HomesickAlien
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31 October 2016 Monday Halloween Special http://i.imgur.com/iQUQXnH.png?1 Mandrake (Mandragora officinarum) Mandrake (genus Mandragora), is a genus of six species of hallucinogenic plants in the nightshade family (Solanaceae), native to the Mediterranean region and the Himalayas. The plants are particularly noted for their potent roots, which somewhat resemble the human form and have a long history of use in religious and superstitious practices. Mandrake plants generally have a short stem bearing a tuft of ovate leaves, often arranged in a basal rosette. The flowers are solitary with a bell-shaped corolla of five petals; they range from purple to yellow-green in colour. The fruit is a fleshy orange-coloured berry. The plants are characterized by a long thick taproot that is often forked. All parts of the plants contain tropane alkaloids and are considered poisonous. The best-known species, M. officinarum, has long been known for its poisonous properties. In ancient times it was used as a narcotic and an aphrodisiac, and it was also believed to have certain magical powers. Its root was thought to be in the power of dark earth spirits. It was believed that the mandrake could be safely uprooted only in the moonlight, after appropriate prayer and ritual, by a black dog attached to the plant by a cord. Human hands were not to come in contact with the plant. In medieval times it was thought that as the mandrake was pulled from the ground, it uttered a shriek that killed or drove mad those who did not block their ears against it. After the plant had been freed from the earth, it could be used for beneficent purposes, such as healing, inducing love, facilitating pregnancy, and providing soothing sleep. Mandrake is still used occasionally in homeopathic and folk medicine and has applications in modern witchcraft and occult practices. http://i.imgur.com/XWL7SqF.jpg?1 THE HISTORY AND USES OF THE MAGICAL MANDRAKE http://i.imgur.com/miUTzIx.png?1 -
29 October 2016 Saturday Coral Tree (Erythrina senegalensis) A medium-sized tree native to West Africa, the coral tree's name comes from the stunning bright red colour of its flowers, which appear on the tree in profusion when it is still without leaves. These flowers stand out starkly against the deeply fissured bark, and present quite a show in the wooded grassland which is its natural habitat. Because the bark is covered in large, sharp spines, the tree is planted for hedging. Only a very determined intruder would try to pass through a hedge made of this tree – and a stupid one, too, because a good coral tree hedge is impenetrable. It is a common tree in villages, planted for its medicinal uses and beauty, as well as for hedging. The flowers appear in large groups at the end of the branches, when the tree is leafless (in the first half of the dry season). The flowers are bright red and 4-5 cm long. Reproduction is by seed, but farmers also propagate the tree by taking cuttings. The corky bark enables the tree to withstand the fires which regularly pass over the West African savannah. The coral tree has a large number of traditional uses in West Africa. The bark and roots are used against stomach disorders and as a general tonic, and the bark and leaves are used for dressing wounds. The wood is used for making knife handles, and the seeds are made into necklaces and used as game counters, despite being poisonous. There are no known threats to the coral tree, which is quite widespread and widely planted, though the extensive use of its bark for medicine often causes trees to be almost stripped of their bark. http://i.imgur.com/6nHjZpQ.jpg ERYTHRINA SENEGALENSIS: A PHOTO GUIDE IUCN RED LIST USEFUL TROPICAL PLANTS: ERYTHRINA SENEGALENSIS
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28 October 2016 Friday King Brown Snake Considered to be Australia’s most common and widespread venomous snake, the king brown snake (Pseudechis australis) is a stocky species with a broad head, large eyes, and a rounded muzzle. The king brown snake, also known as the mulga snake because of the mulga grassland habitat which this snake frequently inhabits, has two grooved fangs in the front of its mouth, and some smaller, solid teeth further back. This species is highly venomous, and is thought to be the cause of the greatest number of venomous bites in Australia, although these are rarely fatal. The king brown snake may be active by day or night, depending on the climate, and is known to feed on frogs, birds, small mammals and even other reptiles, including lizards. When threatened, the king brown snake tends to flatten its neck, spreading it into a hood-like shape, before raising its body into an arch and striking rapidly. The venom produced by this species is extremely toxic, causing lightheadedness, headaches, nausea, vomiting, muscle weakness and mild paralysis in humans. Until relatively recently, it was thought that all large Pseudechis species were live-bearing snakes, but most, including the king brown snake, have since been found to be oviparous, meaning that they lay eggs. The female king brown snake has been recorded to lay between 4 and 19 eggs per clutch. While no information is available on incubation periods in the wild, clutches of king brown snake eggs laid in captivity have been known to incubate for between 85 and 88 days at higher temperatures, and for shorter periods at lower temperatures. The king brown snake is widespread in Australia, being found across most of the mainland except for the extreme south and the east coast. A highly adaptable species, the king brown snake is able to occupy an incredibly wide range of habitats, from tropical rainforests to savannah and deserts. http://i.imgur.com/TRfkUFU.jpg http://www.abc.net.a...ad-trip/7947086
