Fun Friday Insects: The Hummingbird Moth

Welcome back to Fun Friday at Blogging for Fun. This is our first topic of the new year, and we are doing insects. Any insect of your choosing.

Watch the video below and tell me if that looks like a moth? A moth is an insect but that looks like a hummingbird. It is a hummingbird moth! Did you know there was any such thing? I didn't, matter of fact I might have seen these and didn't even know it wasn't a hummingbird. I do have to say they have fatter bodies than a regular hummingbird.

Facts about the Hummingbird Moth:

- Most moths only come out at night. The Hummingbird Moth is seen on clear, sunny days.
- Hummingbird Moths grow up to two inches long with brown bodies and red stripes. Though there are some that look like bumblebees in their coloring, and I saw one with polka dot wings like a ladybug.
- Mating habits: After mating the female moth lays her eggs on host plants. When the caterpillars hatch they are yellowish green with darker green lines, reddish spots on their sides, and a long yellow tail.
- When the caterpillar is fully grown it crawls down into the soil and creates a cocoon. If it is early in the season, when the cocoon is formed, the caterpillar will hatch in a few weeks. If it is closer to Fall the cocoon will stay in pupa form until the Spring.
- As their name would imply, Hummingbird moths feed on the nectar of plants, just like a hummingbird. They especially like Honeysuckle, Red Clover, blueberry, blackberries, roses, and thistles.
- The proboscis is the technical term for the long mouth like part that they eat the nectar with. They actually keep it rolled up in a ball like structure until they are ready to use it.
- Hummingbird moths do have a few known predators such as birds, spiders, bats, and anything else that might find a moth or hummingbird tasty.

If you would like to join in on our Fun Friday topics, go to the left hand column of this blog, and use the sign up box to join Blogging For Fun.

The Return Of Fun Friday

I know today is not Friday, but I am posting this today so anyone who wants to get in can. Every Friday, starting this Friday, my Blogging For Fun Group does a group post. Only those who want to participate do. This week is the first week, and I decided to make the topic insects. Now you can write about insects in whatever way you want. I am going to pick one from this very cool video about some strange, and wonderful insects. I had no idea there were so many weird bugs in this world. If you want to join our Blogging For Fun group, there is a sign up box right over there in the left hand column. Just type in your email address and it will take you to the group homepage. After you sign up you can add up to three blogs using the links section. We are always looking for new, active members. Members support each other by visiting, commenting, following, tweeting, or other ways we can think of.

School starts next week, so I am kind of crazy busy this week.

Fun Friday The Christmas Tree

This is our last week of Fun Friday at Blogging For Fun, and I have saved my most favorite tree for last. The Christmas Tree, a symbol to me of family, heritage, good times, peace, and love. There are those who will the Christmas Tree is sinful, which it does originate in Pagan traditions who worshiped the trees as part of their belief system. However the Christmas Tree has bloomed into something so much more in our lives. My mother was not wealthy when we were children, but Christmas was always special. She absolutely loved Christmas and is extremely religious. The decorating of the tree started on Thanksgiving, and is a tradition I carry with my children to this day. There was both religious, and secular symbols of Christmas in my childhood home, as there is today. Santa Claus was not fictional but a magical person who loved children, and wanted to be sure they all got something on such a blessed day. My mother played Santa Claus for many years to many a children without ever blinking an eye. Our tree was decorated with handmade ornaments made from love, not store bought, many of which I still have today and decorate my own tree with. The Christmas Tree will always be a special symbol to me, my children, and my family. To learn about the history of the Christmas Tree, check out the video below.

Fun Friday: The Orange Tree

Well I forgot to do a post yesterday, and now I am having blogger's guilt LOL. I usually only forego the posts on Saturdays. Our evaluations have been pushed back a week due to the evaluators needs. That is OK because I haven't decided yet what I want to put in the portfolio. Gives me more time.

