Zanthoxylum fagara is a spreading shrub or small tree growing to 7 m (23 ft) tall.  Its trunk is generally rough with gray bark and grows to about 0.25 m (0.82 ft) in diameter.  The irregularly-shaped branches contain hooked spines with pinnate 5 cm (2.0 in) leaves.  The leaves and bark can be crushed to make a bitter-tasting condiment, and much of the tree smells similar to citrus. Lime prickly-ash has a high drought tolerance and grows best in full sun, but it can also survive as an understory shrub. It provides significant food and cover for native wildlife and the leaves host the larvae of many butterflies, such as the giant swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes).


The powdered bark and leaves have been used as a spice, with an odor similar to that of limes.


Zeltnera venusta is a species of flowering plant in the gentian family known by the common names California centaury, charming centaury and canchalagua. This centaury is native to much of  California, southern Oregon, and northwest Baja California.
It grows in many habitats up to elevations around 1300 meters. It is an annual wildflower rarely reaching half a meter in height. The pointed oval leaves grow opposite on the thin stems. The inflorescence is tipped with one or more showy star-shaped flowers, each with a white-centered magenta corolla about 2 centimeters wide.
Until 2004, it was placed in genus Centaurium as Centaurium venustum.


Zelus luridus, also known as the pale green assassin bug, is a species of assassin bug native to North America. It is the most common Zelus species in the eastern United States. The size ranges from 12.5 to 18 millimetres (0.49 to 0.71 in) long. On average, adult females are 16 millimetres (0.63 in) long, while males are 14 millimetres (0.55 in) long. Though the base color is pale green, markings on the back can range from dark brown or red to bright yellow. Nymphs are generally more solid green, wingless, and with narrower bodies than adults. The most reliable feature to distinguish this species from others is the pair of spines on the rear corners of the pronotum. These spines are long on the lighter colored individuals and shorter on ones that are darker. It can also be distinguished by dark bands on the distal ends of the femurs, but these can often be too light to be easily seen. The egg masses, which are laid from late June to August, are conical in shape with a flat top. They are laid on leaves in groups of twenty to fifty and held together with a sticky, brownish material. Their bite is extremely painful.
Like many other assassin bugs, Zelus luridus preys on other insects. It will often wait on leaves to ambush passing insects, but occasionally it also actively hunts. For this, it uses sticky traps, a common predation strategy to species within the genus Zelus. The sticky material is produced by a gland on the leg. This gland develops in the second instar. During the first instar, the nymphs use secretions deposited over the egg batch by the female as the source of their sticky material.


Zelus renardii, the leaf hopper assassin bug, is a predacious insect contained within tribe Harpactorini. Diurnal and found on both wild and crop plants, Z. renardii has spread from its native habitats in western North and Central America into three other biogeographic regions across the globe.
Zelus renardii is considered a sister species to Z. cervicalis, as they share two unique characters: the lateral margins of dorsal phallothecal sclerite are recurved and the medial process is strongly hooked apically.


The native range of Z. renardii extends over various climatic zones throughout mainland North and Central America at altitudes between 8m to 2000m above sea level. Native ranges include tropical, dry, semi-arid, arid, and Mediterranean climates. Additionally, Z. renardii also appears well suited to urban and disturbed areas, as it has been observed in suburban areas on both native and non-native herbaceous and woody plants, as well as common garden plants. Egg masses can frequently be found on vegetable plants. Z. renardii is also sympatric with Z. tetracantus over a large part of its range in western USA, Mexico, Guatemala, Jamaica, and other parts of Central America.


