#bragancapa — Public Fediverse posts

After a long time using only my cell phone to make photos in the field, I took my old SLR and made some pictures at the seasonally flooded coastal marshes near Bragança. This is Benjaminia (=Bacopa) reflexa, a small aquatic that is still flowering even after the water level has dropped and exposed its usually submerged leaves and stems.
#BragancaPA #marsh #Amazonas #aquaticplants #Plantaginaceae

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

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

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

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

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

Epiphytes are not that abundant close to the Amazon coast near Bragança, possibly due to a more pronounced dry season and to deforestation, which started very early over here. However, we manage to cultivate a couple of native epiphytes like bromeliads and aroids, mainly from the remaining inundated forests. By squishing the fruits and putting the sticky seeds in cracks in the bark of trees, we even manage to propagate them.
#Amazonas #BragançaPA #garden #epiphytes #Bromeliaceae #Araceae #botany

Crateva tapia L. (Capparaceae, caper family) is a tree occurring from Mexico to Argentina. The species is capable of occurring in dry habitats but here in the coastal Amazon region it is often observed in flooded habitats. The rather small specimen in the photo is from a seasonal coastal wetland near Bragança. The plant has various uses in popular medicine and the fruits are at least occasionally eaten.
#Amazonas #wetlands #Capparaceae #trees #botany #BragancaPA

Another plant of the Amazon coast seasonal freshwater wetlands: Sagittaria rhombifolia Cham. Its long, narrow leaves can be easily mistaken for those of a sedge from a distance, but the white, showy flowers clearly indicate that it is not. I collected this plant for our herbarium – there are two older records (1955, 1977) from the same region in other collections, and I'm glad that the plants are still thriving here.
#Amazonas #Alismataceae #botany #herbarium #HBRA #BragançaPA #wetlands

The aquatic plant Bacopa reflexa (Benth.) Edwall (Plantaginaceae) is sometimes considered the only species of genus Benjaminia, due to its submerse, finely divided leaves and calyx characteristics. In our region of the Amazon coast it had already had been collected almost 70 years ago, and we were able to confirm that it is still around in ponds and flooded seasonal marshland near Bragança-Pará.
#Plantaginaceae #aquaticPlants #marshland #Amazonas #botany #flower #herbarium #HBRA #BragancaPA

Another aquatic plant occurring in the coastal Amazon region: Mayaca fluviatilis Aubl. This is one of two species from a small, monogeneric monocot family we find in ponds and flooded wetlands around Bragança. Its very soft aquatic shoots decay quickly after the ponds dry out but while water levels are decreasing, aerial shoots with more rigid structures develop. The tiny flowers developing on these shoots are quite beautiful.
#Amazonia #aquaticPlants #BragancaPA #botany #Mayacaceae #flowers

The Amazon region is best known for its tropical rainforests. However, there are other ecosystems … Here in Bragança and the neighbouring districts there are seasonal coastal wetlands between the mainland and the mangrove-covered intertidal zone. They are inundated by freshwater during the rainy season. A common aquatic plant in channels and lakes is Cabomba aquatica, a distant relative of the water lilies.
#Amazonas #wetlands #Cabombaceae #Nymphaeales #botany #aquaticPlants #BragancaPA

Beaches and dune forests of the Amazon coast feature the wide-spread cocoplum (Chrysobalanus icaco L.), usually a small shrub, growing not far from the waterfront or next to temporary lakes between dunes. Occasionally one finds proper trees at undisturbed sites. The sweet, edible fruits are purplish or black on the outside. Our nearest beach is called Ajurutea, meaning "cocoplum-place", certainly a testimony of its use by locals.
#Chrysobalanaceae #botany #Amazonas #dunes #BragançaPA #trees

We planted this tree, Gustavia augusta L. (from the Brazil Nut family, Lecythidaceae) in 2014 on the UFPA Campus in Bragança-PA. Its remained rather small but produces regularly its large, beautiful flowers. The species is still quite common in the coastal Amazon region, mainly in the dwindling remnants of riverine flooded forests. #Amazonas #Lecythidaceae #BragançaPA #UFPA #wetlands #forests #botany #tree

Handroanthus serratifolius (Vahl) S.Grose (Bignoniaceae; locally: ipê) is still quite common in the coastal Amazon region, but I don't see many large trees (they provide high-quality timber ...). We planted this specimen in 2013 on the UFPA Campus in Bragança-Pará. Flowering often occurs when the trees are leafless at the end of the dry season, resulting in a quite spectacular view. #ipê #Amazonas #BragançaPA #UFPA #Bignoniaceae #trees #flowers #botany

Currently, the wind-dispersed fruits of Diplotropis purpurea
(Rich.) Amshoff (#Fabaceae) are flying around everywhere around the Instituto Federal do Pará in Bragança-PA -- the #tree occurs in the little patch of #forest on the Institute's Campus. We need some #seedlings for a restoration experiment, so I'm peeling the seeds from the delicate "wings". #BragançaPA #Amazonas #botany #IFPA #UFPA #Leguminosae