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27 October 2016 Thursday Giant Sunbird Found only on São Tomé, an island situated in the Gulf of Guinea, off the western equatorial coast of Africa, this large sunbird is noted for its remarkable bill which, like other sunbirds, is long and curved and well adapted for probing flowers and bark for food. The giant sunbird has matt black plumage, embellished with a deep blue and purple iridescence, and a long, graduated tail with whitish tips. The giant sunbird has a more varied diet than most other sunbirds, feeding not only on nectar, but also on invertebrates. It feeds by hovering in front of flowers, like a hummingbird but with slower wingbeats, and also pierces the base of flowers to obtain the rich, sugary nectar. While creeping along branches, the giant sunbird probes bark, moss and lichen with its long bill, searching for invertebrate prey. Sunbirds, known for being aggressive and territorial, usually construct nests of fine moss and cobwebs suspended from twigs and branches. Nests of the giant sunbird have been found in late December and early January. The giant sunbird inhabits primary forest, where it is found from the understorey to the canopy. Lowland primary forest holds the majority of giant sunbird populations, but giant sunbirds may also be found in montane forest at elevations up to at least 2,000 metres. Historically, large expanses of lowland and mid-altitude forest in São Tomé were cleared for cocoa and coffee plantations. Since a crash in cocoa prices, many former plantations have now reverted into secondary forest, but less than 30 percent of the island remains covered in primary forest. Further loss or alteration of the island’s primary forest is the single most significant threat facing the giant sunbird. http://i.imgur.com/c9qpif3.jpg?1
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26 October 2016 Wednesday Sagalla Caecilian First described as recently as 2005, the Sagalla caecilian belongs to a highly unusual group of amphibians characterised by an elongated, limbless, externally segmented body, closely resembling that of a snake or a large earthworm. However, unlike earthworms, caecilians possess a prominent mouth, nostrils, and, uniquely amongst vertebrates, a pair of retractable tentacles, one on each side of the head, between the eye and nostril. The skin is smooth, but toughened with keratin, and sometimes has fish-like scales in its folds. The Sagalla caecilian spends its life underground, using the strong, bony head to burrow through the soil; it feeds mainly on earthworms and termites, as well as other soil invertebrates. Prey is located using the acute sense of smell, aided by the tentacles, which may detect both chemical and tactile signals. The caecilian may lie in wait or actively hunt prey, which is seized in the strong jaws, and held fast by the inwardly curving teeth. The Sagalla caecilian may itself fall prey to snakes, birds and driver ants, although its skin possesses poison glands which may make it unpalatable to many predators. Little is known about courtship behaviour in caecilians, but fertilisation is internal, the male transferring sperm directly to the female. In this species, the female then digs an underground chamber, into which around five eggs are laid. The eggs are guarded by the female, and hatch into miniature versions of the adults, with no larval stage. The Sagalla caecilian is likely to show an extraordinary form of maternal care, in which the hatchlings feed on the outer layer of the female’s skin, which becomes modified, turning pale, and contains high levels of fat and other nutrients. The young even possess specialised teeth with which to take advantage of this peculiar food source. The Sagalla caecilian is known only from a small area on Sagalla Hill in southeast Kenya. It has been found above elevations of 1,000 metres, and is believed to be restricted to an area of just 29 square kilometres, with this mountain block isolated from other similar habitats by the arid Tsavo plains. This caecilian is thought to have originally been a montane forest species, but much of this habitat has been replaced by shambas (smallholder farms), where the Sagalla caecilian is now commonly found in dark, moist soil beneath banana plants or under decomposing vegetation, particularly near streams. http://i.imgur.com/rJAzgcJ.jpg SAVING THE SAGALLA CAECILIAN
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25 October 2016 Tuesday Javan Trogon With their colourful plumage and typical posture, the trogons are a highly distinctive group of birds. The Javan trogon is an extremely attractive species that stands out from most other Asian trogons by not being predominantly red in colour. Trogons display remarkable aerial agility and are even capable of hovering for brief periods, a skill the Javan trogon employs to pluck fruits and insects off foliage and branches. Returning to its perch, food is swallowed whole, regurgitating seeds once the nutritious flesh has been digested. Medium to large insects, such as caterpillars and beetles, and various fruits form the bulk of the diet, but the Javan trogon may also eat small vertebrates, such as lizards and frogs, using its powerful bill to kill prey. Very little is known about the breeding biology of the Javan trogon, but it is suspected to breed between April and December at the outset of the wet season in West Java. Nests are constructed in old woodpecker holes or cavities are excavated within arboreal termite nests or rotten tree trunks. A clutch of one or two eggs is laid and, in common with other trogons, the eggs are incubated by both parents. The parents also cooperate in the care of the young chicks, which become independent several weeks after fledging. Endemic to West Java, Indonesia, the Javan trogon has an extremely small range, and is effectively restricted to what little montane forest remains on the island. It has only been recorded at three locations in the last 60 years, although it may be found at a number of other sites that have not yet been surveyed. http://i.imgur.com/RncucXe.jpg?1
