Rain and dew

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In 1971, the song was popularized by British singer Steven Demetre Georgiou (born 1948), who performed under the name Cat Stevens. Today, he calls himself Yusuf Islam.

Bunessan hymns are named for the village of Bunessan, situated on the Isle of Mull, Scotland. In this village lived Màiri Dhòmhnallach (1789-1872), in English called Mary Macdonald, who spoke only Gaelic. She wrote her hymn Leanabh an àigh to a traditional melody.

The pictures above show silent rain and dew.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Clothes in the old days, for instance in the Iron Age, was not particularly water proof. The water must have been running down their back and chest. And the climate was more wet in those days. And there was more forest. Trees tend to open the faucet, sending down a shower. Entire lakes hang in the trees, ready to fall, and the forest floor is always wet. People were always wet.

And in an even more distant past, neither men nor women wore trousers. Swoosh! How the humid wind attacked them, making the skirts snap. Wet skins are pleasant, they stick to the skin. But when they dried on the hunter during his long absence, he wore planks and had to go home to his wife, so that she could soften them in urine and chew them.

Or think about a knight in armour in rainy weather, what a lot of trouble getting the rust off his armour.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today, Victoria Falls is situated on the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia, as the Zambezi river constitutes the border between the two countries. Although it is neither the highest nor the widest waterfall in the world, it is nevertheless the largest, with a combined width of 1,708 m and a maximum height of 108 m.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Common names of this species include dead-rat tree (from the sausage-like fruit, hanging in a long stalk – the rat’s tail), monkey-bread tree (the fruit is edible), and upside-down tree (the sparse branches resemble roots). The name baobab is derived from the Arabic būħibāb, meaning ‘the father of many seeds’. The generic name refers to French botanist and explorer Michel Adanson (1727-1806), who was the first European to observe the species during an expedition to Senegal.

 

 

 

 

 

The word umbrella is probably a corruption of the Latin umbra (‘shaded’ or ‘shadow’), whereas the word parasol is from the French para (‘to stop’ or ‘to shield’), and sol (‘sun’).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rainforests constitute the oldest ecosystems on Earth, some of which have survived in their present form for at least 70 million years. They are found on all continents, except Europe and Antarctica. The largest areas of rainforests are the Amazon Basin in South America and the Congo Basin in Africa.

The forest floor in a virgin rainforest is rather open due to the dense leaf cover of tall trees, which prevents the sunlight from reaching ground level. If a large tree falls, the forest floor below is soon covered in a dense tangle of vines, shrubs and small trees. In montane rainforests, the trees are much lower, and the forest floor is usually hidden by a dense cover of other plants, often including huge moss cushions.

Rainforests, as well as their incredibly varied flora and fauna with countless endemic species, are rapidly disappearing due to deforestation, as vast tracts of these forests are cleared by the lumber industry, or to create farmland. Rainforests once covered 14% of the Earth’s surface, but during the last 200 years, this number has dropped to a mere 6%, and biologists have warned that the major part of the remaining rainforests will disappear in the next 40 years.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

During a trip across Africa in 1980, we experienced horrible road conditions, especially in Zaire. This trip is related on the page Travel episodes – Africa 1980: An arduous journey across Africa.

In 1989, 1990, and 1993, I participated in expeditions to Tanzania, the aim of which was to investigate bird life in coastal forests. During these expeditions, our car sometimes got stuck on the roads.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The origin of the popular German name of these plants, Rapunzel, is rather obscure. The name was taken from a fairy tale, Rapunzel, published by the Grimm Brothers in 1812, which can be traced back to an Italian tale from 1634, Petrosinella, by Giambattista Basile.

A couple live next to a large vegetable garden, which belongs to a sorceress. When the wife gets pregnant, she notices a vegetable, called rapunzel, in the garden and starts craving for it. She refuses to eat anything else, so her husband climbs the wall around the garden to get some for her. However, during his next visit to the garden, he is caught by the sorceress. She agrees to let him take all the rapunzel he wants, but on the condition that the newborn baby is given to her. Desperate, he agrees.

The sorceress names the newborn girl Rapunzel after the plant that her mother craved. The girl grows up to be a beautiful child with long golden hair, and the sorceress locks her up inside a tower with no door and no stairs, and only one room with one window. When she visits Rapunzel, the sorceress stands beneath the tower, calling out: “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!” – whereupon she climbs up her long, braided hair.