Today is Friday, so that means it is Fun Friday time at Blogging For Fun. We are working on an eight week tree meme, and this is week six. As you can see I picked the Orange Tree this week. Here in Florida, mostly South Florida where it very rarely goes below freezing, oranges are a huge part of the economy. The tree is a flowering tree, that is quite beautiful to the eye, and sense of smell when in bloom. Orange trees can become quite large, and are prone to a disease called canker which the trees must be treated for, or the trees die, and also can infest a whole orchard if not treated. Oranges actually originated in Southern Asia. They can grow to about ten meters tall. There are many different types of oranges with Navel being probably the most well known, and then Valencia next. US is not the top orange producer in the world, Brazil is, with the US coming in second, and Mexico third. Brazil actually harvests twice as many oranges in a year as the US does. Oranges are very acidic, and some people can not tolerate eating too many at once.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Fun Friday, and a splendid weekend.

Fun Friday: Banana Trees

I don't have any banana trees, but I really want one. We eat a lot of bananas, and it would be great to just go pick one in my yard, rather than the grocery store. It is on my long list of things I want, and need. OK maybe not need, just want LOL. Sorry for the short post but we are off to Chuck E Cheese today, and I have a ton to do before we go. I hope everyone has a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend. Ta Ta for now.

Fun Friday: Crape Myrtle Tree

Today is Fun Friday at my Blogging For Fun group. We are on week four of or tree meme, and I have been focusing on trees that grow in Florida. When we first moved to Florida I would see the most peculiar looking tree. It was very tall growing well above roof tops, with beautiful pink flowers only at the very top. Very odd looking indeed. So when I saw some planted at my place of employment I asked what they were. I was told they were Crape Myrtles. So I had to know why do they grow so tall, and only flower at the top. There are different kinds, like any tree. With proper pruning you can encourage the tree to grow out like a more normal flowering tree, with flowers on the whole tree. Crape Myrtles can bloom almost 50% of the year in some spots, until very cold weather comes in. They are a hardy tree, and is one of the most widely planted tree in the US, for decorative purposes. When we bought our home the previous owners had done an amazing job with the landscaping. We have at least three Crape Myrtle trees on our property. They grow the most beautiful pink flowers you can see.

Fun Friday: For The Love Of Palm Trees

It is Friday again, and that means Fun Friday at my Blogging For Fun Group. We are doing an eight Friday set on trees. Today I am talking about Palm Trees. Below are two awesome videos one has pictures of all different kinds of palm trees, and the other is a learn to draw palm tree video. Of course DJ will be doing it on Monday.

Palm trees pretty much grow only in the tropics. It must be very warm, and humid, and they will thrive. When we moved to Florida from NY, we knew we were close when we got to southern Georgia, and started seeing the Palm Trees. There are many different varieties of palm trees. Some grow very tall, and their palms stick out only at the top kind of in a ball shape. Then there are the shorter ones that are more poufy. We have the short ones, and only one tall one. I am not fond of the tall variety, but a woodpecker family has decided to call it home, so I could never take it down. It is my understanding that Date trees are a variety of palm trees. Here in the south very few decorated lawns would go without at least one palm tree. We have some other birds such as the cardinal that also like to use the short poufy palms to make their nests.

Fun Friday: The Magnolia Tree

Today is Friday, that means it is Fun Friday, at my Blogging For Fun group. We have started a new eight Friday series on trees. They can pick any tree they want, as long as they don't do the same one twice. DJ, and I will be focusing on trees that grow in Florida. I am starting with the Magnolia Tree. We have three of these beautiful trees in our yard, and they smell, and look beautiful. The pics are ones that DJ took last year, when they were in bloom. Here are some facts about the Magnolia tree.

* Magnolia trees are named after French botanist Pierre Magnol.
* Magnolia trees can grow in Asia, N America, S America, C America, and the West Indies.
* There are actually many different species, and subspecies of the main Magnolia species.
* The bark of Magnolia trees has been used in natural medicines to help cure anxiety.
* The Magnolia flower is the state flower of both MS, and LA, and MS is the Magnolia State.
* The Giant Leopard Moth uses the Magnolia tree as food.

