Facts Concerning Poison Ivy By Naomi West

Poison ivy - also known as toxicodendron radicans - is a kind of plant that is considered to be apart of the Anacardiaceae family. Many of us learned about this plant while we were kids and were ordered to stay as far away from it as we possibly can. Those of us who did not listen to the rul soon discovered about the rash that it would stimulate and which would leave us in pain for a week.

This plant is not truly an ivy - but is a kind of a wooden vine that can to produce the liquid urushiol. This is a kind of skin irritant that causes the rash to come out on anybody who attempts to touch any part of it it. This rash can make the individual really itchy. It has to be dealt with particular ointments.

You can easily recognise the poison ivy plant by its well-known 'leaves of three'. Each of the blades are almond shaped and is the one characteristic that genuinely separates it from other plants. The plant will also have berries that are a gray-white color and which are consumed by birds during the winter months.

The younger plants will have light green leaves and as they mature they will turn into a dark green. The blades are between 3 to 12 centimeters long and will have a few teeth on the borders of it. Along the vine you will observe that the leaves are grown bundled together.

These plants will not be spotted developing in desert or arid regions. Rather they are ofttimes growing in the wooded regions. This is why they are oftentimes tough to spot because they have the ability to meld in well with the plants that fence them.

People find it very challenging to remove the poison ivy plant because it has the power to produce both sexually and vegetatively. The vines will thrust out adventitious roots or the plant will simply spread from the root crowns. The seeds has the ability to be distributed by the animals in the area after they have consumed sections of it and then had it come out of their system.

Knowing everything you can about Poison Ivy will help you to Treat it properly.

10 Things You May Not Know About the Northern Territory Saltwater Crocodile By Patricia Lilly

When you holiday in the Northern Territory, it is wise to check with Parks and Wildlife centres to find out where it is safe to get into the water. There are water leisure centres and tours to keep you safe from the saltwater croc. Visit a crocodile park or farm; they allow you to hold a baby croc. They are very soft and cold to the touch. Help feed the small and large crocodiles. Get some great photos. Read the following to find out what you may not know about the 'salty'.

1. A saltwater crocodile has 65 teeth.

Their teeth are sharp-pointed, inter-locking and are perpetually replaced. A single croc might grow up to 3,000 teeth in its lifetime. How amazing is that? A small bird hops right into the prehistoric estuarine Crocodile's mouth and cleans its teeth.

2. A saltwater crocodile swallows stones and pebbles

It is believed the purpose of this is to give them ballast when diving, and are often ingested to aid digestion - crushing food by a grinding action within the gizzard of the stomach. 'Kill two birds with one stone!'

3. A saltwater crocodile can and will walk hundreds of kilometers overland.

Because Northern Australia has some small, inoffensive crocodiles restricted to brackish or fresh water, most people think all inland crocodiles are freshwater crocodiles. That is very misleading. It can and has lulled people taking great risks in what are now unsafe places as they know the freshwater crocodile to be usually harmless,unless provoked. The saltwater crocodile starts its life in brackish or fresh water, and only travels out to the ocean when it is almost fully grown to search for new territory.

4. A saltwater crocodile can and will swim in from ocean estuaries hundreds of kilometers

They swim into freshwater tributaries, lagoons, swamps and rivers. Saltwater crocodiles have been known to live there for the rest of their lives. So, do not think that they are only in the ocean.

5. A saltwater crocodile has heavily ossified scales along its back referred to as the armor.

Their scales are the same substance that hooves and nails are made from; keratin. One of the main functions of crocodile scales is for their protection.

6. The saltwater breeding female crocodile will cool her eggs with water carried by her mouth to the nest or spray urine on them.

In the breeding season between September to May, the female builds a nest of a scratched up pile of rotting plant matter and mud or sand. She lays about 30 to 90 eggs and covers them with more of the same material. They are incubated for 3 months. The saltwater crocodile lays in the wet season and many nests are destroyed by floodwaters.

7. The saltwater breeding female crocodile will gather the hatchlings in her mouth.

When she hears the babies chirping, she digs them out of the nest and carefully carries them to the water's edge in her mouth. She will watch over them until they can look after themselves.

8. A saltwater male crocodile is cannibalistic.

Juvenile crocodiles are eaten by the territorial mature males. Even with the mother's care, only about 20% survive to maturity, as goannas, snakes, sharks, birds and turtles will eat them, also.