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That's a very cool looking plant! I only made it to 2:30, and the image throughout that period was blurry! That's the only video regarding Calamites I could find. It's hard to believe YouTube isn't littered with them.
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They look a bit like pine trees! :) It's the love child of a pine tree and a bamboo. :D
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24 October 2016 Monday Calamites Calamites were a genus of tree-sized, spore-bearing plants that lived during the Carboniferous and Permian periods (about 360 to 250 million years ago). Calamites had a well-defined node-internode architecture similar to modern horsetails, and its branches and leaves emerged in whorls from these nodes. Its upright stems were woody and connected by an underground runner; however, the central part of the stem was hollow, and fossils of Calamites are commonly preserved as casts of this hollow central portion. Calamites grew to 20 metres (about 66 feet) tall, standing mostly along the sandy banks of rivers, and had the ability to sprout vigorously from underground rhizomes when the upper portions of the plant were damaged. The remains of Calamites and other treelike plants from the Carboniferous Period were transformed into the coal used as a source of energy today. They had upward-slanted slender branches, arranged around a bamboo-like trunk in rows spaced several feet apart and had conifer-like needles arranged around the ends of the branches. The leaves were needle-shaped and grew in whorls around the trunk. There were up to 25 leaves per whorl. Because the trunk was hollow and slender it wasn't very strong; and the plant had a tendency to fall over easily if it was not supported by neighbouring plants or by accumulated sediments. Calamites could reproduce both by spores, which were stored in small sacs and organized into cones, as well as by the massive underground rhizomes. These underground rhizomes allowed the plant to produce clones of itself. It is the only tree of this period which is known to have had the ability to produce a clone. http://i.imgur.com/kSa26uv.jpg?1 http://i.imgur.com/Ka4uxIX.png?1 * *
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22 October 2016 Saturday Bush Dog The bush dog is a rare, little known and unusual canid. It has a rather squat body and is said to look more like a mustelid (the family of badgers and otters) than a member of the dog family. It is adapted to a semi-aquatic life amongst the forest, and has short legs, a short, bushy tail, a rounded muzzle and ears, and webbed feet. The evolutionary relationships of this unusual canid have yet to be resolved, but research has shown that it is likely to have diverged from the sister-taxon group of maned wolves (Chrysodon) three million years ago. Very little is known of the behaviour of this elusive and rare species, as it has proven very difficult to find and observe in the wild. Much of what is known of this species is the result of study of captive populations and anecdotal reports of observations in the wild. The bush dog tends to be active in the day, and is associated with water, with most observations of wild individuals being close to or in water courses. At night they retire to a den, which may be an abandoned armadillo nest or inside a fallen tree trunk. Bush dogs live in social groups of up to 12 members. They are most often seen hunting in parties of at least two individuals, typically for large rodents including paca and agouti. In more open areas, however, it seems that bush dogs hunt alone and take small rodents, teju lizards, snakes and ground-nesting birds. There are reports that by hunting in packs, bush dogs are able to tackle prey much larger than themselves, including capybara. Bush dogs live in extended family groups. One alpha female produces offspring; the oestrus cycle is suppressed in other females of the group. Gestation takes up to 67 days, after which a litter of one to six pups is produced, though the average litter size is 3 pups. The pups are suckled by their mother for around eight weeks. Non-breeding members of the group guard, carry and clean the pups and males bring food to the female in the den. The young reach sexual maturity at one year of age. Average life-span is thought to be around ten years. The bush dog is rare throughout its range, and is found from Panama and northern South America, south to southern Brazil, Paraguay and north-eastern Argentina, and west to Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador. http://i.imgur.com/ZfHzhzE.jpg THE ELUSIVE BUSH DOG
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I had heard of curassows but never knew they were so big! They don't appear that tall in those photos, at least not to me.
