Nature

04/08/2023

This week on nature

We will look closely at one of the commonest fruits around the world. Children and adults tend to love this fruit so much because it comes in various sizes, shapes and forms. Some love the fully ripe one which is very juicy and sweet.

Others love the hard crunchy form. For those suffering from acute constipation, this is one of the best fruits that can help alleviate your condition.
The seeds have also been suggested for use as a natural dewormer. We are talking about Carica papaya which is commonly known as pawpaw.

"The papaya (/pəˈpaɪə/, US: /pəˈpɑːjə/), papaw, (/pəˈpɔː/ or pawpaw (/ˈpɔːpɔː/ is the plant species Carica papaya, one of the 21 accepted species in the genus Carica of the family Caricaceae. It was first domesticated in Mesoamerica, within modern-day southern Mexico and Central America. It is grown in several countries in regions with a tropical climate. In 2020, India produced 42% of the world's supply of papayas." (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papaya).

"The fruit is commonly spherical to cylindrical in form, is 75 to 500 mm (3 to 20 inches) or even more in length, and sometimes weighs as much as 9 to 11.5 kg (20 to 25.5 pounds). The very juicy flesh is deep yellow or orange to salmon-coloured. Along the walls of the large central cavity are attached the numerous round, wrinkled black seeds." (https://www.britannica.com/plant/papaya)

"The unripe fruit contains a milky juice in which is present a protein-digesting enzyme known as papain, which greatly resembles the animal enzyme pepsin in its digestive action. This juice is used in the preparation of various remedies for indigestion and in the manufacture of meat tenderizers." (https://www.britannica.com/plant/papaya)

You can learn more about this amazing fruit from the following sites
https://www.britannica.com/plant/papaya
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papaya
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/275517
https://www.everydayhealth.com/diet-nutrition/diet/papayas-nutrition-benefits-risks-how-eat-more/

03/03/2023

https://www.modernghana.com/news/1215572/protecting-our-biodiversity-is-crucial-how-commit.html

The Editorial of the Wednesday 22nd February 2023 Edition of the Daily Graphic was about the protection of biodiversity.

18/03/2022

This week on Nature

Information from https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_sunflower

📸: Seth.

The common sunflower (Helianthus annuus) is a large annual forb of the genus Helianthus grown as a crop for its edible oil and edible fruits. This sunflower species is also used as wild bird food, as livestock forage (as a meal or a silage plant), in some industrial applications, and as an ornamental in domestic gardens. The plant was first domesticated in the Americas. Wild Helianthus annuus is a widely branched annual plant with many flower heads. The domestic sunflower, however, often possesses only a single large inflorescence (flower head) atop an unbranched stem.

Read more about this wonderful plant on
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_sunflower

16/02/2022

"Go to the ant , thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:
Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler,
Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest"

Proverbs 6:6-8 (KJV)

16/02/2022

07/02/2022

Be a warrior

It really pains when, through no fault of yours you go through suffering. For instance, being born to parents who are in one or more of the following conditions: poverty-stricken, abusive and irresponsible, could set you up, automatically, for a cascade of problems. The disrespect and emotional abuse can just set you up for permanent failure, even before you start your life. But, on the positive side of the spectrum, just the hatred for your impoverished situation and vulnerability could catapult you to the greatest of heights. Choose to benefit from the negative conditions. Rise above the pain, abuse, poverty, rejection, failure, disappointment, sorrow, loss and the hopelessness.

Now this is the point: irrespective of your place of birth or the conditions surrounding your birth and childhood, or what you have gone through, you can also rise to the highest of levels. You need hard-work, smart-work, determination, self-discipline, endurance, persistence, resilience, fortitude. You need focus and self-motivation. In addition, to ‘garnish’ your efforts, you need eyes that cannot and will not see the distractions, and ears that don’t hear the negative and denigrating comments. On top of everything, you need a large heart, a heart that can absorb a lot of shocks.

No matter what you’ve gone through, what you are going through or you will go through, always remember that it does get better. Yes! Nothing is permanent, not even pain. In the end, everything pays off. Everything falls into place. Yeah, and it is always worth the pain. It is worth the effort. Never give up dear friend.

