Completed in watercolor then put through digital software to enhance the colors. Windows, are openings in the wall of a building for the admission of light and air; windows are often arranged also for the purposes of architectural decoration. During early times, the window were filled with stone, wooden, or iron grilles or lights (panes) of glass or other translucent material such as mica. In the Far East, windows were made of paper. Today, windows are almost always filled with glass, though a few use transparent plastic. In Roman imperial times glazed window appeared, and fragments of glass in a bronze frame have been found in Pompeii. It is probable that the great windows in the baths of Rome must have been enclosed in some way, in order to retain the heat. The general hypothesis is that these great clerestory openings were filled, originally, with frames of bronze which subdivided the whole into small areas, each of which held a pane of glass. Most likely, glazed windows were very exceptional in Roman times; marble, mica, and shell were most often used to fill window openings.
There are more than 12,000 species of ants all over the world. An ant can lift 20 times its own body weight. If a child was as strong as an ant, she would be able to pick up a car. Some queen ants can live for many years and have millions of babies. Ants don’t have ears. Ants “hear” by feeling vibrations in the ground through their feet. When ants fight, it is usually to the death. When foraging, ants leave a pheromone trail so that they know where they’ve been. Queen ants have wings, which they shed when they start a new nest. Ants don’t have lungs. Oxygen enters through tiny holes all over the body and carbon dioxide leaves through the same holes. When the queen of the colony dies, the colony can only survive a few months. Queens are rarely replaced and the workers are not able to reproduce.
Depending on the type of ant, will determine their preference for food. Ants need food for fuel just like humans, and require a diet of proteins, carbs and lipids in varying quantities. Sugar ants are after that sugar , where big-headed ants go for protein and fats if they’re available. Have you ever wondered why ants are so attracted to your old soda cans? Biologically speaking, all animals, including us, are driven to consume sugar because it is a calorie-dense food source. Since ants are such hard workers they need calorie-rich food in order to move about continuously in service of their queen. Sugar is basically an edible form of energy, so ants recognize this about sugar that is why they exploit any sugar-source as much as they can. Sugar, honey and some other sweeteners will provide an ant with enough energy go about its busy day. Ants are also well known for carrying around giant food particles that are often heavier than they are, but ants prefer to carry around sugar particles because they are so lightweight. To an ant, sugar particles are the preferred food to be hauling around.
Below are a few common ants and their food preference.
Carpenter ants — Carpenter ants have a reputation for eating wood, but they don’t actually eat cellulose. They nest inside wood, hollowing it out in the process. They prefer sweet foods like honeydew (a sugary liquid secreted by aphids), but will also eat other insects and flesh from dead animals.
Fire ants — These biting and stinging ants may seem like carnivores. These are the ants that sometimes take a little nip at you. However they eat seeds and sugars as well as meat and fat.
Pavement ants — These swarming ants eat just about anything around. You might see them hauling away a wad of candy, piece of wood or chewing gum.
Pharaoh ants — These small ants also eat almost anything.
Thief ants — These tiny ants are also called grease ants because they prefer meat, fat and oil.
Hopefully you’ve enjoyed learning about ants! Thanks for looking!
Painted in watercolor. I originally started this as an apple, but then realized that it’s shape and color resembles a tomato. Either way, tomatoes are botanically defined as fruits because they form from a flower and contain seeds. Still, they’re most often utilized like a vegetable in cooking. In fact, the US Supreme Court ruled in 1893 that the tomato should be classified as a vegetable on the basis of its culinary applications. It’s not uncommon for culinary practices to blur the lines of scientific definitions of what constitutes a fruit or a vegetable. Many plants that are considered to be vegetables are actually fruits.
For all intents and purposes, tomatoes are both. If you’re talking to a farmer or gardener, they’re fruits. If you’re talking to a chef, they’re a vegetable. They say there are over 10,000 varieties of tomatoes in different shades of red, green and even purple. With countless varieties and a range of delicious flavor profiles, there’s no question that tomatoes are the perfect addition to just about any dish. Tomatoes are extremely versatile and are great for grilling, roasting, sautéing—even on their own as a healthy snack. Whether it’s a meaty Beefsteak or a small but snappy cherry tomato, adding these antioxidant powerhouses to your meal can add a much-needed burst of flavor.
When choosing tomato varieties, it’s also important to consider how you plan to use the fruit. Do you prefer eating tomatoes in salads? Are you planning to cook vats of your grandma’s secret tomato sauce recipe? Or maybe you like to use tomatoes in lots of ways—snacking on them fresh, grilling them on kebabs, slicing them to star in the perfect tomato sandwich.
Salad/snacking tomatoes are bite-sized cherry or grape tomatoes like Sweet Million, Sun Sugar and Tami G. Grape. These make perfect additions to salads, kebabs, or frittatas. Or just eat them straight from the vine!
Slicing tomatoes are medium to extra large, round, juicy tomatoes, where a slice fits perfectly on a sandwich. These include humongous beefsteak tomatoes like Red Beefsteak, German Johnson or the moderately sized Rutgers and Earlybird.
Sauce/paste tomatoes are meaty and dense, making them ideal for sauces and pastes. Popular varieties include Roma. San Marzano and Heinz Super R.
Either way, I’ll let you determine if my painting is an apple or tomato! I prefer it to be an apple :), but I sure learned quite alot about tomatoes in researching my other favorite fruit!
chanzenbacher Sisters Fine Arts – Canvas
