Author Archives: Cris

Green Lacewing

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Green Lacewing

Have you seen the lacy wings of green lacewings?

  • Green lacewings are a family of insects, that contains approximately 85 genera and up to 2,000 species, and are most common in North America and Europe, although they are also found on other continents.
  • ‘Green lacewings’ are also known as ‘lacewings’ and ‘common lacewings’, and are known as such due to their delicate wings.
  • Green lacewings have the scientific family name of Chrysopidae, and the family is broken down into three subfamilies.
  • Green lacewing bodies and their veined wings are typically luminous green to brown in colour, and they often have copper or gold coloured eyes.
  • Green lacewings have a wingspan that spreads 0.6 to 6.5 centimetres (0.2 to 2.6 inches) and have a body that is generally between 1 to 2 centimetres (0.4 to 0.8 inches) in length.

Green Lacewing, Insect, Animal, Common, Bright, Ten Random Facts, Animal

  • Green lacewings are typically active from dusk to dawn, and their diet mainly consists of small insects such as aphids, and depending on the species they also consume nectar, pollen and honeydew.
  • Green lacewings have larvae that are often a brown colour, with sometimes a humpy or sticklike appearance, and they primarily eat aphids and are therefore often known as ‘aphid lions’.
  • Green lacewings lay eggs, numbering between 100 to 200 at a time, that are held onto leaves by short, centimetre long threads.
  • Green lacewings have been used to control aphid and other insect pest populations, and are often dispersed as eggs for this purpose.
  • Green lacewings communicate using vibrations that they make with their body, and they can release an unpleasant odour when threatened.

 

Bibliography:
Chrysopidae, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysopidae
Green Lacewing, 2014, BioKids, http://www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Chrysopidae/

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Flaxseed

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Flaxseed

Flaxseeds are nutrition bombs.

  • Flaxseeds are the seeds from the flax plant that has the scientific name Linum usitatissimum, which is from the family Linaceae, a family of flowering plants.
  • Flaxseeds can be eaten cooked, raw or ground, and are often used to flavour dishes and baked goods as well as breakfast cereals, and oil can also be extracted from them.
  • Flaxseeds are typically brown, red brown, yellow, tan or gold in colour, and white, black or green seeds can be obtained, however they are either immature, or over mature, and it is best to avoid them.
  • ‘Flaxseeds’ are also known as ‘flax seeds’ and ‘linseeds’, and are best ground and consumed with water to make them more digestible.
  • Flaxseeds have been used medicinally, primarily in Austrian folk medicine, for infections, colds, fever and problems with eyes and respiratory areas, among others.

Flaxseed, Red, Seed, Grain, Ten Random Facts, Linseed, Culinary, Flavour, Red

  • Ground flaxseeds require refrigeration unless consumed quickly, as they can go rancid in short periods of time – as quickly as seven days, if left at room temperature, although raw unground seeds have a much longer storage life.
  • Flaxseeds and their oil can cause an allergic reaction in some people, and symptoms include itchy skin and nausea.
  • In 2011, Canada was the leading producer of flaxseeds, with 368,300 tonnes (406,000 tons) of the world production of 1,602,000 tonnes (1,765,900 tons), and China ranked a close second.
  • Flaxseeds have been used as a food for thousands of years, particularly in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern countries.
  • Flaxseed nutrition varies slightly depending on their colour, however, they are very high in fibre, magnesium, manganese, thiamin, and notably, omega-3, as well as being high in copper and phosphorus, and they also contain many other vitamins and minerals.
Bibliography:
Flax, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flax
Flaxseeds, 2014, The World’s Healthiest Foods, http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=81

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Crochet Hook

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Crochet Hook

Crocheting without a crochet hook must have been pretty difficult.

  • A crochet hook is a tool used in the art and craft of crocheting, and the tool is manipulated with one’s hand to make a series of loops from yarn, thread or other fibres, to create fabric or cord.
  • ‘Crochet hooks’ are also known as ‘crochet needles’ and the word ‘crochet’ is a French word that comes from the Old Norse word ‘krókr‘ meaning ‘hook’.
  • Crochet hooks are typically long and stick like with a hooked end, and sometimes they have a handle for better comfort and/or grip.
  • Crochet hooks come in a variety of sizes and thicknesses, with at least 25 different sizes that are graded using letters or numbers.
  • Crochet hooks can be used in knitting to pick up dropped stitches, and for other craft purposes, and they can also be used to maintain hair dreadlocks.

Crochet Hook, Many, Wooden, Shiny, Textile, Tool, Craft, Invention, Ten Random Facts

  • Crochet hooks can be held like a knife or a pencil, although one technique is not necessarily better than the other, and it comes down to personal preference as to which is used.
  • Crochet hooks were most likely invented in the early 1800s, and first made of wire, and possibly originated in Ireland, Europe.
  • Some unique versions of crochet hooks include the much longer Tunisian hook, used in Tunisian crochet; and the cro-hook, used for double-sided crochet, that is particularly effective using two different colours of yarn.
  • Crochet hooks are typically made of plastic, wood, or aluminium, and originally they were made of steel, bone, ivory, and other materials.
  • It is common that only a single crochet hook is used in the practice of crochet, and it can be used in either the left or right hand, depending the user’s dominant hand.

 

Bibliography:
Crochet Hook, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crochet_hook
Marks R, History of Crochet, 2009, CGOA, http://www.crochet.org/?page=CrochetHistory

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Athabasca Falls

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Athabasca Falls

The strength of Athabasca Falls is mighty.

