My Blog by G.O.

Friday, April 20, 2012

The Beautiful Cherry Blossoms

The Cherry Blossoms

A cherry blossom is the flower of any of several trees of genus Prunus, particularly the Japanese Cherry, Prunus serrulata, which is sometimes called sakura after the Japanese (桜 or 櫻; さくら). Many of the varieties that have been cultivated for ornamental use do not produce fruit. Edible cherries generally come from cultivars of the related species Prunus avium and Prunus cerasus.

The Yearly Festivals

The Brooklyn Botanical Garden

The Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden is one of the oldest and most visited Japanese-inspired gardens outside Japan. It is a blend of the ancient hill-and-pond style and the more recent stroll-garden style, in which various landscape features are gradually revealed along winding paths. The garden features artificial hills contoured around a pond, a waterfall, and an island while carefully placed rocks also play a leading role. Among the major architectural elements of the garden are wooden bridges, stone lanterns, a viewing pavilion, the Torii or gateway, and a Shinto shrine.

The Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden is an excellent place to experience the cherry blossom season from April to May as over two dozen trees from BBG's diverse collection are planted here.

The Washigton D.C. Festival

Each year, the National Cherry Blossom Festival celebrates spring in Washington, DC, the gift of the cherry blossom trees, and the enduring friendship between the people of the United States and Japan. The Festival produces and coordinates daily events featuring diverse and creative programming promoting traditional and contemporary arts and culture, natural beauty, and community spirit. Events are primarily free and open to the public.

On Macon, Georgia

Macon Georgia celebrates in grand style the magnificent beauty of our 300,000 flowering Yoshino cherry trees in the "Cherry Blossom Capital of the World."

The "Hanami"

"Hanami" is the centuries-old practice of picnicking under a blooming sakura or ume tree. The custom is said to have started during the Nara Period (710–794) when it was ume blossoms that people admired in the beginning. But by the Heian Period (794–1185), cherry blossoms came to attract more attention and hanami was synonymous with sakura. From then on, in tanka and haiku, "flowers" meant "sakura." The custom was originally limited to the elite of the Imperial Court, but soon spread to samurai society and, by the Edo period, to the common people as well. Tokugawa Yoshimune planted areas of cherry blossom trees to encourage this. Under the sakura trees, people had lunch and drank sake in cheerful feasts.
Woodblock print of Mount Fuji and cherry blossom from 36 Views of Mount Fuji by Hiroshige.
Every year the Japanese Meteorological Agency and the public track the sakura zensen (cherry blossom front) as it moves northward up the archipelago with the approach of warmer weather via nightly forecasts following the weather segment of news programs. The blossoming begins in Okinawa in January and typically reaches Kyoto and Tokyo at the end of March or the beginning of April. It proceeds into areas at the higher altitudes and northward, arriving in Hokkaido a few weeks later. Japanese pay close attention to these forecasts and turn out in large numbers at parks, shrines, and temples with family and friends to hold flower-viewing parties. Hanami festivals celebrate the beauty of the cherry blossom and for many are a chance to relax and enjoy the beautiful view. The custom of hanami dates back many centuries in Japan: the eighth-century chronicle Nihon Shoki (????) records hanami festivals being held as early as the third century CE.
Most Japanese schools and public buildings have cherry blossom trees outside of them. Since the fiscal and school year both begin in April, in many parts of Honshu, the first day of work or school coincides with the cherry blossom season.
The Japan Cherry Blossom Association developed a list of Japan's Top 100 Cherry Blossom Spots with at least one location in every prefecture.

Symbolism

A 100 yen coin depicting Cherry Blossom

In Japan, cherry blossoms also symbolize clouds due to their nature of blooming en masse, besides being an enduring metaphor for the ephemeral nature of life, an aspect of Japanese cultural tradition that is often associated with Buddhistic influence, and which is embodied in the concept of mono no aware. The association of the cherry blossom with mono no aware dates back to 18th-century scholar Motoori Norinaga. The transience of the blossoms, the extreme beauty and quick death, has often been associated with mortality; for this reason, cherry blossoms are richly symbolic, and have been utilized often in Japanese art, manga, anime, and film, as well as at musical performances for ambient effect. There is at least one popular folk song, originally meant for the shakuhachi (bamboo flute), titled "Sakura", and several pop songs. The flower is also represented on all manner of consumer goods in Japan, including kimono, stationery, and dishware.

