Entries Tagged 'general' ↓

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When we talk about biodiversity, we frequently encounter strange-sounding or looking words that stand for the names of plants or animals. They are Latin words and the whole shebang is called taxonomy. Since Treasure Nature will be covering more stuff about plants and animals, let’s have a run down of the relevant topics.

According to my textbook on the history of taxonomy, a dude named Carl Linnaeus was flabbergasted at the old way of naming organisms which was quite disorganized, to say the least. So he thought of a way to classify all organisms so each will belong to a certain branch of the tree of life and will be known by a name that will be accepted and recognized everywhere. BTW, Carl was, and still is, known as the Father of Taxonomy but this cool chap officially started his business with nature at the age of 24.

He thought about using Latin for his nomenclature because it is a dead language. By dead, he didn’t mean anything that smell awful but something that won’t change in all eternity and from culture to culture. Carl had a bright idea but the only thing I hate about nature is memorizing her Latin names.

Every known and classified organism has 2 Latin names, much like a surname and a first name (in that order). The first name is the Genus and the second is the Species Name (BTW, species is both singular and plural). Officially, they are written this way… Genus species. A Genus is a group. Much like the family Doe, which is the Genus while John, Jane, and baby are the species name.

For instance, the domestic cat belongs to the Genus Felis, 7 members in all. They belong to the biological family Felidae. Remember, whenever we see the suffix ceae or ae, it means a family. Daisy the Curly Cat and Chica and Pumuckl are breeds of Felis catus, members of the sub-family Felinae and family Felidae, under the order of Carnivora.

For a basic idea on how this naming system works, let’s take a look at the confusing taxonomy of the vanda orchid. The Vanda belongs to the family Orchidaceae. That should be easy enough. The problem lies in the fact the the term Vanda is actually the Genus name of approximately 50 species of orchids, not counting the hybrids.

So when we tell a horticulturist we want a Vanda, we’d best expect a blank stare. It’ll be of no help if we say Tiger Vanda as many flowers of the Genus bears the markings. Besides what we call a tiger might be a kitten to another. Interested to know the different species of Vanda? Here’s a list at Wikipedia.

Did Carl Linnaeus simplified things?

Serena is a little girl who’s bravely fighting a monster. She has a rare form of cancer in children called
neuroblastoma. She’s been undergoing chemotherapy but the only hope of defeating the monster lies in the hands of specialists and equipment found in the U.S. She needs our help to raise USD250,000.00 for her treatment.

Please read her story here. If you got a few bucks to spare, her ChipIn page is here.

We can also help by spreading the word.

The series on biodiversity will resume after this post.

Please bear with this very short post. Treasure Nature was featured in Entrecard Favorites in celebration of Earth Day. Read all about it here. We know, it’s not a Pulitzer but we’re happy TN got acknowledge for blogging about nature and the environment.

Thank you.

We’ve been busy preparing for our local Earth Day celebration on April 22. We have caravans, tree plantings, and concerts. After everything was set, it was time to think about what we can do if we want to stay at home with the kids. Is there a way we can celebrate Earth Day with them? It’s a great time to make our kids be aware of our responsibilities as nature’s children.

Here’s a few things we can do to celebrate Earth Day with children:

1. Plant trees.

Trees symbolizes mother nature. April 22 is also the birthday of J. Sterling Morton, the founder of Arbor Day. It’s the perfect time to get the kids up close and personal with a seedling. They’ll also love “playing” with the dirt. Just remember to keep a distance from walls, leaky water pipes, and wells. Check out which trees thrive where you are here (U.S. and Canada only).

2. Watch FernGully - The Last Rainforest (Family Fun Edition).

I was barely out of my teens when I saw this animated film of a forest in danger of being cut-down by an evil spirit who took over some machines. Fun to watch with the whole family.

3. Finger painting.

Remember how fun it was to mess around with paints? Crayola has washable Fingerpaint that’s easy to clean off. Kids could learn all about our dear planet while painting trees, flowers, butterflies, and animals.

4. Fly a kite.

Flying kites has become a tradition for us every summer. We usually do it on a beach and the children loves the sand, sea, surf, wind, and the blue sky, all part of the Earth. Click here for instructions on how to make a basic diamond kite. Use old newspapers to make it even more earth-friendly.

5. Do an extended Earth hour.

Remember Earth hour where we turned-off all lights and electrical appliances for an hour? How about a whole electricity-less evening? Okay, except for the refrigerator and freezer. A candlelit dinner of salad, fruits, and nuts followed by stargazing outside or curled up in the living room with the kids listening to dad telling Johny Appleseed’s story.

Those are just 5 ideas to kick-start our imaginations. Love the earth and treasure nature for our future!

The Tata Group of India has unveiled the world’s cheapest car with a $2,500.00 introductory price tag. Time dot com has included it in the twelve most important cars of all times, alongside the Toyota Prius (the pioneering hybrid electric/gas run consumer vehicle with a hefty price tag) and Honda Civic (which outperformed gas-guzzling American rivals during the oil crises of the 1970s).

Experts are afraid the affordable price and mass appeal of the car will increase emission problems.