Fuchsia – bright flower

Fuchsias are known for their brightly colored, hanging flowers. They can be found in New Zealand, Central America, South America, Europe, and the United States. People grow fuchsias in gardens and window boxes. Fuchsias need to be kept away from strong winds and be protected from heat.
There are about 100 species of fuchsia. They can be small plants, shrubs, or trees. Fuchsias have very colorful flowers and come in many sizes (from 15 centimeters to 5.5 meters). Flowers can be monochrome, bi-color and tri-color.
The main part of a fuchsia flower is shaped like a tube or a bell. At the end are four brightly colored petals. The colors attract hummingbirds and insects.
South American Fuchsia triphylla was brought by conquistadors as a gift to the king of Spain.
More »

Bamboo – The Tallest Grass

Bamboo is the tallest grass that can grow as tall as a tree. Some kinds of bamboo grow to a height of 130 feet. There are more than 1,000 kinds of bamboo. Most are found in East Asia and Southeast Asia. Some kinds grow in the southern United States. They grow in mild to warm and humid areas.
The stems of bamboo are called culms. They are hollow and grow in clusters from an underground stem called a rhizome. Some grow as much as 0.3 meter per day.
It is one of the world’s most useful plants. People use bamboo to build rafts, bridges, and houses, make furniture, paper, pipes, walking sticks, fishing poles, garden stakes, chopsticks and many other things. Bamboo sprouts and shoots are used in cooking.
More »

Tulips – From Bulbs to Beauties

Tulips are wonderful flowers that bloom in early spring. There are nearly 4,000 kinds of them. There are white, yellow, red, pink, orange, purple tulips and even black and brown tulips. They belong to the lily family.
Tulips grow from bulbs that are planted in the ground. A small tough stem inside the bulb began growing when the sun is warm enough and the ground is wet enough. In most types of tulip each stem grows a single flower.
The people of Turkey were probably the first to grow tulips in their gardens. The name “tulip” came from the Turkish word tulbend, which means “turban.” In 1551 an ambassador from Austria took tulips from Turkey to Europe. Because they were rare at that time, the bulbs were very expensive. The Netherlands became the center of tulip production in the 1600s.
More »

Maple – Spectacular Leaves and Tasty Syrup

Maples are trees and shrubs that are often planted in parks and along city streets. Their leaves form a thick dome and in autumn they turn spectacular shades of yellow, orange, and scarlet.
There are about 200 different species of maple. They grow throughout much of North America, Europe, and northeastern Asia. They can grow to be more than 40 meters tall. The leaves usually have several fingerlike sections called lobes. Flowers appear in early spring. The fruit of maple trees is a hard pebble-sized structure with a pair of thin wings.
Sugar maples have sweet sap that is used to make maple syrup. These trees grow in Canada and the United States. People collect the sap in late winter or early spring. Sugar maples do not produce sap until they are about 40 years old! Sugar maple is the national tree of Canada, and a stylized leaf of this species is featured prominently on the Canadian flag.
More »

Barracuda – fierce fish

Barracuda is one of the fiercest fish in tropical waters. They circle around groups of smaller fish until the fish huddle together in fear. The barracudas then dive in and slash the fish with their teeth. The great barracuda sometimes even attacks human swimmers.
Barracudas live in warmer parts of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, including the Caribbean Sea. There are about 20 species and some of them can be poisonous.
It is a long, cylindrical, silvery fish. Their silver coloring and elongated bodies make them difficult for prey to detect. Barracudas have long mouths filled with large, knifelike teeth. They have two fins on the back and small scales on the body. These fish are average about 1 meter in length. The great barracuda can reach a length of 2 meters and weighs more than 50 kg, and it is an aggressive fearsome predator of other fish. The great barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda) can change color to match its background environment. Specifically, it is found in the west Atlantic from Brazil to New England and in the Gulf of Mexico.
More »

Amazon River – Rainforest River

The Amazon is the mightiest river in South America. It carries more water than any other river. It is about 4,000 miles (6,400 kilometers) long.
Amazon Rainforests cover only about 6% of the Earth’s surface and they are also home to a vast number of plant and animal species.
There are so many plants, animals, birds, and insects there that no one has been able to list them all! Some of them exist nowhere else in the world.
In 1541, a Spanish soldier named Orellana sailed down the river. He had to fight many women soldiers who lived by the river. It made him think of the Amazons, who were the mighty women soldiers of Greek mythology. So he called the river “Amazon.”
People destroy the Amazon rainforest. Today, the rain forests are destroyed at the speed 1.5 acres per second. Deforestation threatens the existence of the Amazon River. Plants and animals are disappearing.
More »

Interesting facts about sparrows

Sparrows are small, brownish or grayish songbirds. They are among the best-known birds in the world. They live in cities, farms, grasslands, woodlands, and marshes. These birds eat mostly seeds and insects.
The house sparrow is about 12 to 15 centimeters long. The song sparrow is about the same size or slightly larger.
There are two main groups of sparrows: Old World sparrows and New World sparrows. Old World sparrows come from Europe, Asia, and Africa. New World sparrows are found in North America and South America.
They are highly territorial during their breeding season, proclaiming their territory by singing, which in many species is quite loud, rich, and musical.
Some species of sparrows are fairly easy to keep in captivity, and they are kept as pet cagebirds.
More »