From today's featured article Pond in the Big Cypress National Preserve The geography and ecology of the Everglades are areas of study of the vast interconnected ecosystems known as the Everglades that once occupied about a third of the southern Florida peninsula. Although sawgrass and sloughs are the enduring geographical icons of the Everglades, other ecosystems are as vital, and the borders marking them are subtle or nonexistent. Pinelands and tropical hardwood hammocks are common; the trees, rooted in soil inches above the peat, marl, or water, support a variety of wildlife. The oldest and tallest trees are cypresses, with roots specially adapted to grow underwater for months at a time. Freshwater from Lake Okeechobee meets saltwater from the Gulf of Mexico, nurturing mangrove forests which harbor many species of birds, fish, and invertebrates. The marine environment of Florida Bay is also considered part of the Everglades. Minor fluctuations in water levels have far-reaching consequences for many species, and the system cycles and pulses with each change. (Full article...)
Recently featured: Did you know... Seaweed roof on Læsø
|
In the news Virat Kohli
On this dayJune 5: World Environment Day; Feast day of Saint Boniface (Christianity) _Teton_Dam_Flood_-_Newdale.jpg) Teton Dam failure
|
From today's featured list
Gu Yanwu was a 17th-century Chinese scholar, active during the transition from the Ming dynasty to the Qing dynasty. Following the Manchu conquest, Gu destroyed his prior poetry and took to wandering across northern China, where he collected large amounts of historical documents and local gazetteers (geographic directories). He wrote many books, essays, and poems during his travels. Only two of Gu's works, the Yinxue wushu and the first edition of the Rizhilu, were published during his lifetime. Many of his works were lost after his death, while others survived only as manuscripts and never saw proper publication. Several existing manuscripts which collected his letters, essays, and poems were included in the Gu Tinglin shiwenji (顧亭林詩文集; 'Collected Poetry and Prose of Gu Tenglin'), published by Zhonghua Books in 1959. (Full list...)
Today's featured picture
_female_Pieniny.jpg) |
|
The adder (Vipera berus), also known as the common adder and the common European viper, is a species of venomous snake in the viper family, Viperidae. It occurs across much of Europe (where it is the most widespread snake species) and northern Asia, including Great Britain, Scandinavia, and parts of Russia and China. In several European countries, the adder is the only extant venomous snake. Usually growing to around 60 cm (24 in) in length, it has a dark zigzag stripe along the back, though colour varies considerably, including completely black melanistic forms. The adder inhabits a wide range of environments such as heathland, woodland edges, moors, and wetlands. It feeds mainly on small mammals, amphibians, and lizards, and is ovoviviparous, giving birth to live young. Although its bite can be painful, fatalities are extremely rare. The species is protected in several countries because of habitat loss and population declines. This female adder was photographed by the Grajcarek river in Szczawnica, Poland. Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp
Recently featured:
|
Other areas of Wikipedia
- Community portal – The central hub for editors, with resources, links, tasks, and announcements.
- Village pump – Forum for discussions about Wikipedia itself, including policies and technical issues.
- Site news – Sources of news about Wikipedia and the broader Wikimedia movement.
- Teahouse – Ask basic questions about using or editing Wikipedia.
- Help desk – Ask questions about using or editing Wikipedia.
- Reference desk – Ask research questions about encyclopedic topics.
- Content portals – A unique way to navigate the encyclopedia.
Wikipedia's sister projects
Wikipedia is written by volunteer editors and hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation, a non-profit organization that also hosts a range of other volunteer projects:
-
Commons
Free media repository -
MediaWiki
Wiki software development -
Meta-Wiki
Wikimedia project coordination -
Wikibooks
Free textbooks and manuals -
Wikidata
Free knowledge base -
Wikifunctions
Catalog of computer functions -
Wikiquote
Collection of quotations -
Wikisource
Free-content library -
Wikispecies
Directory of species -
Wikiversity
Free learning tools -
Wikivoyage
Free travel guide -
Wiktionary
Dictionary and thesaurus
Wikipedia languages
This Wikipedia is written in English. Many other Wikipedias are available; some of the largest are listed below.
-
1,000,000+ articles
-
250,000+ articles
-
50,000+ articles