Giant Palouse earthworm

The giant Palouse earthworm or Washington giant earthworm ("Driloleirus americanus", meaning "lily-like worm") is a species of earthworm belonging to the genus "Driloleirus" inhabiting the Palouse region of Eastern Washington and North Idaho, in the United States. The worm was discovered in 1897 by Frank Smith near Pullman, Washington. It can burrow to a depth of .
Although it had been thought to be extinct in the 1980s, recent evidence has demonstrated that the species is still living. The latest sighting included recovery of two specimens, an adult and a juvenile, which were unearthed on March 27, 2010 by scientists at the University of Idaho including Samuel James.
Biology.
Little is known about the giant Palouse earthworm. Typical adult specimens are about in length. They are related to a species in Australia that is a true giant at , the giant Gippsland earthworm. The worm is albino in appearance. Prior to its rediscovery in 2010, the worm was believed to give off a scent similar to that of the lily flower when handled and that it was able to spit in self-defense; however, the specimens captured did not exhibit these capabilities.
This species' native habitat consists of the bunch grass prairies of the Palouse region. The fertile soil consists of deep loess hills enriched with volcanic ash and rich layers of organic matter. It is thought to sustain the earthworm during dry seasons. The earthworm burrows deep during summer droughts and enters a state of aestivation.
Research.
It had been described as "very common" in the Palouse region in the 1890s, according to an 1897 article in The American Naturalist by Frank Smith. Smith's work was based on four specimens sent to him by R. W. Doane of Washington State University. A scanned image of the letter accompanying the original specimens is found Letter to Frank Smith from R.W. Doane 1897.
There was no scientific survey conducted in the late 19th century to determine the spatial extent and abundance of the earthworm.
A Summer 2009 project was launched by Jodi Johnson-Maynard, a University of Idaho associate professor and a soil ecologist specializing in macroinvertebrates, to find specimens. Only four sightings had been confirmed (prior to the 2010 discovery) in the past 30 years, the previous most recent sighting was in 2005 by one of Johnson-Maynard's students, Yaniria Sánchez de León. Funding was provided through various contracts with the Idaho Conservation Data Center in the Idaho Department of Fish and Game and in cooperation with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
In 2012, two specimens were found near Paradise Ridge, south of Moscow, Idaho, one by Cass Davis (on April 13) and one by Joseph Szasz (on June 5). Both were transferred to the University of Idaho.
Conservation status.
, the World Conservation Union (IUCN) has considered the giant Palouse earthworm vulnerable due to loss of habitat and competition from non-native species. In August 2006, conservationists petitioned the U.S. government to list the worm under the Endangered Species Act. However, in October 2007, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) declined to list the species as protected under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), citing a lack of scientific information on which to base a decision to list. This determination prompted a number of environmental organizations to sue the agency for violation of the ESA and Administrative Procedures Act in order "to ensure the vanishing giant earthworm receives the protection it deserves." However, on February 12, 2009, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington upheld the decision of the USFWS, finding the FWS's determination "that an organization's request for listing the giant Palouse earthworm ("Driloleirus americanus") (GPE) as a threatened or endangered species under the Endangered Species Act was not supported by substantial information was a reasonable determination where the organization had to rely almost entirely upon circumstantial evidence. At each point along the analytical path, whether considering the extent of the GPE's habitat, its population, or potential threats to its existence, the FWS provided a rational basis for declining to draw the inferences sought by the organization."
On 1 July 2009, several environmental organizations filed a new petition to again list the giant Palouse earthworm as endangered or threatened. On 26 July 2011, the FWS announced a decision in the Federal Register that it had again declined to list the earthworm under the Endangered Species Act as "the threats are not of sufficient imminence, intensity, or magnitude to indicate that the GPE is in danger of extinction (endangered), or likely to become endangered within the foreseeable future (threatened), throughout all of its range."


