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Snapdragon

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Snapdragon

These snapdragon facts are snappy.

  • Snapdragons are a genus of flowering plants native to United States, Europe and north Africa, found in rocky habitats.
  • Snapdragons have the scientific name Antirrhinum, and the most well known species is Antirrhinum majus, which is commonly grown in gardens.
  • ‘Snapdragons’ are also known as ‘dragon flowers’, and the Latin name ‘Antirrhinum’ means ‘counterfeiting nose’ or ‘like a snout’.
  • There are approximately 40 different species of snapdragons, and they are from the family Plantaginaceae, the family of plantains.
  • ‘Snapdragons’ are named after the flower, which looks similar to a dragon face, and when the flower is pressed gently on the sides, their ‘mouth’ can open and shut.

Snapdragon, red, yellow, flowers, path, Decoration, Ten Random Facts, Australia

  • There are both annual and perennial snapdragon plants, although some of the perennials are commonly grown as annual plants.
  • Snapdragons typically grow best in full sun with damp soil, and can be grown in pots or in the garden for ornamental purposes.
  • Snapdragons grow to be a height of 15 to 120 centimetres (6 to 48 inches), depending on whether they are dwarf, medium or tall varieties.
  • Snapdragons generally bloom during summer and autumn, and removing the dead flowers will encourage more to grow.
  • Snapdragons come in a range of flower colours, including green, red, orange, yellow, white and pink, among others.

 

Bibliography:
Antirrhium, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antirrhinum
Plant Profile: Antirrhium, 2014, Australia Gardening, http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s1866493.htm

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Fox Glacier

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Fox Glacier

Did you bring the cups for Fox Glacier’s packed ice?

  • Fox Glacier is a glacier located in the West Coast region of South Island in New Zealand.
  • Fox Glacier was named after the former New Zealand Prime Minister, Sir William Fox, who visited the glacier in 1872.
  • Fox Glacier starts at the Southern Alps, falls 2,600 metres (8,500 feet) over its 13 kilometre (8.1 mile) length, and ends near the coast in temperate rainforest 250 to 300 metres (820 to 984 feet) above sea level.
  • During 2006 to 2009, Fox Glacier was advancing forward approximately a metre (3.3 feet) every week, but since then, it has been retreating.
  • Fox Glacier is among the most accessible glaciers in the world, with 1000 visits every day during the popular tourist season.

Fox Glacier, Ice, Hiking, People, Size, New Zealand, Mountain, Ten Random Facts, Flickr

Fox Glacier
Image courtesy of Flying Kiwi Tours/Flickr
  • A guide is recommended for those who want to venture onto Fox Glacier, and one should not pass the provided boundaries, as ice and rock collapses have caused fatalities.
  • Fox Glacier can reach a compacted ice depth of 100 metres (328 feet), and is mostly coloured blue.
  • Occasionally the Fox Glacier causes flash flooding in the valley below, due to the ice trapping water in cavities, which break open, releasing the water.
  • ‘Fox Glacier’ is known as ‘Te Moeka o Tuawe’ in the New Zealand indigenous Māori language.
  • The Fox River is partly sourced by the Fox Glacier, and the glacier forms part of the Unesco World Heritage Site, Te Wähipounamu.
Bibliography: Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers, 2011, Fox Glacier Guiding, http://www.foxguides.co.nz/our-location/fox-and-franz-josef-glaciers
Fox Glacier, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fox_Glacier
McSaveney E, Glaciers and Glaciation, 2012, TEARA, http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/glaciers-and-glaciation/page-2

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Fig

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Fig

Figs are old, but delicious fruit.

  • Figs are fruit that grow on 7 to 10 metres (23 to 33 feet) high trees with the scientific name Ficus carica, and belong to the family Moraceae, the family of figs or mulberries.
  • Ficus carica trees are native to Asia and the Middle East, and there are other fig species native to other parts of the world, although their fruit is not commonly consumed.
  • Figs have a length of 3 to 5 centimetres (1.2 to 2 inches) and typically have a ripened skin colour of green, purple, black and brown.
  • Unripened figs contain latex, which can cause irritation if the sap contacts the skin.
  • Figs were one of the first cultivated fruit and were very popular among Ancient Romans, Greeks and Egyptians.

Figs, Three, Dried, Brown, Ten Random Facts, Fruit, Australia,

Dried Figs
  • Figs are generally eaten raw or dried and are commonly used in baked goods or made into jam, and they can also be used to make an alcoholic beverage.
  • In 2012, Turkey produced 274,500 tonnes (302,600 tons) of figs, which was a quarter of the total production in the world of approximately 1,031,000 tonnes (1,137,000 tons).
  • There are in excess of 600 varieties of figs, and their flesh colour can be red, pink, yellow, orange and purple.
  • Fresh figs are generally not available in countries where the fruit is not grown, as they are difficult to transport due to their thin skin that is easily damaged, and once picked they can only be kept at room temperature for a day or two.
  • Figs are high in dietary fibre and contain significant quantities of vitamin K, magnesium, potassium and manganese.
Bibliography:
Common Fig, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_fig
Figs, 2014, The Fruit Pages, http://www.thefruitpages.com/figs.shtml
Figs, 2014, The World’s Healthiest Foods, http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=24
Fig, 2014, Purdue University: Center for New Crops & Plant Products, http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/fig.html

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Great White Shark

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Great White Shark

Swim away! Swim away! Swim away from the great white shark!

