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Madeira Vine

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Madeira Vine

Madeira vines just don’t give up on growing.

  • Madeira vine is a species of perennial vine, that is a somewhat hardy, evergreen plant, native to South America.
  • ‘Madeira vines’ are also known as ‘mignonette vines’, ‘lamb’s tail vines’, and ‘potato vines’.
  • The scientific name of the Madeira vine is Anredera cordifolia, and it is from the family Basellaceae, a family of flowering herbaceous plants.
  • Madeira vine leaves are fleshy and shaped like a heart, and are typically between 2 to 15 centimetres (0.8 to 5.9 inches) in length.
  • The length of a Madeira vine can reach between 30 and 40 metres (98 to 131 feet) particularly when assisted by tall plants and trees, which it uses to climb.

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  • A number of countries, including parts of Africa, New Zealand and Australia, consider Madeira vines as major weeds, as they choke out native vegetation and spread easily, especially in subtropical to tropical areas.
  • A Madeira vine grows from a tuber in the ground, and the plant is efficient at regrowing from a broken root, which is one of its primary spreading methods, while water movement, such as creeks or floods, is another way the vines spread.
  • The small flowers of Madeira vines are white to cream in colour, and in summer and autumn they form in clusters along long spikes, which from a distance, look like lamb’s tails.
  • Madeira vines produce large quantities of tubers along their stems, which often break off and start growing in the ground to produce new plants, enabling the plant to easily multiply, and the tubers are also a source of food for the plant when the growing conditions are tough.
  • The Madeira vine is a very quick grower, and in the right conditions, can grow as much as a metre (3.3 feet) in seven days.
Bibliography:
Anredera Cordifolia, 2016, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anredera_cordifolia
Madeira Vine, 2015, Business Queensland Government, https://www.business.qld.gov.au/industry/agriculture/species/declared-pests/weeds/madeira-vine
Madeira Vine (Anredera cordifolia), 2011, BioNET-EAFRINET, http://keys.lucidcentral.org/keys/v3/eafrinet/weeds/key/weeds/Media/Html/Anredera_cordifolia_(Madeira_Vine).htm
Madeira Vine (Anredera cordifolia), 2011, Weed Management Guide, http://www.weeds.org.au/WoNS/madeiravine/docs/47053_ERGO_Weed_Mgmt_guide_Madeira_vine_Pages.pdf

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Fire Engine

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Fire Engine

These fire engines are all ‘Russian’ around.

  • A fire engine is an automobile dispatched and used by an emergency department, in particular the fire brigade, primarily to put out fires.
  • ‘Fire engines’ are also known as ‘fire trucks’, ‘fire wagons’, ‘fire apparatuses’ and ‘fire appliances’.
  • Fire engines are typically used to transfer fire fighters and their equipment – ladders, hoses, first-aid supplies, rescue equipment and breathing tanks among other things – from the station to the emergency site.
  • Flashing lights and loud sirens are generally found on a fire engine, and these help to make its presence known, so that other vehicles move out of its way during an emergency.
  • Long extendable ladders are generally found on fire engines, to provide a fire fighter with extra height, and they often have hoses attached.
Fire Engine, Truck, Vehicle, Red, America, Cambridge, Dormant, Emergency, Invention, AutomobileFire Engine
Image courtesy of Dave Conner/Flickr
  • Most fire engines are trucks designed for urban use, however some apparatuses are designed specifically for marine, rural and airport purposes.
  • Fire engines generally carry from around 1000 to 3785 litres (264 to 1000 gallons) of water, although some hold less, while others hold more; however the majority of water that urban trucks use is sourced from a hydrant.
  • A fire engine can be expensive to produce, with commercial pricing ranging from $350,000 to $1.5 million or more, depending on the purposes and features.
  • Greek inventor Ctesibius is said to have invented one of the earliest forms of a fire engine in the third century BC, though buckets of water were commonly used to fight fires in the middle ages; and from the 1600s, fire trucks of various kinds were invented, and by the 1800s, a pressure steam pump had been invented and was drawn by horses for fire use.
  • Fire engines are commonly coloured red, and this is generally attributed to the colour’s bright nature, which makes the truck stand out among other vehicles.
Bibliography:
Bett D, Fire Engine, 1996, Encyclopedia.com, http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Fire_Engine.aspx
Fire Engine, 2016, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_engine
Fire Truck History, n.d, Auto Evolution, http://www.autoevolution.com/news/fire-truck-history-7249.html
Revermann S, Fun Facts for Kids about Fire Trucks, 2016, Modern Mom, http://motherhood.modernmom.com/fun-kids-fire-trucks-16855.html
Why Are Fire Trucks Red?, 2016, Wonderopolis, http://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-are-fire-trucks-red
Young C, Fires, Fire Engines, and Fire Brigades, 1866, Google Books, https://books.google.com.au/books?id=YblbAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA66&lpg=PA66&dq=ptolemy+fire+engine&source=bl&ots=QruKyXMSvl&sig=jr4fVFH4rjn_Ltgt2IKqipPeo3E&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjk8oazi9nLAhXjtIMKHS4DBY8Q6AEIODAI#v=onepage&q&f=false

