Tag Archives: Facts

Swamp Club-Rush

By | |
Leave a comment
Swamp Club-Rush

Don’t miss out on a swamp club-rush membership – all you have to do is read on!

  • Swamp club-rushes are a species of perennial, grass-like vegetation native to Australia, New Zealand, South America, Malaysia, Philippines and Indonesia.
  • The scientific name of swamp club-rush is Isolepis inundata, previously known as Scirpus inundatus, and it is from the family Cyperaceae, the family of sedges.
  • Swamp club-rushes grow in thin blades with the plant reaching heights from 5 to 50 centimetres (2 to 20 inches) and about 40 centimetres (16 inches) in diameter.
  • The ‘flowers’ of swamp club-rushes are small and spiky in appearance, and are clustered in three to twenty spikelets.
  • Both swampy environments and gullies can house swamp club-rushes, and they prefer sunny or partly shady conditions.

Swamp Club-Rush, Vegetation, Plant, Grass, Trivia, Random Facts, Australia

  • Swamp club-rushes bloom from September to February, the spring and summer months.
  • The vegetation of swamp club-rushes is typically a vivid green colour, while the blooms are brown, to pale yellow or cream.
  • The first scientific description of swamp club-rushes was in 1810, by Robert Brown, a botanist from Scotland, who observed the plant in Australia on an expedition there.
  • Swamp club-rushes can be used for landscaping purposes, particularly those involving water, and they prefer moist soil conditions, though they are hardy and versatile.
  • Swamp club-rush plants grow from rhizomes that tend to multiply, and the plant produces tiny, triangular shaped nuts that are pale red-brown to yellow in colour.
Bibliography:
APNI – Isolepis inundata, n.d, Council of Heads of Australasian Herbaria, https://biodiversity.org.au/nsl/services/apniFormat/display/74358
Isolepis inundata, n.d, Prestige Plants, http://www.prestigeplants.com.au/www/content/default.aspx?cid=1860
Isolepis inundata R.Br., n.d, PlantNET, http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Isolepis~inundata
Swamp Club-Rush, 2015, Victoria Resources Online, http://vro.agriculture.vic.gov.au/dpi/vro/vrosite.nsf/pages/sip_swamp_club_rush

Amazon:     

Caño Cristales

By | |
1 Comment
Caño Cristales

Rainbows are jealous of the beauty of Caño Cristales.

  • Caño Cristales is a brightly and abnormally coloured river found in Colombia’s Meta region, in South America.
  • Caño Cristales is not calm – instead the fast flowing water includes waterfalls and rapids, and the river also includes a number of pools.
  • During the peak season, Caño Cristales sports vivid colours including red, black, blue, green and yellow.
  • Caño Cristales is said to contain no fish, and it is situated in a mountainous region with nearby grasslands.
  • The total length of Caño Cristales is 100 kilometres (62 miles) and it lies in the Serrania de la Macarena National Park.
Cano Cristales, Trivia, Ten Random Facts, River, Water, South America, Colombia, Waterfall, River of 5 Colors
Part of Caño Cristales
Image courtesy of rachelcifelli/Flickr
  • The red colours of Caño Cristales are caused by the riverweed Macarenia clavigera, which changes from green to red when the water and sun conditions are at a certain level, while other colours in the river are caused by a combination of water, rocks and sand.
  • ‘Caño Cristales’ can be literally translated as ‘glass spout’ or ‘crystal spout’ from Spanish, and it is also known as ‘the River of Five Colours’ and ‘Liquid Rainbow’.
  • Some weeks, between June and December, the colours of Caño Cristales reach their peak, and this is the best time to visit.
  • Caño Cristales is in a remote area, only accessed by aircraft, then boat, and even then, a hike is required.
  • Tourists were unable to visit Caño Cristales for 20 years, from 1989 to 2008, mainly due to guerrilla warfare in the area, but also because of the potential negative effect they would have on the habitat, however, visitors have been able to tour the area since 2009 with authorised tourism companies
Bibliography:
Caño Cristales, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ca%C3%B1o_Cristales
Caño Cristales, 2016, Atlas Obscura, http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/cano-cristales
Catchpole K, Columbia’s Liquid Rainbow, 2014, BBC Travel, http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20140903-colombias-liquid-rainbow
Introducing Caño Cristales, 2016, Lonely Planet, http://www.lonelyplanet.com/colombia/cano-cristales

Amazon:     

Bush Stone-Curlew

By | |
1 Comment
Bush Stone-Curlew

Bush stone-curlews are an evening bird… with an odd gown.

