UP FROM THE GROUND
Springtime is a welcome time of year when the grass turns green and bulbs spring to life with colorful flowers. There are also other plants that spring up as the air and ground warms for the pleasure of people and animals! • Crocus are among the first flowers to burst from their bulbs in spring when the ground gets warm. From “snow” crocuses, which are the first to bloom, to giant Dutch crocuses, the flowers brighten gardens in a variety of colors: red, pink, purple, blue, yellow, orange and more. Even though the latter are called “giant,” all crocuses are small, between 2-4 inches tall. Some have strong scents that lure bees out of their hives as early as February to start their honey-making process.
© 2014 King Features Synd., Inc.
• Some other small flowers that may sprout from bulbs even before crocus are: glory-of-the-snow, winter aconite, common snowdrop, spring slowflake and netted iris. (Notice: 3 of the 4 early bloomers have names associated with winter!) • Along with the bulbs planted in yards, ephemeral wildflowers are beginning to pop up in forests all around North America at this time of year. Ephemeral means “short-lived.” For the spring flowering ephemerals, they make an appearance as soon as the weather is warm, leaf out, bloom, spread a little and go dormant when hot weather intrudes. Spring ephemerals prefer damp areas like stream banks.
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Weekly SUDOKU
• With the summer holidays approaching, you might want to keep in mind this tidbit: Every year, 75,000 stuffed animals are left behind in hotels. Be sure to check under the bed before you leave! • It was long believed that a single piece of paper couldn't be folded more than seven times, but in 2002, highschooler Britney Gallivan disproved that notion. She ordered a 4,000-foot-long roll of toilet paper and, along with her family, headed to a shopping mall to try to break the seven-fold limit. After seven hours, she and her family had succeeded in folding the paper 12 times, putting an end to the myth.
• Ancient Mayan warriors were known to throw hornets' nests at each other in battle. • At some point you've almost certainly heard a coward described as "lily-livered," but did you ever wonder where that expression came from? It was once believed that the seat of courage in the human body was the liver; therefore, someone who was timid presumably lacked blood in the liver, causing that organ to become white. • If you're like the average American, you spend 38 hours in traffic every year. If you live in Chicago, you're stuck for 46 hours. If you're unlucky enough to be driving in Los Angeles, you'll be at the mercy of traffic for a whopping 72 hours every year. * * * Thought for the Day: "If you wish to make an apple pie truly from scratch, you must first invent the universe." -- Carl Sagan
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• It was nonviolent Indian activist Mahatma Gandhi who made the following sage observation: "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win." • Beloved children's author Dr. Seuss had a hobby that few people were aware of: He collected hats.
King CROSSWORD
by Samantha Weaver
• Crocus means cheerfulness. Appropriately named, the little blooms are rarely bothered by deer, rabbits and squirrels. Snow and freezing temperatures can sometimes stop the blooms, leaving the greenery to peek out alone. Also, fall-blooming crocuses reappear in the spring but without their flowers.