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21 October 2016 Friday Great Curassow The great curassow (Crax rubra) is so named for its conspicuous size of almost a metre tall. This striking species is instantly recognisable by the tousled crest of forward-curling feathers that adorn the length of its crown, and its vivid yellow bill with a bulbous yellow knob at the base that swells and brightens at the height of the breeding season. The plumage is predominantly black, faintly glossed with a deep lustrous blue or purple glow, while the belly and under-tail coverts are a contrasting snowy white. Females vary in colour, ranging from black to chestnut-brown, sometimes with black and white barring on their breast, head, wings, and tail, while the belly and vent are white to a tawny-buff. Females can also be distinguished from males by their conspicuous lack of the distinctive yellow bill-knob. This large forest bird spends much of its time stalking about on the forest floor in search of fallen fruits, berries and seeds, as well as large insects and the occasional small animal. The great curassow is monogamous and travels in pairs or in small groups, with the male curassow leading his family and uttering a high-pitched whining whistle when there are signs of danger. At other times the group communicate by low-pitched grunting sounds. When disturbed, this shy and cautious bird often runs rather than flies away, but will also seek protection up in the trees. The great curassow builds its nest of leaves and twigs in forks and depressions in trees, into which the female lays two eggs between March and May. Once hatched, the chicks develop rapidly and are capable of flight at around 20 days, after which they soon leave the nest. It is distributed from eastern Mexico south through Central America to western Colombia and western Ecuador; it is found in undisturbed humid evergreen forest and mangroves, and also seasonally dry forest in some areas, at low to medium elevations. http://i.imgur.com/cDNr9mh.jpg?1
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20 October 2016 Thursday Peyote (Lophophora williamsii) Lophophora williamsii is a small, spineless cactus with psychoactive alkaloids, particularly mescaline. It usually appears as a single head, but may also have numerous ribs, which are covered in clusters of fine hairs. The root is carrot shaped and grows up to 11 cm in length. The flowers are light pink and develop from the middle of the head, growing to a diameter of 2.2 cm. Peyote flowers from March to September. The fruit is a pink berry that contains black seeds which are 1 to 1.5 mm in length. Peyote is native to Mexico and southwestern Texas. It is found primarily in the Chihuahuan Desert and in the states of Coahuila, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas and San Luis Potosí among scrub, especially where there is limestone. Known for its psychoactive properties when ingested, peyote is used worldwide as an entheogen and supplement to various transcendence practices, including meditation, psychonautics, and psychedelic psychotherapy. Peyote has a long history of ritualistic and medicinal use by indigenous Americans. In Texas, peyote buttons have been found in areas that contain archaeological artifacts that are up to six thousand years old. In northern Mexico, remains of peyote have been found that have been dated to about 2500 to 3000 BC. A cave burial area from 810-1070 AD contained peyote samples that still contained active alkaloids. This indicates that peyote was likely being used in Mexico and Texas during the prehistoric era. Peyote buttons are the head of the cactus, cut off from the root. The buttons can be consumed fresh, dried, or decocted in water. The flavor of the cactus is extremely bitter. A dose of between four and thirty buttons may be ingested, depending on the individual and the ritual, but strong psychedelic effects only begin at amounts of 200 to 500mg of mescaline. Mescaline content varies from plant to plant, but 27g of dried plant material seems to correspond to 300mg of mescaline. Dried peyote may also be smoked, and peyote powder is sometimes added to alcoholic beverages. Peyote is illegal in America and much of the world, but in 1995 it was made legal for ritual use by members of the Native American Church. Unfortunately, due to increasing popularity of peyote, it has been over-gathered and is now endangered in the wild. http://i.imgur.com/iFjMWfG.jpg PEYOTE BOXES OF THE NATIVE AMERICAN CHURCH
