latvian language, Latvian, and Lithuanian language, Lithuanian languages, the company offers Russian language, Russian-language versions of its portal in all three countries. On 12 March 2012, Delfi started a Polish version under pl.delfi.lt. A year later an English version was added under en.delfi.lt. In March 2014, the delfi.ua website was closed. In February 2016, most of the delfi.lt English-language content was placed behind a paywall to restrict access to most articles without a paid subscription, as the articles in this version of Delfi are supported by the ''Lithuania Tribune'', which raised qu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Smooth Snake
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 (rarely ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
European Pine Marten
The European pine marten (''Martes martes''), also known as the pine marten, is a mustelid native to and widespread in most of Europe, Asia Minor, the Caucasus, and parts of Iran, Iraq, and Syria. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. It is less commonly known as baum marten or sweet marten. Description The European pine marten's fur is usually light to dark brown. It is short and coarse in the summer, growing longer and silkier during the winter. It has a cream- to yellow-coloured "bib" marking on its throat. Its body is up to long, with a bushy tail of about . It weighs around ; males are slightly larger than females. It has excellent senses of sight, smell, and hearing. Distribution and habitat Britain and Ireland The European pine marten was for many years common only in northwestern Scotland. A study in 2012 found that it has spread from the Scottish Highlands north into Sutherland and Caithness and southeastwards from the Great Glen into Moray, Aberde ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mountain Hare
The mountain hare (''Lepus timidus''), also known as blue hare, tundra hare, variable hare, white hare, snow hare, alpine hare, and Irish hare, is a species of Palearctic hare that is largely adapted to polar and mountainous habitats. Evolution The mountain hare arose during the Late Pleistocene; there is evidence that its range expanded during glaciations into southern Europe, with populations of Iberian hare (''Lepus granatensis''), European hare (''L. europaeus)'' and broom hare (''L. castroviejoi'') in northern Iberia harboring mitochondrial haplotypes from the mountain hare. During the Late Pleistocene to Early Holocene, populations of mountain hare in Russia grew at least 10% larger than any living population today. This population has been classified as a distinct species ''Lepus tanaiticus'', but is now generally considered a prehistoric morphotype of the living mountain hare. Distribution and habitat This species is distributed from Fennoscandia to eastern Siberia; in ad ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Black Grouse
The black grouse (''Lyrurus tetrix''), also known as northern black grouse, Eurasian black grouse, blackgame or blackcock, is a large Aves, bird in the grouse family. It is a Bird migration, sedentary species, spanning across the Palearctic in moorland and steppe habitat when breeding, often near wooded areas. They will spend the winter perched in dense forests, feeding almost exclusively on the needles of conifers. The black grouse is one of two species of grouse in the genus ''Lyrurus'', the other being the lesser-known Caucasian grouse. The female is greyish-brown and has a cackling or warbling call. She takes all responsibility for nesting and caring for the chicks, as typical with most Galliformes, galliforms. The black grouse's genome was sequenced in 2014. Taxonomy and naming The black grouse was Species description, formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the 10th edition of Systema Naturae, tenth edition of his ''Systema Naturae'' under th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
White-tailed Eagle
The white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla''), sometimes known as the 'sea eagle', is a large bird of prey, widely distributed across temperate Eurasia. Like all eagles, it is a member of the family Accipitridae (or accipitrids) which also includes other diurnal raptors such as hawks, kites, and harriers. One of up to eleven members in the genus '' Haliaeetus'', which are commonly called sea eagles, it is also referred to as the white-tailed sea-eagle.Helander, B., & Stjernberg, T. (2003). ''Action plan for the conservation of white-tailed sea eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla'')''. In Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats, Strasbourg, France. Sometimes, it is known as the ern or erne (depending on spelling by sources),Love, J. A. (1983). ''The return of the Sea Eagle''. Cambridge University Press, . gray sea eagle and Eurasian sea eagle. While found across a wide range, today breeding from as far west as Greenland and Iceland across to as fa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Grus Grus
The common crane (''Grus grus''), also known as the Eurasian crane, is a bird of the family Gruidae, the cranes. A medium-sized species, it is the only crane commonly found in Europe besides the demoiselle crane (''Grus virgo'') and the Siberian crane (''Leucogeranus leucogeranus'') that only are regular in the far eastern part of the continent. Along with the sandhill crane (''Antigone canadensis''), demoiselle crane and the brolga (''Antigone rubicunda''), it is one of only four crane species not currently classified as threatened with extinction or conservation dependent on the species level. Despite the species' large numbers, local extinctions and extirpations have taken place in part of its range, and an ongoing reintroduction project is underway in the United Kingdom. Taxonomy The first formal description of the common crane was by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his ''Systema Naturae'' under the binomial name ''Ardea grus''. The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