Fun Friday Letter Z: Zandrite Color Change Gemstone

Today is Fun Friday, and we are at the end of our A-Z meme. If you know your alphabet then you know that means we are at Z. Since DJ wanted to do Zebra, I was unsure of what I should do. Then I remembered about this wonderful simulated gemstone called Zandrite, and my Zandrite comes with a story.

Six years ago when we were saving every dime we had, so we could move to Florida the following year, JTV had this new stone that intrigued me. Not only was it a 100 percent color change gemstone, but it was affordable too. If you know about gems, then you know natural color change gems are extremely expensive, and very rarely ever have 100 percent color change to them. This was the first time they had this stone, and were offering it at amazing prices, and it came with 14k gold earring settings, to make your own earrings. I couldn't resist, and I bought them. I wore those earrings almost every day for three years, I loved them. Then we got our crazy puppy, and he needed his nails trimmed. My husband, and I figured we could both handle cutting a puppies nails. Ha, while trying to hold him he ate the Zandrite earring right out of my ear. I pried his mouth open, and confiscated my earring. The setting was ruined, but I was able to save the stone. So I had two loose stones. I placed one in a ring, that I thought I had a picture of, but I can't find it, and the other is waiting to find a jewelry setting home. Zandrite is a man made, or simulated gemstone, it does not occur naturally in nature. There are two varieties the ruby by day, and emerald by night to simulate an Alexandrite, and a beautiful purple to cobalt blue stone, which is my personal favorite. The video below shows very nicely to color changes, and the beauty of this stone. If you were born in the month of June, then Alexandrite is your birthstone. If you can not afford, or even find, a genuine Alexandrite, you might want to look at Zandrite jewelry. It is really lovely.

Fun Friday The Letter X: Xanadu By Olivia Newton John

Today for Fun Friday we are doing the letter X, the most challenging letter in the alphabet. I chose to do Xanadu by Olivia Newton John. Watch her sing it live in the video below.

Fun Friday The Letter W: Water

Welcome to Fun Friday, at our Blogging For Fun group. We are back to working on our A-Z meme, and are up to the letter W. W is for water. Below you will find interesting facts about water, and some lovely pics my brother in law took, while here on vacation. Did you know you can go a long time without food, and still survive, but after 24 hours of no water your body will start to slowly die. We need water to survive, as do plants, and wild life. It is precious. If you would like to join our Blogging for Fun group simply use the sign up widget on the left hand column of this blog.

Facts about water:
1 About 70% of the human body is made up of water.
2 When you are born, almost 80% of your body is water, that is why babies dehydrate so easily.
3 If you drink too much water, too fast, water intoxification can occur. Yes, even good things can be bad for you.
4 You should consume at least eight cups of water per day. But did you know not all of that has to be drinkable. Most foods, contain small amounts of water that help meet this requirement.
5 Water dissolves more substances than any other liquid does.
6 About 75% of the Earths surface is covered in water.
7 In the US we use about 346,000 gallons of water per day
8 Flushing the toilet is actually the biggest consumer of water every day
9 By the time you feel thirsty, you may already be dehydrated, losing 1 percent of your water. Stay hydrated.
10 The initial weight you lose, when dieting, or exercising is water weight, not fat.

I hope everyone has an awesome weekend. Stay safe, and drink your water.

Fun Friday The Letter U: Umbrella Cupcakes

Well it is the second day of a complete soaking rain of a day, and it is Fun Friday. We are doing an A-Z meme, and we are up to the letter U. U is for umbrellas, how perfect for a rainy day. If you click the image, it will enlarge, and you will get an easy, and fun rainy day Umbrella cupcake recipe. They are cute, and simple to make. Your kids can even help with these, they are so easy. My kids love cupcakes.



So what about umbrellas anyways. Who made them, and why? I think the why is obvious LOL. They were used to keep people dry, and to protect them from the sun. An umbrella protects you from rain, and a parasol protects you from the sun. Umbrellas can be dated way back to Ancient times, even before Christ was born. There is no specific date for when the umbrella was actually invented. Lots of people today use huge umbrellas for shade at the beach, or on their back patio for entertaining. They come in a wide variety of sizes, colors, and of course prices. I personally love the vintage, and antique parasols that society ladies used to carry with them, as part of their regular everyday attire.

