Bluemink (Ageratum houstonianum)

Bluemink (Ageratum houstonianum) is a species of plant in the Asteraceae, an annual herbaceous shrub, cylindrical stems, branching, and green or reddish, white-haired, 0.3-1 meter high, leaves oval to triangular, 2-7 cm long, wide 2-5 cm, green, serrated margins and white hairs.

A. houstonianum has bright blue or red or purple or white flower heads. Flower heads in dense corymbs. The flowers are thread-like and have fine hairs. The lanceolate bracts are narrow, pointed, serrated at the top and glandularly hairy.

This species grows to form dense colonies in grasslands, moist forest clearings and bushes up to an elevation of 1000 meters, prefers cool soil and full sun.

This plant produces a methoprene-like compound that disrupts the normal function of the corpus allatum in insects, the organ responsible for secreting hormones and making insects sterile. This plant is toxic to grazing animals causing liver damage.

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Subfamily: Asteroideae
Tribe: Eupatorieae
Subtribe: Ageratinae
Genus: Ageratum
Species: Ageratum houstonianum
Vareity: Ageratum houstonianum var. angustatum, Ageratum houstonianum var. muticescens, Ageratum houstonianum var. tipikal
Form: Ageratum houstonianum f. isokroom, Ageratum houstonianum f. luteum, Ageratum houstonianum f. niveum, Ageratum houstonianum f. normal, Ageratum houstonianum f. versikolor

Pohpohan (Pilea melastomoides)

Pohpohan clearweed ( Pilea melastomoides ) is a species of plant in the Urticaceae, herbaceous perennial, erect stems, up to 100 cm tall, succulent, square or cylindrical, enlarged in the middle of the internodes, bright green in color and forming colonies in the shade. P. melastomoides has stipules that are immediately deciduous or subpersistent, green or brownish and oblong. The stalk is 2-9 cm long. The leaf blade is ovate or ovate-elliptic or oblong-lanceolate. The surface is wavy, pale green on the underside, dark green on the top. The three main veins are central and linear. Rounded base, tapered ends and serrated edges. The inflorescences are paired, the male is a dense cyme paniculata. Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Tracheophyta Subphylum: Angiospermae Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Rosales Family: Urticaceae Genus: Pilea Species: Pilea melastomoides

Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) manufacture bubble-nets as tools to increase prey intake

NEWS - Humpback whales ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) create bubble net tools while foraging, consisting of internal tangential rings, and actively control the number of rings, their size, depth and horizontal spacing between the surrounding bubbles. These structural elements of the net increase prey intake sevenfold. Researchers have known that humpback whales create “bubble nets” for hunting, but the new report shows that the animals also manipulate them in a variety of ways to maximize catches. The behavior places humpbacks among the rare animals that make and use their own tools. “Many animals use tools to help them find food, but very few actually make or modify these tools themselves,” said Lars Bejder, director of the Marine Mammal Research Program (MMRP), University of Hawaii at Manoa. “Humpback whales in southeast Alaska create elaborate bubble nets to catch krill. They skillfully blow bubbles in patterns that form a web with internal rings. They actively control details such ...

Golden-armed mantis (Hierodula venosa)

Golden-armed mantis ( Hierodula venosa ) is an animal species in the Mantidae, winged praying mantis with females 65-75 mm long and males 45-65 mm, large but not the largest in the genus Hierodula and generally bright yellow with green and chocolate variations. H. venosa has a fully rotating head. The head is dominated by a pair of very large and brownish yellow eyes. The jaw forms a triangle. The back is very wide with thickened margins. A pair of long antennas. Wide wings with rounded tips, striped surface, thick margins, two small white plots on the right and left. The belly is large and jointed, curved downward, the upper part is completely covered by the wings, but partially visible from the side. The pair of forelegs are large and have three segments. The upper segment has rows of spikes on the front and back. The middle segment has a row of many spines on the back and a black tip. The third segment has a row of many spines, long, black and tipped with a long palm. The middle ...

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