Our City in the Late Spring of 2021 - Gardening and Hobby 19

Fig 01- Colorful flowers at corner.

Our city, as other southern states is in the late spring now, some flowers are drying and dropping. But, many are blooming until summer.

Quite great number of flowers are well grow in our place, just few examples of them:
- Phlox.
- Scarlet Sage.
- Guara.
- Iris.
- Luna Hibiscus
- Virginia Willow
- Spicebush
- Azalea
- Southern Magnolia
- Silver Bell
- Daylily.

Fig 02- Look like the “real sun.”

Fig 03- Pink Azaleas in the garden

Fig 04- White Magnolia

Fig 05- The purple Iris flower

Our state, Louisiana has own local flowers. In addition, we have import and intrusive flowers from other states or countries around the globe.

Five species of Iris are uniquely as our own local flowers. These 5 species have following scientific name:
- Iris brevicaulis
- Iris fulva
- Iris giganticaerulea
- Iris hexagona
- Iris nelsonii

Some invasive plant in our city are:
- European roseau cane
- Elephant ear
- Chinese privet
- Alligator weed
- Giant salvinia
- Chinese tallow
- Water hyacinth

How about with your cities? What flowers are blooming now?

# Previous post:

- Does Bitter Melon Contain Anti-Diabetic Substances? - Diabetes 13

Honey as a Local Product - Food Variety 12

Fig 01- Local honey in the grocery.

I believe all of us have ever consumed honey, but, some may not love it. However, demand for honey is increasing year by year.

Based on report from United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in 2020, honey production increase by 2%, make total production to be 157 million pounds.

The states with higher honey productions are following:
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
- California
- Montana
- Florida
- Texas
- Minnesota
- Michigan
- Louisiana 

Fig 02- Colorful flowers as a source of food for honey bees

Interestingly, not only honey, but live bees also be traded, locally and internationally.

Fig 03- Bees visit roses to collect pollen.

Several countries have exported live bees include:
- Egypt
- Slovakia
- Belgium
- United States of America (USA)
- Canada

In term of pollination, bees have vital roles in many economic plants for human consumption.

Quite amazing that a bee could pollinate 5,000 flowers a day. They pollinated many our daily foods such as:
- apples
- cranberries
- melons
- broccoli
- cherry
- almond

Hope, bees will continue their job!!

Older post:

Will Confederate Jasmine Crawl Back After Winter? | Tanza Erlambang Update

What are Purposes of Duck Hunting?

Fig 01- Three Duck playing at road side

Number of waterfowl hunters about 900,000 in the USA, but they killed 31 millions duck each years. Quite surprising number for me.

Some states with higher duck killed, sometimes not correlated to number of active duck hunters with licenses.

From The Duck Blog (2017), here the list of states with higher average duck killed by a hunter per year:

- Mississippi

- Tennessee

- Oregon

- Louisiana

- Idaho

- Washington

- Arkansas

- California.

Fig 02- Canadian geese are swimming

Then, What are Purposes of Duck Hunting?

The answers are depended on to whom we talk to: government or duck hunters?

Fig 03- Two ducks on the grass

Federal duck stamps or licenses are source of income for federal and states government.

Cost for federal stamps was US$ 28.5 (include transaction fees), and license fees are varies between state to state.

These income was designed for conservation efforts, especially in relate to:

- wildlife management

- new lands purchase for hunters

- research and education

Hunters or whoever interests with duck hunting may purchase federal stamps in many places:

- U.S. Post Offices

- Walmart

- some sporting and outdoor stores

- some national wildlife refuges

- online

Moreover, duck hunting is for sport purpose, and duck’s flesh is the main target for some duck hunters.

Have you ever hunting? Hunting for what animals? Deer, duck or what? 

Have you Tried to Drink Chai Tea? - Food Variety 11

 

Fig 01- Chai tea also for lip balm, just for illustration

Sure, there are plenty of tea’s brand, but Lipton is a tea brand which always in my mind.

I drink tea every day, hot tea in the colder seasons (fall, winter and spring), and iced tea during hot summer.

Depend on the sources of readings, it is said that there are at least 6 types of teas (Science Learning Hub, 2013). They are:

- black

- green

- white

- yellow

- oolong

- post-fermented

As far as I remember, I mainly drink black and green tea of Lipton. In addition to colors, the processing steps could produce tea variations in terms of form and taste.