The adaptability to multiple habitat conditions may have facilitated its spread in non-native regions as they have preadaptations to diverse climatic condition. To date, Z. renardii has expanded to Hawaii, where they preyed mainly on invasive sugarcane leafhopper (Perkinsiella saccharicida) and other tropical areas within the Pacific, such as Johnston Atoll, Samoa, and the Philippines. Z. renardii has also been reported in  Mediterranean-type environments within Chile and Argentina.
Expansion of Z. renardii throughout Europe began in Mediterranean regions, namely Greece and Spain. However, expansion has continued and Z. renardii is now known in multiple countries in the Mediterranean basin, such as Italy, Turkey and Albania. The majority of these observations have been from urban areas. Eight years post-introduction in Spain, Z. renardii had a limited expansion in Mediterranean-type habitats, and was mainly limited to coastal regions of the Iberian east and south from the city of Valencia to Malaga. Additionally, Z. renardii has been observed as far southeast as the Kfar Masaryk region of northern Israel.
Given the abundance of Z. renardii in anthropogenic environments, humans are likely the main vectors of transport into non-native habitats. Since eggs, which are typically glued to plants, take 8–12 days to hatch and both the 1st and 2nd instars typically remain in the areas around their hatching site, shipping of nursery plants or plant products is thought to be a major avenue of distribution into non-native locations. Disturbed and agricultural areas are suitable for Z. renardii and may also contribute to its spread throughout native and non-native regions once established.


There appears to be no pattern of host-plant preference in Z. renardii as it can be caught while beating and sweeping both flowering and non-flowering vegetation. Z. renardii is also common in agricultural and even urban and suburban environments.
Zelus renardii also exhibits different vertical distributions depending on age. Nymphs occupied and foraged on lower parts of plants, whereas adults spent most of their time in the upper parts of plants, which may be a mechanism to avoid either competition between individuals or cannibalism. These differences in microhabitats may affect prey encounter rates.


Zelus renardii is a medium to large hemipteran with an average total length between 10.57-14.25 mm. It is generally greenish-yellow ventrally and yellow-brown dorsally, with the corium distinctly reddish with paler venation. It also has a long, robust body with a cylindrical head, small reddish eyes, and a thick curved rostrum. The front tibia are covered posteriorly by glandular setae which secrete a sticky substance. Distinguishing it from other Zelus species, the scutellum is long and bears no projections and the last ventral abdominal segment is slender with a hooked median process apically.
Females are similar to male except larger in total length 12.14-14.25 mm (versus 10.57 – 12.98 mm in males), and the hemelytron extend slightly beyond the tip of the abdomen.


Zelus renardii eggs are small, kidney-shaped, and light brown in colour. They are generally laid in masses and glued to the surfaces of vegetation.


During mating, pairs of Z. renardii can copulate between 1 and 3 times per day. The female may exhibit defensive behaviour at any stage, resulting in failure of the males mating attempt. Precopulatory behaviour begins with antennal movement by both sexes. When the male is ready to mate, he approaches the female from either the front or the back; likelihood of rejection depends on the approach and mounting position. If the male approaches and tries to mount from the front, the female is more likely to exhibit defensive behaviour like foreleg raising or striking. But if the male approaches from the front and female is receptive, there is a short precopulatory period where both sexes stridulate by rubbing their rostra against prosternal grooves. Alternatively, females are less likely to exhibit defensive behaviour when the male approaches from behind; and, if the female is receptive, only the female exhibits rostral stridulation.

Mating begins when the male is able to mount the female dorsally and maintains her position by grasping her with his legs and rostrum. The male then initiates contact by tapping his rostrum against the pronotum and head of the female. This is followed by the extension of male genitalia. Once the copulatory organs are engaged, the male shifts laterally to either side of the female depending on how his aedeagus is engaged within. The majority of males shift to the right of the female while gripping her by the thorax and abdomen with his middle and hind legs, and the forelegs gripping her head. Copulation can last anywhere between 15 and 25 minutes. After copulation, the male repositions himself on top of the female and remains there for 1 to 2 minutes as his body vibrates rhythmically. These vibrations are not unique to Z. renardii, as they are also seen in Z. socius.