  • Great white sharks are large grey sharks with white on the underside, often depicted as vicious man eaters, and are found in most oceans in the world, near coastal areas.
  • ‘Great white sharks’ are also known as ‘white sharks’, ‘great whites’, ‘white deaths’, and ‘white pointers’.
  • Great white sharks typically grow to be 4 to 6.4 metres (13 to 21 feet) in length, although some have said to be up to 8 metres (26 feet) long.
  • Great white sharks can swim at speeds of 56 kilometres per hour (35 miles per hour), and can dive to depths of 1,200 metres (3,940 feet).
  • The scientific name of a great white shark is Carcharodon carcharias, and it is the only living member of its genus, Carcharodon, from the family Lamnidae, the family of white or mackerel sharks.

Great White Shark, Diving, Cage, Front, Face on, Ten Random Facts, Fish, Big,

Great White Shark
Image courtesy of Hermanus Backpackers/Flickr
  • Great white sharks typically weigh 680 to 2,268 kilograms (1,500 to 5,000 pounds), with a record believed to be 3,324 kilograms (7328 pounds).
  • Great white sharks typically prey on animals with a high fat and energy content, including large fish, dolphins, whales, seals, turtles and birds, and are said to sometimes take a ‘taste’ bite first to check the suitability of its food, and they are occasionally preyed on by fellow great whites and orcas.
  • Although great white sharks have performed significant unprovoked and fatal attacks on people, humans are not favourable to sharks due to the high bone content and little fat contained in the human body.
  • Great white sharks do not survive well in captivity, and have a life span of up to at least 70 years, originally believed to be 30 years, although, due to overfishing, net trapping and the like, they are classified as vulnerable.
  • There is often dominance between great white sharks, which may attack or warn fellow sharks by biting, if they come too close.
Bibliography: Great White Shark, 2014, National Geographic, http://animals.nationalgeographic.com.au/animals/fish/great-white-shark/
Great White Shark, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_white_shark

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Cockscomb

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Cockscomb

Cockscomb is one interesting flower.

  • Cockscomb is an annual flowering plant, and while its origin is uncertain, it is most likely native to Africa, India and the Americas.
  • Cockscomb is a species of celosia, and its scientific name is Celosia cristata, that comes from the family Amaranthaceae, the family of amaranths.
  • Cockscomb is commonly used decoratively as an indoor plant or cut flower, and it can also be grown in the garden.
  • Cockscomb plants are readily grown from seed, and grow to be 15 to 71 centimetres (6 to 28 inches) in height.
  • ‘Cockscomb’ is also known as ‘wool flower’ and ‘brain celosia’, and ‘chi kuan’ in China, where it is commonly grown.

Cockscomb, Red, Green, Flowers, Bright, Celosia, Ten Random Facts, Australia

  • Cockscomb flowers look like a rooster’s head comb, hence their common name, and are firm to touch and have a velvety look and feel.
  • Cockscomb grows best in full sun or part shade, and it prefers soil a little on the dry side.
  • Cockscomb flowers bloom in typically strong bright colours of yellow, red, orange and pink, and the seeds develop underneath the crested flower.
  • Cockscomb plants do not like to have their leaves or flowers wet, as it can cause fungal diseases to grow.
  • Cockscomb flowers bloom from spring to summer, and the flowers can last for two months on the plant, and up to 14 days in a vase.

 

Bibliography:
Celosia cristata, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celosia_cristata
Celosia cristata, n.d, Auburn University, http://www.ag.auburn.edu/hort/landscape/dbpages/441.html
Cockscomb, 2014, The Flower Expert, http://www.theflowerexpert.com/content/growingflowers/flowersandseasons/cockscomb

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Halong Bay

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Halong Bay

Halong Bay is bay full of legend.

  • Halong Bay is a bay, full of tall rock islands and formations, off the north-east coast of Vietnam, Southeast Asia.
  • ‘Halong Bay’ is also known as ‘Ha Long Bay’ and ‘Vịnh Hạ Long’, which means ‘descending dragon bay’, referring to a Vietnamese legend.
  • The whole Halong Bay covers an area of 1,553 square kilometres (600 square miles) while the main central area covers 430 square kilometres (166 square miles).
  • Halong Bay boasts up to 3000 limestone formations and islands, with more than 1600 concentrated in the central area, some of which contain large caves.
  • Halong Bay is populated with approximately 1600 people that live in four separate floating fishing villages.

Halong Bay, Water, Green, Emerald, Lookout, Beach, Rocks, Ten Random Facts

Halong Bay
Image courtesy of Lawrence Murray/Flickr
  • The main central area of Halong Bay became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994 and the bay was included in the New Seven Natural Wonders of the World in 2012.
  • Halong Bay is the home to species of approximately 507 plants, 200 fish, more than 200 coral, numerous molluscs, 71 birds, 45 reptiles, a number of other land and sea creatures as well as many other species; a number of which are only native to the area.
  • Most of the islands and rock formations in Halong Bay are uninhabitable, due to the very high and steep nature of the islands, although the largest island in the bay, Cát Bà Island, has approximately 13,000 occupants.
  • Halong Bay attracts an abundance of tourists, with rock climbing, fishing, diving, kayaking, cruising and exploring as the main activities.
  • According to Vietnamese legend, Halong Bay was formed by the Mother Dragon and her children, who fought off the invading northerners by fire and emerald, and created an emerald wall barrier that eventually became small islands.
Bibliography: Hạ Long Bay, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hạ _Long_Bay
Long2014, UNESCO World Heritage Convention, http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/672
Halong in Depth, 2014, Halong Bay, http://www.halongbay.info/guide/halong-in-depth.html
Bio-Diversity Value, 2012, Halong Bay Vietnam, http://www.halongbayvietnam.org/en/post/bio-diversity-value#sthash.UV6JEKCs.dpbs

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