One day, a prince, who is riding in the forest, hears Rapunzel singing from the tower. As he approaches, he hears the sorceress calling Rapunzel to let down her hair. When the sorceress has left, he calls the same words, and climbs up her hair. Naturally, the two fall in love, and after many adventures they live happily ever after.

So, what exactly has this magical vegetable to do with the genus Phyteuma? Not much, it seems. In the Italian fairy tale Petrosinella, it is parsley (Petroselinum). In the German version, it may be either Campanula rapunculus, which has edible leaves, or lamb’s lettuce (Valerianella locusta), which was commonly used in salads in former days. So why the name Rapunzel has been applied to rampions, is not clear. Although some species have edible roots, the wife in the fairy tale was craving for a salad.

Another German name is Teufelskralle (‘Devil’s claw’), referring to the bent-in flowers of some members of this genus.

 

Round-headed rampion grows in grasslands and open forests, restricted to sunny places on calcareous soil. In the Alps, it is found at altitudes between 600 and 2,400 m.

Other rampion species are presented on the page Plants: Flora of the Alps and the Pyrenees.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The lion is unique among cats due to the male’s mane, a large growth of hair around the neck and down the chest, and often a little way down the back. The mane makes a male lion look larger than he actually is, without the disadvantage of a larger weight, which would require more food. A large mane is a signal to other males that here comes a powerful animal that shouldn’t be challenged, even if the challenging male is in fact larger than his opponent, but has a smaller mane. The mane also gives some protection during fights among males, for instance when stray males attempt to take over a pride.

The lion is described in detail on the page Animals: Lion – king of the savanna, and an unusual nightly encounter with lions is related on the page Travel episodes – Tanzania 1990: Lions in the camp.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The role of Artemisia species in folklore and traditional medicine is described on the page Plants: Plants in folklore and poetry.

 

 

 

 

 

This species produces toxic compounds from its skin, presumably as a means of defence against predators, and possibly also microbial parasites. Unlike other salamanders, it is not depending on water holes for breeding, but gives birth to live young, which are terrestrial right from the beginning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The common name refers to the resin, which is extracted from it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This plant, which is native to temperate areas of Europe and western Asia, was formerly cultivated, as it is of high nutritious value.

In his booklet Chrut und Uchrut (in English called Herbs and Weeds – a useful booklet on medicinal herbs), from 1911, Swiss priest and herbalist Johann Künzle (1857-1945) writes: “(…) the root smells like a billy-goat. For this reason it is also called goat’s root or boucage in French.” – The word boucage is derived from bouc (‘billy-goat’).

In his Great Herball, English herbalist John Gerard (c. 1545-1612) writes about burnet-saxifrage: “A speciall helpe to defend the heart from noysome vapours and from the infection of the plague or pestilence, and all other contagious diseases, for which purpose it is of great effect, the juice thereof being taken in some drink. (…) It is a capital wound herb for all sorts of wounds, both of the head and body, either inward or outward, used either in juice or decoction of the herb, or by the powder of the herb or root.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our adventures in this park are related on the pages Travel episodes – Tanzania 1989: Memorable nights in the Ngorongoro Crater, and Tanzania 1990: Lions in the camp.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The generic name is from the Latin equus (‘horse’), and seta, which has several meanings, including ‘rough’, ‘brush’, or ‘hair’. The latter word can refer to the rough, silica-containing stems of these plants, but together with equus, the word means ’horse hair’. With a bit of imagination, a bunch of drying stems resembles a horsetail.

 

It grows in a wide range of habitats, including open woodlands, pastures, along streams and roadsides, and in other disturbed areas. It is a most troublesome weed in fields due to the vigorous growth of its very long rhizomes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Four species of this genus are native to northern Europe, all presented on the page In praise of the colour yellow. The most abundant of these species is common bird’s-foot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus), which is widely distributed in Temperate Eurasia.

 

 

 

 

 

Further west, it is replaced by two sister species, the red-backed shrike (L. collurio) and the isabelline shrike (L. isabellinus).

The generic name is derived from the Latin lanio (‘butcher’), derived from laniare (‘tearing to pieces’). Shrikes were formerly known as ‘butcher-birds’, referring to their habit of storing prey by impaling it on thorns and sharp twigs, thus resembling a butcher’s slaughterhouse. The name shrike stems from Old English scric, alluding to their call.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is distributed in a vast area, growing in the littoral zone, from eastern Africa eastwards across islands in the Indian Ocean to Sri Lanka, southern Indochina, southern China, Taiwan, and Japan, and thence southwards to New Guinea and Australia, and also found on most islands in the Pacific.