During oviposition, eggs are glued on plant surfaces, typically the ventral surfaces of leaves, or sometimes on anthropogenic materials, and a solidifying gelatinous mass is then laid over top. The amount of eggs deposited appears variable, with the average amount of eggs laid by females in captivity ranging from 17-23 eggs during one reproductive period, to an average of 2.5 egg masses, with approximately 35.5 eggs/mass, during another. Eggs typically take 8–12 days to hatch, but may take up to 16–33 days in experimental settings, with all eggs in an egg mass hatching within one hour of each other. 67% of eggs laid have viable 1st instars, and nymphs generally reach maturity in two months.
If food is available, 1st instar nymphs begin to feed two hours after hatching . However, both 1st and 2nd instars do not move far from the egg mass because of the post-hatching benefits it provides. Z. renardii may provide parental care by supplying post-hatching benefits to the nymphs. This is accomplished through the deposition of sticky substances with the egg masses, which helps mitigate threats and increase survival of the young. The 1st instars usually remain in close proximity to the eggs they hatched from to gather the sticky substances onto their foreleg and middle legs, and then return periodically to reapply the substances until they are able to produce their own autogenously. Use of these substances can improve their ability to attach to substrates and increase predation success per predation attempt.


Adult and nymph Z. renardii are zoophagous generalist predators which feed on a wide range of prey, from herbivorous insects that feed on wild and crop plants to other insect predators, like lacewings. Nymphs mainly feed on herbivorous insects between 0.5 and 4mm in length, such as aphids, weevils, and thrips. Whereas adults feed on larger prey items between 1.5 and 19 mm in length from various orders, including Hemiptera, Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, Neuroptera, Blattodea, and Orthoptera. Since Z. renardii feeds on such a wide variety of prey, its diet may shift under different ecological conditions or between habitats which have different prey composition and abundance. Although Z. renardii is a predaceous insect, the 1st and 2nd instars may utilize some plant material, such as pollen or nectar from extrafloral nectaries on the bottom of leaves or fruiting structures, as a supplement to their regular zoophagous diet or to sustain them for short periods when more suitable prey is not available.
Zelus renardii is also an important intraguild predator of lacewings and other insect predators. Z. renardii shows changes in prey preferences across developmental stages which influences the relevance of intraguild predation. The intensity of intraguild predation on other predators increases with the age of Z. renardii, as adults fed on larger prey and on a greater proportion of predatory species than 2nd instars.


Prey capture in the wild usually occurs on vegetation, and Z. renardii will remain relatively exposed during feeding. Therefore, a shorter predation and feeding time is hypothesized to be an ecological advantage that reduces predation risk. Prey detection is thought to be primarily based on movement, as moving prey are captured at a higher frequency, whereas more sessile prey, like cotton aphids, are subjected to less predation, even if they are present in high abundance. Smaller, more mobile prey are ambushed while less mobile prey are stalked. Generally, predatory behaviour of Z. renardii proceeds as follows: antennal movement in direction of prey, aiding in detection. Once Z. renardii detects prey, it slowly moves towards the prey with forelegs lifted and antennae projected forwards. A sticky substance, secreted by glands on the tibia, increase the success of prey capture and prevent its escape. The stylet is then inserted and pre-oral digestive agents are excreted into the prey, paralyzing and liquifying them.
The entire feeding period on medium to large prey items takes between 60 and 80 minutes. After feeding, intense rostral and antennal grooming occurs.


