plant Archives - Page 7 of 22

Scarlet

The Southern Red Bishop is a common and widespread resident and local nomad in marshy grassland, savanna and fields, usually associated with water. They favour breeding in reed beds, and sometimes also in crops. They are highly gregarious and sedentary, and feeds, roosts and breed in flocks. Their distribution is from Angola, Uganda and Kenya, south to the whole of Southern Africa; mainly near perennial water and less common in the dry west. Locally common to abundant, the females outnumber males at a ratio of 3 to 2. Longevity is 12 years. Their general habitat is open grassland, marshes and cultivated areas, typically with close access to perennial water. They are gregarious year-round, form large flocks during the non-breeding season, often with other granivores, and roost in reed beds. It regularly drinks water by sipping, then tips the bill to swallow.

19 March 2019Nature, Picture of the day

Sipping

Bees need bee food and water to survive. Bees rarely store water, but bring it in as needed. Bees Use Water For:
1. Cooling – In the heat of summer, it is used for evaporative cooling. Similar to human-designed air conditions, the bees spread a thin film of water atop sealed brood (baby bee cells) or on the rims of cells containing larvae and eggs. The workers inside the hive then fan vigorously, setting up air flow which evaporated the water and cools the interior of the hive.
2. Humidity – Worker bees use water to control the humidity of the colony, not just the temperature.
3. Utilize Stored Food – Bees need water to dilute stored honey that has crystallized (become too high in glucose) or in the case where beekeeper feeds them dried sugar crystals, they need water to dissolve the sugar. Without water, they can’t access these food sources.
4. Larvae Food – Another type of bee in the hive is the nurse bee, who feeds the developing larvae. They consume large amounts of pollen, nectar, and water so that their hypopharyngeal glands can produce the jelly that is used to feed the larvae. A larvae diet can consist of water up to 80% on the first day of larval growth and about 55% on the sixth day.
5. Digestion – They need it in the digestion and metabolization of their food, as do most organisms.
Info source: https://growtherainbow.com/…/35730115-why-honey-bees-need-w…

11 March 2019Nature, Picture of the day

Innocent

The glossy coat of the Impala shows two-tone colouration – the reddish-brown back and the tan flanks; these are in sharp contrast to the white underbelly. Facial features include white rings around the eyes and a light chin and snout. The ears are tipped with black. Black streaks run from the buttocks to the upper hind legs. The bushy white tail features a solid black stripe along the mid-line. The Impala has scent glands covered by a black tuft of hair on the hind legs. Sebaceous glands concentrated on the forehead and dispersed on the torso of dominant males are most active during the mating season, while those of females are only partially developed and do not undergo seasonal changes. There are four nipples.
Info source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impala

20 February 2019Picture of the day, Wildlife