The Shennongjia Golden Snub-Nosed Monkey Field Scientific Observation and Research Station has once again been rated “Excellent” in the annual performance evaluation of Hubei Province’s science and technology innovation platforms, according to a notice released by the Hubei Provincial Department of Science and Technology on June 1. Since its establishment in 2019, the field station has received the province’s highest rating in five annual assessments. The evaluations cover dozens of provincial-level field research stations operated by leading universities, research institutes, and scientific organizations across Hubei, all assessed under a unified set of standards. Despite having fewer resources and a smaller talent pool than many major academic and research institutions, the Shennongjia station has consistently ranked among the province’s top-performing platforms.
In the depths of winter, three consecutive days of snow blanketed the Dajiuhu Wetland in Shennongjia completely. Snow in the forests piled up dozens of centimeters thick, while on the lake surface, the ice layer was solid enough for waterbirds to walk upon. Eager to see how sphagnum moss survives in such icy conditions, we drove from Muyu Town straight to Dajiuhu to find out.
On the morning of September 4, 2025, a birdwatcher with the Xiaohongshu username “冰鹡鸰birder” recorded two rosefinches in the Jinhouling area of Shennongjia National Park. Experts later identified them as Blanford's Rosefinches (Carpodacus rubescens). The name sounded familiar, so I searched through my archived folder of important bird records and found a related photo. Finally, the time has come to confirm its identity.
On July 30, 2025, He Dejing of Shennongjia National Park’s Yunpan Management & Conservation Center observed a slender-billed bird on the center’s grassy slope at around 1 p.m. After photographing the sighting and sharing photos with colleagues, park researchers confirmed it the following day as a Little Curlew - the species’ first official record in Shennongjia.
On the evening of June 11, 2025, a “special guest” visited the balcony of Chen Xiaoguang, an employee of the Administration of Shennongjia National Park. As a graduate of Huazhong Agricultural University, Chen keenly sensed this insect was uncommon. He promptly photographed it and uploaded the image to the Shennongjia National Park Baseline Resource Survey chat group. Identified by entomological experts, it was confirmed as a new record for Hubei Province’s insect family-the Three-spotted Flower Chafer (Clinterocera trimaculata). This discovery marks its first recorded appearance in Hubei.