Tag Archives: America

Prickly Poppy

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Prickly Poppy

This prickly poppy is not so delicate.

  • Prickly poppies are 32 species of generally prickly, herbacious plants often found in bushes, deserts and near rivers.
  • ‘Argemone’ is the scientific name of ‘Prickly poppies’ and they are also known as ‘argemony’.
  • Prickly poppies are from the family Papaveraceae, which is the poppy family.
  • Prickly poppies are native to Hawaii, North America and South America.
  • Prickly poppy flowers are often white, purple, red, or yellow in colour.

Prickly Poppy, prickle, spikey, white flower, river, Australia, Ten Random Facts

  • Prickly poppies have prickly or spiny leaves and prickly fruit that are coloured green.
  • Prickly poppy plants have been used in traditional medicine to treat a variety of conditions, and they have also been used as a drug that is smoked.
  • Prickly poppies are sometimes used as a garden plant, but they are an invasive weed in some countries.
  • The coloured sap contains latex and both the seeds and the sap of prickly poppies are potentially toxic.
  • Prickly poppies grow to 30 to 150 centimetres (1 to 5 feet) in height and generally bloom in spring and summer.

 

Bibliography:
Ownbey G, Prickly Poppy, n.d, Flora of North America, http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=102532
Prickly Poppy, 2013, Britannica Encyclopaedia, http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/475859/prickly-poppy

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Gray Wolf

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Gray Wolf

The boy that called ‘gray wolf’.

  • The scientific name of the gray wolf is canis lupus, and they are largest in the family Canidae, which is the family of dogs, wolves, foxes and other similar animals, and they can have the spelling ‘grey wolves’, while the females are known as ‘she-wolves’.
  • Gray wolves have a lifespan, in the wild, for about seven to eight years and are native to North America, North Africa and Eurasia, but are now mainly found in Alaska, Canada, North America, Russia, Eurasia.
  • Gray wolves have a diet that consists of mainly of medium to large hoofed animals but sometimes they consume other small animals, fruit, vegetation and other food they can find.
  • As the name suggests, the furry coat of gray wolves is generally grey, but they can be brown, black, white or red in colour.

 

Gray Wolf, White, Grey, Alaska National Park, Adult, Glow, Grass, Rock, Ten Random Facts, National Geographic Stock

 

Gray Wolf
Image courtesy of National Geographic
  • Gray wolves range from 36 to 45 kilograms (79 to 99 pounds) in weight, and can reach speeds up to 60 kilometres per hour.
  • Gray wolves have large, sharp teeth that, with enough pressure, can crush bones, and in a single meal, they can consume and digest food equal to 15 to 19% of their own weight.
  • Gray wolves can control their body-heat by quickening or slowing their flow of blood and while their sense of smell is not as advanced as some others in the canine family, they make it up with good tracking skills and nocturnal eyesight.
  • Gray wolves usually live in packs of 5-11 wolves and generally pair for life, usually having a litter of 5 to 6 pups each year.
  • Gray wolves can make a very loud howl to communicate with each other, to signal a gathering, to locate or to warn, that can be heard 130 kilometres (50 mile) away, and they can also make whimpers, growls, barks, snarls, yelps and whines.
  • Gray wolves do not often attack humans, particularly since they have a fear of humans embedded by hunters who killed one third of the original population.
Bibliography:
Gray Wolf, 2013, Defenders of Wildlife, http://www.defenders.org/gray-wolf/basic-facts
Gray Wolf, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gray_wolf

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Pumpkin (Winter Squash)

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Pumpkin (Winter Squash)

Pumpkin… a versatile vegetable.

  • Pumpkins are also known as ‘winter squash’ depending on where you live, and are part of the Cucurbita genus, which also includes gourds and summer squash.
  • Pumpkins are typically roundish-flat with indented stripes, have thick skins that allows them to be stored longer than summer squash, and generally deep orange to strong yellow, but sometimes red, green, greenish blue, cream or white, in colour.
  • Pumpkins are from the family Cucurbitaceae, which is the family of gourds, and are mostly native to Central America, especially Mexico.
  • Pumpkins are generally eaten cooked, and can be served as a cooked vegetable, or be made into soup, puree, baked goods like bread, or a sweet pie.
  • Pumpkins are commonly carved, and lighted, to make Jack-o’-lanterns for Halloween, or made into pie for Thanksgiving celebrations in the United States.

Pumpkin, multiple, Orange, Spherical, Seven, Box,Ten Random Facts, Halloween, Australia

  • Pumpkins grown on large vines, usually on the ground, and once a fruit has matured it will generally weigh between 2.7 to 8.2 kilograms (6 to 18 pounds), depending on the species.
  • ‘Pumpkin’ came from the word ‘pepon’, meaning ‘large melon’ in Greek.
  • Pumpkin weighing competitions are common across the globe, with a world record set in 2012 for the heaviest pumpkin ever grown, being 911.3 kilograms (2009 pounds) in mass, and was grown by Ron Wallace from Rhode Island, United States.
  • Pumpkins are made up of approximately 90% water and are extremely high in vitamin A, and a good source of vitamin C.
  • The flowers of pumpkin plants are sometimes eaten, and the seeds are commonly consumed as a snack, and they can also be ground into meal or flour and used in baking.
Bibliography:
Curcubita, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cucurbita
Pumpkins, n.d, Hospitality Services Group, http://www.hsgpurchasing.com/Articles/pumpkin.htm