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19 October 2016 Wednesday Falanouc (Eupleres goudotii) This rare and secretive mammal, found only in Madagascar, has caused taxonomists problems for many years. While the falanouc is a carnivore, and in appearance resembles a mongoose, its conical teeth so strongly resemble those of insectivores it was once classed as one. Slightly larger than a domestic cat, the falanouc has a stocky body with a small, delicate head, large ears and elongated snout. Its fur is soft and dense and the longer hairs on the fat, cylindrical tail give it a rather bushy appearance. Two subspecies of the falanouc are recognised; the eastern falanouc (Eupleres goudotii goudotti) has light brown or fawn upperparts with russet spots and tinges around the thighs and pale grey-brown underparts. The western falanouc (Eupleres goudotii major), which may be 25 to 50 percent larger, has grey to rufous brown upperparts, with greyer fur on the head and tail. The shy, secretive falanouc is a nocturnal and crepuscular animal that is mainly solitary, although small groups have also been observed. They defend large territories, marking the area with scents secreted from glands around the anus and neck. Probably Madagascar’s most specialised carnivore, the falanouc feeds almost exclusively on earthworms and other small invertebrates. Its elongated snout and tiny conical teeth are well adapted to foraging in leaf litter for this specialised diet, and its muscular forepaws and long claws enable it to easily dig up their invertebrate prey. After a night feeding, the falanouc spends the daylight hours sleeping under logs or in rock crevices. In July and August, courtship and mating takes place, resulting in females giving birth to a litter of one or two offspring after a three month gestation period. The young are exceptionally well-developed and are born fully furred, with their eyes open, and weighing around 150 grams. At just two days old, the young are able to follow their mother as she searches for food, and at nine weeks the young are weaned. The eastern falanouc inhabits the dense, humid rainforests of eastern Madagascar, while the western falanouc is found in undisturbed areas of dry, deciduous forest found in the west. Falanouc have also been recorded in marshes. The species is widespread in remaining suitable habitat, although rare throughout its range, with a population of fewer than 2,500 mature individuals. Major threats include deforestation and draining of marshlands, excessive hunting, and predation and competition from introduced animals. http://i.imgur.com/zvXo3pe.jpg RARE CARNIVORE SPOTTED IN MADAGASCAR IUCN: Eastern Falanouc IUCN: Western Falanouc
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I have a sinking feeling this one became dinner: http://youtu.be/IRjXMoUiEO4 :|
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16 October 2016 Sunday Giant Armadillo Armadillos are one of the oldest groups of mammals and have a quirky appearance, possessing a tough shell composed of bony plates in the dermis covered by horny scales. The giant armadillo is the largest living species of this group. Giant armadillos have not been extensively studied in the wild and therefore little is known about their natural ecology and behaviour. Giant armadillos are fairly solitary and nocturnal, spending the day in burrows. They also burrow to escape predators, being unable to completely roll into a protective ball. Giant armadillos use their large front claws to dig for prey and rip open termite mounds. The diet is mainly composed of termites, although ants, worms, spiders, and other invertebrates are also eaten. Little is currently known about this species reproductive biology, and no juveniles have ever been discovered in the field. It is found east of the Andes in South America, from northern Venezuela and the Guianas, to Paraguay and northern Argentina, and inhabits undisturbed forests near water sources, but may also be found in nearby grasslands and bushlands. Hunted throughout its range, a single giant armadillo supplies a great deal of meat, and is the primary source of protein for some indigenous peoples. In addition, live giant armadillos are frequently captured for trade on the black market, and invariably die during transportation or in captivity. Despite this species’ wide range, it is locally rare, and is likely to be significantly impacted by the exploitation that is occurring. This is further exacerbated by habitat loss resulting from deforestation. Current estimates indicate that the giant armadillo may have undergone a worrying population decline of 30 to 50 percent over the past three decades. Without intervention, this trend is likely to continue. http://i.imgur.com/SO2P0Fd.jpg?1 http://www.iucnredli...details/18144/0