Streptococcus mutans

Streptococcus mutans is a facultatively anaerobic, gram-positive coccus (round bacterium) commonly found in the human oral cavity and is a significant contributor to tooth decay.
It is part of the "streptococci" (plural, non-italic lowercase), an informal general name for all species in the genus "Streptococcus". The microbe was first described by James Kilian Clarke in 1924.
This bacterium, along with the closely related species "Streptococcus sobrinus", can cohabit the mouth: Both contribute to oral disease, and the expense of differentiating them in laboratory testing is often not clinically necessary. Therefore, for clinical purposes they are often considered together as a group, called the mutans streptococci (plural, non-italic due to its being an informal group name). This grouping of similar bacteria with similar tropism can also be seen in the viridans streptococci, another group of "Streptococcus" species.
Ecology.
"S. mutans" is naturally present in the human oral microbiota, along with at least 25 other species of oral streptococci. The taxonomy of these bacteria remains tentative. Different areas of the oral cavity present different ecological niches, and each species has specific properties for colonizing different oral sites. "S. mutans" is most prevalent on the pits and fissures, constituting 39% of the total streptococci in the oral cavity. Fewer "S. mutans" bacteria are found on the buccal surface (2–9%).
Bacterial-fungal co-coaggregation can help to increase the cariogenic potential of "S.mutans". A symbiotic relationship with S.mutans and "Candida Albicans" leads to increased glucan production and increased biofilm formation. This therefore amplifies the cariogenic effect of "S.mutans".
Oral streptococci have both harmless and harmful bacteria. However, under special conditions commensal streptococci can become opportunistic pathogens, initiating disease and damaging the host. Imbalances in the microbial biota can initiate oral diseases.
"Candida albicans" is an opportunistic pathogenic yeast that can be found within the oral cavity. Its presence in the biofilm promotes higher levels of "Streptococcus mutans" when looking at early childhood caries. It stimulates the formation of "S. mutans" microcolonies. This is achieved through low concentrations of cross-kingdom metabolites, such as farnesol, derived from the biofilm. It has been suggested that when both microbes are present, more biofilm matrix is produced, with a greater density. When farnesol is in high concentration, it inhibits the growth of both "S. mutans" and "C. albicans". This decreases the biofilm pathogenesis, and therefore its caries promoting potential. This offers the potential for an anti-fungal to be used in the prevention of dental caries.
Role in disease.
Tooth decay.
Early colonizers of the tooth surface are mainly "Neisseria" spp. and streptococci, including "S. mutans". They must withstand the oral cleansing forces (e.g. saliva and the tongue movements) and adhere sufficiently to the dental hard tissues. The growth and metabolism of these pioneer species changes local environmental conditions (e.g., Eh, pH, coaggregation, and substrate availability), thereby enabling more fastidious organisms to further colonize after them, forming dental plaque. Along with "S. sobrinus", "S. mutans" plays a major role in tooth decay, metabolizing sucrose to lactic acid. The acidic environment created in the mouth by this process is what causes the highly mineralized tooth enamel to be vulnerable to decay. "S. mutans" is one of a few specialized organisms equipped with receptors that improve adhesion to the surface of teeth. "S. mutans" uses the enzyme glucansucrase to convert sucrose into a sticky, extracellular, dextran-based polysaccharide that allows them to cohere, forming plaque. "S. mutans" produces dextran via the enzyme dextransucrase (a hexosyltransferase) using sucrose as a substrate in the following reaction:
Sucrose is the only sugar that bacteria can use to form this sticky polysaccharide.
However, other sugars—glucose, fructose, lactose—can also be digested by "S. mutans", but they produce lactic acid as an end product. The combination of plaque and acid leads to dental decay. Due to the role "S. mutans" plays in tooth decay, many attempts have been made to create a vaccine for the organism. So far, such vaccines have not been successful in humans. Recently, proteins involved in the colonization of teeth by "S. mutans" have been shown to produce antibodies that inhibit the cariogenic process.
A molecule recently synthesized at Yale University and the University of Chile, called Keep 32, is supposed to be able to kill "S. mutans". Another candidate is a peptide called C16G2, synthesised at UCLA.
It is believed that "Streptococcus mutans" acquired the gene that enables it to produce biofilms through horizontal gene transfer with other lactic acid bacterial species, such as "Lactobacillus".
Life in the oral cavity.
Surviving in the oral cavity, "S. mutans" is the primary causal agent and the pathogenic species responsible for dental caries (tooth decay or cavities) specifically in the initiation and development stages.
Dental plaque, typically the precursor to tooth decay, contains more than 600 different microorganisms, contributing to the oral cavity's overall dynamic environment that frequently undergoes rapid changes in pH, nutrient availability, and oxygen tension. Dental plaque adheres to the teeth and consists of bacterial cells, while plaque is the biofilm on the surfaces of the teeth. Dental plaque and "S. mutans" is frequently exposed to "toxic compounds" from oral healthcare products, food additives, and tobacco.
While "S. mutans" grows in the biofilm, cells maintain a balance of metabolism that involves production and detoxification. Biofilm is an aggregate of microorganisms in which cells adhere to each other or a surface. Bacteria in the biofilm community can actually generate various toxic compounds that interfere with the growth of other competing bacteria.
"S. mutans" has over time developed strategies to successfully colonize and maintain a dominant presence in the oral cavity. The oral biofilm is continuously challenged by changes in the environmental conditions. In response to such changes, the bacterial community evolved with individual members and their specific functions to survive in the oral cavity. "S. mutans" has been able to evolve from nutrition-limiting conditions to protect itself in extreme conditions. Streptococci represent 20% of the oral bacteria and actually determine the development of the biofilms. Although "S. mutans" can be antagonized by pioneer colonizers, once they become dominant in oral biofilms, dental caries can develop and thrive.
Cariogenic potential.
The causative agent of dental caries is associated with its ability to metabolize various sugars, form a robust biofilm, produce an abundant amount of lactic acid, and thrive in the acid environment it generates. A study into pH of plaque said that the critical pH for increased demineralisation of dental hard tissues (enamel and dentine) is 5.5. The Stephan curve illustrates how quickly the plaque pH can fall below 5.5 after a snack or meal.
Dental caries is a dental biofilm-related oral disease associated with increased consumption of dietary sugar and fermentable carbohydrates. When dental biofilms remain on tooth surfaces, along with frequent exposure to sugars, acidogenic bacteria (members of dental biofilms) will metabolize the sugars to organic acids. Untreated dental caries is the most common disease affecting humans worldwide . Persistence of this acidic condition encourages the proliferation of acidogenic and aciduric bacteria as a result of their ability to survive at a low-pH environment. The low-pH environment in the biofilm matrix erodes the surface of the teeth and begins the "initiation" of the dental caries. "Streptococcus mutans" is a bacterium which is prevalent within the oral environment and is thought to be a vital microorganism that contributes to this initiation. "S. mutans" thrives in acidic conditions, becoming the main bacterium in cultures with permanently reduced pH . If the adherence of "S. mutans" to the surface of teeth or the physiological ability (acidogenity and aciduricity) of "S. mutans" in dental biofilms can be reduced or eliminated, the acidification potential of dental biofilms and later cavity formations can be decreased.
Ideally, we can stop the early various lesion developing beyond the white spot stage. Once beyond here, the enamel surface is irreversibly damaged and cannot be biologically repaired. In young children, the pain from a carious lesion can be quite distressing and restorative treatment can cause an early dental anxiety to develop. Dental anxiety has knock-on effects for both dental professionals and patients. Treatment planning and therefore treatment success can be compromised. The dental staff can become stressed and frustrated when working with anxious children. This can compromise their relationship with the child and their parents. Studies have shown a cycle to exist, whereby dentally anxious patients avoid caring for the health of their oral tissues. They can sometimes avoid oral hygiene and will try to avoid seeking dental care until the pain is unbearable.
Susceptibility to disease varies between individuals and immunological mechanisms have been proposed to confer protection or susceptibility to the disease. These mechanisms have yet to be fully elucidated but it seems that while antigen presenting cells are activated by "S. mutans" "in vitro", they fail to respond "in vivo". Immunological tolerance to "S. mutans" at the mucosal surface may make individuals more prone to colonisation with "S. mutans" and therefore increase susceptibility to dental caries.
In children.
"S. mutans" is often acquired in the oral cavity subsequent to tooth eruption, but has also been detected in the oral cavity of predentate children. It is generally, but not exclusively, transmitted via vertical transmission from caregiver (generally the mother) to child. This can also commonly happen when the parent puts their lips to the child's bottle to taste it, or to clean the child's pacifier, then puts it into the child's mouth.
Cardiovascular disease.
"S. mutans" is implicated in the pathogenesis of certain cardiovascular diseases, and is the most prevalent bacterial species detected in extirpated heart valve tissues, as well as in atheromatous plaques, with an incidence of 68.6% and 74.1%, respectively. "Streptococcus sanguinis", closely related to "S. mutans" and also found in the oral cavity, has been shown to cause Infective Endocarditis.
"Streptococcus mutans" has been associated with bacteraemia and infective endocarditis (IE). IE is divided into acute and subacute forms, and the bacterium is isolated in subacute cases. The common symptoms are: fever, chills, sweats, anorexia, weight loss, and malaise.
"S. mutans" has been classified into four serotypes; c, e, f, and k. The classification of the serotypes is devised from the chemical composition of the serotype-specific rhamnose-glucose polymers. For example, serotype k initially found in blood isolates has a large reduction of glucose side chains attached to the rhamnose backbone. "S. mutans" has the following surface protein antigens: glucosyltransferases, protein antigen and glucan-binding proteins. If these surface protein antigens are not present, then the bacteria is a protein antigen-defective mutant with the least susceptibility to phagocytosis therefore causing the least harm to cells.
Furthermore, rat experiments showed that infection with such defective "streptococcus" mutants ("S. mutans" strains without glucosyltransferases isolated from a destroyed heart valve of an infective endocarditis patient) resulted in a longer duration of bacteraemia. The results demonstrate that the virulence of infective endocarditis caused by "S. mutans" is linked to the specific cell surface components present.
In addition, "S. mutans" DNA has been found in cardiovascular specimens at a higher ratio than other periodontal bacteria. This highlights its possible involvement in a variety of types of cardiovascular diseases, not just confined to bacteraemia and infective endocarditis.
Prevention and treatment.
Practice of good oral hygiene including daily brushing, flossing and the use of appropriate mouthwash can significantly reduce the number of oral bacteria, including "S. mutans" and inhibit their proliferation. "S. mutans" often live in dental plaque, hence mechanical removal of plaque is an effective way of getting rid of them. The best toothbrushing technique to reduce plaque build up, decreasing caries risk, is the modified Bass technique. Brushing twice daily can help decrease the caries risk. However, there are some remedies used in the treatment of oral bacterial infection, in conjunction with mechanical cleaning. These include fluoride, which has a direct inhibitory effect on the enolase enzyme, as well as chlorhexidine, which works presumably by interfering with bacterial adherence.
Furthermore, fluoride ions can be detrimental to bacterial cell metabolism. Fluoride directly inhibits glycolytic enzymes and H+ATPases. Fluoride ions also lower the pH of the cytoplasm. This means there will be less acid produced during the bacterial glycolysis. Therefore, fluoride mouthwashes, toothpastes, gels and varnishes can help to reduce the prevalence of caries. However, findings from investigations into the effect of fluoride-containing varnish, on the level of "Streptococcus mutans" in the oral environment in children suggest that the reduction of caries cannot be explained by a reduction in the level of "Streptococcus mutans" in saliva or dental plaque. Fluoride varnish treatment with or without prior dental hygiene has no significant effect on the plaque and salivary levels of "S. mutans".
"S. mutans" secretes Glucosyltransferase on its cell wall, which allows the bacteria to produce polysaccharides from sucrose. These sticky polysaccharides are responsible for the bacteria's ability to aggregate with one another and adhere to tooth enamel, i.e. to form biofilms. Use of Anti Cell-Associated Glucosyltransferase (Anti-CA-gtf) Immunoglobulin Y disrupts "S. mutans"' ability to adhere to the teeth enamel, thus preventing it from reproducing. Studies have shown that Anti-CA-gtf IgY is able to effectively and specifically suppress "S. mutans" in the oral cavity.
Other common preventative measures center on reducing sugar intake. One way this is done is with sugar replacements such as xylitol or erythritol which cannot be metabolized into sugars which normally enhance "S. mutans" growth. The molecule xylitol, a 5 carbon sugar, disrupts the energy production of S.mutans by forming a toxic intermediate during glycolysis. Various other natural remedies have been suggested or studied to a degree, including deglycyrrhizinated licorice root extract, tea tree oil, macelignan (found in nutmeg), curcuminoids (the main components of turmeric), and eugenol (found in bay leaves, cinnamon leaves and cloves). Additionally various teas have been tested for activity against "S. mutans" and other dental benefits. However, none of these remedies have been subject to clinical trials or are recommended by mainstream dental health groups to treat "S. mutans".
The addition of bioactive glass beads to dental composites reduces penetration of "Streptococcus mutans" into the marginal gaps between tooth and composite. They have antimicrobial properties, reducing bacterial penetration. This decreases the risk of secondary caries developing, a common reason for failure of dental restorations. This means that the longevity and efficacy of composite restorations may be improved.
Survival under stressful conditions.
Conditions in the oral cavity are diverse and complex, frequently changing from one extreme to another. Thus, to survive in the oral cavity, "S. mutans" must tolerate rapidly harsh environmental fluctuations and exposure to various antimicrobial agents to survive. Transformation is a bacterial adaptation involving the transfer of DNA from one bacterium to another through the surrounding medium. Transformation is a primitive form of sexual reproduction. For a bacterium to bind, take up, and recombine exogenous DNA into its chromosome, it must enter a special physiological state termed “competence”. In "S. mutans", a peptide pheromone quorum-sensing signaling system controls genetic competence. This system functions optimally when the S. mutans cells are in crowded biofilms. "S. mutans" cells growing in a biofilm are transformed at a rate 10- to 600-fold higher than single cells growing under uncrowded conditions (planktonic cells). Induction of competence appears to be an adaptation for repairing DNA damage caused by crowded, stressful conditions.
Knowing about quorum-sensing gives rise to the potential development of drugs and therapies. Quorum-sensing peptides can be manipulated to cause target suicide as well as. Furthermore, quenching quorum-sensing can lead to prevention of antibiotic resistance.
Evolution.
Three key traits have evolved in "S. mutans" and increased its virulence by enhancing its adaptability to the oral cavity: increased organic acid production, the capacity to form biofilms on the hard surfaces of teeth, and the ability to survive and thrive in a low pH environment.
During its evolution, "S. mutans" acquired the ability to increase the amount of carbohydrates it could metabolize, and consequently more organic acid was produced as a byproduct. This is significant in the formation of dental caries because increased acidity in the oral cavity amplifies the rate of demineralization of the tooth, which leads to carious lesions. It is thought that the trait evolved in "S. mutans" via lateral gene transfer with another bacterial species present in the oral cavity. There are several genes, SMU.438 and SMU.1561, involved in carbohydrate metabolism that are up-regulated in "S. mutans". These genes possibly originated from "Lactococcus lactis" and "S. gallolyticus", respectively.
Another instance of lateral gene transfer is responsible for "S. mutans"’ acquisition of the glucosyltransferase (GTF) gene. The GTF genes found in "S. mutans" most likely are derived from other anaerobic bacteria found in the oral cavity, such as "Lactobacillus" or "Leuconostoc". Additionally, the GTF genes in "S. mutans" display homology with similar genes found in "Lactobacillus" and "Leuconostoc". The common ancestral gene is believed to have been used for hydrolysis and linkage of carbohydrates.
The third trait that evolved in "S. mutans" is its ability to not only survive, but also thrive in acidic conditions. This trait gives "S. mutans" a selective advantage over other members of the oral microbiota. As a result, "S. mutans" could outcompete other species, and occupy additional regions of the mouth, such as advanced dental plaques, which can be as acidic as pH 4.0. Natural selection is most likely the primary evolutionary mechanisms responsible for this trait.
In discussing the evolution of "S. mutans", it is imperative to include the role humans have played and the co-evolution that has occurred between the two species. As humans evolved anthropologically, the bacteria evolved biologically. It is widely accepted that the advent of agriculture in early human populations provided the conditions "S. mutans" needed to evolve into the virulent bacterium it is today. Agriculture introduced fermented foods, as well as more carbohydrate-rich foods, into the diets of historic human populations. These new foods introduced new bacteria to the oral cavity and created new environmental conditions. For example, "Lactobacillus" or "Leuconostoc" are typically found in foods such as yogurt and wine. Also, consuming more carbohydrates increased the amount of sugars available to "S. mutans" for metabolism and lowered the pH of the oral cavity. This new acidic habitat would select for those bacteria that could survive and reproduce at a lower pH.
Another significant change to the oral environment occurred during the Industrial Revolution. More efficient refinement and manufacturing of foodstuffs increased the availability and amount of sucrose consumed by humans. This provided "S. mutans" with more energy resources, and thus exacerbated an already rising rate of dental caries. Refined sugar is pure sucrose, the only sugar that can be converted to sticky glucans, allowing bacteria to form a thick, strongly adhering plaque.


Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest

Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest is a Wisconsin state forest of more than across Vilas, Oneida, and Iron counties in north-central Wisconsin. The state forest includes numerous lakes, rivers, and streams. The most prominent rivers are the Wisconsin, Flambeau, and Manitowish. The state forest supports a large variety of outdoor recreation activities including camping, hiking, snowmobiling, bicycling, boating, fishing, hunting, and birdwatching. In addition to recreational activities the state forest also hosts a number of research programs. The forest is a state-managed timber resource providing opportunities for commercial logging, individual firewood collection, and individual Christmas tree harvesting.
Camping.
The forest offers abundant opportunities for campers with a wide range of facilities. The state forest hosts 18 campgrounds, 2 group camp areas, and 131 remote campsites. Additionally special permits can be obtained for backcounty backpack camping and deer-hunting camping.


Pine Mountain State Resort Park

Pine Mountain State Resort Park is a Kentucky state park located in Bell County, southeastern Kentucky, United States. Located on part of the Pine Mountain ridge in the Appalachians, the park opened in 1924 as Kentucky's first state park.
Each spring since 1933, the park has hosted the annual Kentucky Mountain Laurel Festival. A portion of the park is legally dedicated as a nature preserve by the Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves.
History.
When Pine Mountain State Resort Park was established in 1926, it was named Cumberland State Park. The name was changed in 1938 in order to avoid confusion with the newly formed Cumberland Falls State Resort Park. During the park's early years, there was little development. In 1933, during the Great Depression, President Franklin D. Roosevelt assigned the Civilian Conservation Corps to numerous infrastructure projects. At this park, they began constructing the main office building, cabins, roads, bridges, shelters, and hiking trails, creating a resource for all the citizens.
In the 1960s, the Kentucky State Park System began updating their parks. For Pine Mountain State Park, they constructed a new wing to the lodge, adding 30 more guest rooms; they also built 10 additional cottages, a swimming pool, and a golf course. Today, the park serves as one of southeastern Kentucky's premier state parks.


Carex buekii

Carex buekii, the banat sedge, is a species of flowering plant in the genus "Carex", native to central, southeastern and eastern Europe, the Caucasus region, Anatolia, and the northern Levant. It forms large stands in the floodplains of central European rivers.


Tricholosporum porphyrophyllum

Tricholosporum porphyrophyllum is a species of fungus in the family Tricholomataceae. It is found in Asia.
Taxonomy.
The species was originally described as "Tricholoma porphyrophyllum" in 1938 by the Japanese mycologist Sanshi Imai. Gaston Guzman transferred it to "Tricholosporum" in 1975, but this was deemed invalid according to the rules of botanical nomenclature, so Tim Baroni made the transfer official in a 1982 publication.


Zeuxine oblonga

Zeuxine oblonga , commonly known as the common jewel orchid is a species of orchid that is endemic to northern Australia. It has up to seven narrow egg-shaped leaves and up to thirty small green and white flowers crowded along a fleshy, hairy flowering stem. It mainly grows in wet forest and rainforest.
Description.
"Zeuxine oblonga" is a terrestrial, tuberous, perennial herb. It has between three and seven dark green, narrow egg-shaped leaves, long and wide which form a loose rosette. Between five and thirty resupinate, dull green and white flowers, about long and wide are crowded on a fleshy, hairy, pinkish flowering stem tall. The outside surface of the flowers is hairy. The dorsal sepal is about long, wide and overlaps the petals forming a hood over the column. The dorsal sepal is green with pink edges, the lateral sepals are green and the petals are white. The lateral sepals and petals are about long and wide with the lateral sepals spreading apart from each other. The labellum is white, about long, wide with two lobes on the end. Flowering occurs from July to September.
Taxonomy and naming.
"Zeuxine oblonga" was first formally described in 1920 by Richard Sanders Rogers and Cyril Tenison White and the description was published in "Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland". The specific epithet ("oblonga") is a Latin word meaning "longer than broad".
Distribution and habitat.
The common jewel orchid is endemic to northern Australia and has been recorded from the far north-east of Western Australia, between the Keep and Adelaide Rivers in the Northern Territory and from the Cape York Peninsula in Queensland to Coffs Harbour in New South Wales. It usually grows in colonies on dark, moist sites on the rainforest floor, and is locally common in swampy areas with peaty soils next to streams.
Conservation.
In the Northern Territory "Z. oblonga" is listed as Vulnerable because there it has an estimated population size of fewer than 1000 individual plants, and an estimated area of occurrence of less than in the territory. Potential threats include feral animal disturbance, changes to hydrology and horticultural harvesting.
In Western Australia the species is classified as "Priority Two" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife meaning that it is poorly known and from only one or a few locations.


Quercus inopina

Quercus inopina, the sandhill oak, is an uncommon North American species of shrubs in the beech family. It has been found only in the state of Florida in the southeastern United States.
"Quercus inopina" is a branching shrub up to 5 meters (17 feet) in height. Bark is gray, twigs purplish brown. Leaves are broad, up to 85 mm (3.4 inches) long, usually hairless, with no teeth or lobes.


Leucia nivea

Leucia nivea is a species of polychaete worm, commonly known as a "scale worm", in the family Polynoidae. This species occurs in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.
Description.
This worm is yellowish with white scales and about long with 41 segments and 16 pairs of elytra. The prostomium bears 3 antennae, with a pair of lateral antennae inserted ventrally (beneath prostomium and the median antenna). The anterior margin of the prostomium has a pair of an acute anterior projections, a pair of palps and two pairs of eyes. The first segment bears one or two chaetae and a pair of tentacular cirri on both the dorsal and ventral surfaces. The notochaetae are distinctly thicker than the neurochaetae. Unidentate and bidentate neurochaetae are present.
Taxonomy.
This species was first described by the Norwegian zoologist Michael Sars in 1863 as "Polynoe nivea" but was later transferred to the genus "Leucia" which was established for it by the Finnish zoologist Anders Johan Malmgren in 1867. For a long time this was thought to be a monotypic taxon, but during a revision of the closely related genus "Harmothoe", "Harmothoe violacea" was reassigned to "Leucia violacea".
Distribution.
"Leucia nivea" occurs in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea as far north as the Skagerrak, the British Isles, southwards to the Azores and in the Mediterranean Sea. It is found in the sublittoral zone at depths down to about on sand, shelly gravel, sponges such as "Desmacidona" and cold water corals.


Strobilomyces glabriceps

Strobilomyces glabriceps is a species of bolete fungus in the family Suillaceae found in China. It was described as new to science in 1948 by Wei-Fan Chiu. The type collection was made in Kunming in June, 1938.
Description.
Fruit bodies have convex brown caps measuring up to in diameter. The surface is initially smooth, but becomes cracked as the bolete ages. Tubes on the cap underside are long, while the large angular pores are 4–5 mm across. Spores are spherical or nearly so, and measure 9–11 µm.


