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Blanket Leaf

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Blanket Leaf

Blanket leaves are literally blanketed in leaves.

  • Blanket leaves are small trees or large shrubs that are native to parts of Australia’s southeast, and are found in the states of Tasmania, New South Wales and Victoria.
  • The scientific name of a blanket leaf is Bedfordia arborescens and it is from the family Asteraceae, the family of daisies, and it is very similar to some other species in the Bedfordia genus.
  • Blanket leaf plants generally reach heights between 3 and 5 metres (10 to 16 feet), although they can grow up to 8 metres (26 feet) tall.
  • ‘Blanket leaves’ are also known as ‘blanket bushes’, ‘tree blanketleaves’, ‘tree blanketferns’, and ‘flannel leaves’.
  • The small flowers that bloom on a blanket leaf plant are coloured yellow and grow in clusters, while the leaves are a green colour on the top side and a white colour on the underside.

Blanket Leaf, Trivia, Ten Random Facts, Vegetation, Plant, Green, Australia

  • Blanket leaves are found in rainforest and other forest habitats, particularly those in mountainous areas, and in Tasmania they are a vulnerable species due to environmental factors and the small proportion of suitable land available for the plant.
  • The underneath of blanket leaf leaves are typically covered with white fuzz, made up of numerous white hairs, which also occurs on new branches.
  • Blanket leaves bloom during the spring months, generally between October and January.
  • The fruit of a blanket leaf plant is very small, reaching approximately two to three millimetres (0.08 to 0.12 inches) in diameter, and the seeds are dispersed with the wind.
  • Blanket leaves grow best in partly shady areas, and in moist soil conditions, and they are able to withstand snow and frost.
Bibliography:
Bedfordia arborescens, n.d, Tasmanian Government, http://dpipwe.tas.gov.au/Documents/Bedfordia-arborescens-LS.pdf
Bedfordia arborescens, n.d, Welcome to Yarra Ranges, http://fe.yarraranges.vic.gov.au/Residents/Trees_Vegetation/Yarra_Ranges_Plant_Directory/Yarra_Ranges_Local_Plant_Directory/Middle_Storey/Trees_3-25m/Bedfordia_arborescens
Bedfordia arborescens, 2013, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bedfordia_arborescens
Bedfordia arborescens—Blanket Leaf, Flannel Leaf, Blanket Bush—ASTERACEAE, 2012, Flora of the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, http://floragreatlakes.info/html/rfspecies/bedfordiaa.html
Bedfordia arborescens Hochr., n.d, PlantNET, http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Bedfordia~arborescens

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Braille

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Braille

Letters aren’t the only way to read – try reading braille!

  • Braille is an alphabet-like system of ‘letters’ that enables the blind or visually impaired to read through the sense of touch, as opposed to sight.
  • Braille primarily translates the letters of a language using a specific placement of raised dots, generally six dots in a two (wide) by three (high) grid, and is usually read by the touch of fingertips.
  • Braille is based on a rejected dot communication system designed by Frenchman Charles Barbier in the the early 1800s, known as ‘Ecriture Nocturne’ or ‘night writing’, developed for use by Napoleon’s soldiers to ‘talk’ with each other without making noise or using light at night.
  • The night writing system became known to Louis Braille, a French boy, in 1821 in Paris, who identified its flaws and by 1824, at age 15, had reworked it into braille for the blind by reducing the grid from twelve to six dots, and encoding letters rather than sounds.
  • Two grades are typically used to classify braille; Grade 1 is usually used for encoding letters, while Grade 2 is generally an abbreviated and shortened version of words, without the need to spell each letter out as found in the first grade; though there is a Grade 3 system, which is usually one’s own shorthand version of the writing system.

Braille, Trivia, Ten Random Facts, Invention, Embossed, Toilet Block, English

  • Although braille differs in various countries, depending on the language, it is generally ordered and based on the original French version and alphabet, to reduce confusion; while a music notation system is also available, though it has also traditionally varied from country to country.
  • Braille is typically written using a typewriter, embossing printer, or a slate and stylus, although other printers are also used, and various handheld embossing devices with adhesive tape are also manufactured, that are popular for home use.
  • In both the United Kingdom and the United States, the large majority of visually impaired people cannot read braille, and the number of people learning the system has declined due in part, to new technologies like computerised screen readers being utilised.
  • Medicine labels in the United Kingdom are required to be embossed with braille, and while some other manufactured products and public signs include this writing system, most products and signs do not.
  • According to statistics, blind people fluent in braille are far more likely to be employed, than those who are not.
Bibliography:
Braille, 2016, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braille
Braille: Deciphering the Code, 2014, American Foundation for the Blind, http://braillebug.afb.org/braille_deciphering.asp
What is Braille?, 2015, American Foundation for the Blind, http://www.afb.org/info/living-with-vision-loss/braille/what-is-braille/123

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Lion City

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Lion City

Would you brave the depths to see Lion City?