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Boiling River of Mayatuyacu

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Boiling River of Mayatuyacu

Don’t try your luck taking a dip in the Boiling River of Mayantuyacu.

  • The Boiling River of Mayantuyacu is a river that winds through the Amazon rainforest in central Peru, in South America.
  • The Boiling River of Mayantuyacu is also known as ‘Shanay-timpishka’, named by the local natives, translated to mean something like “boiled with the heat of the sun”.
  • The length of the heated part of the Boiling River of Mayantuyacu is about 6.4 kilometres (4 miles), with a depth of up to 5 metres (16 feet) and a width of up to 24 metres (80 feet).
  • The temperature of the Boiling River of Mayantuyacu ranges from 50°C to 100°C (122°F – 212°F), and it can quickly cause a third degree burn – burning all skin layers.
  • The Boiling River of Mayantuyacu is a peculiar phenomenon, as no active volcano is located near the river – the closest is approximately 700 kilometres (430 miles) away, as the source of other boiling rivers is typically volcano activity, though it is likely fed by a number of hot springs.
Mayantuyacu Boiling River, Hot, Trivia, Ten Random Facts, Healer, steam, Amazon
Part of the Boiling River of Mayatuyacu
Image courtesy of Sofia Ruzo/The Boiling River Project
  • The Boiling River of Mayantuyacu is considered sacred, and is believed to be a place with spiritual and healing powers by the natives, who have long known of its existence.
  • The Boiling River of Mayantuyacu is the final resting place of animals unfortunate enough to wander into the water, as the temperatures cook the animals alive.
  • Robert Moran, an American geologist discovered the Boiling River of Mayantuyacu’s in the 193os, though it wasn’t until 2011 that scientific documentation began, by American geoscientist Andrés Ruzo, who rediscovered the river, led there by his aunt, after hearing tales of it twenty years earlier.
  • The local legend explains that the hot waters of the Boiling River of Mayantuyacu were released by a giant mythical serpent named ‘Yacumama’.
  • Due to its isolated location, the trek to the Boiling River of Mayantuyacu is potentially dangerous, and it is about an hour from the nearest health centre and three hours from the nearest hospital.
Bibliography:
The Boiling River of Mayantuyacu, Peru, 2016, Amusing Planet, http://www.amusingplanet.com/2016/02/the-boiling-river-of-mayantuyacu-peru.html
Breyer M, Mysterious 4-Mile Long River in Peru is so Hot is Actually Boils, 2016, Treehugger, http://www.treehugger.com/natural-sciences/mysterious-4-mile-long-river-peru-so-hot-it-actually-boils.html
History of Site, 2016, The Boiling River, http://www.boilingriver.org/history-of-site/
Kim S, Peru‘s Mysterious ‘Boiling River’ that Burns Animals to Death, 2016, The Telegraph, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/south-america/peru/articles/peru-mysterious-boiling-river-that-can-burn-you-to-death/

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Cruiser Butterfly

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Cruiser Butterfly

Cruiser butterflies sport a variety of different colours.