Joshua Tree National Park

Joshua Tree National Park is an American national park in southeastern California, east of Los Angeles and near Palm Springs. It is named after the Joshua trees ("Yucca brevifolia") native to the Mojave Desert. Originally declared a national monument in 1936, Joshua Tree was redesignated as a national park in 1994 when the U.S. Congress passed the California Desert Protection Act. Encompassing a total of – slightly larger than the state of Rhode Island – the park includes of designated wilderness. Straddling San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, the park includes parts of two deserts, each an ecosystem whose characteristics are determined primarily by elevation: the higher Mojave Desert and the lower Colorado Desert. The Little San Bernardino Mountains traverse the southwest edge of the park.
History.
Early.
The earliest known residents of the land in and around what later became Joshua Tree National Park were the people of the Pinto Culture, who lived and hunted here between 8000 and 4000 BCE. Their stone tools and spear points, discovered in the Pinto Basin in the 1930s, suggest that they hunted game and gathered seasonal plants, but little else is known about them. Later residents included the Serrano, the Cahuilla, and the Chemehuevi peoples. All three lived at times in small villages in or near water, particularly the Oasis of Mara in what non-aboriginals later called Twentynine Palms. They were hunter-gatherers who subsisted largely on plant foods supplemented by small game, amphibians, and reptiles while using other plants for making medicines, bows and arrows, baskets, and other articles of daily life. A fourth group, the Mojaves, used the local resources as they traveled along trails between the Colorado River and the Pacific coast. In the 21st century, small numbers of all four peoples live in the region near the park; the Twentynine Palms Band of Mission Indians, descendants of the Chemehuevi, own a reservation in Twentynine Palms.
In 1772, a group of Spaniards led by Pedro Fages made the first European sightings of Joshua trees while pursuing native converts to Christianity who had run away from a mission in San Diego. By 1823, the year Mexico achieved independence from Spain, a Mexican expedition from Los Angeles, in what was then Alta California, is thought to have explored as far east as the Eagle Mountains in what later became the park. Three years later, Jedediah Smith led a group of American fur trappers and explorers along the nearby Mojave Trail, and others soon followed. Two decades after that, the United States defeated Mexico in the Mexican–American War (1846–48) and took over about half of Mexico's original territory, including California and the future parkland.
Post-1870.
In 1870, white settlers began grazing cattle on the tall grasses that grew in the park. In 1888, a gang of cattle rustlers moved into the region near the Oasis of Mara. Led by brothers James. B. and William S. McHaney, they hid stolen cattle in a box canyon at Cow Camp. Throughout the region, ranchers dug wells and built rainwater catchments called "tanks", such as White Tank and Barker Dam. In 1900, C. O. Barker, a miner and cattleman, built the original Barker Dam, later improved by William "Bill" Keys, a rancher. Grazing continued in the park through 1945. Barker Dam was added to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1975.
Between the 1860s and the 1940s, miners worked about 300 pit mines, mostly small, in what later became the park. The most successful, the Lost Horse Mine, produced gold and silver worth about $5 million in today's currency. Johnny Lang and others, the original owners of the Lost Horse Mine, installed a two-stamp mill to process ore at the site, and the next owner, J.D. Ryan, replaced it with a 10-stamp steam-powered mill. Ryan pumped water from his ranch to the mill and cut timber from the nearby hills to heat water to make steam. Most of the structures associated with the mine fell apart, and for safety reasons the National Park Service plugged the mine, which had collapsed. The Desert Queen Mine on Keys' Desert Queen Ranch was another productive gold mine. In the early 1930s, Keys bought a gasoline-powered two-stamp mill, the Wall Street Mill, and moved it to his ranch to process ore. The ranch and mill were added to the NRHP in 1975 and the mine in 1976. Some of the mines in the park yielded copper, zinc, and iron.
Protection.
On August 10, 1936, after Minerva Hoyt and others persuaded the state and federal governments to protect the area, President Franklin D. Roosevelt used the power of the 1906 Antiquities Act to establish Joshua Tree National Monument, protecting about . In 1950, the size of the park was reduced by about to open the land to more mining. The monument was redesignated as a national park on October 31, 1994, by the Desert Protection Act, which also added . In 2019, the park expanded by under a bill included in the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act.
Geography and botany.
Potential natural vegetation.
According to the A. W. Kuchler U.S. Potential natural vegetation types, Joshua Tree National Park has two categories, a creosote bush potential vegetation type with a desert shrubland potential vegetation form in most of the area, and a juniper/pinyon pine potential vegetation type with a Great Basin montane forest/southwest forest potential vegetation form on the higher elevations of the western side of the park.
Mojave Desert.
The higher and cooler Mojave Desert is the special habitat of "Yucca brevifolia", the Joshua tree for which the park is named. It occurs in patterns from dense forests to distantly spaced specimens. In addition to Joshua tree forests, the western part of the park includes some of the most interesting geologic displays found in California's deserts. The dominant geologic features of this landscape are hills of bare rock, usually broken up into loose boulders. These hills are popular among rock climbing and scrambling enthusiasts. The flatland between these hills is sparsely forested with Joshua trees. Together with the boulder piles and Skull Rock, the trees make the landscape otherworldly. Temperatures are most comfortable in the spring and fall, with an average high/low of , respectively. Winter brings cooler days, around , and freezing nights. Snows occur occasionally at higher elevations. Summers are hot, over during the day and not cooling much below until the early hours of the morning.
Joshua trees dominate the open spaces of the park, but in among the rock outcroppings are piñon pine, California juniper ("Juniperus californica"), "Quercus turbinella" (desert scrub oak), "Quercus john-tuckeri" (Tucker's oak), and "Quercus cornelius-mulleri" (Muller's oak). These communities are under some stress, however, as the climate was wetter until the 1930s, with the same hot and dry conditions that provoked the Dust Bowl affecting the local climate. These cycles were nothing new, but the original vegetation did not prosper when wetter cycles returned. The difference may have been human development. Cattle grazing took out some of the natural cover and made it less resistant to the changes. The bigger problem, though, seems to be invasive species, such as cheatgrass, which during wetter periods fills in below and among the pines and oak. In drier times, they die back, but do not quickly decompose. This makes wildfires hotter and more destructive, which kills some of the trees that would have otherwise survived. When the area regenerates, these non-native grasses form a thick layer of turf that makes getting a roothold harder for the pine and oak seedlings.
Colorado Desert.
Below , the Colorado Desert encompasses the eastern part of the park and features habitats of creosote bush scrub, ocotillo, desert saltbush, and mixed scrub including yucca and cholla cactus ("Cylindropuntia bigelovii"). Some areas of such cactus are dense enough to appear as natural gardens. The lower Coachella Valley is on the southeastern side of the park with sandy soil grasslands and desert dunes.
The only palm native to California, the California fan palm ("Washingtonia filifera"), occurs naturally in five oases in the park, rare areas where water occurs naturally year-round and all forms of wildlife abound.
Climate.
According to the Köppen climate classification system, Joshua Tree National Park has a hot desert climate ("BWh"). According to the United States Department of Agriculture, the plant hardiness zone at the Cottonwood Visitor Center at 3081 ft (939 m) elevation is 8b, with an average annual extreme minimum temperature of .
Geology.
The park's oldest rocks, Pinto gneiss among them, are 1.7 billion years old. They are exposed in places on the park's surface in the Cottonwood, Pinto, and Eagle Mountains. Much later, from 250 to 75 million years ago, tectonic plate movements forced volcanic material toward the surface at this location and formed granites, including monzogranite common to the Wonderland of Rocks, parts of the Pinto, Eagle, and Coxcomb Mountains, and elsewhere. Erosion eventually exposed the harder rocks, gneiss and granite, in the uplands and reduced the softer rocks to debris that filled the canyons and basins between the ranges. The debris, moved by gravity and water, formed alluvial fans at the mouths of canyons, and "bajadas", where the alluvial fans overlapped.
The rock formations of Joshua Tree National Park owe their shape partly to groundwater, which filtered through the roughly rectangular joints of the monzonite and eroded the corners and edges of blocks of stone, and to flash floods, which washed away covering ground and left piles of rounded boulders. These prominent outcrops are known as inselbergs.
Of the park's six blocks of mountains, five—the Little San Bernardino, Hexie, Pinto, Cottonwood, and Eagle—are among the Transverse Ranges, which trend generally east–west in locations between the Eagle Mountains on the east and the northern Channel Islands, in the Pacific Ocean west of Santa Barbara, on the west. Tectonic forces along the San Andreas Fault system compressed and lifted the crust material that formed these ranges. The San Andreas Fault itself passes southwest of the park, but related parallel faults, including the Dillon, Blue Cut, and Pinto, run through the park, and movements along them have caused earthquakes. The easternmost range in the park, the Coxcomb Mountains, runs generally north–south and is part of the Basin and Range Province.
Recreation.
Camping.
Nine established campgrounds exist in the park, two of which (Black Rock Campground and Cottonwood Campground) provide water and flush toilets. A fee is charged per night for each camping spot. Reservations are accepted at Black Rock Campground, Cottonwood Campground, Indian Cove Campground, and Jumbo Rocks Campground for October through May, while the other campgrounds are first-come, first-served. Backcountry camping, for those who wish to backpack, is permitted with a few regulations.
Hiking.
Several hiking trails are within the park, many of which can be accessed from a campground. Shorter trails, such as the one-mile hike through Hidden Valley, offer a chance to view the beauty of the park without straying too far into the desert. A section of the California Riding and Hiking Trail meanders for through the western side of the park. The lookout point at Keys View, towards the south of the park, offers views of the Coachella Valley, the Salton Sea, the San Andreas Fault, the Santa Rosa Mountains, and the city of Palm Springs.
Nature walks inside the park include:
Longer trails include:
Due to graffiti on at least 17 sites on trails, officials have closed them to the public. The closed sites include Native American sites, at the Southern California park's Rattlesnake Canyon and Barker Dam. They blame the increase in vandalism on the increased use of social media.
Climbing.
The park is popular with rock climbers and was originally a winter practice area while Yosemite Valley and other parts of the Sierra Nevada were snowbound, but later became an area of interest in its own right. Its thousands of named climbing routes contain all levels of difficulty. The routes are typically short, the rocks being rarely more than in height, but access is usually a short, easy walk through the desert, and doing a number of interesting climbs in a single day is possible. The rocks are all composed of quartz monzonite, a very rough type of granite, made even more so as no snow or ice polishes it as in places such as Yosemite.
Some routes are permanently closed, while others are closed temporarily to protect sensitive wildlife in certain seasons. Climbing and bouldering routes that are permanently closed include Energy Crisis, the Schwarzenegger Wall, Zombie Woof Rock, the Maverick Boulder formation, Pictograph Boulder, Shindig, Lonely Stones Area #3, the Shipwreck formation, Indian Wave Boulders (except for Native Arete), and Wormholes. , seasonal closures include the Slatanic Area, Towers of Uncertainty, Patagonia Pile, and Jerry's Quarry.
Visitation and access.
The total visitors more than doubled from 2013 to 2019. Awareness of the wildflower bloom in the spring has brought increased visitation.
The paved main road allows visitors to drive to major attractions and through the park. The unpaved roads may require a vehicle with high ground clearance, and four-wheel drive. An example is the Geology Tour Road in the center of the park. Visitors with a four-wheel-drive vehicle can use this road for a self-guided tour with stops that describe the region's geology.
Birdwatching.
More than 250 bird species inhabit or visit the park, including resident desert birds such as the greater roadrunner, cactus wren, northern mockingbird, LeConte's thrasher, verdin, and Gambel's quail. About 78 species nest and raise their young within the park. Many migrating species spend only a short time feeding and resting at Joshua Tree, mainly in the winter, as the park lies along an inland stretch of the Pacific Flyway. Other species descend from their usual habitats in the mountains to escape winter snows.
Birdwatching spots include fan palm oases, the Barker Dam, and Smith Water Canyon. Queen Valley and Lost Horse Valley also provide good birdwatching, with a different range of species due to the lack of water, including the ladder-backed woodpecker and oak titmouse. A USGS bird checklist from 2006 contained 239 species in the park.
Astronomy.
Joshua Tree is a popular observing site in Southern California for amateur astronomy and stargazing, along with nearby Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. The park is well known for its naturally dark night skies, which are far away from and largely free of the light pollution typical in the urban areas. The park's elevation and dry desert air, along with the relatively stable atmosphere in the region, often make for excellent seeing conditions.
On clear nights around new moon, the sky darkness of Joshua Tree is rated a class 2–4 on the Bortle scale. This ranges from an "average dark sky" (class 2) in the easternmost region of the park to a sky quality typical of a rural/suburban transition (class 4) in the western regions near Palm Springs. In the easternmost regions of the park, visitors with optimal vision can expect to see the Andromeda (M31) and Triangulum (M33) galaxies with unaided eyes. The central Milky Way appears highly structured to the naked eye from this site, and zodiacal light appears as a faint yellowish glow when visible. In the western regions of the park, the Andromeda Galaxy is still visible, and only the brightest structures around the Galactic Center of the Milky Way can be distinguished; zodicial light is visible halfway to the zenith.
Wildlife.
Birds, lizards, and ground squirrels are most likely to be seen because they are largely active during the day. However, at night desert animals come out to roam. Mostly nocturnal animals include snakes, bighorn sheep, kangaroo rats, coyotes, bobcats, and black-tailed jackrabbits. The desert tortoise is a threatened reptile species that inhabits creosote bush lowlands in the Mojave Desert. The tortoise is well adapted to the arid conditions and rarely drinks water; instead, most of their water is obtained from the plants they consume. Bobcats are a dominant force in the ecosystem. The California tree frog, "Pseudacris cadaverina", is found in the rocky, permanent water sources created by the Pinto Fault along the northern edge of the park. The red-spotted toad, "Bufo punctatus", is a true denizen of the desert, where it spends most of its life underground. Found from one end of the park to the other, it appears after good, soaking rains. Golden eagles hunt in the park regularly. The roadrunner is an easily recognized resident. The call of Gambel's quail can frequently be heard. The tarantula "Aphonopelma iodium", the green darner "Anax junius", and the giant desert scorpion "Hadrurus arizonensis" are arthropods that can grow to be more than long. The yucca moth "Tegeticula paradoxa" is responsible for pollinating the Joshua trees after which the park is named.
Animals that thrive in Joshua Tree often have special adaptations for dealing with limited water and high summer temperatures. The smaller mammals and all reptiles take refuge from the heat underground. Desert mammals make more efficient use of their bodies’ water supply than does the human body. Reptiles are physiologically adapted to getting along with little water, and birds can fly to water sources when they need to drink. Nevertheless, the springs and seeps in the park are necessary to the survival of many animals. Most of the reptiles and many small rodents and insects go into an inactive state of hibernation during the winter. However, winter is the time of greatest bird concentrations in the park, because of the presence of many migrant species. A place to view wildlife is at Barker Dam, a short hike from a parking area near Hidden Valley. Desert bighorn sheep and mule deer sometimes stop by the dam for a drink. Tours of the Barker Dam area are available.
Wilderness.
Of the park's total land area of , are designated wilderness and managed by the National Park Service (NPS) in accordance with the Wilderness Act. The NPS requires registration for overnight camping at specific locations called registration boards. Other requirements include the use of a camp stove (since open campfires are prohibited) and employing Leave No Trace camping techniques (also known as "pack it in, pack it out"). Although bicycles are not allowed in wilderness areas, horses are, but a permit must be obtained in advance for travel in the backcountry. Cellular signals are weak to non-existent and should not be depended on while visiting the park.
Vandalism.
On April 1, 2015, graffiti artist André was convicted and fined for vandalizing a boulder in the park. André posted photos of his vandalism on social media. Casey Schreiner, of the hiking blog site Modern Hiker, and some of his readers aided the National Park Service in tracking down and identifying André's vandalism. Before the conviction, André had attempted to silence the reporting with legal threats.
During the 2018–2019 federal government shutdown, reports of vandalism spiked as visitors allegedly chopped down Joshua trees, set illegal fires, drove off-road, and spray-painted rocks. Only eight park rangers were on duty during the government shutdown. Park botanists subsequently determined that one of three Joshua trees reported to have been cut down or damaged during the shutdown had been felled prior to the shutdown.
In popular culture.
In 1972, the album cover photos for "Eagles" were shot in Joshua Tree National Monument.
In 1973, Phil Kaufman attempted to cremate singer/songwriter Gram Parsons' remains in the park.
In 1994, American Tejano singer Selena recorded her music video for "Amor Prohibido" at Joshua Tree National Park.
In 2008, an episode of Entourage aired that featured Vince and the gang going to Joshua Tree and taking shrooms to figure out his next career move. This was the fifth episode of Season 5 and aired on HBO
The black comedy crime film "Seven Psychopaths" (2012) was partly filmed in the park, as were many other film and television productions beginning with "Borderland" (1937), a Hopalong Cassidy feature.
In 2016, Donald Glover (or Childish Gambino) performed six sold-out shows in Joshua Tree in promotion of his new album, "Awaken, My Love!". The three-day event went by the name Pharos.
In 2017, American rock band Walk the Moon recorded the video "One Foot" in the park during that summer's solar eclipse.


