VARIETIES OF APPLES (THE FRUIT—not the computer)

• apple trees originated in Central Asia and were introduced to North America by European colonists. 
• they are grown in over 90 countries (including New Zealand, Iran, So. Africa, etc.)
• largest producers are USA, China, Europe (e.g., Poland, France), Turkey, India, Russia, and South Africa.
• apple trees blossom in early spring; fruit matures in summer in late June to early July.
• Apples need a temperate climate with a chilling period but not below 12 degrees C. They thrive in full-sun conditions. They can be grown in “tropical” areas, but only at high altitude.

Classification of Apples:

    Order Rosales

    Family Rosaceae = the rose family

    Genus Malus

        Type Species M. domesticus [=“the Anna Apple”]--see Figures 1 and 2, herein.

                              

VARIETIES OF APPLES  [32 are listed here, but there are undoubtedly more]: 

Ambrosia: mild acidity

Anna (see Figures 1 and 2, herein)

Arkansas Black

Black Diamond

Black Limbetwig

Braeburn

Cortland

Crispin

Empire

Fugi

Gala

Ginger Gold

Golden Delicious

Golden Russet

Granny Smith: very tart taste but this apple is the lowest in sugar content.

Honey Crisp: sweet and tart balance but high in sugar content.

Jazz: New Zealand

Kidd’s Orange Red: New Zealand

King of Tomkins: A New York apple

McIntosh

Opal

Pink Lady: sweet and tart balance. 

Pippin: also known as the Newtown Pippen or the Albermarle Pippen. 

Mammoth Black Twig: closely related to the Arkansas Black.

Northern Spy

Rawls Jennet

Red Delicious = “healthiest” in terms of antioxidants.

Royal Gala: native to New Zealand

Rome

Sekai-Ichi (Japan): most expensive, up to $20 each! Grown at high altitude.

Spartan

Virginia Beauty

NOTES:

1. Several locales claim to be the “Apple Capital” of the World (e.g., Wenatchee, Washington; Adams County, Pennsylvania; and Winchester, Virginia). I am sure that other countries would tend to have different opinions on this subject. 

2. Do not eat the seeds of any apple because they contain cyanide, which is harmful if chewed in sufficient quantity.

3. Apples are prone to being cultivares (i.e., influenced by breeding techniques that are  implemented by humans).

3. Crabapples, which represent a type of apple, are ancestors of modern cultivated apples. Crabapple fruit is small (generally speaking, less than 2 inches diameter), hard, tart, and usually cooked and used in jellies and ciders, rather than eaten raw.  Online, I was able to find the names and images of at least 37 varieties of crabapples (e.g., Golden Hornet, Centinnial, Red Frosted, Callaway, Himalaya, etc.) but decided not to list them here. 

                                          _________________

Figure 1. Anna’s Apple tree with some ripening apples (in red). This tree is about as tall as a 1-story house.

Figure 2. Blossoms from the same apple tree shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3. An apple-seed sprout from a Pink Lady apple. The black-and-grayish scale (on the right side of this image) is in centimeters.

"RHINOCEROS RATSNAKE”

This nonvenous snake has a prominent, scaly “horn” on the tip of its snout. The exact purpose of this “horn” is unknown. The image shown here is via the Smithsonian Institution.

This snake lives is indigenous to subtropical rainforest of northern Vietnam and southern China. It lives at elevations of between 1,000 and 5,000 feet. It prefers to live near streams or lakes. It feeds on small rodents, birds, fish, or frogs. It is mainly a nocturnal snake. 

It changes color as its ages: hatchings are brownish gray. Then at about 1 year, they become steel gray. Then at about 2 years, when they become adults, their color is a brilliant bluish green.

Classification

Kingdom Animalia

Phylum Chordata

Class Reptilia

Order Squamata

Family Colubridae

Genus Gonyosoma

Type Species: Gonyosoma boulengeri

Note: This snake is NOT the same as the highly venous Rhinoceros Viper (Bitis nascicornis) that lives in Africa.

References

Wikipedia 2026

RHODOCROSITE, A RED/PINK MINERAL

 Rhodocrosite

This relatively rare mineral consists of manganese carbonate (MnCO3) and is a gemstone prized for its red to pink color with some white bands. It rarely forms large crystals. It is a rather soft mineral, however. On the Mohs Hardness Scale (1 to 10) for minerals, it scores at 3.5 to 4; thus it is rather delicate for jewelry (use care).

Figures 1 and 2, both from the Smithsonian Institution (open access).

