The Cactus Fruit Sold in the Market – Sign 37

Some of American farmers, especially in the drought areas grow cactus as a forage crop for their cattle.

Fig 01- Sign for the green cactus fruit

Cactus plants are good for feed of livestock and cattle with several reasons such as they are:

- rich in nutritional values

- source of water intake

- and cheaper compared to commercial fodder.

Moreover, there are plenty of cactus species could generate fruit in the USA. At least, 6 varieties cactus produce edible fruit or fruit which are safe for human consumption.

Fig 02- Look like pears

As suggested by Esther, 2023: Are Cactus Fruits Edible? (6 Cacti with Edible Fruits) that varieties of edible cactus are Peruvian apple cactus, Organ pipe cactus, Hylocereus, Barrel cactus, Opuntia and Saguaro cactus. 

Fig 03- The green fruit of cactus

In the USA, cactus is found in some states, they are including Massachusetts, New Mexico, Montana and Florida.

Fig 04- Cactus fruit, sold in the grocery

Have you tasted cactus fruit? What do you feel?

# Previous postings:

- Neighborhood Watch in Communities – Sign 6 | Tanza Erlambang Update

- Goslings at the Neighborhood Lake – Critters 5 | Tanza Erlambang Update

- Have You Tasted Fruits Called as Muscadine? - Part 1 – Food Variety 19 | Tanza Erlambang Update

- When Will We Have an Emperor in the Mars? - Part 1 | Tanza Erlambang Update

- Have you Tasted Alligator Meat? - Part 1 - Sign 7 | Tanza Erlambang Update

The Female Kinglet at the Backyard – Critter 34

We have talked about a crown Kinglet at previous post:

- A Ruby Crowned Kinglet – Critter 29 | Tanza Erlambang Update

Fig 01- A female Kinglet sitting on the branch.

We just spot a bird we never seen before at backyard a couple days ago. After identification through Google ID, the application said “Kinglet bird.”

So what is different with “a ruby crown Kinglet?”

As I wrote at previous post :”Crown is a sex identification, and red crown refer to males. It is said that crown is important to build communications between a male and a male or a male and a female.”

In addition, you may see a white wing bar (please see Fig 01 above) as one of identifications for female Kinglet.

Fig 02- A garden, Illustration only

Female Kinglets produce eggs just once a year, about 4 to 10 eggs with incubation period for 14 days. Interestingly, both males and females take care their babies.

Fig 03- A male of ruby crown Kinglet (taken from previous post)

Have you seen both male and female Kinglets in your areas?

# Previous postings:

- Is It Difficult to Study Art History? - Part 2 - Art 5 | Tanza Erlambang Update

- Is a Good Friday a Holiday in Your Places? - Sign 5 | Tanza Erlambang Update

- Fish and Shellfish Sold by Local Groceries – Part 2 - Food Variety 18 | Tanza Erlambang Update

- When is Spring Coming in your Place? - Part 2 - Gardening and Hobby 24 | Tanza Erlambang Update

- Neighborhood Watch in Communities – Sign 6 | Tanza Erlambang Update

May Insects Kill Human with Their Stings? - Part 1

Murder insects were spotted first time in Washington state, USA in May 2020. The insect is called as “Asian giant hornets” with scientific name, Vespa mandarinia.

Fig 01- A bee feeds nectar and pollen of a flower

The insect, actually native to several “warmer” and temperate regions which are far away from the USA.

The warmer and temperate areas include:

- East Asia

- South Asia

- Southeast Asia

- the Russian Far East

Fig 02- Flowers, just illustration

The Asian giant hornets have no natural enemies in the nature, hence they are the apex predator of insects in their environments.

In nature, this biggest size hornet in the world consumes many smaller insects, just few examples are beetles, wasps, bees, hornworms and other smaller hornets.

Fig 03- The Asian giant hornet (credit to Newsweek)

Moreover, the giant hornet may affect bee population, because:

- they attack honey bee hives

- hornets kill adult bees

- they are devouring larvae and pupae.

Fig 04- Flowers are blooming

# To be continued to Part 2

## Previous postings:

- Do You Know that Plants can Memorize Information? - Part 2 | Tanza Erlambang Update

- Fish and Shellfish Sold by Local Groceries – Part 1- Food Variety 18 | Tanza Erlambang Update

- When is Spring Coming in your Place? - Part 1 - Gardening and Hobby 24 | Tanza Erlambang Update

- Our Nearby Neighborhood was Visited by Alligators – Critters 4 | Tanza Erlambang Update

- Is It Difficult to Study Art History? - Part 2 - Art 5 | Tanza Erlambang Update

Mayflower the Moving Business Company – Sign 36

In case you forget, that Mayflower was name of a ship to transport families from England to USA. They then established the second colony in the areas of Massachusetts called as “New England” in 1620.

Fig 01- A Mayflower truck

The first colony was found as “Jamestown settlement” in Virginia in 1607. The settlement could be visited as a historic site nowadays.

Actually, the second colony, New England is a region with 6 states now:

- Massachusetts

- Connecticut

- Rhode Island.

- Maine

- New Hampshire and Vermont.

Fig 02- International movers

Mayflower is the “brand name” used as one of moving business companies since 1927 until today. The company has several other similar companies to be “the largest moving co-op” in the USA.

