Apart from leafy greens, vegetable-like fruits are also great both for the environment and for you. They contain high levels of carbohydrates and water when compared to greens. They also have high fiber and vitamin C.
These types of fruits grow in warm climates, and you can eat them in various forms. Some examples of fruit vegetables include tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, squash, etc. Apart from these types of fruits, citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, and grapes have a low impact, making them great for our environment.
Tubers are high in carbohydrates and are great sources of energy. You can eat them in diverse forms. You can boil, bake, or mash them. A common type of tuber is potato. Tubers grow downwards and anchor the plant into the ground.
In the ground, they absorb nutrients used during the drier months or in winter. Other examples of tubers include Ube or purple yam, Lotus root, Yam bean root, etc.
Edible mushrooms are the fleshy fruit bodies of numerous species of macrofungi (fungi that bear fruiting structures large enough to be seen with the naked eye). Edibility may be defined by criteria including the absence of poisonous effects on humans and desirable taste and aroma. Mushrooms that have a particularly desirable taste are described as "choice". Edible mushrooms are consumed for their nutritional and culinary value. Mushrooms, especially dried shiitake, are sources of umami flavor.
A wide variety of edible mushrooms being sold by a vendor in San Juan Sacatepequez, Guatemala
To ensure safety, wild mushrooms must be correctly identified before their edibility can be assumed. Deadly poisonous mushrooms that are frequently confused with edible mushrooms include several species of the genus Amanita, particularly A. phalloides, the death cap. Some mushrooms that are edible for most people can cause allergic reactions in others; old or improperly stored specimens can go rancid and cause food poisoning.[1] Additionally, mushrooms can absorb chemicals within polluted locations, accumulating pollutants and heavy metals including arsenic and iron—sometimes in lethal concentrations.
Several varieties of fungi contain psychedelic compounds—the magic mushrooms—while variously resembling non-psychoactive species. The most commonly consumed for recreational use are Amanita muscaria (the fly agaric) and Psilocybe cubensis, with the former containing alkaloids such as muscimol and the latter predominately psilocybin.
Edible mushrooms include many fungal species that are either harvested wild or cultivated. Easily cultivated and common wild mushrooms are often available in markets; those that are more difficult to obtain (such as the prized truffle, matsutake, and morel) may be collected on a smaller scale and are sometimes available at farmers' markets or other local grocers. Despite long-term use in folk medicine, there is no scientific evidence that consuming "medicinal mushrooms" cures or lowers the risk of human diseases.
One interesting fact about ladybugs is that not all are red with black spots. There are about 6,000 species of ladybugs worldwide, spread across various areas.
Generally, the most common ladybug or lady beetle is the one with red and black hues. This is the seven-spotted ladybug, a native species to Europe. Apart from the seven spotted ladybugs and seven spotted lady beetle, you'll also find ladybugs in nearly all bright colors of the rainbow. We have red and black beetles and some ladybugs in pink, orange, brown, yellow, and black hues.
The ladybug’s body can also be an ashy gray or dull brown color. Apart from differences in ladybug hues, their patterns also vary. Spotted ladybugs tend to be the most popular. However, some of these insects have stripes, while others have no pattern at all.
This one is rather an unusual fact; however, have you ever wondered where the ‘lady’ comes from in their name? We can trace this to the legend of the Middle Ages.
According to the story, European crops were plagued by pests during this period. Due to this unforeseen incident, the farmers began praying to the blessed lady, Virgin Mary, to save their crops.
Soon after, they began seeing beneficial ladybugs and noticed their crops were saved. The ladybugs were eating all the aphids and other damaging insect species. Rooted in gratitude, the farmers started referring to these beetles or insect-eating birds as “our lady’s birds” or “our lady’s beetles.” In Germany, people refer to them as Marienkafer, meaning Mary beetles.
Read more about what people have to say about these intriguing little insects in our list of ladybug quotes.
It’s easy to imagine a baby ladybug resembling an adult one, only in a smaller and cuter form. However, you may not know that these odd creatures take on a different shape altogether.
When they hatch out of the eggs, ladybug larvae resemble miniature alligators. Like alligators, they have spiny bodies and long, pointed abdomens. They also possess legs that protrude from their sides. During this period, the larvae consume a lot of aphids for their growth and development. This stage precedes the pupa stage, which precedes the development into adulthood.
The spots on a ladybug aren't only for beautification purposes. They also serve as a warning to predators, thereby protecting the insect from predation.
The bright colors and spots warn would-be predators that the insect is toxic and tastes horrible.
Apart from their colors, another one of the ladybug defenses is the foul-smelling blood they emit. This yellow liquid comes from their leg joints, leaving yellow stains on the surface below. This liquid is toxic to various ladybug predators, protecting these little creatures from harm as predators avoid the seemingly sickly beetle. They also have a third defense mechanism, which is to play dead.
Since the ladybug feeds on aphids and other plant-feeding insect types, many farmers try to incorporate them on their land as pest control. As stated earlier, a ladybug can consume as many as 5000 insect types in its lifetime. This natural diet serves many farm and garden areas since they serve as predators of pests that damage plants.
The Western Lowland Gorilla is the nominate subspecies of the Western Gorillas found in Cameroon and other parts of Central Africa. It is also the smallest of the four subspecies.
This type of gorilla has black skin and coarse black hair except for the bare face, ears, hands, and feet. Notably, Snowflake, the unique albino gorilla from Equatorial Guinea, hailed from this species. Taken as a youngster to the Barcelona Zoo in 1966, Snowflake's pale form intrigued the world.
Contrary to previous beliefs that gorillas were non-territorial, studies have shown that their neighbors' locations influence their movements. They demonstrate a preference against feeding in areas visited by another group the same day, indicating a more nuanced territorial behavior4.
Interestingly, Western Lowland Gorillas show signs of tool use. A recorded instance in 2009 reveals a gorilla using a stick to gauge water depth while another used a bucket to collect water at Buffalo Zoological Gardens. This display of spontaneous tool utilization for drinking, particularly among younger females, provides a unique glimpse into gorilla cognition.
Lastly, a serious concern with western lowland gorillas is their link to zoonotic diseases. Scientists believe them to be one of the sources of HIV/AIDS transmission. This is attributed to the Simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) in gorillas, which surprisingly resembles a strain present in HIV-1.
Cross River Gorillas live in the border zone between Nigeria and Cameroon. The habitat is broadleaf forests with altitudes ranging from 328 feet to 6,683 feet.
In physical attributes, it bears shorter skulls, smaller cranial vaults, and smaller palates than the previous type of gorilla subspecies. However, size and limb length match closely. One distinctive aspect of Cross River gorillas is their shorter hands and larger opposability index.
In general, wild gorillas are not dangerous. However, they can show aggression when disturbed. Behavioral differences emerged in a three-year study at Kagwene Mountain, Cameroon. The Cross River gorillas threw fistfuls of grass3, branches, and stones. Researchers concluded this action is a learned response to local conditions.
The nesting habits of Cross River gorillas also differ by environmental conditions. During the dry period, most nests are found on the ground, but in the wet season, they opt for tree-high nests to shield them from the rain.
They also make more day nests during the rainy season and reuse old nesting sites around 35% of the time. These patterns highlight the adaptive and intelligent characteristics of this incredible gorilla subspecies.