Siphonogorgia godeffroyi

Siphonogorgia godeffroyi, the cherry blossom coral or Godeffroy's Soft Coral, is a species of soft coral in the family Nidaliidae. It is native to the central Indo-Pacific region. Its range includes Indonesia, the Philippines and Papua New Guinea. This species was first described in 1874 by the Swiss biologist Albert von Kölliker.
Description.
"Siphonogorgia godeffroyi" is an arborescent coral with red or pink bare branches. The polyps are white and star-like and are concentrated on the tips of small branches. This species feeds on plankton. It is found at depths between and grows on both rocky and coral reefs, on rock ledges, on reef slopes and under overhangs.


Melaleuca pungens

Melaleuca pungens is a shrub in the myrtle family Myrtaceae which is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is very prickly, with a large number of spherical, yellow flower heads.
Description.
"Melaleuca pungens" grows to about high and wide. The leaves are nearly linear, long and about wide, lack a stalk, spread in all directions and have a small, sharp point on the end making the plant exceptionally prickly. New growth is silky. The bright yellow flowers appear in September and October, are numerous and in rounded or elongated heads about wide. The leaves and flower stalks are covered with fine, soft hairs. The fruit are fused together in clusters, wide.
Taxonomy.
"Melaleuca pungens" was first formally described in 1844 by Johannes Conrad Schauer in "Plantae Preissianae". The specific epithet ("pungens") is from the Latin "pungens" meaning "sharp", "acrid", "piercing" or "biting".
Distribution and habitat.
"Melaleuca pungens" occurs in the south western corner of Western Australia in the Avon Wheatbelt, Esperance Plains, Geraldton Sandplains, Jarrah Forest and Mallee biogeographic regions. It grows in sandy soils, gravel, laterite and granite on hillsides and flats.
Cultivation.
"Melaleuca pungens" adapts well to temperate areas with well-drained, acidic to neutral soils. It is frost hardy and can be grown readily from cuttings.
Conservation.
This species is common throughout its range and is classified as "not threatened" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife.


Trough Creek State Park

Trough Creek State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Cass, Penn and Todd Townships, Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The majority of the park is in Todd Township along Pennsylvania Route 994, east of the unincorporated village of Entriken. Huntingdon is the nearest borough. The park borders Rothrock State Forest and Raystown Lake National Recreation Area. There is a growing population of bald eagles at the lake. Fourteen eagles were spotted in January 2007. This is up from two that were spotted in 1990, the first year that an eagle survey was taken. These three sections of state and federal owned property combine together to provide hunting, hiking and fishing opportunities for the outdoorsman.
Trough Creek State Park was chosen by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) and its Bureau of Parks as one of "25 Must-See Pennsylvania State Parks".
History.
The history of Trough Creek State Park dates back to the pre-colonial Native American inhabitants who hunted and fished in the area prior to being forced out by colonial settlers who came to the area just after the American Revolutionary War. The first Europeans in the area cleared land for farming and built a gristmill to support the farms. Later settlers built iron furnaces clearing the old-growth forests to provide fuel for the furnaces. Edgar Allan Poe is rumored to have visited the area and found inspiration in the ravens that lived on the cliffs along Great Trough Creek just prior to writing his poem "The Raven".
Industrial era.
The area in and surrounding Trough Creek State Park was settled in 1780 by Nicholas Crum. Crum built a turbine-powered gristmill along Trough Creek. A bloomery was constructed in 1790. This iron furnace produced about of iron a day.
A larger furnace, Paradise Furnace, was constructed in 1827 by Rueben Trexler. Paradise Furnace greatly increased the production in the Great Trough Creek area. It rose from just a day to a day. Savage Forge was built alongside Paradise Furnace in 1832. The forge turned cast iron into wrought iron. The community surrounding the iron industry thrived until the mid-1850s when Paradise Furnace closed. It reopened for a brief time during the American Civil War before shutting down permanently at the conclusion of the war. Paradise Furnace was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a national historic district in 1990.
Lumber era.
The lumber boom that swept through the hills and forests of Pennsylvania did not reach the Great Trough Creek area until 1910. At this time the area was a thriving second growth forest that had grown in place of the forests that were stripped during the industrial era. The mountains were stripped by the lumbering operation of Caprio and Grieco who had built a railroad into the area and built a sawmill at Paradise Furnace. The lumbermen took the logs to the sawmill where they were cut into lumber. Smaller logs were used to reinforce the mine shafts at the Broad Top Coal and Mineral Company mines in Jacobs, Pennsylvania. The only thing the lumbermen left behind was the treetops. These tree tops were left to dry. The passing steam locomotives on the railroads would ignite this dry brush causing massive wildfires that swept through the mountains and valleys. The Great Trough Creek area was left to waste. The forests struggled to regrow in the wake of the wildfire. The hills began to erode. The streams were dying and wildlife was scarcely found.
The forests come back.
The area in and surrounding Trough Creek State Park no longer resembles the desolate wasteland left behind the ironmen and lumbermen. It is now a thriving third and fourth growth forest that is home to a wide variety of wildlife. The efforts of the men of the Works Progress Administration and Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression helped to bring about the revitalization of the forests.
Under the direction of the National Park Service and the U.S. Army the men working for the WPA and CCC began the process of building what was to become Trough Creek State Park in June 1933 at CCC camp SP-57-PA. These men cleared the streams and forests tangled brush, they built bridges on state roads, cleared paths in the forests, planted trees and built many of the facilities used today at Trough Creek State Park which was formally opened in 1936.
Geology.
Trough Creek State Park is in the southern section of the Ridge and Valley region of Pennsylvania. Great Trough Creek carved a valley through the Broad Top in the Appalachian Mountains, which have been greatly reduced in size by the effects of wind and water erosion. The bedrock formations within the park are (in ascending stratigraphic order): Devonian Catskill Formation, the Mississippian-Devonian Rockwell Formation, and the Mississippian Pocono Formation.
Balanced Rock and Copperas Rocks are two examples of the effects of erosion that can be seen by visitors to Trough Creek State Park. Balanced Rock is perched atop a cliff alongside Great Trough Creek. It appears as if it could tumble into the creek below with the slightest push, but it has held the same position for thousands of years. Balanced Rock is made up of a hard type of rock that did not erode like the rock surrounding it. As the mountains eroded away Balanced Rock remained.
Copperas Rock has been stained a coppery-yellow color by ferrous sulfate that has leached from a small coal deposit. Ferrous sulfate is a leading cause of stream pollution in the streams of Pennsylvania, but the small amounts found in the Copperas Rock area are not enough to cause a significant problem in Great Trough Creek. A small cave found near Copperas Rock is thought to have been carved out by early settlers who used the ferrous sulfate mordant to set dyes to homespun fabrics.
Ice Mine is a mine shaft that may have been dug by prospectors looking for iron ore. Iron ore was not discovered but the prospectors did create a natural refrigerator. This has been formed in the shaft by the freezing and thawing of the rocks, melting snows and humid summer air. The rocks freeze in winter, contracting and allowing air to fill the empty spaces. Melting snow flows into the cave and is refrozen as ice. The ice remains thanks to cool air flowing down the mountainside and humid air rising up the mountain into the shaft. This process keeps the mine shaft icy until late summer.
Recreation.
Trough Creek State Park is open to year-round recreation, including camping, picnicking, hunting and fishing.
Lodging and picnicking.
Trough Creek State Park has 32 modern camp-sites, all equipped with a hook-up to electricity. RV's of any size can use the facilities at Trough Creek. Each campsite also has a picnic table, tent pad and campfire ring. There is a public restroom, but there are no showers.
Trough Creek Lodge is available to be rented at any time of the year. The lodge was built in the mid-19th century and is constructed of stone that has been covered with stucco that has been altered to look like bricks. The lodge has a modern kitchen, four bedrooms, two bathrooms and central heating.
There are five picnic sites in Trough Creek Lodge. Picnic tables and pavilions are available at all the picnic areas. There are restrooms, play areas, and hand pump wells available at some of the picnic areas.
Hunting and fishing.
Only of the park are open to hunting. But Trough Creek State Park adjoins state forest land and land owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. This land is open for hunting. The most common game species are ruffed grouse, squirrels, turkey and white-tailed deer. Hunters are expected to follow all rules and regulations of the Pennsylvania Game Commission.
Fishing is quite popular at Trough Creek State Park. Stream fishing is available in Great Trough Creek. Lake fishing is available in a cove of Raystown Lake that is within the park boundaries. Great Trough Creek holds a variety of fish including, trout, panfish, rock bass, sucker and smallmouth bass. Shad can be caught during their run at the mouths of the streams that feed into Raystown Lake.
Nearby state parks.
The following state parks are within of Trough Creek State Park:


Iphiseiodes quadripilis

Iphiseiodes quadripilis is a species of mite in the family Phytoseiidae.


Tripterocalyx crux-maltae

Tripterocalyx crux-maltae is a species of flowering plant in the four o'clock family known by the common names Lassen sandverbena and Kellogg's sand-verbena.
Distribution.
It is native to a section of the Great Basin straddling the far northern California-Nevada border, where it grows in sagebrush habitat. It is nearly endemic to Nevada, with only one occurrence present in Lassen County, California.
Description.
"Tripterocalyx crux-maltae" grows in a patch on the ground, the multibranched stems spreading not more than 30 centimeters long. The stems are reddish in color and coated in sticky glandular hairs.
Each leaf has a fleshy green blade up to 7 centimeters long which is borne on a long petiole. The herbage is sticky in texture.
The inflorescence is a head of several elongated flowers borne on long, glandular pedicels all attached at the small central receptacle. Each trumpet-shaped purple or magenta flower may be up to 2.5 centimeters in length and over a centimeter wide at the face of the corolla, with 4 or 5 lobes.
The fruit has wide, thin, net-veined or ribbed wings and hairy surfaces.


Sleeping Giant (Connecticut)

Sleeping Giant (also known as Mount Carmel) is a rugged traprock mountain with a high point of , located north of New Haven, Connecticut. A prominent landscape feature visible for miles, the Sleeping Giant receives its name from its anthropomorphic resemblance to a slumbering human figure as seen from either the north or south. The Giant is known for its expansive clifftop vistas, rugged topography, and microclimate ecosystems. Most of the Giant is located within Sleeping Giant State Park. The mountain is a popular recreation site: over of hiking trails traverse it including of the Quinnipiac Trail. Quinnipiac University is located at Mount Carmel's foot in Hamden.
Geography.
The Sleeping Giant, long by wide, is located in Hamden with its eastern edge falling into Wallingford. The Giant's profile features distinct "head," "chin," "chest," "hip," "knee," and "feet" sections topographically represented by traprock outcrops and ridge crests. The highest point is the Left Hip, , followed by the Chest, , and the Left Knee and Right Leg, each, and so on. The Giant's Head, , is marked by a cliff. A stone observation tower located on the Left Hip, built by the Works Progress Administration in the 1930s, offers 360° views of the surrounding Mill and Quinnipiac River valleys. An old rock quarry, closed since 1933 and now part of the state park, has left scars on the Giant's Head.
It is part of the narrow, linear Metacomet Ridge that extends from Long Island Sound north through the Connecticut River Valley of Massachusetts to the Vermont border. The Metacomet Ridge extends west and south from Sleeping Giant as Rocky Top and West Rock Ridge. The west side of Sleeping Giant drains into the Mill River thence to New Haven Harbor and Long Island Sound; the east side into the Quinnipiac River, thence to New Haven Harbor and Long Island Sound.
Geology.
Sleeping Giant, a fault-block ridge that formed 200 million years ago during the Triassic and Jurassic periods, is composed of traprock, also known as basalt, an extrusive volcanic rock. Minor earthquakes have also been measured by seismographs and reported by residents. Basalt is a dark colored rock, but the iron within it weathers to a rusty brown when exposed to the air, lending the ledges a distinct reddish appearance. Basalt frequently breaks into octagonal and pentagonal columns, creating a unique "postpile" appearance. Huge slopes made of fractured basalt scree are visible beneath many of the ledges of Sleeping Giant. The basalt cliffs are the product of several massive lava flows hundreds of feet deep that welled up in faults created by the rifting apart of North America from Eurasia and Africa. These basalt floods of lava happened over a period of 20 million years. Erosion occurring between the eruptions deposited deep layers of sediment between the lava flows, which eventually lithified into sedimentary rock. The resulting "layer cake" of basalt and sedimentary sheets eventually faulted and tilted upward. Subsequent erosion wore away the weaker sedimentary layers at a faster rate than the basalt layers, leaving the abruptly tilted edges of the basalt sheets exposed, creating the distinct linear ridge and dramatic cliff faces visible today. One way to imagine this is to picture a layer cake tilted slightly up with some of the frosting (the sedimentary layer) removed in between.
Ecosystem.
Sleeping Giant hosts a combination of microclimates unusual in New England. Dry, hot upper ridges support oak savannas, often dominated by chestnut oak and a variety of understory grasses and ferns. Eastern red cedar, a dry-loving species, clings to the barren edges of cliffs. Lower eastern slopes tend to support oak-hickory forest species common in the surrounding lowlands. Narrow ravines crowded with eastern hemlock block sunlight, creating damp, cooler growing conditions with associated cooler climate plant species. Talus slopes are especially rich in nutrients and support a number of calcium-loving plants uncommon in eastern Connecticut. Because the ridge generates such varied terrain, it is the home of several plant and animal species that are state-listed or globally rare. Sleeping Giant is also an important seasonal raptor migration path.
Mythology.
According to Native Americans of the Quinnipiac Tribe, the giant stone spirit Hobbomock (or Hobomock), a prominent wicked figure in many stories (see Pocumtuck Ridge and Quinnipiac), became enraged about the mistreatment of his people and stamped his foot down in anger, diverting the course of the Connecticut River (where the river suddenly swings east in Middletown, Connecticut after several hundred miles of running due south). To prevent him from wreaking such havoc in the future, the good spirit Keitan cast a spell on Hobbomock to sleep forever as the prominent man-like form of the Sleeping Giant.
In the title story of Eleanor Estes's 1948 collection, "The Sleeping Giant and Other Stories", the Giant decides to get up and leave. The Native American legend is retold (with a few liberties) by Jason J. Marchi in his illustrated children's book "The Legend of Hobbomock: The Sleeping Giant", published in 2015.
History.
During the mid-19th century, spurred by the painters of the Hudson River School and transcendentalist philosophers such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, an interest in mountains as a respite from industrialization and urbanization took hold in New England. Summer cottages were built on the Sleeping Giant and many other locations on the Metacomet Ridge. In 1888, John H. Dickerman built a carriage road on the Giant and opened what he called "Blue Hills Park." He held picnics with ice cream on the ledges for local residents.
Conservation of the Giant began in 1924 with the creation of the Sleeping Giant Park Association (SGPA) by a group of local residents concerned with ongoing traprock quarrying on the Giant's head. A cottage owner, Judge Willis Cook, had leased his property to the Mount Carmel Traprock Company for the purpose of quarrying traprock for building materials. The blasting away of what was a beloved landscape feature resulted in public outrage, well reported by local newspapers at the time. Under the leadership of James W. Toumey, a Yale University forestry professor, the SGPA undertook a ten-year struggle with the traprock operation. The property was purchased by the SGPA in 1933, during the Great Depression, for $30,000; the money was raised through private donations and the property became the Sleeping Giant State Park.
Sleeping Giant State Park was created in 1924, when the SGPA donated 600 acres to the Park and Forest Commission. The state added an additional 65 acres that year, purchased at a cost of $7025.00.
In 1936, the Sleeping Giant Tower was built at the top by the Works Progress Administration. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986 as part of the Connecticut State Park and Forest Depression-Era Federal Work Relief Programs Structures.
On May 15, 2018, a severe microburst caused significant damage to the park, forcing officials to close the park for an unspecified period of time. The damage was initially assumed to be from a tornado, but the National Weather Serviced determined that the tornado ended just west of Sleeping Giant State Park and had transitioned to a 100-mph microburst by the time it reached the park. The microburst was half a mile wide and continued for seven miles. Nearly every pine tree in the main picnic area was toppled. After more than a year of clean up, the park finally reopened on June 14, 2019.
Recreation.
Sleeping Giant State Park is a popular outdoor recreation destination among residents and visitors of the greater New Haven region. The clifftops offer long views of much of New Haven County and some of Hartford County over more than 270 degrees of the compass, and (atmospheric conditions permitting) across Long Island Sound to the Shoreham area on Long Island.
The state park is open until sunset year-round. During warm weather months, a parking fee is charged on weekends and holidays ($4 to $15 in 2016). Activities permitted on the Giant include hiking, rock climbing, snowshoeing, picnicking, bird watching, and other passive pursuits. Trails specifically designed for horseback riding and cross-country skiing are located on the lower reaches of the Giant, and fishing is allowed in the abutting Mill River. Rock climbing, closed on the Giant in 1953 because of accidents, was permitted as of 2015. Youth camping only is allowed on the Giant (by permit). Seasonal facilities include restrooms, a picnic shelter, and picnic tables. The Quinnipiac Trail—the oldest trail in the blue blazed trail system managed by the Connecticut Forest and Park Association—traverses the length of the Giant from the Quinnipiac River west over the Giant's high points to the Mill River then continues north over West Rock Ridge and Mount Sanford.
Conservation.
Most, but not all, of the Sleeping Giant has been conserved. The trails and facilities on Sleeping Giant are collaboratively maintained by the Sleeping Giant Park Association and the State of Connecticut, with the bulk of the trail maintenance done by the association. Sleeping Giant State Park encompasses ; the SGPA remains active in securing additional parcels to add to the property. The SGPA has also been instrumental in defeating attempts to log the Giant, build communications towers on its summits, and close the state park altogether. SGPA runs a regular recreational and interpretive hikes on the Giant and volunteer trail maintenance programs. The Connecticut Forest and Park Association also has a working investment in the conservation of the Giant and trail building on it.


