Wander Lord

Interesting on art, nature, people, history

Category Archive: Nature

Cedar – Sweet-Smelling Wood

Cedar - Sweet-Smelling Wood

Cedar – Sweet-Smelling Wood


The cedar is an evergreen tree that grows in the mountains. They belong to the pine family. There are four kinds of cedar. Three of them originally grew only in the mountain areas of the Mediterranean. They later spread to other areas. The fourth kind grows in the Himalayas.
Cedars are tall trees with large trunks and huge heads of spreading branches. They can grow to a height of more than 30 meters. The leaves are stiff and needlelike. The tree also bears large barrel-shaped cones that are covered with woody scales. The cones hold the seeds.
Its wood has been used for building since ancient times, because it is light and soft and lasts for a long time. It has a pretty reddish color and a pleasant smell.
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Cabbage – Head of Vegetable Family

Cabbage - Head of Vegetable Family

Cabbage – Head of Vegetable Family

The cabbage group includes the common cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale, and collard. They are rich in vitamins and minerals and low in calories. People eat cabbage raw or cooked. Cauliflower has a head of tight thick white flowers. Broccoli has bright green loosely clustered flowers. Brussels sprout has many little cabbage-like heads. Kale and kohlrabi have loose leaves that spread outward from a stem.
The history of cabbage began in the prehistoric era, as evidenced by archaeological excavations of Stone Age man’s sites. For a long time people used wild cabbage. Later, as a result of the selection, several varieties of this plant were created, including the head cabbage.
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Rice – Food from Water-Grown Grasses

Rice - Food from Water-Grown Grasses

Rice – Food from Water-Grown Grasses

Rice is a grain that is the main food of about half the world’s population. It belongs to the grass family. Its scientific name is Oryza sativa. Most rice is grown in water, but the water must be the correct depth. If it’s too deep, the rice will drown, and if it’s not deep enough, the rice won’t grow.
The rice plant grows to about 1.2 meters tall. It has several stalks with long leaves. At the end of each stalk is a fan-shaped head made up of green and yellow flowers that produce the grains of rice.
The rice plant grows under the water, with its green shoots sticking out. When the rice is ripe, the water is drained off the fields. The rice stalks are cut and dried, then the seeds are removed.
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Lilac – awesome flowers

Lilac – awesome flowers

Lilac – awesome flowers


Lilacs are about 10 species of shrubs and small trees in the olive family. They are native to Eurasia but are widely planted in many places as ornamental shrubs.
The common lilac has shiny green wedge-shaped leaves. There are large numbers of tiny flowers before the leaves have developed. These flowers are rich in nectar and are pollinated by insects. Flowers may be white, lavender, or purple. They contain fragrant oils that are sometimes used to flavor candy or cake or to manufacture perfume. Lilac lives more than 100 years.
There is a Scandinavian legend about the origin of the lilac. Scandinavians are sure that the lilacs were created by the Sun and the Rainbow.
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Astonishing Milky Way

Astonishing Milky Way

Astonishing Milky Way


The Milky Way is a milky band stretching across the sky visible on a clear, moonless night. The sun and Earth are parts of the Milky Way galaxy. The Milky Way contains hundreds of billions of stars and is only one of billions of galaxies in the universe.
It takes the sun about 200 million years to travel around the Milky Way. The solar system is about 30,000 light-years away from the center of the galaxy.
The Milky Way consists of a flat disk about 120,000 light years in diameter and 1,000 light years thick.
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Amazing Birds of Prey

Amazing Birds of Prey

Amazing Birds of Prey


Birds of prey are found all over the world. They are predators that catch and eat other animals. Some common birds of prey include eagles, falcons, hawks, ospreys, owls, buzzards, and vultures.
They are usually large and strong. Most have hooked beaks and sharp claws and are excellent hunters. Birds of prey eat a great variety of animals: other birds, insects, fish, rodents, snakes, frogs, or small mammals.
Many birds of prey keep the same mate for their whole lives. They build nests in trees, on cliffs, or on the ground.
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Kiwifruit and kiwibird

Kiwifruit and kiwibird

Kiwifruit and kiwibird


The kiwi is New Zealand’s feathered favorite. It is a strange little bird found only in the forests of New Zealand. New Zealanders are sometimes called Kiwis. It is a nocturnal bird. During the day it sleeps in its burrow, and at night it looks for food. Kiwis eat worms, insects, larvae, spiders, and berries. These birds have a strong sense of smell. Their bills are long and narrow and kiwis are the only birds whose nostrils are on the very tip of the bill. Kiwis cannot fly, but they run very fast.
Kiwis are monogamous and mate for life. The kiwi’s egg is about 20 percent of the mother’s weight. It fills almost her entire body right before it’s laid. The male takes care of an egg for almost 3 months. It takes chick 3 days to hatch. These birds live up to 60 years.
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