  • Bush stone-curlews, also known as ‘screaming woman birds’ and ‘bush thick-knees’, are birds that are mostly active during nocturnal hours and are native to Australia.
  • The scientific name of a bush stone-curlew is Burhinus grallarius, formerly Burhinus magnirostris, and it is from the family of stone-curlews.
  • The plumage of bush stone-curlews ranges in various patterns of grey, black, brown and white, that typically looks similar to their natural habitat, so that they are not easily noticed.
  • The diet of bush stone-curlews consists of a wide variety of foods, including insects, small mammals, molluscs, amphibians, crabs and reptiles.
  • A bush stone-curlew’s native habitat is open woody forests, or grassy or shrubby areas, often with dead branches and leaves on the ground with which they can blend in.

Bush Stone-Curlew, Trivia, Ten Random Facts, Bird, Statue, Australia, Animal

  • Bush stone-curlews are proficient in both mobility on land and during flight, although they spend most of their time on the ground, where they forage for food and lay their eggs.
  • The sounds of bush stone-curlews are very noticeable, with loud screams or wails, or even screeches when frightened, that are mostly heard after dark, and if they are discovered or threatened, they will generally freeze like a statue to camouflage themselves.
  • Bush stone-curlews have long skinny legs, and the birds reach heights of 50 to 60 centimetres (20 to 24 inches), with a similar wingspan.
  • Female bush stone-curlews generally lay two eggs in a small depression in the ground, which both parents care for, and they usually partner for life and can live up to 30 years.
  • Bush stone-curlew populations have dwindled significantly in some areas, and as a result they are listed as endangered or near threatened in most states, with flocks once reaching into the hundreds now limited to tiny groups due to habitat loss and introduced predators; though in 2012, the species was listed as ‘least concern’.
Bibliography:
Birds – Bush Stone-curlew, 2016, Australia Zoo, https://www.australiazoo.com.au/our-animals/birds/stone-curlews/bush-stone-curlew
Burhinus (Burhinus) grallarius (Latham, 1801), n.d, Atlas of Living Australia, http://bie.ala.org.au/species/Burhinus+(Burhinus)+grallarius
Bush stone-curlew, 2005, Australian Government Department of Environment, https://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/resources/ceebef10-c480-4ced-a026-bb5a241b70d4/files/tsd05bush-stone-curlew.pdf
Bush stone-curlew, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bush_stone-curlew

Amazon:        

Pancakes

By | |
Leave a comment
Pancake, Trivia, Ten Random Facts, Invention, Food, Culinary, Crepe, Wheat,

These pancakes are hot fresh from the pan.

  • Pancakes are a flat food item, typically made by frying a type of batter, though variations can be made with a dough mixture.
  • Pancakes typically consist of wheat or other grain, in addition to milk and eggs, sometimes with the addition of sugar, butter, or flavour like vanilla.
  • ‘Pancakes’ are also known as ‘flapjacks’, ‘hot cakes’, ‘hoe cakes’ or ‘griddlecakes’, and thin ones are usually known as crêpes, while variations from countries around the world will usually have a different name.
  • Pancakes are often eaten in combination with ice-cream, honey, maple syrup, jam, cream, lemon juice and sugar, meat and/or fruit pieces, and sometimes fruit, vegetables or meat can be added to the batter prior to cooking.
  • Different cultures have their own forms of pancakes that use various ingredients or methods to make them, though the finished product is typically cream to gold in colour and is roughly circular or oval in shape.

Pancake, Trivia, Ten Random Facts, Invention, Food, Culinary, Crepe, Wheat,

  • Shrove Tuesday, or ‘Pancake Day’ as it is sometimes called, is the day before Lent on a religious calendar, particularly in English speaking countries, and the day will often involve the consumption of this popular food.
  • In early times, flat grain-based food items, similar to pancakes, were thought to be cooked on hot rocks, while the Ancient Greeks, and the Ancient Romans to an extent, would cook something comparable to our modern style ones, and these were known as ‘tēganitēs’ or ‘alia dulcia’ and often eaten with honey.
  • Pancakes are commonly served as a breakfast or brunch dish, though they are sometimes served as a dessert, or they can be part of a main meal, and they can have a savoury or sweet flavour.
  • Pancake batter is usually poured or spooned onto, and cooked on, a griddle, frypan, or other flat based cooking surface, and once the batter starts bubbling during the frying process, it is typically flipped over to cook and brown the other side.
  • Some people have what is called ‘pancake syndrome’, where flour contaminated with mites will be cooked in the food, notably in tropical and subtropical areas, causing anaphylactic reactions upon consumption, and to avoid this issue, the flour can be stored in the refrigerator.
Bibliography:
Pancake, 2016, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pancake
Pancake Syndrome (Oral Mite Anaphylaxis), 2009, US Natural Library of Medicine, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3651046/
Rupp R, Hot off the Griddle, Here’s the History of Pancakes, 2014, The Plate – National Geographic, http://theplate.nationalgeographic.com/2014/05/21/hot-off-the-griddle-heres-the-history-of-pancakes/

Amazon:        

Soap Dispenser

By | |
1 Comment
Soap Dispenser, Liquid, Invention, Container, Trivia, Ten Random Facts

Soap dispensers are just one of those inventions you take for granted.

