What is Thanksgiving? In the United States and Canada, this holiday celebrates "the harvest and other blessings of the past year." In the U.S., the holiday is linked to a legend of a feast shared by the English colonists and the Wampanoag Native American people in 1621... Read more
Have you ever played in a puddle? Most puddles are left behind by rain. They can also form near underground springs, on beaches when the tide goes out, from snow melt, or from man-made sources such as a fire hydrant or backyard watering hose. They may attract small animals that desire to drink the water, or creatures such as frogs and mosquitoes that lay their eggs there.... Read more
Wine, the fermented juice of the grape or other fruits, has been a revered alcoholic beverage since ancient times. According to Encyclopaedia Britannica, the grape "was being cultivated in the Middle East by 4000 BCE and probably earlier." Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics, the Bible, and other documents show that grapes were used to make wine thousands of years ago... Read more
The term grape describes about 80 species of vining plants native to the northern hemisphere. The plants grow quite large, reaching lengths of 56 feet (17 meters) or more... Read more
Pinecones are the seed-bearing fruit of about 120 different species of pine tree. Pines are found throughout the world, especially in the cold northern reaches... Read more
A pumpkin patch is a garden used for growing pumpkins. Each year, millions of children across North America look forward to visiting a local pumpkin patch. There, they can often play in corn mazes and... Read more
Entire forests of trees sense the coming of winter, and they prepare. The trees get ready to hibernate, protecting themselves from the cold. Green leaves stop producing... Read more
Acorns are the nut or fruit produced by the oak tree. Acorns have a distinct appearance from other nuts, with a characteristic... Read more
Trees with falling leaves have a certain emotional appeal that resonates in popular culture. In the novel And the Mountains Echoed by... Read more
Books are a common symbol of school days. This is due in large part to the invention of the printing press some 600 years ago. Before books could be printed en masse, they had to be... Read more
