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Kõpu Nature Reserve
Kõpu Nature Reserve is a nature reserve situated on Hiiumaa in western Estonia, in Hiiu County. Kõpu Nature Reserve has been established to protect the biodiversity in this unusual area on Kõpu peninsula. The nature reserve contains forest of many types, including heath forest and natural old-growth forest, and also fens, beach ridges and dunes. It is one of the most geologically diverse parts of Hiiumaa, and the location of the island's highest point. Rare plants that find protection in the reserve include sea holly, black bogrush and several species of orchids. From the fauna, the European nightjar, black woodpecker and European honey buzzard The European honey buzzard (''Pernis apivorus''), also known as the pern or common pern, is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. Taxonomy The European honey buzzard was formally described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in ... are examples. References Nature reserves in Estonia Geography of Hiiu Coun ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Estonia
Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Russia. The territory of Estonia consists of the mainland, the larger islands of Saaremaa and Hiiumaa, and over 2,300 other islands and islets on the east coast of the Baltic Sea. Its capital Tallinn and Tartu are the two largest List of cities and towns in Estonia, urban areas. The Estonian language is the official language and the first language of the Estonians, majority of its population of nearly 1.4 million. Estonia is one of the least populous members of the European Union and NATO. Present-day Estonia has been inhabited since at least 9,000 BC. The Ancient Estonia#Early Middle Ages, medieval indigenous population of Estonia was one of the last pagan civilisations in Europe to adopt Christianity following the Northern Crusades in the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kärdla
Kärdla (; ; ) is the only town on the island of Hiiumaa, Estonia. It is the capital of Hiiu County and the administrative center of Hiiumaa Parish. The Chairman of the District Council of Kärdla is Tõnis Paljasma. Geography Kärdla is located on the northeastern coast of Hiiumaa, by the Tareste Bay; to the southeast of the town lies the 455 million year old Kärdla crater, Kärdla meteorite crater. Several small rivers flow through the town. There are also artesian wells in Kärdla. The Swedish name ''Kärrdal'' means "marsh valley"; the town is located in a lowlands valley. History Kärdla was first mentioned in 1564 as a village inhabited by Estonian Swedes, Swedes. Its growth was greatly influenced by the cloth factory founded in 1830. A port was built in 1849. Both the port and the factory were destroyed in World War II. Kärdla officially became a borough in 1920, and a town in 1938. In 2013 the town was merged with Kõrgessaare Parish to establish Hiiumaa Parish, there ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hiiumaa
Hiiumaa ( , ) is the second largest island in Estonia and is part of the West Estonian archipelago, in the Baltic Sea. It has an area of 989 km2 and is 22 km from the Estonian mainland. Its largest town is Kärdla. It is located within Hiiu County. Names Administratively Hiiumaa is the "main island" of the Hiiu County, called or in Estonian. The Swedish and German name of the island is or ('Day' island) and in Danish. In modern Finnish, it is called , literally 'Hiisi's Land'. In Old Gutnish, it was ('day isthmus'), from which the local North Germanic name is derived. History Prehistory Hiiumaa emerged from the Baltic Sea 8500 years ago due to isostatic uplift after the retreat of the ice cap. Mesolithic settlements are found on the island's Kõpu Peninsula from about 5500 BC. These settlements seem to be related mostly to seal hunting and extend into the earliest Neolithic. As Hiiumaa is constantly uplifting the local sea level was 20 m higher th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hiiu County
Hiiu County ( or ''Hiiumaa'') is one of 15 counties of Estonia, being the smallest county both in terms of area and population. It consists of Hiiumaa (German language, German and ), the second largest island of Estonia, and several smaller islands near it. The county borders Lääne County to the east and Saare County to the south. History Human habitation of Hiiumaa can be traced back to the fifth millennium BC. Mesolithic sites in Kõpu peninsula are exemplified by the seal-hunters' settlements. There are several well-preserved grave fields of the Iron Age. The island was first mentioned in 1228, in annals written under the name ''Dageida''. In 1254, Hiiumaa was divided between the Livonian Order and the Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek. In 1563 Hiiumaa was annexed into Sweden. In 1710, as a result of the Great Northern War the island went under the control of the Russian Empire. During World War I, the German military forces occupied Hiiumaa in 1917. In 1918–1940 Hiiumaa was part ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the variability of life, life on Earth. It can be measured on various levels. There is for example genetic variability, species diversity, ecosystem diversity and Phylogenetics, phylogenetic diversity. Diversity is not distributed evenly on Earth. It is greater in the tropics as a result of the warm climate and high primary productivity in the region near the equator. Tropical forest ecosystems cover less than one-fifth of Earth's terrestrial area and contain about 50% of the world's species. There are latitudinal gradients in species diversity for both marine and terrestrial taxa. Since Abiogenesis, life began on Earth, six major mass extinctions and several minor events have led to large and sudden drops in biodiversity. The Phanerozoic aeon (the last 540 million years) marked a rapid growth in biodiversity via the Cambrian explosion. In this period, the majority of Multicellular organism, multicellular Phylum, phyla first appeared. The next 400 mil ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Old-growth Forest
