Ulf Mehlig

@umehlig@toot.community
93 Followers
78 Following
167 Posts
I'm from #Germany but work as a #botany lecturer at the Federal University of Pará (#UFPA) in #BragançaPA, #Brazil. I'm also curator of the local #herbarium (#HBRA).
CountryBrazil, Germany
Pronounshe/him
Websitehttps://ulf-mehlig.de
Ulf Mehlig1d ago
The Conversation U.S.2d ago
A rat nest preserved for over 200 years under the floorboards of a historic Philadelphia house contains thousands of plants that help archaeologists understand daily life in colonial America. One archeologist pored through 11 pounds of material from the nest. https://theconversation.com/i-study-rat-nests-heres-why-rodents-make-great-archivists-270357
I study rat nests − here’s why rodents make great archivists

An archaeologist reveals what she learned from sifting through a 200-year-old rat nest recovered from a historic Philadelphia home.

The Conversation
Ulf MehligDec 15
The municipality of Bragança is planning a conservation area around the headwaters of a small river running through the city. The forest is severely degraded, and we were initiating weed and liana management to enhance tree recovery. However, a couple of days ago somebody decided that the dry vegetation will be great for starting a jolly little wildfire. The firefighters were not able to control the flames, and recovery-wise, we're back to zero.
#Amazonas #wildfire #conservation #BragancaPA
Ulf MehligNov 15
Silver DoryNov 15

Thelymitra ixioides (spotted sun orchid) variations growing side by side in open grassland near the Genoa River, East Gippsland, VIC.

Most spotted suns here have smaller flowers (and fewer flowers per plant on shorter stems) than more typical coastal forms. Flower colour and shape is also very variable with almost no two flowers exactly the same.

#Orchids #OzPlants #Biodiversity #Ecology #Botany #Photography #Spring #InTheField #Nature #BloomScrolling #EastGippsland #SunOrchids #Thelymitra

Ulf MehligNov 12
Silver DoryNov 12

Slender sun orchids (Thelymitra pauciflora) near Gipsy Point, East Gippsland, VIC.

As with other nearby populations of this diminutive sun orchid flower colour can vary a bit between light blue and slightly pink. Most plants here have two or three buds but I've rarely seen more than one flower open completely at a time.

#Orchids #OzPlants #Biodiversity #Ecology #Botany #Photography #Spring #InTheField #Nature #BloomScrolling #EastGippsland #SunOrchids #Thelymitra

Ulf MehligNov 8
Silver DoryNov 8

Tailed leek orchids (Prasophyllum appendiculatum) near Genoa, East Gippsland, VIC. Flower colour is quite variable in this rare species with a mix of yellow, brown, red and purple forms often growing close together. Only saw a couple of plants out on my last visit but may have been a week or so too early this year.

#Orchids #OzPlants #Biodiversity #Ecology #Botany #Photography #Spring #InTheField #Nature #BloomScrolling #EastGippsland #Prasophyllum

Ulf MehligNov 6
Silver DoryNov 6

Spotted sun orchids (Thelymitra ixioides) near Half Moon, NSW. As with populations of this variable species nearby at Mongarlowe there was a nice mix of spotted and not so spotted flowers out here on roadside verges.

Didn't see any other significant colour variations here either - just shades of blue.

#Orchids #OzPlants #Biodiversity #Ecology #Botany #Photography #Spring #InTheField #Nature #BloomScrolling #Mongarlowe #SunOrchids #Thelymitra

Ulf MehligNov 1
Silver DoryNov 1

Small pink Caladenia variations near Monga, NSW. Smaller paler forms at this site resemble C. alata but the pinker forms maybe look a bit more like C. hillmani - particularly the occasional plant with much larger petals and sepals? C. hillmani is a coastal species so not exactly sure what is going on here in the mountains at almost 1000m altitude ;)

#Orchids #OzPlants #Biodiversity #Ecology #Botany #Photography #Spring #InTheField #Nature #BloomScrolling #Monga #Caladenia

Ulf MehligOct 27
Yesterday our son returned from playing with friends at a nearby creek all upset because they observed a guy pouring gasoline at the base of trees in the forest and then putting all on fire. Today I had a quick look at the site. Fortunately, the damage is limited but the area is already so strongly affected that any loss of trees is too much. Of course Brazilian laws prohibit such actions but enforcing the laws is a completely different story, it appears.
#BragancaPA #deforestation #Amazonia
Ulf MehligOct 18
Silver DoryOct 18

Diuris maculata (spotted donkey orchid) starting to flower near Narrabarba, NSW. Photobombed (again!) by the flower spiders that hang out on almost all of these donkeys.

#Orchids #OzPlants #Biodiversity #Ecology #Botany #Photography #Spring #InTheField #Nature #BloomScrolling #EastGippsland #Diuris

Ulf MehligOct 9
Silver DoryOct 9

First flowers are out again on the patch of sun orchids just behind the house at home in Corunna, NSW. These early flowering plants are probably closer to TheIymitra peniculata (trim sun orchid) than anything else - although later plants usually show more variation, with some maybe closer to T. pauciflora. So still not sure on the exact ID of all these orchids - or if they are even the same species.

I first noticed a handful of these sun orchids flowering just out the kitchen window after the 2020 bushfires. Since then the population has grown steadily and with a slight adjustment to lawn mowing I had 150+ plants last spring! This year I think numbers are down to around 50-60 although there are still a lot of small plants popping up now. Not sure why there are less this year after a lot of seed was set last year.

#Orchids #OzPlants #Biodiversity #Ecology #Botany #Photography #Spring #InTheField #Nature #BloomScrolling #SunOrchids #Thelymitra