  • Lion City is an ancient city that has been abandoned and submerged in the water of Quindao Lake of Zhejiang, China.
  • It is thought that construction of Lion City began in 621 AD, and the city eventually rose to economical importance, with many features built at a later stage.
  • ‘Lion City’ was named after the nearby Five Lion Mountain and is known as ‘Shī chéng’ in Chinese.
  • The enormous Xin’an Dam and hydroelectric station project initiated by the Chinese government and completed in 1959, was the cause of the Lion City flooding and submerging, as well as other cities and towns, causing a total of almost 300,000 people to be displaced.
  • In 2001, Lion City was ‘rediscovered’ by a diving club, at the invitation of the Chinese government, and further explorations have since been organised.
Lion City, Trivia, Ten Random Facts, Place, China, Underwater, Atlantis, Part, Section
Part of Lion City
Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
  • Lion City is approximately 0.43 square kilometres (0.17 square miles) in area, and it is situated between 26 and 40 metres (85 to 131 feet) deep under water; and it is notable for featuring five city gates, an abnormal quantity as most ancient cities would have only four gates.
  • Most statues, sculptures and art, and other stone or wooden structures of Lion City, have been remarkably preserved, due in part to lack of exposure to air, and relatively stable water temperatures of 10 to 20 degrees Celsius (50 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit).
  • Lion City was designated a protected site in 2011 by the Zhejiang Province, which coincidentally was also the year that curiosity and awareness of the city grew, especially as new photographs of the city were released.
  • For expansion of Lion City’s increasing tourism, a submarine for casual exploration has been built, though by the end of 2015 it had not yet been used due to site preservation concerns; and a concept for an underwater tunnel has been presented, but its purpose may be purely for transporting vehicles across the lake.
  • Lion City is best visited from April to October due to warmer air and water temperatures, and even then, only experienced divers can venture, particularly due to conservation concerns and lack of underwater visibility.
Bibliography:
Graaf M, China’s Atlantis, 2014, Daily Mail Australia, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2561147/Chinas-Atlantis-How-Lion-City-purposely-flooded-make-way-power-station-remains-completely-intact-130ft-underwater-50-years.html
Galloway L, China’s Atlantis of the East, 2014, BBC Travel, http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20140711-chinas-atlantis-of-the-east
Lingren Z, The Ancient Underwater City of Thousand Islands Lake, 2013, Chinese National Geography Press, http://www.chinascenic.com/magazine/the-ancient-underwater-city-of-thousand-islands-lake-222.html
Lost Underwater Lion City: Rediscovery of China’s ‘Atlantis’, 2012, Love These Pics, http://www.lovethesepics.com/2012/06/lost-underwater-lion-city-rediscovery-of-chinas-atlantis/
Qiandao Lake, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qiandao_Lake
Wang C, Dive the Ancient Ruins of Lion City in Qiandao Lake, 2015, Underwater Photography Guide, http://www.uwphotographyguide.com/dive-qiandao-lake-china

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Ray Water-fern

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Ray Water-fern

Ray water-ferns are just another one of those ferns…

  • Ray water-ferns are a species of fern native to Papua New Guinea, south eastern Australia, and New Zealand, as well as some parts of Malaysia and Indonesia.
  • The scientific name of a ray water-fern is Blechnum fluviatile, and it is from the family Blechnaceae, a family of ferns.
  • ‘Ray water-ferns’ are also known as ‘star ferns’, ‘creek ferns’ and, in the native New Zealand language of Māori, ‘kiwikiwi’ or ‘kiwakiwa’.
  • Ray water-ferns are small ferns that grow from a rhizome, and they are found in rainforests, or other moist habitats, often near water.
  • One of the earliest ray water-fern specimens collected was in 1841, by William Colenso, a botanist from England.

Ray Water-fern, Vegetation, Trivia, Ten Random Facts, Plant, Australia, Rainforest, Fern

  • The fronds of ray water-ferns range from 20 to 60 centimetres (8 to 24 inches) in length, and the plant can be 20 to 40 centimetres (8 to 16 inches) in height, and up to one metre (3.3 feet) in diameter.
  • Ray water-ferns have leaves that are coloured a vivid to dark green, and they have brown stems that have numerous hairs and scales.
  • Rather than sitting erect, most ray water-fern fronds radiate out from a centre point and sit more parallel with the ground, creating what looks like a star or rosette.
  • Indigenous Australians have used cooked or raw ray water-fern rhizomes as a starchy food, while the Māori people from New Zealand have used the fern leaves medicinally to treat illnesses in the mouth.
  • Ray water-ferns grow best in shady or partly shady environments, and as the plant ages, they will often produce small trunks that grow at the centre of the plant.
Bibliography:
Blechnum fluviatile, 2010, Welcome to Yarra Ranges, http://fe.yarraranges.vic.gov.au/Residents/Trees_Vegetation/Yarra_Ranges_Plant_Directory/Yarra_Ranges_Local_Plant_Directory/Lower_Storey/Ferns_and_Fern_Allies/Blechnum_fluviatile
Blechnum fluviatile, 2013, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blechnum_fluviatile
Blechnum fluviatile (Kiwakiwa), 2016, T.E.R.R.A.I.N, http://www.terrain.net.nz/friends-of-te-henui-group/nz-ferns/star-fern.html
Blechnum fluviatile. Kiwikiwi, 2016, Maori Plant Use, http://maoriplantuse.landcareresearch.co.nz/WebForms/PeoplePlantsDetails.aspx?firstcome=firstcome&PKey=D90C2B5F-2803-48EA-ACFD-D0E90BEB144D

 

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Banded Coral Shrimp

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Banded Coral Shrimp

Banded coral shrimps keep the tank clean.