 

Rhodocrosite  rarely forms large crystals. It occurs in the trigonal crystal system and commonly occurs in rhomboid-shaped crystals. Thus, it has typical calcite cleavage (i.e., rhombohedral). It forms often as a hydrothermal-vein mineral at low-to-moderate temperatures (e.g. in certain ore deposits).  It can co-occur with silver, lead, zinc, and copper sulphide ores. 

Rhodocrosite is mined in Montana (Butte area), Colorado, Peru, Argentina [= the national stone], Romania, and South Africa, and this mineral is source of manganese. 

This reddish-pink mineral is used in jewelry, and is also sought after by mineral collectors.

References

Berry, L.G. and B. Mason. 1959. Mineralogy: Concepts, Descriptions, Determinations. W.H. Freeman and Company, San Francisco. 630 pp.

Sorrell, C.A. 1973. Rocks and Minerals. Golden Guide Book. Guide to field identification rocks and minerals. New York. 280 pp.

“Reflection Bridge On Water”

This title sounds like the title of a painting, but it has been used for real reflection bridges. The most famous one is the “Devils Bridge” [also known as the Rakotzbrucke], located in Germany. That bridge reflection forms a perfect circle, which has been known for over a century, photographed extensively, and also used in recent TV commercials. For more information about these kinds of bridges, see “bridge reflections” on YouTube.

Getting back to the picture at hand, I recently discovered this image while taking a walk in a local-housing project that has water canals and a few, very small bridges. Nevertheless, the photograph I recently took is indeed a “reflection bridge on water,” although it is elliptical shape, rather than a circle, it is still interesting (if you care about these kind of things).

The Carpenter Bee

This bee, which is close to bumble-bee in size, is solitary and has a shiny black carapace (body) with thin wings that have a reddish brown sheen. It is known for drilling perfectly round holes into wood (it seems likely that is how it got the common name “carpenter bee”).  It is a solitary bee that hibernates during winter. Starting in late March, one individual showed up in my yard. A few weeks later, another specimen (same one?) showed up.   

This unusual bee is native to Europe and is one of the largest bees that lives there. It makes its nests in dead wood. 

Females have a stinger, whereas the males do not (they are harmless). 

It is restricted to latitudes near or above 30 degrees or so. It is found in Europe, India, central China, and southwestern USA (i.e., southern California. ).  To date, I have only seen two specimens, and they like
purple flowers.

Classification

Kingdom Animalia

Phylum Arthropoda

Class Insecta

Order Hymenoptera

Family Apidae

Genus Xylocopa

Type Species X. violacea (Linnaeus, 1758).

Two views of the same carpenter bee.

VULTURE

 KING VULTURE

This bird is a large scavenger bird with wingspan up to 6.5 feet. These birds weight up to about 7.5 pounds. They have an orange fleshy carbuncle on the beak. The rest of the animal is predominantly white (back and belly) with black wings. They lack a voice box but can make low croaking noises.

Figure 1. Image of a vulture via the Smithsonian Institution (open access).

This bird lives in tropical forests from southern Mexico to northern Argentina. It is non-migratory. They will just anything but especially like carrion (e.g., dead meaty cattle and dead fish). It can lives 30 years in captivity. They live alone. They can soar for hours over  mountains.

Classification

Kingdom Animala

Phylum Chordata

Class Aves

Order Accipitriformes

Family Cathartidae

Genus Sarcoamphus

Type Species S. papa

This species is the last surviving species of this genus. Their numbers are decreasing primarily due to habitat loss.

Reference

Wikipedia, 2026

THE GREATER “BEE FLY”

 Bombylius major looks somewhat like a furry bee but with a long rigid proboscis used for drinking nectar from deep flowers. Actually, this animal is a fly! Its proboscis is not a stinger. Unlike a bee, Bombylius has only one pair of wings that are held away from the body. They can rotate their bodies around a vertical axis; this behavior is called “yawning,” when applied to a helicopter flight option. Their body length is 6 to 18 mm and their proboscis is between 5.5 and 7.5 mm in length; thus the entire animal is less than 26 mm long (1.25 inches); which is similar to the size of a bee. 

Figure 1. Bombylius major, approximately 25 mm in entire length (body and proboscis).

This bee mimic does not sting, bite, nor spread disease. It can tolerate arid and moist environments.

This bee mimic is most common in England, Scotland, and Wales. There are several hundred described species of this bee mimic.

Reference

Wikipedia, 2026