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15 October 2016 Saturday Noisy Friarbird The Noisy Friarbird, Philemon corniculatus, is also known as "Leatherhead." It is part of the honeyeater family, Meliphagidae. This honeyeater inhabits much of New Guinea and eastern and south-eastern Australia; it is found in most climate zones, extending into arid areas along rivers. Its preferred habitat includes open dry forest areas and other woodlands, as well as coastal scrub and heath lands. They can also be seen around wetlands and wet forests. This noisy and conspicuous bird is usually seen in small groups, often high up in trees. This large member of the honeyeater family measures 31-36 cm or 12-14 inches in length. It has a distinctive black, bald head, and mostly brown-grey plumage except for the chest and belly, which is a paler off white. The breeding season in their natural range usually commences in July and goes on until January. They may produce one or two broods during a season. The nest is a large deep cup with an inverted lip or rim and made of bark and grass hanging from a horizontal branch 1-3 metres above the ground and usually well-hidden. The average clutch size consists of two to four (rarely five) eggs, measuring 22 x 33 mm or 1 x 1⅓ inches. The color of the eggs may be buff- to pale-pink splotched with darker pink-brown or purplish colors. This honeyeater feeds on insects, nectar, and native fruits. Their consumption of commercially grown fruit brings the Noisy Friarbirds into conflict with humans who regard them as pests. As its name suggests, it is noisy; one of its calls has been likened to "Four o'clock". At times, the constant cackling and chattering of the Noisy Friarbird can be heard throughout the forests. Their calls identify an individual's feeding territory and announce the presence of food sources. http://i.imgur.com/qyPqIPL.jpg http://i.imgur.com/9zuWntF.png?1
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14 October 2016 Friday Rafflesia arnoldii This southeast Asian plant has the largest known individual flower in the world. It is parasitic on members of the genus Tetrastigma (in the grape family, Vitaceae). It has no roots or leaves and most of the time lives unobserved inside the woody stems and roots of its host. Rafflesia arnoldii only becomes visible when its plump buds emerge through the bark of its host and develop into the large, fleshy flowers which are pollinated by carrion-flies. It is known from the southeast Asian islands of Sumatra and Borneo, where it occurs in primary and secondary forest, up to 1,000 m above sea level. Rafflesia arnoldii is a parasitic plant, without roots or leaves. The main body of the plant resides inside the host plant. The only visible parts are the flowers, which burst through the host plant’s bark as compact buds, and later the fruits. The flowers are up to 1 m in diameter, and their flesh is reddish-brown with white spots. Each flower is either male or female and consists of five lobes inserted on a cup-like structure. In the centre of the cup is a column with a disk. The anthers (male parts) or styles (female parts) are situated underneath the disk. The fruits are berries with minute seeds. It is likely that only damaged roots or stems of a new host can be infected by seedlings of Rafflesia. The foetid smell of the flowers attracts carrion-flies (of the genera Lucilia and Sarcophaga). The pollen adheres to the backs of the flies, which do not seem to receive any reward from the plant. The first botanist to find a specimen of a Rafflesia was the French explorer Louis Auguste Deschamps (1765-1842). He was a member of a French scientific expedition to Asia and the Pacific. During the expedition he spent three years on Java, where in 1797 he collected the first Rafflesia. During the return voyage in 1798, his ship was taken by the British, with whom France was at war, and all his papers and notes were confiscated. They did not see the light of day until 1954 when they were rediscovered in the Natural History Museum, London. The British botanist Joseph Arnold (1782-1818) and the statesman Sir Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles (1781-1826, founder of modern Singapore) collected another specimen found by a Malay servant in Sumatra in 1818. Arnold contracted a fever and died soon after the discovery. Lady Raffles, who had also been present when the specimen was collected, finished the colour drawing that Arnold had started of the plant. The flower of Rafflesia arnoldii is an iconic symbol of the southeast Asian rainforest, and is often used in tourist brochures to symbolise the rich biodiversity of the region’s forests. The flower has also been depicted on Indonesian postage stamps on several occasions, while the flowers of related Rafflesia species are often illustrated on the postage stamps of neighbouring southeast Asian countries. The flower is also used as the symbol of the Flora Malesiana project, which aims to describe all flowering plants from the region between Thailand and Australia. Many sites where Rafflesia grows are now popular with tourists, who provide an income for local people and also an incentive to preserve the species. Unfortunately, as a result of this ecotourism and the resulting human disturbance, the number of flower buds produced per year has decreased significantly at many sites. http://i.imgur.com/jHoJQn3.jpg?1 RAFFLESIA: THE WORLD'S LARGEST BLOOM
