Ulf Mehlig

@[email protected]
93 Followers
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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 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 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 MehligApr 30, 2025
During the City Nature Challenge last weekend we organised bike field trips here in the coastal Amazon region with our students. One of them photographed a native gymnosperm, a species of Gnetum. These are frequently not recognized as such — at first glance, they look like any angiosperm liana, especially in sterile conditions. However, the swollen nodes of the seed-bearing strobili give them away when examining more closely.
#CityNatureChallenge #Gnetaceae #Gymnosperms #Amazonas #iNaturalist
Ulf MehligApr 26, 2025

What I enjoy especially about the City Nature Challenge is the opportunity to have a closer look at the living beings that are not on my "normal" to-do list. However, I definitely can do without those mosquito bites ...

#iNaturalist #CityNatureChallenge #Aedes #Ipomoea #Concolvulaceae #Cookeina #BragancaPA #Amazonas

Ulf MehligApr 20, 2025
Many climbing Aroids can be easily taken into cultivation by making a stem cutting. We do that sometimes when finding sterile specimens during floristic surveys, and make herbarium vouchers later when the inflorescences appear. However, one has to be patient ... This Syngonium from the inundated forest along the Caeté river in the coastal Amazon region was collected in 2018 and started flowering now.
#BragancaPA #herbarium #HBRA #Amazonas #Araceae #Syngonium #floodedForest
Ulf MehligApr 16, 2025

In little more than a week starts the 10th City Nature Challenge (https://www.citynaturechallenge.org/). Bragança here in the coastal zone of the Amazon region will participate for the first time ... Teachers of the local schools are collaborating, starting to train their students to use the iNaturalist app. I hope we can kindle some enthusiasm about observing nature!

#iNaturalist #CityNatureChallenge #BragancaPA #Amazonas #CitizenScience

City Nature Challenge

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Ulf MehligJan 17, 2025
This morning, we visited an area within the city of Bragança-Pará in the coastal Amazon region that hopefully is going to be a park and an urban environmental protection area some day. A fragment of forest and a larger area of completely degraded vegetation. Main goal of the trip: introduce staff of the district's environmental department to the iNaturalist (https://www.inaturalist.org) app. This Turnera was maybe not the ideal example, as it was crawling with angry ants ...
#Amazonas #iNaturalist
iNaturalist

iNaturalist is a social network for naturalists! Record your observations of plants and animals, share them with friends and researchers, and learn about the natural world.

iNaturalist
Ulf MehligDec 31, 2024
After a while, yet another roadside tree often observed in the coastal Amazon region (and elsewhere in Brazil and northern South America in general): Tapirira guianensis Aubl. This is a medium sized tree found in all kinds of environments. Like many Anacardiaceae, it has alternate, odd-pinnate compound leaves. However, it lacks the characteristic strong aromatic odour often observed in this family. In our area, it mostly flowers during the dry season.
#Amazonas #trees #Anacardiaceae #botany
Ulf MehligOct 19, 2024
Another very common woody roadside plant in the coastal Amazon region is Virola sebifera (nutmeg family). It grows mostly as a shrub due to constant disturbance but may become a medium-sized tree. The genus can often be recognised by its characteristic leaf form with numerous lateral leaf veins which change their angles in the basal portion of the blade. The mature fruits open and expose seeds with a bright red aril, attracting bird dispersers.
#Amazonas #Myristicaceae #roadside #botany
Ulf MehligSep 29, 2024
Among the common roadside plants in our region near the Amazon coast is Mabea angustifolia Spruce ex Benth. It is usually a shrub that readily sprouts from underground organs after cutting or burning and may quickly develop into a small tree. Most of the year it produces inflorescences with both female and male flowers, as is typical for the Euphorbiaceae family. Its schizocarp fruits open explosively with an audible "crack" sound.
#Amazonas #botany #Euphorbiaceae #roadside #trees