Want to join us for Fun Friday? Then simply sign up using the Blogging For Fun sign up box, on the left hand margin of this blog.

Fun Friday The Letter T: Topsy Turvy Tomatoes

Today is Fun Friday, at my Blogging For Fun group. We are working on an A-Z meme, and are up to the letter T. I am going to talk about tomatoes. I love tomatoes, and this is the time of year, when I start thinking about growing some. Those of you who have been with me for a while, know that my thumb is not very green at all. Last year I did better. I got one cucumber, maybe six tomatoes, and whole host of peppers. I bought one of these Topsy Turvey's last year. I was not optimistic at all. I did not put tomatoes in it, because I had already planted my tomatoes. Instead, I put a pepper plant in it. As I said, I had tons of peppers. I do have to say though, I might have given them too much sun, and could have gotten way more, if I respected their need for less sunlight. This year I am buying two more of these clever devices. I will put tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers in the three of them. These keep your plants off the ground, and not as easy for bugs to get, and eat them. I don't know who came up with this concept, but I love it. Here is hoping my thumb is ten times greener this year, than last year. I might even try putting hydrangeas in another, to see if it works.

I think we all know tomatoes are good for us. But in case you don't here are some reasons to eat your tomatoes.

1- Tomatoes contain Lycopene, a powerful antioxidant, that is well known for fighting off cancer.
2- There are tests being done that show tomatoes may help fight heart disease, and high cholesterol as well.
3- They are low in calories, and fat, making them a great addition to any diet.

Tomatoes are actually a fruit, not a vegetable, because they have seeds. They are versatile in the ways you can prepare, and cook them. I love a nice tomato sandwich, with just a little mayo, and salt and pepper. Or try cutting them up in a bowl, add some onions, cook and crush in some bacon, add mayo, and you have a cool refreshing summer salad. It is like a BLT without the bread, it is delicious. My mother calls this salad Grandma Snows salad. I make it all the time, in the summer.

Fun Friday The Letter R: Roses, and Respiratory System

Today is Fun Friday, at our Blogging For Fun Group. We are doing an A-Z meme, and are up to the letter R. So I thought I would share one educational, and one fun for the letter R. First is a 3D animation of the Respiratory System. They had some real technical ones, but since my kids enjoy them, I looked for cool, and simple. The video is 3D enhanced, and very informative, for a short video. Check it out, and learn why you breath. Next is a personal favorite of mine, Roses. I love roses, and can actually get them to grow. I really love all flowers, but roses seem especially easy for me to grow. When we lived 10 miles from here, in Levy County, I could not get anything to grow, not even my roses. Here in this town, the roses grow like crazy. I am not sure what the difference is in the soil, but whatever it is, it works. The video below are some of the most beautiful rose gardens. None of them are mine, but maybe someday. I have yellow, pink, and red roses. I try to buy a new one every year, in a different color. The largest is by far the yellow, which my children gave me for Mothers Day, two years ago. It is huge, and it was quite expensive, so I am happy it has lived all these years. Meanings of the colors of roses are unique to each color. Yellow: joy, gladness, and friendship, Red: Love, beauty, courage and respect, Pink: appreciation, admiration, gentleness. I hope everyone has a Fun Friday, and if you want to join our little group just use the sign up box, right above my Blogging For Fun blogroll.

Fun Friday Letter Q: Quarters

It is Fun Friday, at our Blogging For Fun group, and we are up to the letter Q. This is a hard one, with not many words that start with Q, at least that you can make a post about. So I am doing the 50 state quarters. DJ has been collecting them for sometime now, and only needs one more. For Christmas he got the book holder, and a whole collection of uncirculated quarters, the whole set. So now he will have two, when he completes the one he has been doing on his own. The video below shows all 50 of them, and what they look like. It is a fun little hobby for him, and he has taken a great interest in collecting other coins as well.


So what do you think you can buy for one quarter, in 2010? Here are the only ones I could find.

1- A gumball from the machine at the local store. I am surprised this is still so.
2- One token at Chuck E Cheese will put you out a quarter.
3- One bouncy ball from the same machine as the gumball machine.
4- Air for your car tires, though I am not sure it is not two quarters now.


