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Archive - June 2010

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Dear Hillary

Fri, Jun 04, 2010 at 08:04:15 AM

By Jennifer Possley

We are one woman short for a few days, as Hillary takes it easy,  recovering from a bout of stomach problems.  This blog is for you, Hillary, to show you what you missed today!

This morning, I went with Dr. Hong Liu  to Huangjing Cave, to collect demographic data on orchids in more of Hong's study plots.  We were accompanied by a Yachang Orchid Preserve ranger named Mr. Li, and an Institute of Botany student named Wuying Lin.  This was my favorite study site, I think.  They're all beautiful, but Huangjing seems especially diverse, and the vista is incredible.  We finished the field work early, and we were able to squeeze in a little sightseeting at the end, when we visited Chuan Dong geologic site, a network of large caves connected by trails.  Here are a few pictures, below.

Hillary, continue to get plenty of rest and drink plenty of fluids, so we can resume our China botanizing!

Last week, I posted a photo of this passionvine at Huangjing Cave.  Today, it's flowering!

These common-yet-inconsipcuous aroids are scattered throughout the Huangjing Cave site.  It seems they have suddenly sent up infloresences.  They're so cute, and remind me of the Chihuly "seal pups" that Fairchild used to have in our Rainforest.

On the way to Chuan Dong, Hong took this photo.

At Chuan Dong, the mineral deposts on the cave walls were really pretty!

One of the most interesting (and bizarre) plant displays I've seen:  Inside the largest cave, glass jars full of preserved plant specimens collected on site are displayed on lighted glass shelves.

What a beautiful butterfly Hong photographed (after patiently waiting for it to hold still).

As we were leaving, I used a magic amulet to thwart cave monsters that were pursuing us.  Well, not really.  Hong took a picture of me taking a picture of the cave. 

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Now for something corny

Tue, Jun 01, 2010 at 09:05:53 AM

By Jennifer Possley 

Today I am blogging about corn.  Corn is a big industry around Yachang Orchid Preserve.  In our hikes to and from field sites, we spend at least half the time walking through corn fields.  Corn is a cash crop in Leye County, thus it is the main source of income for many families.  The interface between farmland and orchid preserve is not always clear; corn fields have a tendency to creep inwards from the preserve edge.  Identifying those responsible for deforestation can be challenging, so preserve rangers concentrate their efforts on maintaining amicable relations with corn farmers and discouraging deforestation through education. 

Biologists contemplate a recently girdled tree adjacent to a corn field.

Bottles of the herbicide Atrazine are scattered through many corn fields.  Atrazine is banned in some countries because it causes mortality in many different types of animals, especially amphibians.

A farmer applies herbicide or insecticide to corn.   Yes, that really is corn, growing on the side of a mountain!

Worn out biologists head home through fields of corn.

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Children's Day in Huaping

Tue, Jun 01, 2010 at 04:13:23 AM

By Hillary Burgess, Fairchild Living Collection Manager

It has been raining since the middle of last night (monsoon might be the right word) and our sampling sites are too slick to access, so today is a day for data entry.  It also happens to be Children's Day in Huaping.  Schoolchildren get the day off and there are activities and programs for them.  We were startled by an elaborate mid-day display of fireworks next to the Forestry Department headquarters where we are working.  This slower day is giving me some time to reflect on the trip so far. I’m curious to learn more about the geologic history of this region.  There are similarities to South Florida; it is also limestone karst, defined by dissolution of bedrock.  But this landscape is much older and instead of flat land with dramatic relief being measured in inches, there are large and varied mountains, sinkholes and caves.  Some mountains, or hills, rise as solitary peaks, seemingly out of nowhere (such as the one above).  How did this come to be?

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