Salix kusanoi

Salix kusanoi is a species of willow in the family Salicaceae. It is endemic to Taiwan. It is threatened by habitat loss.
It is a deciduous shrub or small tree growing to tall. The leaves are alternate, 9 cm long and 4 cm broad, with an entire margin; they are green above, and paler below with fine silky hairs along the veins. The flowers are produced in catkins in early spring before or as the new leaves appear; it is dioecious, with male and female catkins on separate plants. The male catkins are 8–9 cm long; the female catkins are 3 cm long.


Chaenactis xantiana

Chaenactis xantiana, the Mojave pincushion or Xantus pincushion, is a flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, native to the western United States, from southeastern Oregon, Nevada, southern and eastern California and northwestern Arizona. It is very common in the Antelope Valley in the Mojave Desert, and grows in sandy soils.
Description.
"Chaenactis xantiana" is an annual plant growing to 50 cm tall. The leaves are somewhat succulent, 3–7 cm long and 3–4 mm broad, in a basal rosette on the young plants which wither away during flowering, and spirally arranged leaves on the flowering stem; they are green, finely flecked with white scales giving an overall grayish color to the plant.
The Mojave pincushion flowers are produced in a capitulum 3–6 cm diameter, and are white.
It is similar to "Chaenactis stevioides" (Esteve pincushion).
The species is named for Hungarian-American ichthyologist John Xantus (1825-1894).


Sphagnum falcatulum

Sphagnum falcatulum is a species of peat moss. It occurs in Australia where it has been recorded from New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania, including subantarctic Macquarie Island, as well as from New Zealand and South America. It occurs in wetlands from near sea level to subalpine sites, often in water where the plants have a feathery appearance.


Toiyabe National Forest


Carex abscondita

Carex abscondita, the thicket sedge, is a North American species of sedge first described by Kenneth Mackenzie in 1910. It grows along the central and eastern United States, from eastern Texas to southern Missouri, east to the Atlantic coast, and north to New Hampshire. It grows in moist areas of forests, shrublands, and swamps.
It is closely related to and sometimes confused with "Carex digitalis", which, compared to "Carex abscondita", has longer flowering stems relative to the leaves, wider staminate spikes, and often has thinner leaves.


Pachylaelaps karawaiewi

Pachylaelaps karawaiewi is a species of mite in the family Pachylaelapidae. It is found in Europe.


Chisocheton macranthus

Chisocheton macranthus is a tree in the family Meliaceae. The specific epithet "" is from the Greek meaning "large-flowered".
Description.
The tree grows up to tall with a trunk diameter of up to . The flowers are creamy-pink. The fruits are recurved, up to in diameter.
Distribution and habitat.
"Chisocheton macranthus" is found in Borneo and the Philippines. The habitat is lowland rain forests from sea-level to altitude.


Taxandria juniperina

Taxandria juniperina commonly known as wattie, native cedar, Warren River cedar or juniper myrtle is a species of tree that grows in the south west corner of Western Australia. This plant was previously classified as "Agonis juniperina" but is now part of the genus "Taxandria".
The Noongar peoples know the tree as watti.
Description.
"Taxandria juniperina" occurs mostly as an erect tree or shrub that usually grows to less than as a dense shrub but can grow up to in its native environment. It has fibrous brown bark that is a light red colour on the underside. It grows as a dense shrub in space or as a tall erect tree when part of a thicket. When the leaves and young stems are bruised they release a spicy perfume from which the plant is recognised to be a member of the family Myrtaceae. It is closely related to "Leptospermum" (Tea Tree).
The tree has evergreen foliage with very narrow leaves, usually 7–13mm long and 0.3–1.5 mm wide. The flowers produced by "T. juniperina" occur between February to November and are described as upright whitish spikes. Each flower is white with some pink, 5 mm in diameter.
The species is distinguished from other members of the genera by its tree habit and the leaves which are typically length and usually flat to very slightly
concave above and convex below. It also has glabrous sepals.
Distribution and habitat.
"Taxandria juniperina" occurs in a coastal strip in the south west corner of western Australia from Busselton south to Augusta to Waychinicup just east of Albany. The tree prefers margins of winter-wet or permanent swamps or watercourses, but grows in a range of soil types from loam and peat to sand and gravel.
Classification.
First formally described by the botanist Johannes Conrad Schauer in 1844 as part of Johann Georg Christian Lehmann's work "Plantae Preissianae". The plant was subsequently reclassified to "Taxandria juniperina" in a 2007 revision by Wheeler and Marchant into the new genus "Taxandria".


Lomatium howellii

Lomatium howellii is an uncommon species of flowering plant in the carrot family known by the common name Howell's biscuitroot, or Howell's lomatium. It is native to the Klamath Mountains of southern Oregon and northern California, where it is a member of the local serpentine soils flora.
Description.
"Lomatium howellii" is a perennial herb growing up to 80 centimeters tall from a thick, branching taproot. It often lacks a stem, producing upright inflorescences and leaves from ground level. The long leaves may exceed a meter long and are each made up of many oval or rounded toothed leaflets. The inflorescence is an umbel of small yellow or purplish flowers.


Flambeau River State Forest

Flambeau River State Forest is a 90,147 acre (364 km²) unit of the Wisconsin state park system. The North and South Forks of the Flambeau River join within the park, providing over of mostly undeveloped river. The forest is composed of northern hardwoods. In 1973, Flambeau River Hemlock-Hardwood Forest was designated as a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service.


Scutellaria brachyspica

Scutellaria brachyspica is a species of flowering plant in the mint family (Lamiaceae). It is endemic to Japan, where it is found on the islands of Honshu (south of Miyagi Prefecture) and Shikoku. It is a common species in Japan. Its natural habitat is in is in forest edges in hilly areas.
"Scutellaria brachyspica" is a perennial, growing to 50 cm tall. Its blue-white flowers are clustered in a short terminal spikes. It blooms from May to June. The plant has a diploid number of 26.


Caladenia bicalliata subsp. bicalliata

Caladenia bicalliata" subsp. "bicalliata, commonly known as the limestone spider orchid or dwarf limestone spider orchid, is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is native to the south-west of Western Australia and coastal areas of South Australia. It has a single erect, hairy leaf and one or two cream-coloured flowers with reddish-brown tips.
Description.
"Caladenia bicalliata" subsp. "bicalliata" is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber and which occurs singly or in small clumps. It has a single erect, very hairy, linear to lance-shaped leaf, long and wide. The inflorescence is a raceme, high with one or two flowers, each flower long and wide. The dorsal sepal is about long and abruptly narrows about one-third of its length from the base. The lateral sepals and petals are cream or greenish-cream, much shorter than those of the similar "C. abbreviata" and "C. evanescens" and have reddish-brown tips. The lateral sepals are less than long and thread-like for about half their length and the petals are about the same length and gradually taper to a thread-like tip. The labellum is egg-shaped, about long, wide and white with red stripes. The edge of the labellum is serrated and there are two rows of white-tipped calli along its centre. Flowering occurs from August to early October, however the flowers are often open for only one or two days and sometimes self-pollinate and do not open at all.
Taxonomy and naming.
"Caladenia bicalliata" was first formally described by Richard Rogers in 1909 but in 2001 Stephen Hopper and Andrew Brown described two subspecies, including subspecies "bicalliata" and the description of the two subspecies was published in "Nuytsia" The specific epithet ("bicalliata") is a derived from the Latin "bi-" meaning "two", "callus" meaning "a callus" and "-atus" indicating possession, referring to the two pairs of rows of calli on the labellum.
Distribution and habitat.
Limestone spider orchid occurs in a narrow coastal strip, growing in calcareous soil between Kalbarri and Esperance in Western Australia and along the south-east coast but sometimes up to inland in South Australia.
Conservation.
"Caladenia bicalliata" subsp. "bicalliata" is classified as "not threatened" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.


Eucalyptus houseana

Eucalyptus houseana, commonly known as Kimberley white gum, or is a species of medium-sized tree that is endemic to the Kimberley region of Western Australia. It has smooth bark, lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven, white flowers and conical to hemispherical fruit.
Description.
"Eucalyptus houseana" is a tree that typically grows to a height of and forms a lignotuber. It has smooth bark, pale pink at first, white to grey and powdery later. Young plants and coppice regrowth have stems that are more or less square in cross section and sessile leaves arranged in opposite pairs. The juvenile leaves are egg-shaped, long and wide. Adult leaves are arranged alternately, the same dull green on both sides, lance-shaped, long and wide and have a petiole. The flower buds are arranged in leaf axils in groups of seven on an unbranched peduncle long, the individual buds sessile or on a very short pedicel. Mature buds are oval to more or less spherical, long and wide with a rounded operculum. Flowering occurs between July and November and the flowers are white. The fruit is a woody, conical to hemispherical capsule long and wide with the valves near rim level.
Taxonomy and naming.
The name "Eucalyptus houseana" first appeared in the "Western Mail" newspaper on 2 June 1906. The article was written by William Vincent Fitzgerald who noted that it "is among the tallest of the tropical species, it occasionally reaching a height of 80ft", giving a short note on its distribution and mentioning "Dr. F. M. House". The first formal description of the species was published in 1916 by was by Joseph Maiden, giving credit for the name to Fitzgerald. The description was published in "Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales".
The specific epithet honours the doctor and explorer Frederick Maurice House.
Distribution and habitat.
Kimberley white gum is found along swampy river flats in forest and woodland throughout the western Kimberley region where it grows in sandy alluvium.


Lakeport State Park

Lakeport State Park is a public recreation area on the shores of Lake Huron in St. Clair County, Michigan. The state park consists of two units on either side of the community of Lakeport within Burtchville Township. Two campgrounds, beachfront, and camp store are on the north side, and a picnic area and beachfront are on the south side.
History.
The park's north unit was created in 1946 through the appropriation of $85,000 for initial improvements to be completed in 1947. The south unit was formerly a United Auto Workers retreat, where in 1962, the Port Huron Statement was completed and announced. It was added to the existing state park in the late 1960s.
Activities and amenities.
The park offers swimming, picnicking, playground, camp store, and campgrounds.