That is about it, unless you know of some more. Please feel free to share, if you know of anything you can get for one quarter, in this day, and age. Happy blogging, everyone.

Fun Friday The Letter P: Playing With Pictures

It is Fun Friday again, at our Blogging For Fun group. We are working on an A to Z meme, and we are up to the letter P. Again, I could not figure out what I wanted to do, so many choices. I was going to do Pollination, and Plant parts, but I already covered that for school. Check out the cool videos in the archives. So I decided on Playing with Pictures. These are some funny pictures we have taken over the past few months. I am going to tell you what all these crazy pictures are.

1- No, your eyes are not deceiving you. That is my five year old sleeping in my laundry basket. I have no idea why she thought that was fun, but she did.

2- My two year old crazy lab mix, male dog. He is not camera shy at all, get right up in there.

3- We can't afford a real pony, so Caitlin has to gallop around the house on a fake one. I don't know who thought these were a good idea, but I think they should be hung out to dry.

4- My six month old crazy puppy doing laps around the frozen pool, probably to keep warm. Crazy is popular at my house.

5- My very frozen pool, with lots of algae, that is no more, with a nice shiny new one to take its place any day now. This is for all you who didn't believe me that it was frozen. I wish I had a picture of the snow, they got south of us.

6- DJ decided he wanted to paint a masterpiece on his own face, thank goodness it was washable marker.

7- My husbands idea of a classy haircut. It didn't last long trust me.

8- Since we have no snow, the kids made sand angels where the pool used to be. It is kind of hard to see with DJ's shadow in the way.

That is it for now, with my playing with pictures. We had to cancel our trip to the Medieval Fair, due to high wind warnings, and rain will be here any time now. It stinks, but my husband and I have another plan. It is always to have a back up plan when you have disappointed kids.

Fun Friday The Letter O: Orion

It is Fun Friday again, at our Blogging For Fun group. We are up to the letter O, in our A-Z meme. Every week I can not decide what I want to do, sometimes right up to the day it is due. Unfortunately this is an old habit from my school days. Essays, and reports were very often done at the last minute, because I could never decide what I wanted to do. I don't do well with too many options LOL. At any rate, I have blogged before how I have already started looking for the books I want for next year homeschooling. One of the books I got is a constellation book. We have been doing space, but in a hit or miss kind of fashion. Fifth grade we go into a lot more detail. Any way this book is cool, because it shows the constellations, but they glow in the dark. So when you take it outside to look in the sky, you can see them glowing in the book. Orion, The Hunter, is one of the constellations you can only see in the winter months, because it is blocked by the glare of the sun, in the summer. The video below is really, really cool, and short which always works for me LOL. You can see it best in the early evening, like when it is first getting dark, in the southern sky. I think Orion is the easiest constellation to find, though some people say the Big Dipper is. I personally love to learn about Space, it is so fascinating. No I didn't take the picture, but isn't it lovely? I hope everyone has a great Fun Friday! Thank you to all of you who participate each week.

Fun Friday The Letter N: Naughty Nurses, and The Nose Knows

No, there are no naughty nurse stories here, just trying to get your attention. Did it work? Today is Fun Friday at my Blogging for Fun group. We are working on an A-Z meme, and we are up to the letter N. Of course I have to pick, not literally, something medical related, the Nose. The nose is a very sensitive organ, and can detect smells that are lovely, and offensive. The video below is cool, and will show you the anatomy of your nose. Here are some interesting, and funny facts I found out about the nose.

1- Did you know that your nasal membranes, in your nose, produce anywhere from a pint to a quart of snot a day, which is usually swallowed and digested by acids in the stomach. Yummo!

2- 1/3 of adult Americans pick their nose. Gross I wonder how many kids do then?

3- When we smell the molecules carrying the odor arrive in the nose and bind to receptors on a dime-sized patch of tissue at the top of the nose called the olfactory epithelium. These receptors make connections with neurons in the olfactory bulbs, two cylinders located directly behind the gap between the eyebrows. From there, impulses are relayed to the brain's limbic system, as well as the hippocampus, which is thought to encode the information into memory.