Fig 02- Chai tea ingredients for lip balm, illustration

In respect to countries, there are four well known countries of tea productions and traditions:

- Japan (Macha tea)

- China

- India (Darjeeling tea)

- UK (English breakfast tea)

Fig 03- Icy leaves, just for illustration.

In addition, China has many different types of teas:

- black tea

- green tea

- Oolong

- White tea

- Pu Erh

- Biluochun

- Longjing tea.

Chai tea is a beverage tea comes from India. A kind of milk tea, black tea boiled in the milk with spices flavor. The spices and sweetened may include:

- star anise

- cardamom

- cinnamon

- sugar

- honey

The tea is believed has many health benefits such as:

- reduce stress

- regulate cholesterol

- improve digestion

- and even to prevent cancer.

Do you have specific favorite of tea? What kind of tea?

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Can We Find Flesh Eating Bacteria in Swimming Pool? - Microorganisms 2

 

Pond and fountain, just for illustration

Flesh eating bacteria caused infection called as Necrotizing fasciitis, infection on tissues under our skin.

Infections of bacteria may lead to:

- partly tissues are died

- amputations

- death in very rare cases

The bacteria are included in group of Streptococcus, and they are found in a quite wide range environment of:

- freshwater

- brackish water

- marine water

The Streptococcus bacteria are well known to cause diseases relate to:

- soft tissue infections

- skin diseases

- strep throat

A backyard, illustration only

The question, then: Can We Find Flesh Eating Bacteria in Swimming Pool?

The answer is YES.

It is because swimming pool generally use freshwater. One of common places for flesh eating bacteria.

Thus, bacteria can live in many freshwater environments such as:

- a lake

- a river

- water parks

- might be in the hot tubs

How to avoid flesh eating bacteria?

Simple answer is that just avoid to swim if we have scrapes or open cut on our skin. Using waterproof bandages might be helpful.

Take care! 

Icy in my Neighborhood during Recently Snow Storm

Fig 01- Snow in the jogging track area

Hundred millions people across America have experienced “deadly” snow storm. Temperature below zero Celsius degree during second week of February 2021.

Almost all southern states to brace more icy and frigid temperature than normal February each year, the states include:

- Texas

- Louisiana

- Mississippi

- Alabama.

Our city, Baton Rouge, temperature reached -8 C (18 F) degree. This is our first time experienced to face lower temperature in the Southern state.

The storm caused several problems in our neighborhood and city:

- power outage

- no water supply

- roads block

- grocery stores are closed

Fig 02- Ice on all branches of tree

Many our neighbors have no electricity more than 50 hours since Monday, 15 February 2021.

Fig 03- Branches fall down on the street.

No signs of light until Wednesday afternoon, 17 February 2021. We don’t know until when.

Few neighbors had to leave because it was too cold inside and they don’t have a fire place inside their houses.

Since our neighborhoods have different grids, we and several neighbors are lucky to have light and water supply during snow storms and until today.

How about with your cities? Have your cities snow storm?

Can Johnson & Johnson’s Vaccine Contain New Covid 19 Virus Variants? - Virus 37

Kit Kat Chocolates for Valentine’s day, just illustration

We have at least 3 new dangerous variants of Sars Cov 2 viruses (Covid 19) so far:

- UK variant, identified as B.1.1.7

- South Africa variant, called as 20H/501Y.V2 or B.1.351

- Brazil variant, known as P.2

As reported by BBC News (February 9, 2021), the scary facts that South Africa halted the employing of UK’s AstraZeneca – Oxford vaccine, because the vaccine didn’t effective against new virus variant (20H/501Y.V2 or B.1.351).

I have posted about AstraZeneca – Oxford vaccine compared to other two American vaccines, Pfizer – Biontech and Moderna vaccines. Please find at:

- Is AstraZeneca Covid 19 Vaccine Suitable for Poor Countries? - Virus 31

The good news that another American vaccine, Johnson & Johnson has “good” efficacy to contain South Africa variant with one shot only, after proved by clinical trials.

Effective rate of Johnson & Johnson single shot vaccine in 3 important places (regions):

- 72% in the USA.

- 66% in Latin America, include Brazil

- 57% in South Africa

Hence, a Johnson & Johnson single shot vaccine is “estimated” able to give protection against Covid 19 virus and its new variants.