  • Soap dispensers are an invention that stores and distributes soap using a mechanical function.
  • Soap dispensers typically feature a pump or squeeze bottle to release soap, with a nozzle often protruding from the top.
  • Plastic is commonly the material used to make a soap dispenser and is often disposable; however glass and ceramics can also be used.
  • Many soap dispensers, especially those for public use, have a nozzle that foams liquid soap, by utilising air.
  • Soap dispensers will typically hold liquid soap, while some are designed to hold foam or powdered soap.

Soap Dispenser, Liquid, Invention, Container, Trivia, Ten Random Facts

  • Soap dispensers were used in the early 1800s for liquid soap used in hospitals and other facilities; however these were notorious for being clogged by the thick soap.
  • Liquid soap was first patented in 1865 though used earlier, and while it was used in commercial settings, it was not until more than a century later, in 1980, that it was introduced into the home market by Minnetoka Coporation, and as a result, soap dispensers became more commonly used.
  • Minnetoka Corporation, to hinder other companies copying their new liquid soap idea, purchased all of the stock of pump mechanisms for soap dispensers that they could, forcing their competitors to wait a whole year before they could launch a competing product.
  • Soap dispensers are available in a wide variety of shapes, colours and styles, and decorative ones can sometimes be purchased in a matching bathroom set without soap, which is to be added later, while cheap plastic ones from supermarkets usually contain soap.
  • Automatic soap dispensers, activated using sensors, where first patented in 1989, invented by Guey-Chuan Shiau, and have since been a commercial success, and are especially prominent in public bathrooms.
Bibliography:
Bellis M, The History of Soaps and Detergents, 2016, About Inventors, http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blsoap.htm
Cretu D, Who Invented Liquid Soap and Why?, 2013, Quora, https://www.quora.com/Who-invented-liquid-soap-and-why
Soap Dispenser, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soap_dispenser

Amazon:       

False Bracken

By | |
Leave a comment
False Bracken

False bracken is truly not bracken… it is a fern.

  • False bracken is a species of common fern, native to eastern forest areas of Australia.
  • ‘False brackens’ are also known as ‘rainbow ferns’, ‘soft brackens’ and ‘common ground ferns’.
  • The scientific name of false bracken is Calochlaena dubia, though it was previously listed as Culcita dubia, and it is from the family Dicksoniaceae, a family of various ferns.
  • False bracken leaves, or ‘fronds’ as they are known, reach a length of 0.4 to 1.5 metres (1.3 to 4.9 feet), and they tend to droop at the ends.
  • The false bracken scientific genus name ‘Calochlaena’ is said to come from Ancient Greek, meaning ‘beautiful cloak’, while ‘dubia’, or ‘dubious’ in English, is a Latin term and has the meaning ‘doubtful’.

False Bracken, Fern, Green, Vegetation, Rainforest, Australia, Leaves, Museum,

  • The leaves of false bracken are lacy and range from green to yellow-green in colour, and are hairy and quite soft to touch.
  • False bracken plants do not produce flowers, and instead reproduce through the use of spores that grown on the underside of the leaves.
  • The false bracken plant grows from a rhizome, that spreads underground and can be divided to produce more plants, and the rhizomes are covered in brown hairs.
  • False brackens grow as understory plants that are easily cared for, and as such, are useful as a garden plant.
  • False bracken plants grow to heights from 50 cm to 2 metres (1.6 to 6.6 feet) and prefer well-drained soils that are moist, and partly shady conditions.
Bibliography:
Calochlaena dubia, 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/Calochlaena_dubia
Calochlaena dubia, 2014, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calochlaena_dubia
Calochlaena dubia, 2016, Noosa’s Native Plants, http://www.noosanativeplants.com.au/plants/107/calochlaena-dubia-(was-culcita-dubia)
Calochlaena dubia (DICKSONIACEAE) False Bracken, n.d, Save Our Waterways Now, http://www.saveourwaterwaysnow.com.au/01_cms/details_pop.asp?ID=116

Amazon:       

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...