  • Banded coral shrimps are an aquatic cleaner shrimp native to mostly tropical waters, including the west Atlantic ocean and the Indo-Pacific.
  • The scientific name of a banded coral shrimp is Stenopus hispidus, and it is from the family Stenopodidae, a family of decapod crustaceans.
  • ‘Banded coral shrimps’ are also known as ‘banded cleaner shrimps’ and ‘redbanded coral shrimps’, though technically they are neither prawns nor shrimps and are closer relatives to crabs and lobsters.
  • Banded coral shrimps are striped in vivid reds and whites; however the shrimp’s base ‘colour’ is transparent, and the length of their body generally reaches 5 to 6.2 centimetres (2 to 2.4 inches).
  • Banded coral shrimps have lengthy, white antennae that extend beyond the length of their body, and they have small spines on parts of their body.

Banded Coral Shrimp, Trivia, Ten Random Facts, Animal, Aquatic, Crustacean, Aquarium

  • With their claws, banded coral shrimps clean other aquatic species bodies and mouths as part of their food intake, and they market their fish-cleaning services through a little dance and the movement of their antennae.
  • Coral reefs are the natural habitats of banded coral shrimps, where they are found in waters up to 210 metres (689 feet) deep, but they generally live at much shallower depths in caves or crevices; and groups of shrimps will tend to congregate at what are called ‘cleaning stations’.
  • The diet of banded coral shrimps consists primarily of dead tissue, parasites, and unwanted food, that has been scavenged from their cleaning work, though worms, crustaceans, and other marine animals are sometimes consumed.
  • If a section of a body of a banded coral shrimp is lost, it will usually regenerate back on the next moult, which occurs once every month or two.
  • Banded coral shrimps typically partner for life or many years, and they are somewhat territorial, remaining in the one small area for a lengthy period.
Bibliography:
Banded Coral Shrimp, n.d, World Association of Zoos and Aquariums, http://www.waza.org/en/zoo/choose-a-species/invertebrates/other-aquatic-invertebrates/stenopus-hispidus
Coral Shrimp – Coral Banded Shrimp, n.d, Fishlore, http://www.fishlore.com/Profiles-CoralBandedShrimp.htm
Sanderson A, Stenopus hispidus, 2002, Animal Diversity Web, http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Stenopus_hispidus/
Stenopus hispidus, 2014, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stenopus_hispidus

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Macaroon

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Macaroon

Don’t get macaroons confused with macarons!

  • Macaroons are usually wheatless sweet snacks that are quite similar to cookies, and they are generally suitable for those requiring a gluten-free diet.
  • Macaroons are primarily made of  sugar, whipped whites of eggs, and coconut and/or almond flour, and they are usually baked in an oven.
  • Macaroons can be dipped in chocolate, or contain or be decorated with glacé cherries, jam or nuts.
  • The term ‘macaroon’ it said to come directly from the word ‘maccarone’ or ‘maccherone’, Italian for food with a ‘paste-like appearance’, in reference to almond paste, which was the traditional base ingredient.
  • Macaroons are often confused with the popular macaron, and although they have similar ingredients, the two sweets are vastly different in appearance, though some people use the terms interchangeably.

Macaroon, Trivia, Ten Random Facts, Food, Culinary, Confectionery, Coconut, Chocolate Dipped

  • The texture of macaroons can be rough and uneven, especially if they are made with coconut, and they are generally raised in the centre; while macarons usually have a smooth and even appearance, and are sandwiched together with a creamy filling.
  • Macaroons became popular and favoured by Jews due to the snack’s unleavened nature, meaning it can be enjoyed throughout the Passover period.
  • It is thought that macaroons originated from Italy, perhaps as early as the 700s to 800s, and the food likely spread to France by the 1500s.
  • Coconut varieties of macaroons are typically high in fat, carbohydrates and manganese.
  • Macaroons have also been known as ‘mackaroons’ and ‘maccaroons’; and different countries have their own particular variations of the food.
Bibliography:
Erdos J, Macaroon vs. Macaron: Two Very Different Cookies With a Linked Past, 2013, Food Network, http://blog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2013/05/macaroon-vs-macaron-history-and-recipes/
Macaroon, 2016, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macaroon
Pister J, A Brief History of Macaroons, 2016, Kashruth Council of Canada, http://www.cor.ca/view/442/a_brief_history_of_macaroons.html

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