Varieties and blooming

    Prunus serrulata
    Prunus speciosa
    Prunus × yedoensis
    Prunus sargentii

Japan has a wide variety of cherry blossoms (sakura); well over 200 cultivars can be found there. The most popular variety of cherry blossom in Japan is the Somei Yoshino. Its flowers are nearly pure white, tinged with the palest pink, especially near the stem. They bloom and usually fall within a week, before the leaves come out. Therefore, the trees look nearly white from top to bottom. The variety takes its name from the village of Somei (now part of Toshima in Tokyo). It was developed in the mid- to late-19th century at the end of the Edo period and the beginning of the Meiji period. The Somei Yoshino is so widely associated with cherry blossoms that jidaigeki and other works of fiction often depict the variety in the Edo period or earlier; such depictions are anachronisms.
Winter sakura (fuyuzakura/Prunus subhirtella autumnalis) begins to bloom in the fall and continues blooming sporadically throughout the winter. It is said to be a cross between Tokyo Higan cherry (edohiganzakura/P. incisa) and Mamezakura/P. pendula.
Other categories include yamazakura, yaezakura, and shidarezakura. The yaezakura have large flowers, thick with rich pink petals. The shidarezakura, or weeping cherry, has branches that fall like those of a weeping willow, bearing cascades of pink flowers.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherry_blossom
http://www.bbg.org/discover/cherries/
http://www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org/
http://www.cherryblossom.com
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanami

Monday, October 31, 2011

The Odonata

Dragonflies and Damselflies

The order Odonata ("toothed ones") includes some of the most ancient and beautiful insects that ever roamed Earth, as well as some of the largest flying invertebrates ever to have lived. Odonata consists of three groups: Anisoptera (which includes dragonflies), Zygoptera (which includes damselflies), and Anisozygoptera (a relict group represented by only two living species. This order is very diverse with about 5000 species, and its members are easy to observe.

Both dragonflies and damselflies belong to the Odonata, which is a subgroup of insects, which in turn is a group of uniramian arthropods. Many characteristics distinguish Odonata from other groups of insects -- minute antennae, extremely large eyes (filling most of the head), two pairs of transparent membranous wings with many small veins, a long slender abdomen, an aquatic larval stage (nymph) with posterior tracheal gills, and a prehensile labium (extendible jaws underneath the head). Among living Odonata, there are twenty-five families, mostly dragonflies and damselflies. Of all their characteristics, the easiest way to tell a dragonfly or damselfly from other insects is by the size of the eyes and shape of the abdomen. If the eyes are very large in proportion to the head and the abdomen is long and thin, then it is almost sure to be in Odonata.

A dragonfly is an insect belonging to the order Odonata, the suborder Epiprocta or, in the strict sense, the infraorder Anisoptera (from Greek ανισος anisos, "uneven" + πτερος pteros, "wings", due the hindwing being broader than the forewing^[1]). It is characterized by large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong transparent wings, and an elongated body. Dragonflies are similar to damselflies, but the adults can be differentiated by the fact that the wings of most dragonflies are held away from, and perpendicular to, the body when at rest. Dragonflies possess six legs (like any other insect), but most of them cannot walk well. Dragonflies are some of the fastest insects in the world.

Dragonflies are valuable predators that eat mosquitoes, and other small insects like flies, bees, ants, wasps, and very rarely butterflies. They are usually found around marshes, lakes, ponds, streams, and wetlands because their larvae, known as "nymphs", are aquatic beings.

What's an Odonate?

Dragonflies and damselflies together make up the insect order Odonata. The Greek word "odon" means tooth, and the name here refers to the toothed jaws of these predatory insects. Fortunately for us, dragonflies and damselflies use their formidable mandibles on mosquitoes, midges, and other pest insects.

