Tuesday, 25 April 2023

The mother duck and her Ducklings Out – Nature 66

This post is talking about the mother duck brings her duckling out of the nest after hatching.



Image 1- Ducklings, just hatching

You may follow the process of incubation from eggs to hatching at previous postings:

After hatching, babies are so sweet and precious. Colors of their body are yellow and combined with brownish. Positive and fun to watch.



Image 2- Mom and chicks

Ducklings need several hours or a while to start their first steps, and moving in their nest.

Then it will takes about 10 weeks for babies to be able to regulate their body temperatures, hence, babies will stay with their mom within this period.



Image 3- Mom and her ducklings out

By next posting, we will talk about “The Mother Duck Brings her Duckling to Swim.”

# Previous Postings:

Sunday, 23 April 2023

Market Corners of the Little Town in America

Like other countries, there are many town less than 10,000 population in the USA. We just visit Denham Spring, a city with 9,300 people.



Image 1- People waiting their order from a food truck

Compared to big cities in America, roads “so narrow” with two cars wide only. In the downtown, we observed crowd everywhere in the Saturday, may be the special day for communities.

Denham Spring, Louisiana state, was developed in 1898, nowadays, we find different kinds of shops, some of them are:

- boutiques
- antique shops
- restaurant and cafes.



Image 2- Some shoppers

We have difficulty to find a parking lot. After a while, we decide to park in front of a building.



Image 3 – A narrow street

We and other “strangers” didn’t know what the building is. We just park our cars, hope, nothing happen.



Image 4- A vendor and food truck at the end of a street

Then, we were moving around the downtown “market.” We saw some vendors at the corner of shops or streets.



Image 5- A little shop

People look very enthusiasm to order whatever sold by vendors. They sell items include burger, ice cream, juice and many others.



Image 6- People walking in the narrow street

# Previous postings:

Friday, 21 April 2023

Do you Know Some People Eat Alligator Meat? - Part 2 – Food 40

You may read the previous post (Part 1):

- The Rainbow Before Evening : Do you Know Some People Eat Alligator Meat? - Part 1 – Food 40



Image 1- The Alligator at neighborhood

Several other states have alligators as well, the number from several thousands to higher as millions, the states are:

- Florida
- Georgia
- Alabama
- Mississippi
- South Carolina and North Carolina
- Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas



Image 2- Just for illustration

You may notice that alligators mainly spreading in the warmer, southern states of the USA

When I asked friends of mind from Louisiana, they said that there are alligator burgers and cooked alligator sold in the certain seafood markets as well.



Image 3- Bags, Just for illustration

I tried to “googling” to find out Louisiana’s recipe for alligator meat. Unexpectedly that I found many recipes and dishes that relate to alligator meat.

It is mean Louisiana people enjoy with alligator meat.



Image 4- Sign of the Alligator meat at Tony’s Seafood

# To be continued to Part 3

# Previous postings:

Wednesday, 19 April 2023

The Hatching of Duck Eggs in the Pot – Nature 65

We have talked about duck’s eggs, the species of duck which own the eggs and incubation of eggs at previous postings.



Image 1- Ducklings, just hatching

You may read the previous postings:

Yes, after 31 days incubation, eggs are hatched. The hatching eggs were not all together or not in the same time.

The first hatching at day 31st, then followed by other eggs. The last hatching egg at day 34th.



Image 2- Mother and her babies

Since the each egg didn’t hatching at the same time, thus, the lessons we might learn:

- never mess the eggs.
- never intervene with hatching process.
- let’s nature work alone.



Image 3- Mother duck, just take a rest for a while.

I will tell you what happen with babies duck by next posting. Just wait and see.

# Previous postings:

Monday, 17 April 2023

The Blooming of Chinese Lantern Plants – Nature 64

We never seen before, the Chinese lantern like flower. We just see this unique and pretty flower in our neighborhood recently.



Image 1- Flower of Chinese Lantern

In addition to Chinese Lantern, other common names are Flowering maple, Velvet leaf, Indian mallow, Room maple and Parlor maple.

Based on the Google ID result, the species refers to scientific name of Abutilon pictum which mature could reach 10 to 15 inches (25 to 38 cm) tall.

Many believed this plant is native to South American countries such as Uruguay, Argentina and Brazil.

However, genus of Abutilon contains around 200 species which are spreading to regions of Asia, Australia and Africa.



Image 2- A painting from a high school student, illustration

We have observed that the ornamental flowers of Chinese Lantern could attract many kinds of pollinators, include hummingbirds and butterfly during blooming in Spring and Fall seasons.



Image 3- The flower looks pretty

Have you this kind of flower in the garden?

# Previous postings:

Sunday, 16 April 2023

“Let's go” and “Let's play” - Part 1 - Alzheimer's 13

We had a short conversation after finished a route walk in Walk to End Alzheimer's. This is a kind of routine exercise, almost every day.



Image 1- A Rosary, morning prayers, illustration

The most interesting in the conversation is the favorite words in the loved one with Alzheimer's disease.

In the stage of Alzheimer's with the sign lose words, some favorite words will remain in memory cells.

I have my favorite words, or a phrase. Sure, It does not a bad word, or curse :)

Some of us in the that group of conversation said that they have some words to spell too when they just get up in the morning to give them the strength, to make the day brighter and happier. 



Image 2- A big yellow flower, illustration

Some of us, get up and reach rosary to say some words. We, sometimes just stare at the 3 crucial words “LOVE, HOPE, FAITH” in beautiful frame sit on the nightstand.



Image 3- The painting, a primary school student

# To be continued to Part 2

## Previous postings:

Friday, 14 April 2023

Colorful of Dutch Iris in the Yards – Nature 63

Our state of Louisiana has 5 species Iris as native flowers. These species could be seen in many places across the state.



Image 1- Colorful of a Dutch Iris flower

Plenty of Iris flowers both native and “imported” to our state may be found around ditches, along edges of ponds or river, and moist or fertile places during Spring seasons.

The well known 5 species of Iris in our areas are:

- Iris giganticaerulea.
- Iris hexagona.
- Iris nelsonii.
- Iris brevicaulis and Iris fulva.



Image 2- Rain drops on the flower’s surfaces

Dutch Iris with scientific name, Iris Hollandica is a hybrid species by combining European Species (Iris xiphium) and North African species (Iris tingitana).

Iris xiphium is native to Spain and Portugal, while Iris tingitana is native to Morocco and Algeria.

The Dutch firm called as “Van Tubergen” had distributed the crossed breeding Iris flowers to North America around 19th century, a long time ago.



Image 3- Lovely colorful flower’s petals

Have you seen this colorful Iris in nature?

# Previous postings:

The Beautiful Bright Green Luna Moth - Nature 148

We saw a beautiful bright green critter it is called the bright green Luna moth. The grub making its way through our yard. Image 01 - A Luna...