It usually gets worse and worse when it is about to get better. Sounds strange, but it is what is. Maybe I forgot to tell you that you need patience too. Yeah, much of it. And, you need to trust the process and believe in your good self.

Finally, believe in the God who has said “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end” (Jeremiah 29:11) and “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there anything too hard for me?” (Jeremiah 32:27).

02/01/2022

Happy New Year lovely people. May we have a fruitful and blissful year.

30/06/2021

Twilight.....
Somewhere_in_Ghana

03/02/2021

This week on Nature.
Feature Plant: The African Oil Palm

Elaeis guineensis is a species of palm commonly just called oil palm (Khmer: ដូងប្រេង), but also sometimes African oil palm or macaw-fat.[2] It is the principal source of palm oil. It is native to west and southwest Africa, specifically the area between Angola and The Gambia; the species name guineensis refers to the name for the area, Guinea, and not the modern country which now bears that name. The species is also now naturalised in Madagascar, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Indonesia, Central America, Cambodia, the West Indies, and several islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. The closely related American oil palm Elaeis oleifera and a more distantly related palm, Attalea maripa, are also used to produce palm oil.

Read more about the African oil palm on
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elaeis_guineensis

23/06/2020

This Week on Nature

Madagascar periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus)

This beautiful flower has a lot of common names such as bright eyes, Cape periwinkle, graveyard plant, Madagascar periwinkle, old maid, pink periwinkle, rose periwinkle (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catharanthus_roseus).

Apart from its ornamental properties, this flower has a lot medicinal uses. According to the webmd website (www.webmd.com), "[M]adagascar periwinkle is used for diabetes, cancer, and sore throat. It is also used as a cough remedy, for easing lung congestion, and to reduce fluid retention by increasing urine production (as a diuretic).

Some people apply Madagascar periwinkle directly to the skin to stop bleeding; relieve insect bites, wasp stings, and eye irritation; and treat infections and swelling (inflammation)".

Please, kindly read more about this wonderful flower at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catharanthus_roseus, https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-637/madagascar-periwinkle, https://www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/16884, https://keys.lucidcentral.org/keys/v3/eafrinet/weeds/key/weeds/Media/Html/Catharanthus_roseus_(Madagascar_Periwinkle).htm

27/05/2020

This week we are looking at the coconut plant (Coco nucifera).

According to Wikipedia (2020) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coconut),

"[T]he coconut tree (Cocos nucifera) is a member of the palm tree family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus Cocos. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which botanically is a drupe, not a nut. The name comes from the old Portuguese and Spanish word coco, meaning 'head' or 'skull' after the three indentations on the coconut shell that resemble facial features. They are ubiquitous in coastal tropical regions, and are a cultural icon of the tropics".

The Encyclopaedia Britannica describes coconut as one of the palms with "[g]reatest importance in world commerce"- another such palm is the African oil palm (Elaeis guineensis).

We all do know the importance of coconut. What can beat the satisfaction derived from drinking coconut juice on a hot sunny day? It is soothing and invigorating- equivalent to the relief acquired from getting water from an oasis in the desert.

"Few plants are as versatile as the coconut" (https://www.britannica.com/plant/palm-tree/Economic-importance ).

Read more about the coconut from (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coconut and https://www.britannica.com/plant/palm-tree/Economic-importance ).

Thanks for reading and do not forget to like, share and comment.

This picture was taken at (Off the Accra-Takoradi Highway). Please find some time and visit . It's a lovely place to be.

20/05/2020

Our first feature plant is Ruellia tuberosa, also known as minnieroot, fever root, snapdragon root and sheep potato, is a species of flowering plant in the family Acanthaceae. Its native range is in Central America but presently it has become naturalized in many countries of tropical South and Southeast Asia.

Some butterfly species, like the lemon pansy (Junonia lemonias) and the mangrove buckeye (Junonia genoveva), feed on the leaves of Ruellia tuberosa.

visit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruellia_tuberosa to learn more....

Picture taken at DABCS, UG, Legon

Credit: Seth