The primary fascination that humans have had with dragonflies is because:

Of its ability to seek out pure water
Of its ability to Reflect multiple colors with changing angles of light
Of its awe inspiring flight and speed
Of its ability to almost single handedly control insect populations
Of its ability to adapt to change with indescribable ease
Of the way it lives out its adult life, living each moment to the fullest

Compound Eyes

Like all arthropods, dragonflies have compound eyes - only, they are a little more specialized, suited for a born predator.

When dragonflies see, they don’t exactly see…they more sense. Sense movement at a much wider angle than any human could even imagine. The reason being, its eyes are ball-like and see at a complete 360 degree span. Each Ommatidia, called Ommatidium in singular, is an eye in itself, capable of seeing anything right in front of it. This helps the dragonfly sense movement anywhere around it.

Furthermore, the dragonfly has a flattened area right in front of its eyes with a concentration of eye cells that see directly in front. This helps it see the little mosquito as it flies around, so it can home in on its meal. Other predators of the Arthropod family like the Praying Mantis and the best fliers like bees have similar flattened fronts to help them see better, as they fly.

The body of the dragonfly is supported by two pairs of extremely powerful wings that help it float at the slightest breeze and can flap fast and hard enough to hover even against a strong head wind. Here again, although its wings are transparent and seem quite frail, you’ll find they’re a whole lot stronger than they might seem at first sight. The construction of my wings and the fact that they are not jointed like those of butterflies, and can operate independently, helps the dragonfly fly and run a neat little air show on its own, capable of flight in all directions, up, down, left, right, forwards and even backwards. Nope, the hummingbird is not the only one that can go on the reverse gear.

The surfaces of dragonfly’s wings are not smooth. They have small pocket like ridges that catch even the slightest gust of wind to take flight. Although the rough surface poses a certain degree of aerodynamic drag, the dragonfly can move fast enough, and more importantly, have enough control in flight to make sure if it catches sight of its meal, it’s as good as eaten. Not many an insect escape its six legs once the chase begins, as it out-flies the prey and grabs it using its legs to eat them at ease. To make it as simple as possible, the legs are positioned in such a way that they form a pouch like shape. This helps grab prey leaving them with very little chance of an escape.

As the dragonfly flies a lot, it needs to both heat up and cool off and hence, the famous Obelisk pose. The muscles that flap its wings need to be warm at all times.

Coming back to the Obelisk, dragonflies bask in the sun as much as possible when they need the heat. And when they need a little breather from the warmth, they position their bodies in such a way that it makes little or no direct contact with the sun’s rays.

They also do something quite similar to catch the warmth of the setting sun. Same pose, vastly different purposes.

This is about the biology of the beautiful dragonfly. If you want to know more about the lifecycle of the dragonfly, what it eats or what the dragonfly symbolizes, check out the pages dedicated to each.

The Nymph Stage

Once the dragonfly eggs hatch, the life cycle of a dragonfly larva begins as a nymph. A nymph looks like a little alien creature. It hasn’t grown its wings yet and has what looks like a crusty hump hanging onto its back. Dragonfly nymphs live in the water while they grow and develop into dragonflies. This portion of the dragonfly life cycle can take up to four years to complete, and if the nymph cycle is completed in the beginning of the wintertime, it will remain in the water until spring when it is warm enough to come out.

Dragonfly nymphs live in ponds or marshy areas because the waters are calmer than in a stream or river. Sometimes they can be found in the calmer backwaters of rivers, too. Dragonfly nymphs may eat smaller dragonfly nymphs as they develop.

The Adult Dragonfly Stage

Once the nymph is fully grown, and the weather is right, it will complete the metamorphosis into a dragonfly by crawling out of the water up the stem of a plant. The nymph will shed its skin onto the stem of the plant and will then be a young dragonfly. The skin that the nymph left behind is called the exuvia and you can find the exuvia still stuck to the stem for a long time after the dragonfly has left it.

Once the dragonfly leaves the exuvia it is a full grown dragonfly. The dragonfly will hunt for food and begin to look for a mate. Once the dragonfly finds a mate, the female will find a body of calm water that will be a good place to lay her eggs, and the life cycle of the dragonfly begins all over again. Adult dragonflies only live about two months.

