A Hummingbird on my Blueberry Tree – Nature 70

We have two posted about hummingbirds from our areas. The Winter and Spring hummingbirds.

Image 01- A hummingbird eats nectar.

You may read two previous posts of hummingbirds:

- The Rainbow Before Evening : The Winter Hummingbird at Our Community – Science 26
- The Rainbow Before Evening : Spring Hummingbirds in Our Neighborhood – Nature 58

We might wonder what hummingbirds do on a blueberry tree?

Actually, hummingbirds sip nectar from tree’s flowers, and amazing for me that this bird may visit about 1,500 flowers a day.

Image 2- Blueberries, just illustration

Hummingbirds love to consume tiny critters as well, include “small insects, beetles, ants, aphids, gnats, mosquitoes, and wasp” (Lisa M. Genie, 2018: 10 Facts About Hummingbirds – And other interesting tidbits).

As reported by Melissa Mayntz (2022: What Foods do Hummingbirds Eat?) that “Hummingbirds have been known to discreetly sip the juices from berries, apples, pears, and oranges if they are peeled, cut open, or if the flesh is otherwise exposed.”

Image 3- Magnolia flowers, illustration only

What species of hummingbirds in your areas?

# Previous postings:

- Rediscovering of Rare Blue Bee in Florida in 2020 – Science 3
- Rainbow Evening : Can Scientists Create Glowing Plants? - Science 4
- The Rainbow Before Evening : White Azaleas in the City Garden – Nature 5
- The Amphibians Near Extinct due to Fungus Disease – Science 5
- Rainbow Evening : What is Coronasomnia? - Healthy Life 2

The Mother Duck Brings her Duckling to Swim – Nature 69

We describe a part of life cycles of a Muscovy duck, from eggs to hatching. This is a final part of series.

Image 1- A mother and 6 ducklings

You may read the previous 5 series of life cycle for a Muscovy duck based on our observation:

- Rainbow Before Evening: A Duck Lays Eggs in the Pot – Nature 54
- Rainbow Evening: A Mother Duck with Her 8 Eggs – Nature 56
- A Beautiful Female Muscovy Sitting on the Eggs – Nature 62
- Rainbow Evening: The Hatching of Duck Eggs in the Pot – Nature 65
- Rainbow Evening: The mother duck and her Ducklings Out – Nature 66

We may wonder do ducklings go when they are first outing? Can you guess?

Image 2- Ducklings, just hatching

Yes, your prediction might true. A mother duck will lead her babies to water, nearby ponds or rivers.

Finding water as soon as possible will increase the chances for babies to survive.

Image 3- The mother and duckling are swimming.

Have you seen eggs hatching in nature?

# Previous postings:

- How Many Animals Are Expected to Extinct by 2050? - Nature 4
- Rediscovering of Rare Blue Bee in Florida in 2020 – Science 3
- Rainbow Evening : Can Scientists Create Glowing Plants? - Science 4
- The Rainbow Before Evening : White Azaleas in the City Garden – Nature 5
- The Amphibians Near Extinct due to Fungus Disease – Science 5

The Flower of White African Iris – Nature 68

We talked about Daylily at previous post, but corrected by Yvonne (a blogger) that the flowers are Iris instead of Daylily.

Image 1- A white African Iris

You may read the previous posted:

- The Rainbow Before Evening : Colorful Flowers in the Spring – Nature 21

Moreover, we have blooming of White African Iris at our neighborhood. The scientific name is Dietes iridioides.

As its name, the origin of this flower was from Africa, especially from South Africa. Perennial flower like many other Irises.

What make this flower pretty for me that it looks like a fan (fan shaped) with 3 colors combines: white, yellow and purple-blue (as marking).

Image 2- A white Daylilly, just illustration and comparison

A neighbor said that a white African Iris is a drought tolerant, but to have good flowers and growth, we shoul:

- watering its weekly or regularly
- put under the sun about 7 hours, and with partial shades

Image 3- Just blooming, a White African Iris

What do you think about a White African Iris?

# Previous postings:

- The Rainbow Before Evening : Paris in the Eyes of Vincent Van Gogh - Art 1
- The Rainbow Before Evening : How Many Animals Are Expected to Extinct by 2050? - Nature 4
- The Rainbow Before Evening : Rediscovering of Rare Blue Bee in Florida in 2020 – Science 3
- The Rainbow Before Evening : Can Scientists Create Glowing Plants? - Science 4
- The Rainbow Before Evening : White Azaleas in the City Garden – Nature 5

Brain Plasticity and Care Offspring – Part 1 - Brain Plasticity 4

Stress is one of important experiences for parents to have a baby. But, parenting provides other opportunities such as learning and enrichment.

Image 1- Maternal and brain plasticity 

(credit to Semanticscholar).

These experiences would change the parent’s brain significantly. Hormonal changes have impacted on the brain region that relates to mood and cognitive adjustment or adaptation.

During pregnancy, parturition and lactation, then followed by mother and infant contact will influence female hormones.

During these important periods, hormones were regulated by decreasing estrogen, but increasing prolactin and oxytocin. The expression of parenting was indicated by present of prolactin and oxytocin in substantial amount.

Image 2- Crowd of people on the street

Prolactin and oxytocin hormones collaborate to maintain feeling and milk production during care offspring.

In specific, hormone of prolactin is to elevate lactation activity. The lactation is processing to produce milk, where milk is pivotal for a baby to develop immune system.

Image 3- Colorful flowers, illustration

# To be continued to Part 2

## Previous postings:

- Rainbow Before Evening : A chocolate as a Gift for Valentine’s Day
- Russian Covid 19 Vaccine Advantages – Science 2
- Snow Storm in Our City Baton Rouge – Nature 2
- The Rainbow Before Evening : Snowy Owl Re-Appearing after Hiding for 130 years – Nature 3
- The Rainbow Before Evening : Paris in the Eyes of Vincent Van Gogh - Art 1

The Mulberry Fruit at Neighborhood – Food 41

The ripen Mulberry’s fruit is almost the same color with Blackberry, but they are different in shape in which Mulberry is longer than Blackberry.

Image 1- Fruits of Mulberry tree

We have Blackberry plants as a bush which climbs our fences. We don’t have Mulberry tree.

We know one of our neighbors has a Mulberry tree. The tree has scientific name, Morus sp.

When the tree produces fruit, joggers and passerby’s to sneak a snack. The owner is quite welcome to everyone to tasted the fruit.

Sure, I tried one. I think the fruit sweetness is fairly, and quite similar dried figs. The dark Mulberry almost similar taste in some degree to blackberry.

Image 2- The powder of Mulberry fruit, sold in Walmart

We tried to find fresh Mulberry fruit in many grocery stores, but no ones sell the fresh Mulberry. Walmart just sell powder and jam.

Image 3- The Painting by Hai Anh Ton, illustration

After searching through internet, we find one of the reasons as reported by Janet Nguyen (2022: Why aren’t mulberries sold at grocery stores?) that “the fruit is difficult to harvest and has a refrigerated shelf life of two to four days.”

Image 4- The Mulberry tree belongs to a neighbor

Have you tried Mulberry fruit? What do you think?

# Previous postings:

- Rainbow Evening : I Got a Covid 19 Vaccine Shot Recently – Part 2
- Rainbow BeforeEvening : Wild Flowers in the Backyards – Nature 1
- The Rainbow Before Evening : Wreaths for Mardi Gras in Louisiana
- The Rainbow Before Evening : A Tropical Plant Called Pineapple – Food 1
- The Rainbow Before Evening : A chocolate as a Gift for Valentine’s Day

A Blue Parakeet in the Park – Nature 67

We have talked about Green parakeet, also well known as the Monk parrot at previous post.

Image 1- A Blue Parakeet on twigs.

You may read the previous post of Green Parakeet:

- The Rainbow Before Evening : Green Parakeet in Our State – Nature 46

Blue Parakeet also known as Blue Budgerigars has scientific name Melopsittacus undulatus, native to Australia.

This little critter was seen in our neighborhood park recently. As reported by Kai Kupperschmidst in Science (2017: How this Popular Pet Store Bird Got its Sky-blue Hue) that this blue color parakeet is very rare in nature.

Image 2- Illustration only

Hence, this lonely Blue Parakeet is highly possibility not wild one, but belong to someone as a pet. Who know that the bird escaped from its “convenient” cage, then lost the way or doesn’t know to return home.

The bird looks pretty with striped white and blue with vibrant black spots and stripes.

Image 3- A lonely Blue Parakeet in the wild

Have you seen this kind of bird as a wild bird or pet?

# Previous postings:

- Rainbow Evening : I Got a Covid 19 Vaccine Shot Recently – Part 1
- Rainbow Evening : Important of Microorganisms in Food Industry – Healthy Life 1
- Rainbow Evening : I Got a Covid 19 Vaccine Shot Recently – Part 2
- Rainbow BeforeEvening : Wild Flowers in the Backyards – Nature 1
- The Rainbow Before Evening : Wreaths for Mardi Gras in Louisiana

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:

- Rainbow Before Evening : A Duck Lays Eggs in the Pot – Nature 54
- The Rainbow Evening : A Mother Duck with Her 8 Eggs – Nature 56
- A Beautiful Female Muscovy Sitting on the Eggs – Nature 62
- Rainbow Evening : The Hatching of Duck Eggs in the Pot – Nature 65

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:

- Making Perfume in the Organic Chemistry Laboratory - Science 1
- Nobody Can Replace a Mama's Love – Cardiovascular - Part 1
- Nobody Can Replace a Mama's Love – Cardiovascular - Part 2
- The Gloomy in the Beginning of the Year of Rat – Part 2
- I Got a Covid 19 Vaccine Shot Recently – Part 1