Species within the subfamily Harpactorinae, commonly called sticky trap bugs, are able to capture prey through the use of sticky substances; for members of the tribe Harpactorinii, these sticky substances are mainly on their forelegs and middle legs. Viscous, sticky substances are secreted by dermal glands in more mature individuals. However, 1st instar nymphs are not able to produce these substances autogenously, and must gather them from the egg masses in which they hatched. 1st instars typically initiate application of these substances 25 minutes post-hatching in order to improve predation success and substrate adhesion. By clasping their secretion-coated forelegs around prey, escape is significantly reduced. Additionally, sticky substances on their middle and/or hindlegs provides better adhesion to substrates, like plant surface, which is important for ambushing and handling struggling prey. The exact developmental stage when Z. renardii produces their own sticky substance is unknown.
A key adaptation to Z. renardii's generalist predation style is the utilization of pre-oral digestion. By liquifying prey prior to ingestion, the nutrient-rich food can be selectively ingested, increasing the efficiency of predation and allowing consumption of larger or more intractable prey items. The rapid liquifaction of prey items is thought to be due to proteinase enzymes produced by the salivary glands and injected in the saliva by the stylet.  It is an important first step in the digestive process of Z. renardii, as the ingested material can undergo further hydrolysis in the anterior midgut as a function of the ingestion of disgorged salivary proteinases and endopeptidase activity. As the ingested material moves to the posterior midgut and hindgut, it is now composed of shortened peptide chains, which allows exopeptidases to continue hydrolysis. Endopeptidase activity continues in the hindgut, where nutrients are absorbed. Endopeptidase activity in the salivary glands and anterior midgut and exopeptidase activity in the posterior midgut and hindgut is thought to be an adaptation to acquiring food from a mainly solid form as it allows decreased prey handling time and decreases time of vulnerability during feeding.


As Z. renardii feeds on many herbivorous pest species of cotton, maize, soybean, alfalfa, and fruit tree crops, it can be considered a biological control agent. However, even though prey items of Z. renardii are often considered pests in an agricultural context, some beneficial species that are also used as biological control in agricultural systems are preyed upon. Due to its generalist diet, Z. renardii can function as an important intraguild predator on arthropods, such as the lacewing Chrysoperla carnea, which is commonly used to control cotton aphids (Aphis gossypii). As it consumes herbivorous pests and other predators of that pest, it can disrupt the trophic cascades that the biological control agent is being used to impose in anthropogenic systems, and can indirectly cause the abundance of the pest to rise. This affect may be prevented if Z. renardii's preference for the other predator is low relative to its preference for the shared prey.


The white-winged dove (Zenaida asiatica) is a dove whose native range extends from the Southwestern United States through Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. They are large for doves, and can be distinguished from similar doves by the distinctive white edge on their wings. They have a blue eyering, and red eyes. The plumage is brownish-gray to gray. Juveniles are duller in color, and have brown eyes. The call is likened to English phrase "who cooks for you". There are three subspecies. It was first described by George Edwards in 1743, and given its binomial name by Linnaeus in 1756. It was moved into the genus Zenaida in 1838.
They inhabit a variety of environments, including desert, scrub, and urban. Their diet consists mostly of grains, but will also include pollen and nectar, especially from the saguaro cactus, which is a vital source of water.
The expansion of humans has greatly affected the white-winged dove. Prior to human presence, their range closely mirrored that of their favorite food: the saguaro. The advent of agriculture in North America greatly expanded its range by providing a reliable food source. This has also led some modern populations to be migratory. Historically, they nested in enormous colonies, but most colonies have been lost due to human action and climatic factors, and most nesting is now isolated. It is hunted for sport, and is the second most shot game bird in the United States. Its population collapsed in the 1960s and 1970s, likely due to the loss of major nesting colonies. The population rebounded however, and despite continued habitat loss and hunting, it has proved adaptable to human environments. The International Union for Conservation of Nature considers it to be a species of least-concern.


The white-winged dove is one of 14 dove species found in North America north of Mexico. The Zenaida doves evolved in South America, and then dispersed into Central and North America.
English naturalist George Edwards included an illustration and a description of the white-winged dove in his A Natural History of Uncommon Birds, which was published in 1743. The dove was also briefly described by Irish physician Patrick Browne in 1756 in his The Civil and Natural History of Jamaica. When in 1758, Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus updated his Systema Naturae for the tenth edition, he placed the white-winged dove with all the other pigeons in the genus Columba. Linnaeus included a brief description, coined the binomial name Columba asiatica, and cited the earlier authors. The type locality is Jamaica. The dove is now placed in the genus Zenaida that was introduced in 1838 by French naturalist Charles Lucien Bonaparte.
The West Peruvian dove used to be considered part of the white-winged dove species, but was split off as its own species in 1997 – though together they form a superspecies.
The genus Zenaida was named for Zénaïde Laetitia Julie Princesse Bonaparte, the wife of Charles Lucien Bonaparte. The specific epithet asiatica means Asiatic, likely meant in reference to the Indies. The naming is erroneous, however, as a mistake of translation. It was intended to refer to Jamaica – in the West Indies, not the Indian subcontinent and its East Indies.


