Green Iguana in St Thomas
HAPPY GREEN IGUANA DAY!
We’re celebrating green iguanas today! We saw so many while we were in St Thomas, so we thought we would post fun facts throughout the day! Checkout our twitter account: http://twitter.com/#!/EllieandEdmond and our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ellie-and-Edmond/254090144618348 for fun facts and pictures!
MAMMAL MONDAY# 18
Happy Mammal Monday! We had such a fabulous adventure last week, but we’re ready for a whole new week of animals! Be sure to look out tomorrow- we’re doing something special! Today’s animal is a cute prosimian! What’s a prosimian you ask? Well, they are primates, but they don’t have all the adaptations that monkeys and apes do! Prosimians include, lemurs and aye-ayes! Are you ready to meet this furry primate?
MEET THE GREATER GALAGO!
Range/Habitat: Central-Southern Africa/woodlands
Diet: Omnivore: fruit, tree sap, insects
Length/Weight: 10-16”/2 ¼-4 ½ lbs
Conservation Status: common
Fun Facts:
Wow, these little primates have perfect adaptations for a life in the trees! But you won’t see one unless you are willing to head into the woods at night. Is anyone up for a nighttime adventure? Bring your night vision goggles and let’s go!
FEATHERY FRIDAY# 17
We’re into brightly colored animals this week! Yesterday was Gold Frogs and today’s Feathery Friday bird is scarlet! These beautiful birds are pretty amazing! You ready to meet them?
MEET THE SCARLET IBIS!
Range/Habitat: Central America-Northern South America/estuaries, mangroves, swamps, marshes
Diet: Carnivore: frogs, crabs, fish, and crustaceans
Length/Weight: 22-27”/28-33 oz
Conservation Status: Common
Fun Facts:
Scarlet ibis are bright and beautiful birds! Just like flamingos they get their color from the food they eat! They’re so fancy that they’re the national bird of a country! Wow!
SUPER SURPRISE THURSDAY# 17
Have you ever seen a gold amphibian? No? Well we have one for you on this Super Surprise Thursday! Are you ready to travel to the mountainous rainforests of South America? Let’s go!
MEET THE GOLD FROG!
Range/Habitat: South America (Brazil)/mountainous rainforests
Diet: Carnivore: insects, small invertebrates
Length: 3/8-3/4”
Conservation Status: locally common
Fun Facts:
Gold frogs are teeny tiny. And who knew there were frogs out there that didn’t start out their lives as tadpoles? We didn’t know that! It so much fun to learn all about animals!
WATERY WEDNESDAY# 17
Sharks come in all shapes and sizes and we have a sleek coral reef dweller for this Watery Wednesday! So come meet this gray shark with colored tips!
MEET THE BLACKTIP REEF SHARK!
Range/Habitat: Indo-Pacific Oceans/coral reefs-shallows
Diet: Carnivore: fish, crustaceans, octopus, squid
Length/Weight: up 6 ½ ft/ over 99lb
Conservation Status: Near Threatened
Fun Facts:
Blacktip reef sharks are fast and sleek! They are very important in their coral reef habitats, because they’re apex predators (top of the food chain). Blacktip reef sharks look so sleek and smooth! Do you think they feel that way? Nope- they feel like sandpaper! Neat, huh?
REPTILIAN TUESDAY # 17
Reptilian Tuesday brings us a reptile that deserves respect and a lot of distance. Yes, we’ve found a very venomous snake that is beautiful as it is scary. So let’s meet…
MEET THE WESTERN DIAMONDBACK RATTLESNAKE!
Range/Habitat: Southwestern United States-North Mexico/desert-scrub-forest
Diet: Carnivore: small mammals, birds, lizards
Length: 3-6ft
Conservation Status: common
Fun Facts:
Western diamondback rattlesnakes are definitely a snake you should stay away from. They are an important part of the ecosystem though and are to be respected! Every animal has their place on our planet, cute or not!
MAMMAL MONDAY# 17
Happy Mammal Monday! Are you ready to meet a cute little animal that lives in the forest of Southeast Asia? This little animal is called a shrew, but it’s not actually a shrew. So let’s meet…
MEET THE PYGMY TREE SHREW!