Anthurium auritum

Anthurium auritum is a species of plant in the family Araceae. It is endemic to Ecuador. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.


Babcock State Park

Babcock State Park is a state park located along the New River Gorge on wooded in Fayette County, West Virginia. It is located approximately 20 miles away from the New River Gorge Bridge.
Located near the park headquarters, the Glade Creek Grist Mill is commonly photographed. It was named in honor of Edward V. Babcock. Completed in 1976 by combining parts of three other West Virginia mills, it is a replica of the original Cooper's Mill that was located nearby. The park's web site describes the Glade Creek Grist Mill as a living, working monument to the more than 500 mills that used to be located throughout the state.
Accessibility.
Accessibility for the disabled was assessed by West Virginia University. The assessment found the campground, picnic shelters, restrooms, and ramps and doorways to public buildings to be accessible. The park also has accessible fishing access and two accessible cabins. During the 2005 assessment some issues were identified concerning parking lot signage and slippery stairways.


Calytrix creswellii

Calytrix creswellii is a species of plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae that is endemic to Western Australia.
The shrub has a spreading habit and typically grows to a height of . It blooms between September and December producing white star shaped flowers.
Found on sandplains in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia scattered through an area north west of Kalgoorlie where it grows on sandy and sometimes gravelly soils over laterite.
The species was first formally described as "Calycothrix creswellii" by the botanist Ferdinand von Mueller in 1876 in the work "Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae". It was reclassified into the genus "Calytrix" by B. D. Jackson in 1893 in "Index Kewensis".


Aphelandra rigida

Aphelandra rigida is a plant species in the family Acanthaceae, which is native to Atlantic Forest vegetation of Brazil.


Eremophila dalyana

Eremophila dalyana, commonly known as gidgee fuchsia bush, desert fuchsia or ilpengk by Alyawarre people in the Utopia homeland in Central Australia, is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to an area of central Australia. It is a broom-like shrub or small tree with thin leaves and pale pink to white flowers. It is found in south-western Queensland, the extreme north east of South Australia and in a small area in the Northern Territory.
Description.
"Eremophila dalyana" is a shrub or small tree which grows to a height of between and a width of up to . It has many erect branches giving the plant a broom-like appearance. Most parts of the plant are covered with silvery or greyish scales. The leaves are erect, arranged in opposite pairs, linear in shape, mostly long, about wide and have a curved hook on the end.
The flowers are usually borne singly in leaf axils on a stalk long. There are 5 grey-green, triangular sepals which are scaly on the outer surface, hairy on the inside and long. The petals are long and joined at their lower end to form a tube. The petal tube is a shade of pinkish lilac to white on the outside and has pale yellow spots inside. The outside surface is scaly and the inside of the petal lobes is hairy but the inside of the tube is filled with soft hairs. The 4 stamens are fully enclosed within the tube. The main flowering time is from July to October and is followed by fruits which are cylinder-shaped, long and have a papery covering.
Taxonomy and naming.
The species was first formally described by Ferdinand von Mueller in 1865 and the description was published in "Fragmenta phytographiae Australiae". The specific epithet ("dalyana") honours Sir Dominick Daly, Governor of South Australia from 1862 to 1868.
Distribution and habitat.
"Eremophila dalyana" occurs in south-western Queensland and the extreme north east of South Australia. There is also a disjunct population in the south-eastern Northern Territory. It usually grows in sandy soil in mulga and gidgee communities.
Uses.
Indigenous medicine.
The Alyawarre people of the Utopia community regard this plant, which they call ilpengk to be a source of powerful medicines, which they use to treat respiratory complaints and skin complaints like scabies. The medicine is prepared by collecting leaves which are then ground into a paste, mixed with fat, boiled, strained and decanted.
Horticulture.
Gidgee fuchsia bush is a very drought tolerant plant and flowers especially abundantly in the driest years. It is also long lived and some specimens have grown in gardens for more than 30 years. It is most easily grown from cuttings but in humid areas needs to be grafted onto "Myoporum". It is hardy in a wide range of soils, grows in full or filtered sunlight and tolerates frost when mature.
External links.
Video showing how indigenous Australians collect and process ilpengk to produce medicine: https://web.archive.org/web/20160304065051/http://central.batchelor.edu.au/film/ilpengk-slideshow/


Tulipa fosteriana

Tulipa fosteriana is a species of tulip, native to the Pamir Mountains and nearby areas of Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
Description.
The plants can grow up to tall with a thick stem. It has 3-5 leaves, which are broadly ovate shaped and glaucous.
It blooms in early mid spring, between March-April (or in St. Petersburg in May). It has large red flowers, often lined with black,
They open out flat or cup-like in form. Inside, it has dark violet anthers which are twice as long as the stamens.
It produces seed in June.
Biochemistry.
Anthocyanins have been found in various tulip flowers, such as "Tulipa gesneriana", "Tulipa fosteriana" and "Tulipa eichleri".
Taxonomy.
The Latin specific epithet "fosteriana" refers to Michael Foster (a known British Iris expert).
"'Tulipa fosteriana" was first published and described by Walter Irving, a British botanist (1867-1934), in Gard. Chron. III, Vol.39 on page 322 in 1906.
Distribution.
"T. fosteriana" is native to temperate regions of Central Asia. It can be found in Afghanistan and Tajikistan.
Habitat.
It is found in the wild on rocky scrub-covered hillsides, or on stony slopes at an altitude of above sea level.
Cultivation.
Resistant to tulip breaking virus, it has been crossed into garden tulips ("Tulipa × gesneriana").
They naturalize easily and can come back year after year in the garden. They are well suited to mixed borders and can also be used in bedding displays. They can grow in any garden soil but prefer sites in full sun. They also can be propagated vegetatively and also by seed. It can grow in USDA Hardiness Zones: 3 to 8.
It is a well-known species, which has been the originator to many cultivars. The various cultivars can differ from one another in height, but all have solitary, bowl shaped flowers that are 5in wide (12cm), with a slender and sometimes striped leaves.
Its cultivar 'Juan' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. It has red-orange flowers with yellow centres and variegated leaves.
Tulip 'Zombie' is another 'fosteriana' cultivar with large flowers and glaucous-blue leaves.
Another known cultivar is 'Red Emperor'.
Other Sources.


Erigeron hyperboreus

Erigeron hyperboreus is a rare Arctic species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common name tundra fleabane. It has been found only in arctic tundra in Alaska, Yukon, and Northwest Territories.
Description.
"Erigeron hyperboreus" is a small perennial her rarely more than 15 centimeters (6 inches) tall, spreading by means of underground rhizomes. Each plant generally produces only one flower head, with 30-60 white or blue ray florets surrounding yellow disc florets.


Shell Canada

Shell Canada Limited () is the subsidiary of Anglo-Dutch Royal Dutch Shell and one of Canada's largest integrated oil companies. Exploration and production of oil, natural gas and sulphur is a major part of its business, as well as the marketing of gasoline and related products through the company's approximately 1,800 stations across Canada.
After a global reorganization by the European parent, Shell's North American operations are controlled by Shell Energy North America, which is headquartered in Houston, Texas. Shell Energy North America's Canadian operational unit, Shell Canada, maintains a regional corporate office in Calgary, Alberta. Shell Canada also maintains a major office in Toronto, Ontario.
History.
Shell Canada's shares were originally independently traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange. The company was 78% owned by Royal Dutch Shell which in 2006 launched an $8.7-billion takeover of the 22% of Shell Canada that it didn't own. In March 2007 the shareholders of Shell Canada Ltd. accepted a $45.00 per share cash offer from Royal Dutch Shell Plc. This acquisition was primarily driven by the desire of the parent company to take total control of its Canadian division's unconventional resources, specifically the oil sands. The move was unanimously approved by the independent members of the board of directors.
In 2003 Royal Dutch Shell had appointed a British executive, and former Chairman of Shell in the UK, Clive Mather, as president and CEO of Shell Canada.
As a consequence of the stock acquisition by Royal Dutch Shell, all Shell Canada executives holding stock options benefitted. Shell Canada announced on Mr Mather's retirement from the company shortly after the acquisition was completed that his total pay package for his final year (2007-07) was $4.9-million Including bonuses, stock options and pension contributions and that on leaving the company, Mr. Mather was additionally eligible for a lump sum payment equal to his annual gross salary. His total benefit in that year was, therefore $9.8 million of which some $5 million was from exercised stock options, making him one of the highest remunerated employees in Royal Dutch Shell.
In 2006, Shell Canada acquired the oil sands developer BlackRock Ventures Inc. for C$2.4 billion. As a part of this deal, Shell acquired the Orion oil-sands project near Cold Lake, Alberta. In May 2012, Shell announced that it has put the project up for sale.
In 2007, the company invested $20 million (CAD) into an expansion at the Brockville Lubricant Plant. In January 2019, it announced plans to invest a further $16 million (CAD) towards new equipment that will increase production and efficiency.
In November 2015, the Shell Canada Quest Energy project began commercial operations. Part of the Athabasca Oil Sands Project, it involves Shell as the major shareholder (60%), Chevron Canada Limited (20%), and Marathon Canadian Oil Sands Holding Limited (20%). It is identified as being the first commercial-scale CCS project, proposing to reduce CO2 emissions in Canada by 1 million tonnes per year.
In April 2017, the company completed an expansion project at the Scotford refinery, growing hydrocracker production by 20%.
Management and employees.
Current Shell Canada Directors are Michael Crothers (President and Country Chair), Andrew Dueck (Vice President and Controller), Andrew Harris (Vice President), Barry Tyndall (Vice President, General Counsel and Assistant Secretary) and Zoe Yujnovich (Executive Vice President).
In October 2008, Shell Canada Limited was named one of "Canada's Top 100 Employers" by Mediacorp Canada Inc., and was featured in "Maclean's" newsmagazine. Later that month, Shell Canada was also named one of Alberta's Top Employers, which was announced by the "Calgary Herald" and the "Edmonton Journal".


Evimirus uropodinus

Evimirus uropodinus is a species of mite in the family Eviphididae.


Aechmea caudata

Aechmea caudata is a species in the genus "Aechmea". This species is native to southeastern Brazil from Espírito Santo to Rio Grande do Sul.
Cultivars.
Cultivars include: