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Orchard Swallowtail Butterfly

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Orchard Swallowtail Butterfly

Big orchard swallowtail butterflies flying through the sky.

  • ‘Orchard swallowtail butterflies’ are also known as ‘large citrus butterflies’, and are often the largest butterfly found in their native environment.
  • The scientific name of orchard swallowtail butterflies is Papilio aegeus and they are from the family Papilionidae, which is the family of swallowtail butterflies.
  • Orchard swallowtail butterflies are native to Papua New Guinea and eastern Australia.
  • Orchard swallowtail butterflies are sometimes considered pests, since the larvae (caterpillars) eat citrus leaves.
  • Orchard swallowtail butterflies have a wingspan ranging from 10 to 14 centimetres (4 to 5.5 inch), with females being slightly larger than the males.

Orchard swallowtail butterfly, brown, Wings out, wingspan, Ten Random Facts, Australia

  • Orchard swallowtail butterflies have orange-red and blue markings on their white and black coloured wings.
  • Orchard swallowtail butterfly caterpillars have a concealed forked organ that appears and repels a foul smell when threatened.
  • Orchard swallowtail butterflies generally flutter slower than most butterflies, but can move quickly if needed.
  • New orchard swallowtail butterfly larvae are camouflaged white, grey and brown, taking on the appearance of bird waste.
  • Male orchard swallowtail butterflies pursue black and white creatures, including birds, that move in their territory.
Bibliography:
Orchard Swallowtail Butterfly – Papilio aegeus, 2013, Brisbane Insects, http://www.brisbaneinsects.com/brisbane_butters/Orch_butt.htm 
Papilio Aegeus, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papilio_aegeus

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Snake Antivenom

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Snake Antivenom

Snake antivenom is a human life-saver… but comes from horses!

  • ‘Snake antivenom’ is also known as ‘snake antivenin’ and ‘snake antivenene’.
  • Snake antivenom is typically a liquid substance that contains antibodies that help destroy snake venom.
  • Snake antivenom is created by injecting the snake’s venom, which has been ‘milked’, into an animal, such as a horse, which will create antibodies that are later extracted.
  • Snake antivenom should always be given to a snake-bite victim if the snake is poisonous and the venom has spread through the victim’s body.
  • Allergic reactions can occur after a patient has been given snake antivenom, but it only occurs in 10% of patients.
Snake antivenom, antivenin, Wyeth brand, North American Coral Snake, Bottle, Ten Random FactsOriginal Source: Unkn0wn
  • Snake antivenom should be administered when symptoms such as headaches, pains, loss of consciousness, paralysis and nausea occur, and a snakebite may have occurred.
  • Snake antivenom should not be frozen but instead refrigerated, and usually has a storage life of three years.
  • Snake antivenom was invented in 1894 by Léon Charles Albert Calmette, a French immunologist.
  • Snake antivenom can cost up to $1600 per vial, depending on the type, while a single person with a snake bite can use as many as 20 to 25 vials.
  • Snake antivenom can take years to make, and take more years for approval by the World Health Organization (WHO) before the product is usable.
Bibliography:
Australian Snake Bites, 2011, University of Sydney, http://www.anaesthesia.med.usyd.edu.au/resources/venom/snakebite.html
Main D, How to Make Antivenom—And Why the World is Running Short, n.d, Popular Mechanics, http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/health/med-tech/how-to-make-antivenom-why-the-world-is-running-out#slide-1
Snake Antivenom, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snake_antivenom

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Illawarra Flame Tree

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Illawarra Flame Tree

The Illawarra flame tree will not cause a fire!

  • Illawarra flame trees are big trees that grow to a typical height of 20 metres (66 feet), but can grow up to 40 metres (130 feet).
  • Illawarra flame trees are deciduous and are native to the eastern coastal areas of Australia.
  • Illawarra flame trees are from the family Malvaceae, which is the family of mallows, to which hibiscus, hollyhocks, cotton, cacao and okra all belong.
  • The scientific name of Illawarra flame trees is Brachychiton acerifolius, and they are one of the 31 species in the Brachychiton genus, which also includes bottle trees.
  • When Illawarra flame trees lose all of their leaves, the tree becomes shrouded in 1 to 2 centimetre (0.4 to 0.8 inches) long red coloured, bell shaped flowers.

illawarre flame tree, Red, Flowers, Australia, Bright, Tall, Large, Ten Random Facts

  • Illawarra flame trees gr0w 10 cm (4 inch) long, dark brown seed pods and green, maple-shaped leaves.
  • Illawarra flame tree seed pods are potentially hazardous as they contain hairs that can be inhaled, irritate on contact with skin, and in the worse-case scenario, cause blindness.
  • The yellow seeds of Illawarra flame tree seeds have been eaten by indigenous Australians, who would carefully toast the seeds.
  •  ‘Illawarra flame trees’ are also known as ‘kurrajongs’ or ‘flame trees’ and they grow best in temperatures that are warm.
  • The inner bark of Illawarra flame trees has been used to create fishing line.

 

Bibliography:
Brachychiton Acerifolius, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brachychiton_acerifolius
Brachychiton Acerifolius, n.d, Royal Botanic Gardens, http://www.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/education/Resources/bush_foods/Brachychiton_acerifolius

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Ribbon

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Ribbon

Tie up that ribbon.

  • Ribbons are generally thin strips of a cloth but are sometimes manufactured from or include metal or plastic.
  • Ribbons are often made of silk, polyester, nylon and cotton, and common types include satin, wire-edged, velvet and grosgrain.
  • ‘Ribbon’ comes from the Middle English or Old French words ‘ribban’ or ‘ruban’ respectively.
  • Ribbons are cloth strips that are between 0.32 to 30 centimetres (0.125 to 12 inches) in width.
  • Ribbons are an ancient invention, and were manufactured in France as early as 1000 AD.

Ribbon, Thick, Thin, Hair, Red, Strip, Pink, White, Coloured, Blue, Orange, Ten Random Facts

  • Ribbons are often used as a body accessory, decoration for gifts, for tying objects in place, an adornment on clothes, as recognition of a place-getter in a competition or an award, and is a popular hair accessory.
  • Ribbons are often used as symbols, commonly worn for awareness, with symbolic colours such as red for AIDS awareness.
  • During the 1500s, in England, there was an attempt at restricting the wearing of ribbons only to those who were noble or of importance.
  • Ribbons are generally made from spun and woven fine threads, and once they are woven, they are usually rolled onto a spool ready for sale or use.
  • In the 1600s, ribbons were the fashion, appearing on many wearable items of both male and female.
Bibliography:
How to make Ribbon, n.d, How To, http://www.madehow.com/Volume-3/Ribbon.html
Ribbon, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ribbon

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Google

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Google

“Don’t be evil.” – Google Inc.

  • Google is an online, public, international search engine that also owns many other companies, programs and utilities.
  • Google was created in 1996 at Stanford University in Stanford, United States by Larry Page and Sergey Brin as part of their PHD project.
  • Google was incorporated in 1998, when a check was sent to a nonexistent company ‘Google Inc.’, with the ‘office’ being located in the garage of a friend.
  • Google originally existed at the domain ‘google.stratford.edu’, and the current domain was purchased in 1997.
  • ‘Google’ is a commonly spelled version of the mathematical word for 10100, ‘googol’, but the search engine was originally named ‘BackRub’.
Google Logo, Internet, Screenshot, Ten Random FactsLogo
Image courtesy of Google
  • Google was used by 1 billion people in one month, for the first time in May 2011, and in 2012, Google earned $50 billion, which was $12 billion more than 2011.
  • Google moved its offices to California, United States in 2003, calling the complex ‘Googleplex’, which came from the mathematical term ‘googolplex’, 10googol.
  • Google owns YouTube, Blogger and Android and has created programs including Gmail, Maps, Drive, social network (Google+), Earth, News, Chrome (browser), Translate, Apps and Adwords.
  • ‘Google’ became an official word in 2006, meaning ‘to search on Google’.
  • The Google logo is typically the name in blue, red, yellow and green, which sometimes changes appearance for certain days and these special logos are called ‘doodles’.

 

Bibliography:
Company, 2013, Google, http://www.google.com/about/company/
Google, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google

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Butter

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Butter

What would it be like without butter?

  • Butter is a dairy foodstuff made by churning milk fats, known as cream, of the milk of certain mammals.
  • Butter can be made from cow’s, yak’s, sheep’s, goat’s or buffalo’s milk, as well as others.
  • Butter is a solid when cooled, becomes soft at room temperatures and starts to melt into a liquid at 32 to 35°C (90 to 95°F).
  • Butter is coloured from white to deep yellow, although typically pale yellow, with food colourings sometimes added.
  • Commercial butter generally contains approximately 80% fat, with the remaining percentages made of water and milk solids.

Butter,Block, Yellow, Deep, spread, Ten Random Facts, Homebrand, Australia

  • Butter was made by hand, typically on farms, before the 1800s, and was sometimes used as a substitute for lamp oil during the Middle Ages.
  • Butter is commonly used as a spread on bread and is one of the main ingredients in many recipes, including cakes, biscuits, sauces.
  • Butter is a good source of vitamin A and has one of the lowest fat contents out of most common cooking fats, although one of the highest in saturated fat.
  • Butter was used in Ancient Rome to smooth the skin and make hair shiny.
  • Butter has been made for thousands of years, with many ancient references, including the Bible, and civilisations such as Egypt, making mention of it.
Bibliography:
Butter, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butter
Explore the History and Making of Butter, n.d, Butter through the Ages, http://www.webexhibits.org/butter/
The History of Butter, n.d, Dairy Goodness, http://www.dairygoodness.ca/butter/the-history-of-butter

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