Range/Habitat: Southeast Asia/forests
Diet: Omnivore: small animals, fruits, leaves
Length/Weight: 4 ¾-5 ½”/ 1- 2 ½ oz
Conservation Status: common
Fun Facts:
Wow, who knew a shrew is not really a shrew? We still have tons to learn about these little animals. Isn’t it crazy that we’re still learning so much about animals! That’s another good reason to make sure we protect these animals!
You know Dasher and Dancer and Comet and Cupid… but do you recall the most famous reindeer of all? That’s right it’s Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer!
Last week we went to the Center for Puppetry Arts here in Atlanta to see “Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer”! It is a live adaptation of the beloved TV special and we loved it! There are dancing and singing snowmen, trees, raccoons, bunnies and squirrels! Oh yeah, and reindeer! There’s a snow monster, misfit toys, a lion king and last but not least Santa! What more could you want in a puppet show? It a word, it’s fabulous!
We had a chance to interview one of the talented puppeteers from the show! And man was she nice! Here’s our interview with Allison Murphy who plays Rudolph and Mrs. Claus.
Us: What’s it like playing a reindeer?
Allison: It’s fun and new, because you don’t meet many reindeer.
Us: How did you prepare to play Rudolph? Did you talk to any live reindeer?
Allison: No, I wish I had to talk to a reindeer, but they are hard to meet in Atlanta. (Allison did tell us that she watched the TV special to get into character.)
Us: Do you play any other animals in the show?
Allison: Not usually, I sometimes play a raccoon. I do play a dancing tree too.
Us: Ellie’s favorite character in the show is of course the spotted elephant and Edmond’s is Rudolph. Who is your favorite character?
Allison: It depends on the day. I like Charlie in a Box and Sam the snowman because he’s a good storyteller.
Us: What is your favorite part of the show? We loved it when Sam the Snowman sings “Silver and Gold” and the animals decorate the tree! There were cool special effects during that part!
Allison: I like the “We’re a Couple of Misfits” song sung by Rudolph and Herbie and I like the “Silver and Gold” scene. I get to take a break during that song. (Turns out the adolescent Rudolph puppet is pretty heavy, so Allison’s arms need a brake J!)
Us: How long does it take to prepare/rehearse for the show?
Allison: We rehearse for 4 weeks before the show, 6 days a week, 8 hours a day. (Wow- who knew it took so much work to put on the show!)
Us: How did you get started in puppetry?
Allison: It was accidental. I grew up watching the Muppets and Fragile Rock. I never heard of the Center for Puppetry Arts. A friend who lived in Atlanta said she could get me an audition at the Center, so I came and watched a show and was amazed. I auditioned in 2006 and I got the job. (Allison grew up in Kentucky and attended the Boston Conservatory and has a masters degree in musical theater. Trust us, she can sing and act!)
Us: What advice would you a give a kid or small horse who wants to get into puppetry?
Allison: Come to puppet shows, take workshops at the Center, make puppets, put on shows at home and be creative. (We thought these are all fun ideas!)
Us: We love that the story of Rudolph is ultimately about “misfits” finding their place in the world. Were you ever a misfit?
Allison: I have always loved music, singing and playing with puppets. The Center is my Island of Misfit Toys, I found a place to fit in here. I think all misfits eventually find their Yukon Cornelius and Herbie. (We just love this! It’s true all misfits find their place in life! We think being a misfit is great!)
We had such a lovely time talking to Allison. She was so nice to spend some time with a little elephant and horse. After we talked to her, she even took us back stage, and man that was so exciting! We saw how things work and the scenery up close. We couldn’t take pictures, because that ruin the magic of the show! And believe us it’s magical! We did get to take some pictures with young Rudolph and Allison though!
Here we are with Rudolph! YAY!
Rudolph's red nose all lit up! It is very bright! Great for guiding Santa's sleigh!
Allison, Rudolph and us!
Here we are hanging on some snow scenery! Edmond wants to be a puppeteer now!
You can become a member at the Center!
