The first day of fall or as it is also called, the Autumn Equinox. This can be a very depressing time. Summer is over and School is back in. But I try to look to the positive notes of this time of year. The colours of the trees are beautiful, it's pumpkin pie season, and we're one step closer to Christmas. That's all I'm coming up with right now. So why do leaves turn yellow in the fall? This is caused by the breakdown of chlorophyll in the leaf (the chlorophyll gives leaves their green colour), so without it, the leaves turn yellow. Some leaves turn red because of red anthocyanin pigments. Nature truly is remarkable! And why is it called "equinox"? Equinox is derived from Latin (just like everything else) meaning "equal night". On the equinox all around the world there is supposed to be 12 hours of night and 12 hours of day. This is not perfectly true but that's the idea. Our autumn equinox in the northern hemisphere is the spring equinox in the southern hemisphere. Always an interesting thing seeing it from both sides of the spectrum. If you have anything else you look forward to during the autumn season, leave it in the comments below!
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After doing the macro shot of the raspberries yesterday, I thought I may as well follow it up with a macro shot of the grapes in my parents' garden as well. You may be thinking, you can grow grapes in Alberta?! (Or some of you who may think we have winter all year round across the country) in Canada?! It's true! This type of grape is called Valiant Grape. It's smaller than the average grape you buy in the supermarket but packs just as much flavour. Some describe it as tangy. My wife tried them for the first time this year and said, "They taste just like Welch's!". They are great for jelly, and to be juiced. We have pints of grape juice in our storage room. Just add a little sugar if you like it to be sweeter, and add a little bit of ginger ale, or sparkling water for a little carbonation, and you won't be able to stop drinking this stuff. Supposedly there are many health benefits to drinking grape juice, but I'm not going to get into that discussion. If you have your own garden, try these out next year. Make sure the vines have something to grow up on, and that they get plenty of sunlight. By this time next year, you'll be eating fresh grapes like a king! Raspberries. I think I could stop the article there from lack of adequate words to describe this wonderful fruit. This is one of my favourites. Growing up I can always remember picking delicious raspberries to eat, put on ice cream, put in cereal, or just add sugar too. There are many species of raspberries around the world. This came as a surprise to me but the three countries who produce the most raspberries are Russia, Poland, and Serbia. Raspberries are high in fibre, contain low amounts of sugar, and are a rich source of vitamin C. Be careful when picking them though. As you can see in the picture, the stems have thorns that can be quite painful if grabbed instead of the berry. If you get strategic enough with raspberries like my parents do. You can grow one species that produces in the summertime and another species that produces in the fall. This way you can have raspberries for months on end! Unbelievable sunset last night in Redcliff Alberta. One thing I miss about living with my parents is the beautiful view from the back porch of the sunsets. We were fortunate to see this one while we were there for the weekend. Just like when the moon goes red as it is rising in the east, the same effect happens when the sun sets. Particles in the atmosphere reflect the light different to cause different colours. It was the perfect afternoon for a nice walk down in the coulees. We were at my parents house for the weekend so I thought I would go for a walk down in the coulees that I grew up playing in. The cattails were ready to release their seeds. Cattails go by many names. In the United Kingdom they are known as bulrushes. In the United States they go by cattails, punks, or corn dog grass. They grow in wetter areas, usually along marshes, creeks, or streams. They can be used as biofuel to produce ethanol.
In countries such as Peru and Bolivia, local native tribes use it in the construction of rafts and boats. It can be used for bedding, and insulation in walls. They were used in World War II as a substitute for life vests for pilots. They would last for over 100 hours of buoyancy. |
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Hello readers! I'm Brian, an amateur photographer. I will be posting photos I take, reviews of products, and any tips I can offer to fellow photographers out there! I hope you feel welcome to read, leave comments, and create discussion! Check out other posts on my Niume account here: Brian Sloan Blog Categories
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