Category Plants & Animals

What is a loofah?

A loofah is a fibrous, cylinder-shaped vegetable product often used in bathrooms as a kind of rough sponge or gentle brush. It is the dries interior of the fruit of a plant known to botanists as Luffa aegyptiaca. Less dignified, though more descriptive, names for this tropical climbing or trailing herb are dishcloth gourd and vegetable gourd.

     The Luffa belongs to the great gourd family of plants, and its 800 relations include the cucumber, the melon and the pumpkin. In spite of having an unpleasant smell, the Luffa is cultivated in Egypt (hence the second part of its Latin name) and in Arabia, India and china. The yellow-flowered climbers can sometimes be seen adorning the trunks of palm trees. Besides being used to make loofahs, the luffa’s fruit is eaten in curry.

     The development of man-made materials has led to a decline in the loofah’s popularity, but many people still use its slightly abrasive qualities to stimulate the skin.

Where does the breadfruit tree grow?

      The breadfruit tree is found in the South Pacific Islands and, to a lesser, degree, in other parts of the tropics. It is an extremely handsome tree, growing up to 60 feet high. The oval leaves are a pleasant, glossy green and quite large.

      There are two distinct forms of breadfruit, one seedless and the other containing many seeds which, when boiled or roasted, taste much like chestnuts.

   The breadfruit, which contains a considerable amount of starch, is not really a fruit in the popular sense and is rarely eaten raw. It can be boiled or baked, served with salt, butter or syrup, and even sliced and fried like potatoes.

Why yews are often found in churchyards?

     Yews have long been associated with religious worship. So it is likely that churches were originally built near the sacred trees rather than the other way round.

     These trees live longer than any other species in Europe and can grow to an enormous size. Many are thought to be well over 1,000years old. Yews were revered by the druids of ancient Britain, France and Irelands and no doubt early Christian missionaries preached in the shelter of the trees before their first churches were built. Hywel Dda Howell the Good a Welsh king, who reigned in the 10th century, set a special value on “consecrated yews”.

   Some yews are even older than the ancient churches beside them, suggesting that the church was built on a spot already devoted to worship. The association continued, and it became traditional for yews to be planted in church yards.

    Also the great age to which yews live caused them to be regarded as a symbol of immortality and, therefore, associated with death, as man only becomes immortal after he dies.

What is a salamander?

A salamander is amphibian-an animal that lives both on land and in the water. It is a lizard like member of a group of back-boned creatures between fish and reptiles. This class includes frogs and toads. Like fish and reptiles, the salamander is cold-blooded.

      It was anciently believed that the first salamander was born out of the court of a fire and that the so called fire salamanders were unaffected by heart. In fact, the salamander is active usually only in the cool of the night, when it hunts worms, slugs and insects.

     The salamander, which grows up to about 11 inches long, is attacked by few enemies, as its skin glands are poisonous. But the European water snake is not affected by the venom and frequently asked the salamander its prey.

Where do flies go in the winter?

   

 

    During winter flies will hibernate sometimes in large groups, in any available dry and warm space such as an attic.

     The reason there are so few houseflies in winter is that their eggs will hatch only at temperatures between 240 centigrade and 350 centigrade (750 Fahrenheit and 950 Fahrenheit). Meanwhile their numbers steadily diminish owing to insecticides and natural causes. This is a good thing since flies often carry diseases.

When does a hermit crab change its shell?

      A hermit crab changes its shell when it has grown large enough to need a bigger home. This type of crab has a soft abdomen or “tail”, which is folded up under the body, but it is not protected by a shell of its own as are most other crabs. Instead, the hermit uses empty snail shells as portable shelters, often having to fight with another crab for possession of an attractive home. Sometimes the home seeker pulls out of the original occupier, eats it and then takes over the shell.

    One of the claws of the hermit is larger than the other. The crab uses this to stop up the entrance after withdrawing into the shell. The last two legs on its abdomen have roughened pads which grip the inside of the shell and hold the body in position. The crab has a spiral-shaped abdomen and moves in and out of its shell with a spiral movement.

    One kind of hermit occupies a sponge which conveniently grows at the same pace as the crab. Sometimes sea-anemones enter into partnership with hermit crabs and take up residence on top of the shells. The crab provides the sea-anemone with transport and in return, receives an extra shield against attack.