Martins help people by eating ants, flies, beetles, mosquitoes, and other winged insect pests. In New England, English sparrows and starlings have driven most of the martins from their homes.
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Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Martin Birds
Martin is the name of several birds in the swallow family. The purple martin is the best known martin in North America. It is about 8 inches long. The male is a dark purplish-blue color. The birds migrate to Central and South America in the winter. They have been seen in summer as far north as the Saskatchewan Valley in Canada. Purple martins nest in colonies. They originally built their nests in holes in dead trees, but they now nest primarily in large, multi-roomed birdhouses built for them. Martins will return to the same birdhouse year after year. The female lays from three to eight white eggs.
Chief Massasoit
Massasoit was a chief of the Wampanoag tribe of Indians that lived in what is now southern Massachusetts and Rhode Island. He made a treaty with Governor John Carver of Plymouth Colony in the spring of 1621, shortly after the Pilgrims landed in America.
He agreed that his people would not harm the Pilgrims as long as he lived. In turn, the Pilgrims guaranteed to protect the Indians and their rights. Massasoit kept the peace all his life.
As a reward for the Indian's friendship, Massasoit and a number of his braves are said to have been invited to join the feast in Plymouth Colony on the first Thanksgiving Day. Afterward, the chief told the English: "The Great Spirit surely must love his white children best."
When Massasoit died, he was succeeded by his elder son, Wamsutta, known as Alexander. Massasoit's younger son, Metacomet, known as King Phillip, succeeded Alexander.
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Ancient Mastodons
Mastodon was an animal much like the elephant. It is now extinct. Mastodons first lived in North Africa about 40 million years ago. They spread to Asia, Europe, and the rest of Africa. Mastodons reached America about 14 million years ago and lived there until about 10,000 years ago.
Mastodons were related to another group of prehistoric elephant-like animals called four-tuskers. Mastodons and four-tuskers were stockier than and not as tall as elephants or mammoths. Early species had tusks in both jaws. Some of the later species lost the lower tusks. Others developed great, flat, lower tusks. These species are called shovel-tuskers. The mastodon's teeth were up to 3 inches wide and 6 inches long. Each tooth had four to six cross-rows of heavy enamel cones which the mastodon used to grind plants it ate.
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Mate Plants
Mate, also called Paraguay tea, is a drink made from the dried leaves and shoots of a holly tree which grows in South America. People make the tea by pouring boiling water over the leaves and stems. Mate has a large amount of caffeine and produces a stimulating effect. The plant had dark-green leaves 3 to 6 inches long. Its greenish-white flowers and small, dark-red fruits grow at the base of the leaf stems. Mate growing is a large industry in Paraguay, Argentina, and southern Brazil. Exporters ship large amounts to other countries in South America. Mate is sometimes called yerba mate.
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The Matterhorn
Matterhorn is a famous mountain peak in the Pennine Alps. It rises 14,692 feet on the boundary between Valais, Switzerland, and the Piedmont region of Italy. It is about 40 miles east of Mont Blanc.
The Matterhorn rises like a pyramid from the mountains around it. Snow always covers the upper slopes of this peak. Many climbers have scaled its steep sides. The first person to make the dangerous climb to the top of the Matterhorn was Edward Whymper in 1865.
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May Apples
May apple is an American plant that belongs to the barberry family. It grows wild in wooded areas of the eastern half of the United States. People often call the May apple mandrake.
The May apple grows in large groups or colonies. Its large leaves have 5 to 7 lobes. The leaves look somewhat like small umbrellas. They usually grow in pairs, on a stem about 1 foot high. A white flower grows on a short stalk in a fork of the stem. It is about 2 inches wide.
The May apple produces a small, round fruit about the size of a golf ball. Before it ripens, the fruit is green in color and has a bitter taste. If eaten, it can cause severe stomach pain. The ripe fruit is yellow and can be eaten. Podophyllum resin, a drug used to remove warts, comes from the root of the May apple.
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Mayflies
Mayfly is a dainty insect with lacy wings and a slender, forked tail that trails behind it in flight. Mayflies are commonly called dayflies because of their short lives. Adult mayflies live only a few hours or a few days. They do not eat and usually have undeveloped mouthparts. Mayflies actually are not true flies. A true fly has two wings. However, mayflies have four wings. Mayflies are also known as shad flies or duns. Imitation mayflies are used as fishing lures.
Young mayflies are called nymphs or naiads. They hatch from eggs laid in streams and ponds. A nymph breathes through gills and feeds on water plants. It lives for a few months to two years in the water. It then leaves the water, sheds its skin and becomes winged subimago, or subadult. Mayflies are the only insects that go through this stage. After a few hours, the subimago sheds its skin and becomes a full grown adult. Mayflies are most common in early spring, but may occur until late fall. The nymphs serve as a source of food for fish.
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