You have to put “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” on your to do list this holiday season! They sold out all 91 shows last year and have already surpassed the number of people they had last year at this time. The last week of December the Center will have 3 shows a day! Whew, we bet our friend Allison and the rest of the puppeteers will be pooped by then! Good luck!
Here’s more info on the Center for Puppetry Arts and “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer”:
It’s the holidays and we wanted to learn about how we could incorporate nature into our holiday celebrations. So we headed to our local Pike nursery to learn all about holiday plants and trees. We met a lovely lady named Alison who showed us around and taught us all kinds of fun stuff! So come join us on our plant adventureJ!
First up, let’s learn about poinsettias!
Beuatiful Poinsettia!
Edmond liked the white poinsettias
Poinsettias are tropical plants, that are native to Mexico and they are beautiful! They come in all kinds of colors (from red to pink to white) and sizes (large and small)! Did you know that the colored part of the poinsettia is actually the leaf and not the flowering part of the plant? We didn’t either! The flower of the poinsettia is in the center of the plant and looks like tiny little yellow Venus Flytraps (at least that’s what Edmond thought they looked like).
The yellow center is actually the flower and the leaves are red! Don't the flowers look like Venus Flytraps?
Poinsettias are considered blushing plants; no they don’t turn red when embarrassed, but that would be funny. Their green leaves turn dark purple to red as the days get shorter. Neat!
Did you also know that poinsettias are members of the succulent family? Succulent plants retain water in their leaves and roots and are adapted to live in tropical to desert environments. You may be familiar with cactus, also members of the succulent family! The succulent family of plants is very large and diverse! We found these relatives of the poinsettia at the nursery! They’re called Euphorbia, funny name, pretty plants!
Euphorbia! We thought they look like little palm trees!
More Euphorbia! These kind of look like cactus!
One more type of Euphorbia!
Our new friend showed us the Norfolk Island pine tree! They are a neat little tree that is native to the Pacific Island of Norfolk Island. They are also called the Star pine, because their branches are in a star pattern. These trees do well as house plants, but will not survive outside because they’re tropical! They make great Ellie and Edmond sized Christmas trees too!
Here we are with an Ellie and Edmond sized Norfolk Island Pine!
Norfolk Island Pine!
We also stumbled upon some topiaries! They use ivy to grow around the shape underneath. Edmond especially loved the reindeer topiary!
Edmond loved the reindeer topiary!
The next plant we discovered was the cyclamen! These flowers grown inside out and they smell like crayons! So fun! Each leaf of this plant is looks a little different. Ellie loved the pink ones!
Ellie with the cyclamen! It smells like crayons!
The last plant we found was the Christmas cactus. They are a tropical plant from South America! The flowers of the Christmas cactus come in white, yellow, red, pink and other colors! These plants also bloom when the days get shorter! We have fun with these!
Christmas cactus with white buds!
We decided to relax among the Christmas cactus! Not all cactus are pointy!
Pike’s has so many beautiful plants and we could have stayed all evening to learn about all them! Alison was a great teacher! You should definitely go and find yourselves some beautiful holiday plants to brighten your home. Remember to do your homework though when getting a plant if you have small pets or children, they can often be toxic, including the poinsettia. Cats especially like to chew on plants, we know, the cat we live with eats plants all the time! We actually eat plants to being herbivores and all!
Check out of some of the other pictures we took as we explored the store!
They had loads of bird seed! You should stop by and get the wild birds in your neightborhood a little Christmas gift :)!
Here we are hiding in some poinsettias! Fun!
Beautiful lit trees!
FEATHERY FRIDAY# 16
This Feathery Friday brings you a king of bird! They’re not big or on the top of the food chain, but they are called kings! Who wants to meet this royal bird? We do!
MEET THE PIED KINGFISHER!
Range/Habitat: Africa-Southwest Asia/near water- fresh and ocean
Diet: Carnivore: fish
Length/Weight: 10”/ 3 ¼ oz
Conservation Status: Common
Fun Facts:
Pied kingfishers are neat birds! They make a great sound too! Check it out!
http://www.junglewalk.com/popup.asp?type=a&AnimalAudioID=12818
The Adventures of Ellie and Edmond 