In 1898, the United States became embroiled in the Spanish-American War. President William McKinley, eager to assess the relative strengths of the Spanish forces and Cuban insurgents, wanted to send a message to General Calixto Garcia, who was somewhere in the mountains of eastern Cuba. Col. Arthur Wagner, head of the Bureau of Military Intelligence,…
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This is a very interesting time of year weather-wise. In November we experienced several cool days. Apparently the nighttime temperatures were low enough for the lychee trees to start to flower. With the last few nights in the fifties we might have a decent lychee crop in 2013. Hopefully the blooms will be a mix…
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Many botanists believe this tree is a hybrid between Bauhinia variegata and B. purpurea, and not a true species as its botanical name implies. The tree is sterile, so it does not produce seedpods and seeds. This makes it an ideal Bauhinia, unlike many other Bauhinias which are invasive. An individual tree was discovered in 1880 growing at a monastery in…
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The Gulf Stream is a fascinating geological phenomenon. A warm, strong, fast-moving ocean current, it influences climate from the Caribbean Basin to western Europe. Without it, Jackie Gleason could not have called Miami Beach “the sun and fun capital of the world.” Show biz aside, the Gulf Stream has also made southern Florida the winter vegetable capital of the eastern United States and Canada. At a…
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There are almost 900 Eucalyptus species in the world! Some are gigantic and others dwarf; some are water-tolerant and others xeric, but only one of them is native to the northern hemisphere. That species is Eucalyptus deglupta, the Rainbow Eucalyptus. It is found on various Pacific islands, including Mindanao (Philippines), Seram (Indonesia), Sulawesi (Indonesia), New…
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