  • Cruiser butterflies are a species of butterfly native to the tropics of New Guinea and surrounding islands, and parts of Queensland in Australia.
  • The scientific name of a cruiser butterfly is Vindula arsinoe and it is from the family Nymphalidae, the family of brush-footed butterflies.
  • The wings of a male cruiser butterfly are mostly an orange colour, decorated with black patterns including a couple of eye spots.
  • Cruiser butterflies have a wingspan that generally ranges from 7.5 to 8.2 centimetres (3 to 3.2 inches) in length.
  • A female cruiser butterfly has a combination of yellow/orange, brown, black and white coloured wings, and despite its difference in appearance to the male, it has similar black markings.
Cruiser Butterfly, Insect, Animal, Orange, Male, Bright, Wingspan, Rest, Malaysia
Cruiser Butterfly
Image courtesy of Bernand Dupont/Flickr
  • Cruiser butterfly caterpillars are black and yellow to white in colour, and they have black branch like spikes down the back and sides of their body.
  • The chrysalis of a cruiser butterfly reaches a length of 3 centimetres (1.2 inches), and is coloured brown to green, while the caterpillar itself is a centimetre (0.4 inches) longer.
  • Cruiser butterfly larvae feed primarily from the species of the passion flower family, while the butterflies feed on nectar from various flowers.
  • Cruiser butterflies have a habit of congregating around collections of moist to wet soil, where they obtain nutrients from the liquid they consume there, and this phenomenon is known as ‘mud-puddling’.
  • The eggs of a female cruiser butterfly varies from a white to brown colour, with many small bumps on the exterior, and they are about 1.5 millimetres (0.06 inches) in height.
Bibliography:
Cramer’s Cruiser, n.d, Learn About Butterflies, http://www.learnaboutbutterflies.com/New%20Guinea%20-%20Vindula%20arsinoe.htm
Cruiser (Vindula arsinoe), n.d, Oz Animals, http://www.ozanimals.com/Insect/Cruiser/Vindula/arsinoe.html
The Cruiser, 2015, Coff’s Harbour Butterfly House, http://lepidoptera.butterflyhouse.com.au/nymp/arsinoe.html

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Horned Melon

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Horned Melon

Horned melons are a beast of a fruit.

  • Horned melons are a variety of melon that are native to much of Africa, though not in the northern regions.
  • The scientific name of horned melons is Cucumis metuliferus and it is from the family Cucurbitaceae, the family of gourds.
  • ‘Horned melons’ are also known as ‘kiwanos’, ‘melanos’, ‘hedged gourds’, ‘jelly melons’, ‘African horned cucumbers’, and ‘African horned melons’.
  • Horned melons are a cylindrical/ovoid shape and range from 6 to 15 centimetres (2.4 to 6 inches) in length and 3 to 6 cm (1.2 to 2.4 inches ) in diameter.
  • The yellow to dark orange coloured skin of a horned melon, is covered in sharp spikes of a horn-like appearance, hence its common name.
Horned Melon, Fruit, Trivia, Ten Random Facts, Orange, Skin, Spike, Cut, Green Jelly, Exotic
Horned Melon
Image courtesy of ccharmon/Flickr
  • Horned melons have flesh of a translucent green colour with a jelly-like consistency, similar to the innards of a cucumber.
  • Horned melons have a sweet to sour taste, and are compared to zucchinis and cucumbers in regards to flavour, perhaps with a hint of banana and lime or lemon.
  • The water content of a horned melon can be up to 90 percent, and the fruit is generally available in the summer months.
  • With its flesh and numerous seeds being edible, horned melons are an exotic fruit that can be eaten both raw, often in fruit salad, and cooked; and the flesh is sometimes used as an accompaniment to meat.
  • Horned melons have a high content of iron and magnesium, and they have significant quantities of vitamins B and C, as well as phosphorous and zinc, and they contain other vitamins and minerals.
Bibliography:
Cucumis metuliferus, 2016, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cucumis_metuliferus
Welman M, Cucumis metuliferus, 2009, SA National Biodiversity Institute, http://www.plantzafrica.com/plantcd/cucumismet.htm
Health Benefits of Horned Melon (Kiwano), n.d, Health Benefits, http://www.healthbenefitstimes.com/health-benefits-of-horned-melon/

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