How do they grow?

Dragonflies hatch from eggs in freshwater, and spent at least a few months (sometimes several years) as aquatic predators. As they grow they molt (shed their whole skin at once) many times. Once they are big enough, they crawl out of the water and the adult stage emerges from the skin of the nymph. Once they have transformed into the winged adult stage, the stop growing.

Most dragonfly species spend the winter as nymphs in the water, but some migrate south, and spend the winter as adults. In few species that lay their eggs in the late summer or fall, the eggs don't hatch until spring. Dragonflies emerge from the water in the warm months of spring or summer.

How long do they live?

Dragonflies live for months at least, and some live for several years as aquatic larvae before emerging and living for a few months as adults.

What do they eat?

Dragonflies in their aquatic stage eat many kinds of small animals: aquatic insects, tadpoles, small fish, and other invertebrates. Adult dragonflies eat flying insects, especially mosquitoes and other true flies, but also aphids, smaller dragonflies, damselflies, and just about any other insects they can grab.

What eats them and how do they avoid being eaten?

Immature dragonflies avoid predators by hiding, and by jetting away if they have to. Adult dragonflies avoid predators with their quick and agile flight, and hide in vegetation when it is too cold to fly.

Known predators

¦frogs
¦fish
¦large spiders
¦insect-eating birds

What roles do they have in the ecosystem?

Dragonflies are sometimes the top predators in ponds with no fish. Adult dragonflies help control populations of mosquitos and other flies.

Immature dragonflies avoid predators by hiding, and by jetting away if they have to. Adult dragonflies avoid predators with their quick and agile flight, and hide in vegetation when it is too cold to fly.

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

The Amazing Baobabs Trees

Baobab Trees

Adansonia is a genus of eight species of tree, six native to Madagascar, one native to mainland Africa and the Arabian Peninsula and one to Australia. The mainland African species also occurs on Madagascar, but it is not a native of that island.

A typical common name is baobab. Other common names include boab, boaboa, bottle tree, upside-down tree, and monkey bread tree.

Species

Young Adansonia digitata tree in Hyderabad, India Adansonia digitata L. – African Baobab (western, northeastern, central & southern Africa, and in Oman and Yemen in the Arabian Peninsula, Asia)

Adansonia grandidieri Baill. – Grandidier's Baobab (Madagascar)

Adansonia gregorii F.Muell. (syn. A. gibbosa) – Boab or Australian Baobab (northwest Australia)

Adansonia madagascariensis Baill. – Madagascar Baobab (Madagascar)

Adansonia perrieri Capuron – Perrier's Baobab (North Madagascar)

Adansonia rubrostipa Jum. & H.Perrier (syn. A. fony) – Fony Baobab (Madagascar)

Adansonia suarezensis H.Perrier – Suarez Baobab (Diego Suarez, Madagascar)

Adansonia za Baill. – Za Baobab (Madagascar)[5

Boab Adansonia gregorii in Australia

Avenue of the Baobabs

Also known as boab, boaboa, bottle tree and upside-down tree

Can be up to 800 years old

Reaching heights of 98 feet (30 m)

Diameters reaching up to 36 feet (11 m)

The Avenue of the Baobabs, also known as the Alley of Baobabs, is located in Madagascar but the tree may be experienced in several other parts of Africa. The largest baobab trees are considered to be in South Africa. These trees are reported to have a circumference of 160 feet (50 m).

More will follow on the Avenue of the Baobabs as it is declared an official or notable wonder of Africa.

Baobabs trees reflected on water

There's also a bar!!!

The Sunland ‘Big Baobab’ is in Modjadjiskloof in Limpopo Province, South Africa and is famous internationally for being the widest of its species in the world. Africa is symbolised by these magnificent trees. The Sunland Big Baobab is carbon dated to be around 6000 years old. The Sunland Baobab has even made the front page of the Wall Street Journal!

When baobabs become a thousand years old, they begin to hollow inside. In the Big Baobab this has resulted in wonderful caverns and caves, where the world famous Baobab Tree Bar and Wine Cellar now amaze visitors. The tree bar can accommodate more than 60 people!

References