The chupacabra or chupacabras (Spanish pronunciation: [tʃupaˈkaβɾas], literally 'goat-sucker', from Spanish: chupa, 'sucks', and cabras, 'goats') is a legendary creature, or cryptid, in the folklore of parts of the Americas. The name comes from the animal's purported vampirism—the chupacabra is said to attack and drink the blood of livestock, including goats.
Unlike Cape Town (with its Mediterranean climate), the climate of Kruger National Park is subtropical, with distinct wet and dry seasons. By day, it is warm to hot year-round. Although it is a year-round destination for safaris, the seasons greatly impact wildlife viewing. The rainy season—October through April—equates to the hot and humid summer months (winter in the northern hemisphere). The dry season (May through September) is winter, with warm and mild days, and chilly nights and early mornings.
Although the dry season extends from May through October, the driest period is in the cool mid-winter months. Temperatures are at their most pleasant, with warm days, low humidity, and virtually no rainfall. Mid-day temperatures average a very pleasant 79°F (26°C) in mid-winter, with deep-blue cloudless skies. However, nighttime temperatures fall dramatically. Early morning temperatures just before sunrise average about 50°F (10°C), and are often much colder.
By November the mercury soars, the humidity rises exponentially as the rainy season sets in, and mosquitoes are more prevalent. The summer months can be uncomfortably hot: daytime high temperatures average 90°F (32°C) and can peak well above 100 °F (38 °C), while your clothes will stick to your body in the muggy air. Late afternoons and evenings often bring dramatic thunderstorms—especially in December-February, the hottest and wettest months. However, it rarely rains all day and mornings are usually clear. This is a season to laze away the mid-day hours in the relative comfort of your lodge or camp (in summer, we recommend staying at an air-conditioned lodge, as camping requires a high degree of tolerance for heat and rain).
As you may have deduced from the above information, choosing the right time to visit Kruger National Park depends on your tolerance for heat and humidity, whether you prioritize seeing birds or other game, how "crowd-tolerant" you are, and your budgetary concerns.
House wrens are small, warm brown birds that are often spotted in yards, thickets near woods, gardens, yards, and parks. These merry songbirds like brush piles for cover, protection, and as a source for insects.
In late April through early May, house wrens return to their breeding range and start their first brood. The male house wren arrives first and marks its territory by building crude dummy nests. Wrens nest in natural cavities and human-made nest boxes, as well as any crevice they can find, such as old boots, abandoned hornet nests, or farm machinery. The female completes the nest construction at one of the dummy nest sites. She will lay one egg per day until she has a clutch size of 5-8 eggs. Incubation is by the female only and lasts for 12–13 days, depending on the temperature. The hatchlings fledge at about 17 days, and parental care continues for another 13 days.
Small, energetic birds with big voices, they are officially the UK’s most numerous bird species, occurring almost everywhere, from gardens to farms and the countryside.
Since winter comes early to Kanazawa, the yukitsuri is put up
in November. It starts with the famous Karasaki Pine in
Kenrokuen Garden.
The trees that are suppported are pines, azaleas, and fruit
trees. First a pole is propped up near the trunk of a tree and
rope is hung from it and attached to the ground, forming a
teepee-like shape. This process is especially important for
evergreen trees because they are so delicate.
There are three types of yukitsuri.
Ringo-tsuri: five ropes attached to one pole are
placed close to the trunk of a tree, and
a special decorative rope is attached to
the top of the pole.
Miki-tsuri: used to support young trees such
as pine and cherry. The rope is attached
directly to the top of a tree and hangs
directly into the lower branches of the
tree giving it proper support.
Shibori: used on shrubs such as bush clovers
and azaleas. Rope is used to gather all
the branches into a bottle-like shape.
This method is used to protect the plants
from snow piling up on the ground around
them.
The most popular method is Ringo-tsuri, and all the famous and
older trees in Kenrokuen Garden are supported in this manner.
Kenrokuen located in Kanazawa is considered one of the Three Great Gardens of Japan, and is one of the most popular gardens to visit year-round. During the winter, the snow transforms the garden into an even more wondrous place.
Yukitsuri (Japanese: 雪つり) is a Japanese technique for preserving trees and shrubs from heavy snow. Trees are given extra support by bamboo poles with ropes attached to limbs; whereas, shrubs are often tied tightly around the circumference. Yukitsuri is a common sight in Kanazawa and Kenrokuen Garden during the winter months.
Guwahati (Assamese: [ɡua.ɦa.ti]) is the largest city of the Indian state of Assam, and also the largest metropolis in northeastern India. Dispur, the capital of Assam, is in the circuit city region located within Guwahati and is the seat of the Government of Assam. Its airport is the 12th busiest in India, the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport. A major riverine port city along with hills, and one of the fastest growing[12] cities in India, Guwahati is situated on the south bank of the Brahmaputra.[13] The city is known as the "gateway to North East India".
Koishikawa Korakuen is a city-managed Japanese garden, in the Korakuen area of Tokyo’s Bunkyo Ward. The garden was constructed in the early Edo area, and has been state-registered as a special historical heritage site, and scenic spot since 1952. Out of all city-managed gardens, this and the Hamarikyu Gardens are the only ones to receive both designations. Koishikawa Korakuen garden is also said to be the oldest of all Japanese gardens in Tokyo.
The garden is composed around a central pond, and visitors are intended to enjoy the change in scenery as they walk the trail around it. This Japanese garden is also characterized by the names of its sceneries, many of which have taken influence from famous locations in China. Look at the way the garden expresses Japan’s many beautiful sceneries of lakes, mountains, rivers and rice fields!
This massive Japanese garden with an area of over 70,000m2, displays a different beauty at every turn of the season with a colorful diorama of plum trees, cherry blossoms, azalea and irises that surround the pond.
The land on which Koishikawa Korakuen Gardens sits today first belonged to Tokugawa Yorifusa, the founder of the Mito branch (present day Ibaraki prefecture) of the ruling Tokugawa Clan. His son, Mitsukuni, completed the construction of the residence and garden in 1629. Mitsukuni conceptualized Confucian teachings when planning this garden, taking inspiration from important Chinese Confucian scholars and their sayings. In fact, the name of the garden, “Korakuen”, derives from a quote from a book by Fan Zhongyan, a scholar from the Song Dynasty of ancient China.
The weeping cherry tree, or shidare-zakura in Japanese, can be found right as you enter the garden. This particular tree is over 60 years old, and boasts a charming pink scene in the spring.
The pond in the center of the garden is the Daisensui. Inspired by Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture, the pond plays the role of the main attraction in the gardens. The man-made island, named Horai-jima, and the rocks in the pond coordinate well with the surrounding atmosphere to create graceful scenery. In its earlier days, the pond was used for sailing as well.
To the north of the pond is Shorozan, a hill resembling Mount Lu (Lushan) in China. Ruscus leaf bamboos cover the round man-made hill. From the top of the hill is a breathtaking view of the entire garden.
The capacious stream running towards the western side of the park is the Oi-gawa river. The Oi-gawa River is a real river in Kyoto prefecture, and the one here is a smaller replica of the original. The water in it used to be pulled straight from Kanda Aqueduct.
The bridge arching over the Oi-gawa River is Engetsukyo. Confucian scholar Zhu Zhiyu, who Mitsunari greatly welcomed and endeared, planned the design of the bridge. The name of the bridge translates to “Round Moon”, since the bridge and its reflection in the river connects to form a full moon.
The inner garden, or "naitei", sits at the southern end of the garden. While the garden was under Tokugawa possession, the naitei was a separate facility from the rest of the garden. This area was used as a private cram school during the Tokugawa days.