The wood of is used to make handicrafts, tools, and, in Polynesia, frames for swim goggles. It is also utilized as firewood, but the species has become rare in some areas due to over-collecting.

Previously, it was known under the names Tournefortia argentea, Argusia argentea, and Heliotropium foertherianum.

 

 

 

 

 

According to a French legend, St. Romanus of Rouen (died c. 640 A.D.) saved the country around Rouen from a monster, named La Gargouille, a dragon-like creature with wings, a long neck, and the ability to breathe fire from its mouth. In one version of the legend, St. Romanus subdued the creature with a crucifix, then leading it to Rouen, where it was burned. However, its head and neck would not burn, as it had been tempered by its own fire breath, so head and neck were mounted on the wall of a newly built church to scare off evil spirits.

In the 12th century, St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) spoke out against gargoyles, saying: “What are these fantastic monsters doing in the cloisters before the eyes of the brothers as they read? What is the meaning of these unclean monkeys, these strange savage lions, and monsters? To what purpose are here placed these creatures, half beast, half man, or these spotted tigers? I see several bodies with one head and several heads with one body. Here is a quadruped with a serpent’s head, there a fish with a quadruped’s head, then again an animal, half horse, half goat… Surely if we do not blush for such absurdities, we should at least regret what we have spent on them.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The genus Strobilanthes is presented in depth on the page Plants: Himalayan flora 1.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When the Europeans came to America, this species was unbelievably abundant in the West. However, uncontrolled hunting caused this iconic animal to have been almost eradicated by around 1900. Following conservation efforts in later years, it is now common again many places in the West.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The female has a very colourful abdomen, with yellow and reddish-brown patterns. In Japan, it is known as jorogumo, derived from joro (‘prostitute’) and gumo (‘spider’). In Japanese folklore, jorogumo is a legendary creature, known for its allure and deadly nature. It is often depicted as a spider, which is capable of transforming into a seductive woman to lure unsuspecting victims. (Source: jorospider.com/jorogumo-legend)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It grows in a wide variety of habitats, usually in wet areas, such as river banks, along canals, near waterfalls, in swamps and humid forests, from the lowland to elevations around 1,500 m, distributed from the Indian Subcontinent eastwards to Japan, and thence southwards to Indonesia, New Guinea, and northern Australia, and also some Pacific Islands.

In Nepal, young leaves are cooked as a vegetable, and they are also used as pickles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sundew and other carnivorous plants are described in depth on the page Plants: Flesh-eating plants.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This plant has an extremely limited distribution, found only in the eastern United States, on several locations in the Appalachian Mountains, North Carolina, growing on slopes in open forest, at elevations between 900 and 1,830 m.

The specific name was given in honour of two botanists, George Vasey (1822-1893) and his son George Richard Vasey (1851-1921), the latter collecting the plant in 1878. The elder George Vasey collected many plants in Illinois before joining the United States Department of Agriculture, where he became chief botanist and curator of the National Herbarium.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today, it is regarded as an invasive in many places, including South Africa, Brazil, Galapagos Islands, St. Lucia, Hawaii, and Taiwan. In South Africa, all trade in seeds and cuttings of the species is prohibited.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One member of this family is the colourful Rhynchoglossum notonianum, a shrubby herb found in the Western Ghats of southern India, from Maharashtra southwards to Kerala and Tamil Nadu, and also in Sri Lanka. It is easily identified by the bright blue flowers with a yellow base, and the highly assymmetric leaves.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One still rather common species is the black-bellied bustard (Lissotis melanogaster), which is widely distributed in sub-Saharan Africa, with the exception of rainforest and desert areas.

 

 

 

 

 

The prefix dog may imply that the fruits are of little value, having a bitter taste. Alternatively, it may refer to the former usage of dogwood shoots, which were sharpened and used by farmers as cattle prods, called dags. Skewers were also made from the tough and durable wood. In former days, oil from the berries was used as lamp fuel. Medicinally, they were utilized as an emetic, whereas the astringent bark was used as a febrifuge.

In 1991, the well-preserved body of a Stone Age hunter was discovered in a glacier in the Alps. Ötzi the Iceman, as he was dubbed, died about 5,300 years ago, presumably caught in a snowstorm. His arrow shafts were made from dogwood and viburnum wood. (Source: K. Spindler 1994. The Man in the Ice)

 

 

 

 

 

This dwarf shrub is native to Canada, Greenland, northern United States, eastern Siberia, Japan, Korea, and north-eastern China. It is closely related to the Eurasian dwarf cornel (Cornus suecica), which is also found in Alaska, British Columbia, north-eastern Canada, and Greenland. Where the two species grow together, they form hybrids.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unfortunately, its occurrence coincided with the Catholic Festival of the Dead, which takes place on November 1st and 2nd. However, this did not deter people from performing their usual ceremonies during this festival, including visits to cemeteries to honour deceased relatives, and an annual horse race in the town of Todos Santos, western Guatemala.