The co-op provides moving services locally, across America and even internationally. Military, commercial and individual may use the services provided by this company.

Fig 03- Mayflower in the parking lot

Have you experienced with Mayflower moving services locally or internationally?

# Previous postings:

- Do You Know that Plants can Memorize Information? - Part 1 | Tanza Erlambang Update

- The Local Honey in the Farmer Market – Part 2 – Food Variety 17 | Tanza Erlambang Update

- Squirrels Population in our Neighborhood – Critters 3 | Tanza Erlambang Update

- Is It Difficult to Study Art History? - Part 1 - Art 5 | Tanza Erlambang Update

- Do You Know that Plants can Memorize Information? - Part 2 | Tanza Erlambang Update

Have You Ever Tasted a Paria? - Part 1 - Food Variety 31

When I visited the Asian shop in my city, Baton Rouge, LA. I found a bitter fruit or vegetable called as “paria,” “peria” or “pariah in languages of South East Asian countries.

Fig 01- Paria from Asian Shop

In English, by searching through Google, It is refer to:

- a bitter gourd

- a bitter melon

- or a green gem.

Actually, some people categorized it as fruit, other said vegetable. I myself prefer to call it as the vegetable.

The size is not that long, around 12 cm, and weight is less than 1 pound. The color is green but change to yellow when ripe.

Fig 02- A bean, just illustration

Fig 03- The bitter gourd in the market

The price is quite reasonable in America, US$ 0.99 per-pound. Since I bought three pieces, I paid for US$ 2.71 only.

# To be continued to Part 2

## Previous postings:

- Why Turtles Produce almost All Female Hatchlings Recently? - Part 2 | Tanza Erlambang Update

- The Local Honey in the Farmer Market – Part 1 – Food Variety 17 | Tanza Erlambang Update

- A Little dog on the Street – Critters 2 | Tanza Erlambang Update

- Lighthouse for Helping People with Disabilities – Sign 4 | Tanza Erlambang Update

- Do You Know that Plants can Memorize Information? - Part 1 | Tanza Erlambang Update

Bees Love Nectar of Yellow Jessamine – Critter 33

We have Yellow Jessamine also called as Yellow Jasmine or Caroline Jessamine at our backyard. Interestingly, the plant is survived without cover during cold winter in our area.

Fig 01- A bee is enjoying Flowers’s nectar.

We saw several kinds of bees visit our Yellow Jasmine. Based on Google ID, the species of bees could be:

- the carpenter bee with scientific name Xylocopa sp (Fig 01)

- the Bumble bees, Bombus sp (Fig 02 and Fig 03)

As you know that bees consume both pollen and nectar which are produced by many flowers:

- nectar is a kind of sugar as source of energy

- pollen as food for larvae, contains protein and nutrients.

Fig 02- A bee on the Yellow Jessamine

I don’t know whether our Yellow Jasmine (Gelsemium sempervirens) is visited by honey bees (Apis mellifera).

Based on internet sources that flowers of Yellow Jasmine could be poison to young honey bees, but further researches need to be done.

Fig 03- Does a bee collect nectar?

Do you know about relationship between Yellow Jasimines and bees?

# Previous postings:

- Why Turtles Produce almost All Female Hatchlings Recently? - Part 1 | Tanza Erlambang Update

- The Ways in “Caching” for Speeding Up Web Server – Part 3 | Tanza Erlambang Update

- Special Parking for Low Emission Vehicles - Sign 3 | Tanza Erlambang Update

- Talented Students to Display Their Paintings – Part 2 - Art 4 | Tanza Erlambang Update

- Why Turtles Produce almost All Female Hatchlings Recently? - Part 2 | Tanza Erlambang Update

Wild White Flowers in the Spring - Gardening and Hobby 30

Temperature in our place reaches above 70* F (21* C) degree since last week, hence, we may say that Spring is coming. Another sign of Spring is plenty of wild flowers around.

Fig 01- White wild flowers, snowflake

One of wild flowers is white color flowers. After searching and identifying through Google ID, we found the flower includes in the family of Amarylidaceae with genus of Leucojum.

This genus has two species:

1) Leucojum vernum.

- the species also called as Spring snowflake.

2) Leucojum aestivum.

- known as the summer snowflake, or also called as Loddon lily.

Fig 02- Snowflake starts blooming

This Spring snowflake is growing well in our neighborhood and the city garden. Since its perennial, the blooming is observed in the Spring time every year.

I don’t know about summer snowflake (Leucojum aestivum). I’ll wait for summer to look for this Loddon lily.

Fig 03- Lovely Spring snowflake

Have you seen wild Spring snowflake in your areas in this time around?

# Previous postings:

- Do you Favor to Certain Chicken Egg Colors? - Part 2 | Tanza Erlambang Update

- The Ways in “Caching” for Speeding Up Web Server – Part 2 | Tanza Erlambang Update

- Vaccinated but Mask Up - Sign 2 | Tanza Erlambang Update

- Talented Students to Display Their Paintings – Part 1 - Art 4 | Tanza Erlambang Update

- Why Turtles Produce almost All Female Hatchlings Recently? - Part 1 | Tanza Erlambang Update