9. The saltwater crocodile has a strong muscular tail that it uses to propel itself forward

All the propulsion and steering comes from the paddling of the flattened tail.

10. Crocodile culling was last done in 1971 in the Northern Territory.

Saltwater crocodiles are now, unfortunately, becoming a public menace as their numbers increase. They have increased in the Northern Territory from about 5,000 to 80,000 in 38 years, and they are moving closer to residential areas.

Is it up to us to stay out of their way? After all, these animals held unchallenged dominion over equatorial wetlands and waterways for 65 million years after dinosaurs had gone.

It is the larger crocodile that breeds and it would be these big ones that the crocodile hunter would target. The Parks and Wildlife have taken many large dangerous saltwater crocodiles away from areas that humans also frequent. They have been known to return within a few weeks, unless they are taken to a crocodile farm. It has been said, by interested parties, that even if dozens of crocodiles were culled, how can it be guaranteed that just one crocodile will not come into a proclaimed safe area. It only takes one reptile to kill one person.

To cull or not to cull? This is the question.

Patricia Lilly holds a Diploma of Hospitality and has worked in the tourism industry for many years. Patricia is traveling around Australia, and as she is now in the Northern Territory, can pass her knowledge of this area on to you. Find out where you can visit a crocodile farm in Darwin. Hold a baby crocodile and help feed the big ones. Find Darwin holiday accommodation to suit your budget.

The Territory, Wild Animals and Plants of Nicaragua By Gustavo Zorrilla

Located in center of the American continent, Nicaragua is the largest Central American country. Nicaragua is home to very rich biodiversity, a truly stunning array of flora and fauna. There are forests of different types, subtropical dry forest, tropical rain forest, mangrove forest, wetlands, grass savanna and tree savanna. On the Pacific side there is mostly tropical dry forest and savanna. In the north, in the mountainous regions, there are cloud forests and pine forests. The two longest rivers in Central America run along the borders of Nicaragua. The Rio Coco (the longest at 680 km or 423 miles) runs along the northern border with Honduras and the Rio San Juan runs along the border with Costa Rica in the south. The Rio San Juan area has both tropical wet forests and rain forests. There are many miles of coastline and beaches as well.

The Pacific Basin is dotted with innumerable volcanoes, lagoons and lakes. The two great lakes are Lake Nicaragua and Lake Managua and there are also 15 crater lakes. In the middle of Lake Nicaragua, the largest lake in Central America and 21st largest by area in the world, is Ometepe Island formed by two volcanoes.

The climate (always hot) and the minimal altitudinal variation have created an environment where diversity has bloomed. There are about 250 species of amphibians and reptiles, about 250 species of mammals, 700+ species of birds, 640+ species of fish, 350+ species of trees, 12,000+ of species of plants (as many as 600 orchids alone) and perhaps more than 250,000 types of insects. There are many creatures as yet undiscovered in the wilds of Nicaragua.

Some standout species are the jaguar, puma, ocelot, tapir, deer, anteater, macaw, quetzal, harpy eagle, and toucan. There are diverse types of monkeys including spider, howler and capuchin monkeys. There are also many types of lizards and snakes, including boas. Plus birds, bats, frogs, crabs, spiders and crocodiles. There are sea turtles on both coasts and a species of shark, the bull shark, which can tolerate the fresh water of Lake Nicaragua.

All these species are distributed in the different biomes from the country. There are a number of protected areas with nearly 20 percent of the territory listed as protected. The Reserve of Bosawás is the third largest reserve in the world and has the second largest rain forest in the Americas after the Amazon. There are other vast reserves such as the Guatuzos and Indio-Maize Reserves and the central part of the country is sparsely populated. This has helped preserve the biodiversity but logging and deforestation are still a problem. Agriculture abounds in more populated regions. Agricultural products include coffee, bananas, sugarcane, cotton, rice, corn, tobacco, sesame, soy and beans. Animal products include beef, veal, pork, poultry, dairy products, seafood, shrimp and lobster.

In Nicaragua, locals and tourists enjoy volcano hiking, surfing in the pacific, diving in the Caribbean on Corn Island and wildlife viewing along the Rio San Juan and in many other parts of the country.

Ready for a visit to Nicaragua? Check hotels at Hotels Nicaragua or in the capital Hotels Managua Nicaragua