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13 October 2016 Thursday Bombardier Beetle (Brachinus crepitans) The bombardier beetle is famous for its remarkable explosive defence system, in which a volatile liquid is ejected from the anus with an audible popping sound. Indeed, the specific part of the Latin name for this species, crepitans, derives from the Latin for 'crackle', and refers to this noise. This beetle is usually seen in May and June; the details of the life-cycle of this species are not fully understood, but it is thought that the larvae are external parasites on the pupae of other species of beetle, particularly those of the ground beetle Amara convexiuscula and a staphylinid beetle, Ocypus ater. The pulses of volatile liquid that are expelled from this beetle when it is threatened are released from the anus and aimed at potential predators. The liquid is produced explosively when the contents of two glands mix in a chamber known as 'the firing chamber'. One gland contains hydrogen peroxide, the other contains hydroquinone; enzymes are then added. The resulting liquid contains irritant chemicals known as p-benzoquinones, and is released at 100°C; it causes a sensation of burning if it comes into contact with skin. This beetle occurs in central and southern Europe and North Africa, reaching as far north as central Sweden. http://i.imgur.com/1fL5cB1.jpg?1
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I've never seen kola nuts before and had no idea what they looked like. The flowers are so pretty. Kola is closely related to cacao (Theobroma cacao), and the two crops are sometimes interplanted since they thrive under the same conditions.
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http://youtu.be/JGotszYENuU
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11 October 2016 Tuesday Kola Nut (Cola nitida) A tropical tree from West African rainforests, Cola nitida is best known for its caffeine-containing seeds, known as kola nuts. Raw seeds are chewed as a stimulant and have a bitter taste. Kola nuts are used in a variety of local ceremonies and also to produce kola nut extract, which is an ingredient in some soft drinks. Cola nitida is native to West Africa (from Guinea to Ghana) and has been introduced throughout the forested areas of West and Central Africa. Commercial crops are grown mainly in Nigeria, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire and Sierra Leone, and also to some extent in India, Brazil, and Jamaica. Cola nitida seeds, known as kola nuts, are used as a foodstuff locally. They contain caffeine, theobromine, tannins, fructose and kolanin (a heart stimulant). They are chewed as a stimulant and are especially favoured as a snack by African Muslims when fasting in the month of Ramadan. Kola nuts are reported to suppress hunger and thirst and have been used in western and central Africa for thousands of years. Kola nut extract was reportedly used as a source of caffeine in pharmacist John Pemberton’s ‘French Wine Coca’, a forerunner of the soft drink Coca-Cola. Frank M. Robinson’s first advert for Coca-Cola in the Atlanta Journal on 29 May 1886 read ‘Coca-Cola ... containing the properties of the wonderful Coca plant and the famous Cola nut.’ Natural kola nut extract has now been replaced by synthetic citrate caffeine in many leading brands of cola drink, although some advertised as ‘natural cola’ include kola nut in their ingredients. Kola nuts are used in many African ceremonies, for example the welcoming ceremony of the Igbo culture of Nigeria. The seeds are passed among visitors to a village and then blessed by the village elder, before a seed is given to each visitor with the words ‘Öjï luo ünö okwuo ebe osi bia’ (When the kola nut reaches home, it will tell where it came from), proof to the visitor’s people of his visit to the other village. Kola nuts are central to many other ceremonies in western and central Africa including marriage, child naming, investiture of tribal chiefs, funerals, and sacrifices to deities. http://i.imgur.com/X3Gfd9a.jpg?1 http://www.worldagro...Cola_nitida.PDF https://www.igboguid...HT-chapter8.htm
