May 22, 2011

Metallura primolinus

MOAT MOUNTAIN INTERVALE, NEW HAMPSHIRE

SIEGE OF CHARLESTON CHARGE OF THE TWENTY-FOURTH MASSACHUSETTS REGIMENT UPON THE REBEL RIFLE-PITS, AUGUST 26, 1863

The Union blockage of Charleston began six weeks after the surrender of Fort Sumter to South Carolina and Confederate forces.  That effort was bolstered, six months later, when Union forces seized Port Royal Sound and the surrounding area in South Carolina's Lowcountry. For most of the war, the front lines for South Carolina were in Charleston as Union ships attempted, and failed, to storm into the city's harbor, and small Union and Confederate armies moved and counter-moved and fought on the islands at the city's front doorstep. The Union siege of Charleston lasted 567 days, and, during that time, Charleston became the most bombarded mainland city in the history of the United States. Union efforts to take the city that birthed the Civil War did not end until the Confederacy abandoned the city as Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman's army laid waste to the heart of South Carolina.

THE SIEGE OF CHARLESTON -- ATTACK ON BATTERY GREGG, SEPTEMBER 5, 1863

THE SIEGE OF CHARLESTON -- SOLDIERS EXPLODING TORPEDOES BY THROWING PIECES OF SHELL ON THEM

THE SIEGE OF CHARLESTON -- EXPLOSION OF THE MAGAZINE AT FORT MOULTRIE

AMAZONAS DESERT

PART ONE

The genus Lewisia, has been an object of lifelong fascination for botanists, wildflower enthusiasts, and rock gardeners the world round. Discovered on the famous Lewis and Clark expedition, the genus holds an incomparably high place in the history of western American exploration, proudly bearing the name of explorer Meriwether Lewis.

Lewisia rediviva by Walter Hood Fitch, from Curtis's Botanical Magazine, 1863

With lewisias, as with most things, it is best to start at the beginning, which is the afternoon of May 4, 1804.  On this day, a military party of exploration left Saint Louis, Missouri, under the leadership of captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. An important part of Lewis and Clark's task was the collection of natural specimens, including plants. In August 1805, on the upper reaches of the Missouri, Lewis had his first taste of roots that were new to him:  brittle, white, and cylindrical, they obviously had been stored for some time and were about the size of a small quill.  Earlier that day, the expedition's hunter had surprised a small party of Indians who had stopped to make a meal of dried roots, game being scarce.  They fled, leaving behind a parcel of these desiccated roots, which were conveyed to Lewis.  Leis heated them until they were softened but still found them "bitter and naucious to the pallatte, although the natives eart them heartily."

Lewis was not to see the growing plant until his return, when on July 1, 1806 he noted it near their old campsite at Traveller's Rest.  This campsite is situated on the Bitterroot River near the village of Lolo in Missoula County, Montana, where Lolo Creek flows eastward from the Rocky Mountains but still to the west of their summit, at approximately 3,400 feet elevation, in a broad, sandy valley amid the granitic mountains now known as the Bitterroot Range.

BITTERROOT Lewisia rediviva Ann Telling Photo

MONT SAINT VICTOIRE

The Call duck is the smallest breed of domestic duck, weighing only 1-1/2 pounds.  Call ducks are very popular due to their small size and friendly nature.

Call ducks get along well with other poultry including other ducks, chickens, turkeys, etc.  Call ducks are also known as the "toy" duck.

Cape Shell call duck

Female apricot-type call duck

Who brought the first eggplants to the United States? ??? PASS YOUR MOUSE OVER THE QUESTION MARKS FOR THE ANSWER!

ONE HUNDRED FAMOUS VIEWS OF EDO (TOKYO) NUMBER FIFTY-FOUR

BENKEI MOAT FROM SOTO-SAKURADA TO KOJIMACHI

This broad, gently curving stretch of water is still one of the most impressive reaches of the great inner moat of Edo Castle.  Now known as Sakurada Moat, it was called Benkei Moat in Hiroshige's day. The impressive red-gated mansion to the upper left is that of Ii Naosuke, lord of Hikone and one of the shogun's closest political advisers. The transition from Edo to Tokyo did not alter the official quality of this vista.  From the same viewpoint today, in front of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Office, one sees the site of the Ii mansion now occupied by a park containing the Parliamentary Museum; to the left looms the Diet Building.  The various daimyo mansions that appear in the distance here were military facilities before the war; today they house the Supreme Court and the National Theater.

Melody Gipsy	New Orleans

PORCELAIN FISHERMEN

AUTUMN ON THE HUDSON

121st F-100 Fighter Jets

121st F-86-H

SAGEBRUSH BUTTERCUP

The sagebrush buttercup is one of spring's first arrivals, often blooming in February.  Frequently growing beneath large shrubs such as sagebrush or bitterbrush, the bright-yellow, shiny petals of the flowers contrast sharply with the dark-green, fleshy-lobed leaves.  The attractive flowers usually exceed one inch in diameter with five (occasionally four, six, or seven) very bright, waxy-shiny, yellow petals.  There are usually several stems that grow erect up to six inches tall, with the leaves springing from the base. Buttercups are highly toxic.  The Okanagan Indians are reported to have warned their children never to touch or pick sagebrush buttercup and would poison coyotes by spiking meat with it.  Native people also squished flowers or whole plants on arrow points as a venom.

This workingman's drink supposedly originated in the 1890s in the mining camps of Butte, Montana and was served to minors when they had finished their shifts. It was then known as the "Sean O'Farrell." Soon bartenders all over the U.S. were serving this drink under another name. Can you guess the new name of this popular drink? Hints: Myrna Loy drinks a few of these in the movie 'Airport 1975,' and the Purdue University Football and Basketball teams also carry this name. ??? PASS YOUR MOUSE OVER THE QUESTION MARKS FOR THE ANSWER!

DISCLAIMER: Material used in Bitts and Bytes is gathered from various sources--mainly the World Wide Web.   Authorship cannot always be credited nor the source defined.   Authenticity of material is assumed to be correct, but is not guaranteed.