The pictures below were taken during this hurricane, which is further described on the page Travel episodes – Guatemala 1998: Country of the Mayans.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The popular name stems from the shape of the leaves, resembling the scalloped edges of a lady’s mantle. In Germany, the name Unser Frauwen Mantel (‘Our Lady’s Mantle) first appeared in herbal books in the 1500s. The leaf shape also resembles the imprint of a lion’s paw or a bear’s paw, giving rise to the folk names lion’s foot and bear’s foot. The name nine hooks refers to the margin of the leaf, which has often 9 lobes, with finely toothed margins.

The generic name is derived from Arabic alkemelych (‘alchemy’), applied to the plant in allusion to its reputation as a magical herb.

 

 

 

 

 

Flowers of this species have a long, pointed beak, which curves upward, resembling an elephant’s lifted trunk, and the lateral lobes resemble an elephant’s ears.

The generic name is derived from the Latin pediculus (‘louse’). According to an old superstition, louseworts could transfer lice to people and cattle, or, according to another belief, the exact opposite was the case, namely that they were able to rid people and cattle of lice!

Other lousewort species are described on the pages Plants: Flora of the Alps and the Pyrenees, and Plants: Himalayan flora 2.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Delphinium kamaonense is a striking species, distributed in the Himalaya, south-eastern Tibet, and south-western China, growing at altitudes between 2,500 and 4,500 m.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The gigantic leaves of this plant are often used as umbrellas. Its rhizome is edible when cooked for a long time, but the sap irritates the skin in your mouth, as it contains needle-like calcium oxalate crystals. In Hawaii, this plant is called ʻape, and they have a saying, Ai no i ka ʻape he maneʻo no ka nuku. (’The one who eats ʻape, will have an itchy mouth’), meaning ’There will be consequences for partaking of something bad.’ (Sources: S. Scott & T. Craig, 2009. Poisonous Plants of Paradise: First Aid and Medical Treatment of Injuries from Hawaii’s Plants. University of Hawaii Press; and M.K. Pukui, 1986. ‘Ōlelo No’eau, Hawaiian Proverbs and Sayings. Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Vietnam, a decoction of the plant is used for treatment of colds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The generic name, as well as a popular name of these plants, touch-me-not, was given in allusion to their way of spreading their seeds. As the fruit reaches maturity, a tension builds up inside the pod, causing it to ‘explode’ when touched, hereby spreading the seeds a considerable distance.

Balsam species are ubiquitous in the Himalaya, comprising at least 50 species, most of which bloom during the monsoon, between mid-June and late September. As if the monsoon rain is not enough, many balsam species prefer to grow beneath waterfalls to benefit from the humid air.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This plant is presented in depth on the page Nature: Invasive species.

 

 

 

 

 

The specific name is from the Latin acer (’sharp’), referring to its bitter taste. All buttercup species are poisonous, for which reason they are avoided by grazing animals.

Other buttercup species are presented on the page Plants: Flora of the Alps and the Pyrenees.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The intensity of the red colour of the flowers diminishes, as you move higher, and trees with white flowers are sometimes encountered near the upper limit of its distribution.

This species and other rhododendrons are described in depth on the pages Plants: Rhododendrons, and Plants: Himalayan flora 1.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pictures, depicting Central Asian honeysuckle species, may be seen on the page Plants: Himalayan flora 1, and the invasive Japanese honeysuckle (L. japonica) is described on the page Nature: Invasive species.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Guelder rose (Viburnum opulus) is native to parts of western Central Asia, the Caucasus, and most of Europe, except the northernmost and southernmost parts. It has also been introduced to North America and elsewhere.

In Ukraine, this species is a national symbol, and also an emblem for the concept of a young girl’s love and tenderness. (Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viburnum)

The name Guelder rose relates to the Dutch province of Gelderland, where a popular cultivar, the snowball tree, supposedly originated.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The generic name is the Ancient Greek word for fodder.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The bearded bellflower (Campanula barbata) is named for the long hairs on the petals. This species is common throughout the Alps, and in some eastern European mountains. There are also a few small, vulnerable populations in Norway.