4- Do you know how sinuses were discovered, I don't know if this is true, or an old wives tale, but a woman had a tooth removed, and stuck a pin in the hole. Why on earth would she do that. Anyway the pin disappeared, and she thought it went to her brain. However her doctor discovered it was just stuck, in grape like clusters of cavities, behind the face, aka the sinuses. This was in the 17th century.

Fun Friday The Letter M: Melissa, and Music For Homeschoolers

Today is Fun Friday, for our Blogging for Fun group, and our A-Z meme. We are up to the letter M, and I could not decide on just one thing so I am going to do my name Melissa, and some cool music sites for homeschoolers, or public school kids. A lot of public schools have either done away with music, or offer very little, to very basic music exposure. I know a music teacher, and she said that since they can not test for music, and therefore can not qualify for funding, that is one of the major reasons music is going by the wayside. By the way I have been thinking, and I have already decided what our next meme will be, after we finish the alphabet. I think you will like it.


So why do I have a picture of a bee, when we are doing the letter M? Well Melissa in Greek means bee. In Greek mythology Melissa was a nymph who cared for young Zeus. In English terms Melissa has been used since the 18th century.

I don't really teach music, because I have no clue how to do that. But, we do have a I can play piano, instrument, that helps them learn to play the piano. We honestly have not really had a lot of time for it this year, as I find other things are probably more important. Even Art, which I am a big promoter of, we don't always have time to fit in. I have found some cool websites, for homeschoolers, or public school children to use, to help in the art of music. I am sure there are tons more, but these are the top ones I have found.
http://funschool.kaboose.com/arcade/arts-music/index.html
http://www.homeschoolmusic.net/
http://www.danmansmusic.com/index.htm
http://www.musicards.net/
http://www.theviolincase.com/Flashcards/index.htm
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/edison/sfeature/songs.html
http://www.pha.oeaw.ac.at/Mechanical_Music/
http://plus.maths.org/issue35/features/rosenthal/index.html
http://homeschoolmusiccurriculum.com/
http://www.pfeifferhousemusic.com/curriculum.html
http://www.oklahomahomeschool.com/musicApprHSU.html

I must say I very much like the last link, and may try to incorporate this in at the end of the year, when we have completed most of our curriculum. We usually finish by April, even though we go to school until June. So this would be a great way, to fill in the excess time. My kids love School House Rock videos, too, most you can get online for free. They have helped especially with Language Arts topics. Hooked on Phonics also sets phonics to music, which has been exceptionally helpful in teaching phonics to my daughter.

Fun Friday The Letter K: Kids and Kyanite

Today is Friday, and that means it is Fun Friday time. We at our Blogging For Fun group, are working on an A-Z meme, and we are up to the letter K. Of course I had to include kids in there. What would discussion about the letter K be without kids? Caitlin did not really care to sit still, so it was hard to get one, that was not a little blurry.

Some of you read my jewelry blog as well, and know that I collect gemstones, and make jewelry. The piece shown is mine, but I did not make it. Kyanite is a gemstone that must be set with great care, as it is extremely easy to crack, and break. I have never been brave enough to try, and set one myself. A loose Kyanite gemstone, in good quality, is expensive, and not worth the risk. Besides I loved this ring. Kyanite can range from a blueberry blue color, to a purplish blue color, and sometimes with light blue streaks, usually found in the cabachon form. This is the only piece of Kyanite I own, so it is very special to me. It is in silver, and is surrounded by brown, and white zircon, which of course makes it more affordable than using diamonds. Kyanite can look like Tanzanite, Iolite, and top color blue Sapphire. It is very often included, and finding clean gemstones can take a long time. It has a hardness ranging from 4-7 depending on the way it has been cut, and faceted. Great care must be taken when wearing it, as it is prone to dings, and chips. Earrings, and pendants are more recommended than a ring, for this reason, especially in pricier pieces. It is actually one of the more rare, and exotic gemstones in the market today. The finest faceted Kyanite, comes from Nepal.