An old-growth forest or primary forest is a forest that has developed over a long period of time without disturbance. Due to this, old-growth forests exhibit unique ecological features. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations defines primary forests as naturally regenerated forests of native tree species where there are no clearly visible indications of human activity and the ecological processes are not significantly disturbed. One-third (34 percent) of the world's forests are primary forests. Old-growth features include diverse tree-related structures that provide diverse wildlife habitats that increases the biodiversity of the forested ecosystem. Virgin or first-growth forests are old-growth forests that have never been logged. The concept of diverse tree structure includes multi-layered canopies and canopy gaps, greatly varying tree heights and diameters, and diverse tree species and classes and sizes of woody debris., the world has of primary forest ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eryngium Maritimum
''Eryngium maritimum'', the sea holly or sea eryngo, or sea eryngium, is a perennial species of flowering plant in the family Apiaceae and native to most European coastlines. It resembles a thistle in appearance because of its burr-shaped inflorescences. Despite its common name, it is not a true holly but an umbellifer. Etymology ''E. maritimum'' was formally described by Linnaeus in his Species Plantarum I: 233 (1753). The generic name ''Eryngium'' derives from Greek and may have developed from a description of the plant by Theophrastus (300 BC), who referred to it as "Eryngion", meaning a spiny plant. Alternatively, the name may have derived from the Greek word "eruggarein", meaning to eructate (belch), since the plant was used to treat various digestive disorders such as trapped gases. The specific epithet ''maritimum'' means "of the sea". The common English name appears to date from the 16th century. In his 1548 publication ''The Names of Herbes'', the naturalist William ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Schoenus Nigricans
''Schoenus nigricans'' is a species of sedge known by the common names black bog-rush''Schoenus nigricans''. Online Atlas of the British and Irish Flora. Retrieved 13 June 2017.Tucker, G. C. 2017 ''Schoenus nigricans''. The Jepson eFlora. Retrieved 13 June 2017. and black sedge.''Schoenus nigricans''. Flora of North America. eFloras.org. Retrieved 13 June 2017. It is native to Eurasia, parts of Africa, Australia, and southern North America, including Mexico and the southernmost Unit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Orchid
Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Orchids are cosmopolitan plants that are found in almost every habitat on Earth except glaciers. The world's richest diversity of orchid genera and species is in the tropics. Orchidaceae is one of the two largest families of flowering plants, the other being the Asteraceae. It contains about 28,000 currently accepted species in 702 genera. The Orchidaceae family encompasses about 6–11% of all species of seed plants. The largest genera are '' Bulbophyllum'' (2,000 species), '' Epidendrum'' (1,500 species), '' Dendrobium'' (1,400 species) and '' Pleurothallis'' (1,000 species). It also includes '' Vanilla'' (the genus of the vanilla plant), the type genus '' Orchis'', and many commonly cultivated plants such as '' Phalaenopsis'' and '' Cattleya''. Moreover, since the introduction of tropical species into cu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
European Nightjar
The European nightjar (''Caprimulgus europaeus''), common goatsucker, Eurasian nightjar or just nightjar is a crepuscular and nocturnal bird in the nightjar family that breeds across most of Europe and the Palearctic to Mongolia and Northwestern China. The Latin generic name refers to the old myth that the nocturnal nightjar suckled from goats, causing them to cease to give milk. The six subspecies differ clinally, the birds becoming smaller and paler towards the east of the range. All populations are migratory, wintering in sub-Saharan Africa. Their densely patterned grey and brown plumage makes individuals difficult to see in the daytime when they rest on the ground or perch motionless along a branch, although the male shows white patches in the wings and tail as he flies at night. The preferred habitat is dry, open country with some trees and small bushes, such as heaths, forest clearings or newly planted woodland. The male European nightjar occupies a territory in sprin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Black Woodpecker
The black woodpecker (''Dryocopus martius'') is a large woodpecker that lives in mature forests across the northern Palearctic. It is the sole representative of its genus in that region. Its range is expanding. The black woodpecker is easily the largest woodpecker species in Europe as well as in the portion of Asia where it lives and is one of the largest species worldwide. This non-migratory species tends to make its home in old-growth forest or large forest stands and excavates a large tree hole to reside in. In turn, several species rely on black woodpeckers to secondarily reside in the holes made in trees by them. This woodpecker's diet consists mostly of carpenter ants. This species is closely related to, and fills the same ecological niche in Europe as, the pileated woodpecker of North America and the lineated woodpecker of South America, also being similar to the white-bellied woodpecker which is distributed to the south somewhat of the black woodpecker in Asia. Taxo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
European Honey Buzzard
The European honey buzzard (''Pernis apivorus''), also known as the pern or common pern, is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. Taxonomy The European honey buzzard was formally described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the tenth edition of his ''Systema Naturae''. He placed it with the falcons and eagles in the genus '' Falco'' and coined the binomial name ''Falco apivorus''. Linnaeus cited earlier works including the 1678 description by the English naturalist Francis Willughby and the 1713 description by John Ray. The European honey buzzard is now one of four species placed in the genus '' Pernis'' that was introduced by Georges Cuvier in 1816. The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised. The binomen is derived from Ancient Greek ''pernes'' πέρνης, a term used by Aristotle for a bird of prey, and Latin ''apivorus'' "bee-eating", from ''apis'', " bee" and ''-vorus'', "-eating". In fact, bees are much less important than wasps in the bi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