  • Athabasca Falls is a waterfall located on the upper section of Athabasca River in Alberta’s Jasper, in Canada.
  • Athabasca Falls drops a distance of 24 metres (80 feet) and reaches 18 metres (60 feet) in width.
  • Athabasca Falls is made primarily of quartzite, very hard rock, and limestone also exists in some parts.
  • Athabasca Falls is part of Jasper National Park, that became a national park in 1930, and it is said to be the most powerful waterfall in the Rocky Mountain area in Canada.
  • Athabasca Falls can be accessed via a walking track of approximately 1 kilometre (0.6 miles), that includes some stairs, and parts are surrounded by a safety barrier, which should not be crossed, as fatalities can occur outside these zones due to slippery surfaces.
Athabasca Falls, Tall, Waterfall, Canada, Ten Random Facts, Majestic, Flickr, RockAthabasca Falls
Image courtesy of Tony Hisgett/Flickr
  • The water of Athabasca Falls drops at a great force and thus shapes the surrounding rocks and creates holes in them.
  • One of the contributing factors to the power and force of the Athabasca Falls, is the width of the Athabasca River and the relatively narrow opening where the water falls over the rocks.
  • Athabasca Falls is the home to much vegetation including trees, lichen, and moss, as well as the Canyon sprite, a bird.
  • The water of Athabasca Falls can freeze during winter, creating interesting ice structures.
  • Athabasca Falls is generally accessible year round, and as part of the Jasper National Park, an entrance fee is payable.
Bibliography:
Athabasca Falls, 2014, Trailpeak, http://www.trailpeak.com/trail-Athabasca-Falls-near-Jasper-AB-1679
Athabasca Falls, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athabasca_Falls
Athabasca Falls, Jasper National Park, 2014, TD Canada, http://www.todocanada.ca/athabasca-falls-jasper-national-park/

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Walrus

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Walrus

Walruses are gentle giants with super strength.

  • Walruses are large mammals that live in the Arctic areas of the Northern Hemisphere, including the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.
  • Walruses have the scientific name Odobenus rosmarus, of which there are up to three subspecies, and they are the only extant member of the family Odobenidae, a family of pinnipeds or seals.
  • Walruses can weigh 400 to 2,000 kilograms (880 to 4,400 pounds) in weight and grow up to 2.2 to 3.5 metres (7.2 to 11.5 feet) in length.
  • Walruses have two long tusks that can be 1 metre (3.3 feet) in length, that are used for latching onto and digging holes in ice, and in males they are used for fighting.
  • A female walrus usually gives birth to one pup during spring, not more than once every two years, around the time they migrate north, and the animal’s life span is generally between 20 to 50 years.
Walrus, herd, Blue, Animals, Marine, Ten Random Facts, Brown, Marine, Large, TuskA Herd of Walruses
Image courtesy of Claumoho/Flickr
  • Walruses generally hunt for food in the water in small groups, and typically eat shrimp, coral, worms, molluscs, sea cucumbers and other small aquatic animals.
  • Data relating to walrus populations has been difficult to obtain, making it difficult to determine whether they are endangered or not, however, they were heavily hunted in the 1700 and 1800s, causing a significant population decrease, and in some areas, extinction.
  • Legislation in some areas has protected the walrus for almost a century, however they have been illegally poached for their tusks, blubber, hide, meat and flippers, and now it is only legal for them to be hunted by local natives to the area, although permission has been granted to allow natives to include other hunters to participate in the hunt under special conditions.
  • A walrus has skin typically coloured brown to grey, that is scattered with hairs, and the animal also has whiskers above its mouth that are used as sensors.
  • Walruses live on ice in herds that can number in the thousands, with adult males usually living in a separate group to the females and their pups, and they are sometimes preyed on by orcas and polar bears.
Bibliography:
Walrus, 2013, A-Z Animals, http://a-z-animals.com/animals/walrus/
Walrus, 2014, National Geographic, http://animals.nationalgeographic.com.au/animals/mammals/walrus/
Walrus, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walrus

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Jelly Bean

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Jelly Bean

Every event requires a jar of jelly beans.

  • Jelly beans are small, brightly coloured confectionery items made mostly of sugar.
  • A ‘jelly bean’ is also known as a ‘jellybean’, or a ‘Jelly Belly’, and the latter is named after the popular brand.
  • Jelly beans are typically shaped as a bean, with a hard exterior and a softer inside.
  • The basis and idea for jelly beans is said to have originated from the traditional confectionery known as ‘Turkish delight’, that is like a firm jelly, as well as ‘Jordan almonds’, that have a hard sugary exterior.
  • Jelly beans are believed to have existed as early as the 1860s, and were made by confectioner William Schrafft, from Boston, United States, who suggested they be sent to the soldiers fighting in the American Civil War.

Jelly Bean, Colourful, Assortment, Jelly Belly, Many, Lollies, Candy, Confectionery, Culinary , Ten Random Facts

  • Jelly beans are typically made of sugar, glucose syrup from corn or wheat, as well as starch, and generally contain flavourings and colourings.
  • The 22nd of April is annually celebrated and declared as National Jelly Bean Day.
  • Jelly beans come in numerous colours and flavours, and generally a particular colour is associated with a particular flavour.
  • In the United States, jelly beans became popular in the early 1900s and became strongly associated with Easter in the 1930s.
  • Jelly beans are generally sweet, although they can be purposefully sour, while the Jelly Belly company has over 50 different flavours of the confectionery.

 

Bibliography:
Jelly Bean, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jelly_bean
Moncel B, The History of Jelly Beans, 2014, About Food, http://foodreference.about.com/od/history_myths/a/The-History-Of-Jelly-Beans.htm
Prince J, A Brief History of Jelly Beans, 2014, Candy Favourites, http://www.candyfavorites.com/shop/jelly-bean-history.php

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