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Thomas Edison

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Thomas Edison

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work” – Thomas Edison

  • Thomas Edison was born in Milan, Ohio, United States on February 11, 1847, and his full name was ‘Thomas Alva Edison’ and was also known as the ‘Wizard of Menlo Park’.
  • Thomas Edison was an American inventor who invented the practical electrical light bulb, the phonograph and other communication items, including moving images, although these were only some of Edison’s 1000 inventions.
  • Many of Thomas Edison’s inventions shaped the way we live today which caused him to be dubbed ‘the greatest inventor ever’, and during his lifetime he was the most prolific inventor in known history, a position he held through the 1900s.
  • Thomas Edison became a telegraph operator as a young teenager, due to receiving the training as a reward for saving a young boy from death by a train, and he went on to become a successful businessman, founding 14 companies during his lifetime.
  • Thomas Edison caught scarlet fever when he was young, which contributed to poor hearing, and later, deafness.

Thomas Edison, Image, Portrait, Many, Inventor, Lightbulb, Ten Random Facts, Ohio, America, Flickr

Portraits
Image courtesy of Intel Free Press/Flickr
  • In 2013, Thomas Edison ranked 4th for ‘the most prolific inventor in the world’, with 1093 patents.
  • Thomas Edison married Mary Stilwell in 1871, who died later in 1884, and had three children, and after Mary’s death, married Mina Miller in 1886, and had three more children.
  • Thomas Edison constructed a laboratory in Menlo Park, New Jersey, named the ‘Menlo Park Laboratory’, which contained virtually every material available and he was the recipient of a number of various medals and awards during his lifetime.
  • Thomas Edison, the youngest of 7, was a very curious child, and ended up being schooled at home by his mother due to his wandering mind and many questions which weren’t welcome at the school he attended for 3 months.
  • Thomas Edison died aged 84, on 18 October 1931 from complications of diabetes, in the house that was his wedding gift to his wife Mina, in West Orange, New Jersey, United States.
Bibliography:
Beals G, The Bibliography of Thomas Edison, 1999, Thomas Edison.com, http://www.thomasedison.com/biography.html
Thomas Edison, 2013, Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Edison

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Viburnum

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Viburnum

There are so many versions of viburnums!

  • Viburnums are evergreen or deciduous flowering shrubs or small trees and there are at least 150 different species.
  • Viburnums are from the family Adoxaceae, which is the family of moschatels and they were originally part of the honeysuckle family, the Caprifoliaceae family.
  • Viburnums are mostly native to the northern parts of the world, particularly those in mild climates.
  • Viburnums have small flowers with five petals, that are white, pink or cream in colour and grow in clusters.
  • In the past, long stems of some species of viburnum have been used as shafts for arrows, and they are still commonly used by archers.

Viburnum Tinus, Flowers, Clustered, White, Pink, Buds, Ten Random Facts, Australia, Ornamental plant

  • Viburnums have small, red, purple, blue or black round fruits, and depending on the species can be made into jam, although some species are toxic.
  • Viburnums grow from 1 to 6 metres (3 to 20 feet) in height and prefer to grow in sunlight, but can adapt to the shade.
  • Viburnums generally have appealing, green coloured foliage, and those species that lose their leaves in winter have attractive autumn coloured foliage.
  • Viburnums are popularly used as an ornamental plant since they do not attract many pests.
  • Viburnums flower during the spring months, and some species are quite fragrant.
Bibliography:
Twombly K, Viburnum are Versatile Plants, 2013, Fine Gardening, http://www.finegardening.com/plants/articles/viburnums-are-versatile-shrubs.aspx?id=81004
Viburnum, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viburnum

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The Wave

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The Wave

You cannot ride the Wave!

  • The Wave is a natural rock formation made of eroded sandstone, with the formation reaching 1,593 metres (5,275 feet) above sea level.
  • The Wave can be found on the borders of Arizona and Utah, in the United States, found in the Paria Canyon-Vermillion Cliffs Wilderness in the Coyote Buttes area.
  • The Wave is sloped ditches and ‘waves’ of sandstone.
  • The Wave has edges that break easily when a person steps on them so care must be taken to avoid damage to the rock edges.
  • The Wave is one of the most popular destinations of hikers and photographers, with the best photos at dawn, dusk and noon.

The Wave, Orange, Stunning, Sandstone, Coyote Buttes, America, Ten Random Facts, Flickr

A Wave
Image courtesy of Frank Kovalcheck/Flickr
  • The Wave has patterned lines of colours ranging from red, orange, yellow, pink, green and white.
  • Only 20 permits for entry to the Wave are given out for each day, with the receivers being decided by lottery.
  • After storms, the road to the Wave can become impassable, and puddles of water gather in the wave, attracting numerous tadpoles and fairy shrimps.
  • Erosion of the Wave has caused interesting structures, with some that appear to be castles or chutes.
  • The Wave can be a fatal hike without proper equipment, particularly a GPS and sometimes a tour guide.
Bibliography:
The Wave – Coyote Buttes, 2013, Utah.com, <http://www.utah.com/playgrounds/the_wave.htm>
The Wave, Arizona, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wave,_Arizona>

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