Muscle contraction ends when calcium ions are pumped back to the sarcomere. During stimulation of the muscle cell, the motor neuron releases the neurotransmitter acetylcholine which travels across the neuromuscular junction (the synapse between the terminal bouton of the neuron and the muscle cell).
Hellebore. Helleborus. Hellebores are so easy and so pretty, they have a place in nearly every landscape. Their exquisite bowl-or saucer-shape flowers in white (often speckled), pinks, yellows, or maroon remain on the plant for several months, even after the petals have fallen. Deer-resistant and mostly evergreen, hellebores' divided leaves rise on sturdy stems and may be serrated (like a knife) along the edges. Grow hellebores in shade where soil remains moist; some hellebores prefer acid or alkaline conditions, depending on variety.
Photo 1: Hellgrammite, the larva of a dobsonfly. Some residents have been recently encountering a large (and to some people a scary) insect larva. This dark colored insect, a hellgrammite (Corydalus cornutus), has an elongate and somewhat flattened body. It has six conspicuous legs as well as a series of filaments on the sides of its abdomen with small finger-like gills clustered at the base. A hellgrammite also has very prominent, strong mandibles (jaws).