Common name : Yellow garden spider Scientific name : Argiope aurantia Family : Araneidae Native to : United States, Central America, South Canada, Mexico and Hawaii Interesting fact : The yellow garden spider has a unique web, which is circular with a dense zig-zag webbing running through the centre of the web. About 19-28 mm […]
Common name : Yellow admiral caterpillar Scientific name : Vanessa itea Family : Nymphalidae Native to : New Zealand, Australia, Norfolk Islands and Howe Islands Interesting fact : This butterfly has a local Maori name ‘kahukowhai’ which means ‘yellow cloak’. A medium-sized butterfly, the yellow admiral’s size varies from region to region, but essentially is between 48-55
Common name : Wool carder bee Scientific name : Anthidium manicatum Family : Megachilidae Native to : Europe, Asia, North Africa and North America Interesting fact : The wool carder bee gets its name from its behaviour of scraping hair of leaves, and then carrying the hair bundled behind its body to use as a
The Inuksuk structures are man-made stone landmarks that are found across North America from Alaska to Greenland and have been used for thousands of years. The ‘inuksuk’ structure is a stone monument with a stone in the upright position; these structure were used by the Inuit people in the Artic region not only to help
Common name : Sirex wood wasp Scientific name : Sirex noctilio Family : Siricidae Native to : Europe, Asia and North Africa Interesting fact : The wood wasp is an invasive pest, which has become a problem for pine trees in many part of the world. 9-36 mm in body length, the wood wasp has
Common name : Wolf spider Scientific name : Anoteropsis sp. Family : Lycosidae Native to : Worldwide distribution Interesting fact : Due to agility, robustness and excellent eyesight, the family name for these spiders originated from the Greek word meaning ‘wolf’. The various species of wolf spiders vary in size, ranging from 10 mm to 35 mm.
Common name : Western giant ichneumon Scientific name : Megarhyssa nortoni Family : Ichneumonidae Native to : Western North America Interesting fact : The name ‘ichneumon’ is derived from the ancient Greek word which means ‘track, footstep’. 36 mm in length, the female wasp is known to have an ovipositor which is 50-76 mm
Common name : Polka dot wasp moth Scientific name : Syntomeida epilais Family : Arctiidae Native to : Caribbean Interesting fact : This moth is also popularly known as the Oleander moth, since the larvae of this insect feed on the Oleander plant. These moths are dark blue colour with white polka dots on the tips
The Trevi Fountain is a travertine stone fountain built at a junction of three roads in Rome, Italy, in 1762. One of the most notable fountains in the world, the Trevi Fountain is the largest Baroque Fountain in Rome. The elaborate fountain depicts a scene where the Roman virgin girl, ‘Trivia’ leads thirsty Roman soldiers
Common name : Western corn rootworm Scientific name : Diabrotica virgifera virgifera Family : Chrysomelidae Native to : North America Interesting fact : This insect is considered to be the worst possible pest for corn in North America. Only 6.4 mm in length, the adult western corn rootworm feeds on corn silk, pollen, kernels from corn
Common name : Water boatman Scientific name : Sigara arguata Family : Corixidae Native to : New Zealand Interesting fact : Unlike a backswimmer, water boatman is an aquatic insect that swims near the bottom of a stream or pond. 5-6 mm in length, the water boatman does not necessarily fly. However, some adults have
It was a summer afternoon. A Mother Duck was waiting for her eggs to hatch. She was getting impatient, “How long will these eggs take to hatch?” Finally, one after the other, the eggs began to hatch with a pop and peep! Little golden heads came out crying, “Quack, quack!” Suddenly, the largest egg cracked
Common name : Vinegar fly Scientific name : Drosophila melanogaster Family : Drosophilidae Native to : Worldwide Distribution Interesting fact : Since almost 75% of the human disease genes match the genome of the vinegar fly, these flies are also used as genetic models for the testing of many diseases. Yellow-brown in colour, the vinegar flies
Common name : Viceroy butterfly Scientific name : Limenitis archippus Family : Nymphalidae Native to : North America Interesting fact : The orange and black pattern of this butterfly mimics that of the monarch butterfly. With a wingspan ranging from 53-81 mm, the viceroy can be differentiated from the monarch by its size and also by
Mount Rushmore National Memorial was built in South Dakota, U. S. A., between 1927-1941. Mount Rushmore is a granite sculpture carved into the Black Hills in Keystone of four U. S. A.’s Presidents, namely George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. While the initial plan was to depict each President from head to