White-winged doves are a plump, medium-sized bird (large for a dove), at 29 cm (11 in) from tip to tail, and a weight of 150 g (5.3 oz). Wingspan ranges from 18.9 to 22.8 in (48–58 cm). They are brownish-gray above and gray below, with a bold white wing patch that appears as a brilliant white crescent in flight, and is also visible at rest. Adults have a ring of blue, featherless skin around each eye and a long, dark mark on the lower face. They have a blue eye ring and their legs and feet are brighter pink/red. Their eyes are bright crimson, except for juveniles, which have brown eyes. Juveniles are duller and grayer than adults and lack iridescence. Juvenile plumage is usually found between March and October.
Differentiating between sexes is difficult, and usually requires examination of the cloaca. Males do have a more iridescent purple color to the crown, neck, and nape, as well as a more distinctive ear spot, though the differences are slight. Males are usually heavier on average, but differences in daily weight due to feeding make this an inaccurate field tool. Thus, most observers cannot accurately differentiate between sexes based on external characteristics alone.
The identifying hallmark is its namesake white-edged wing, which similar species lack. It appears similar to the mourning dove, with which it may be easily confused. Compared to the mourning dove, it is larger and heavier. It has a short, rounded tail, whereas the mourning dove has a long, tapered, triangular tail. The mourning dove has several black spots on the wing; the white-winged dove does not. Other similar species include the white-tipped dove, but the lack of white wing edging is distinctive. The same goes for the invasive Eurasian collared dove, which is further differentiated by grayish overall color and black neck band.
Their molt is similar to that of the mourning dove. Molting runs June through November, and occurs in the summer breeding grounds unless interrupted by migration.


David Sibley describes the call as a hhhHEPEP pou poooo, likening it to the English phrase "who cooks for you". They also make a pep pair pooa paair pooa paair pooa call, with the last two words being repeated at length. Males sit on dedicated perches to give their call, which is referred to as a "coo". Calling is most frequent during the breeding season, and peaks in May and June. Most calls are given just before dawn, or in the late afternoon. Females give a slightly softer and more slurred call than males. The purpose of calling is uncertain, but is mainly used for courtship and to defend territory. A shortened version of their song may be used between mates to maintain pair bonds. Nestlings can make noises starting at two days old; by five days old, they can whistle a sur-ee call to beg for food. Additionally, individuals of both genders will use a muted trumpeting errUah call to announce and contest presence on popular preening branches and bird feeders.
Nonvocal sounds include a wing whistle at take-off, which is similar to that of the mourning dove, albeit quieter. Their wing beats are heavy, sounding similar to other pigeons. When leaving cooing perches, males make an exaggerated and noisy flapping of the wings.


Some populations of white-winged doves are migratory, wintering in Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. They are year-round inhabitants in Texas. San Antonio, Texas, had a year-round population over a million doves in 2001. The white-winged dove inhabits scrub, woodlands, desert, urban, and cultivated areas. They are found increasingly farther north, now being visitors to most of the United States, and small parts of southern Canada.
In recent years with increasing urbanization and backyard feeding, it has expanded throughout Texas, into Oklahoma, Louisiana, and coastal Mississippi. It has also been introduced to Florida. The white-winged dove is expanding outside its historic range into Kansas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and northern New Mexico. It has been increasingly reported as far north as Canada and Alaska. Within Arizona, populations are effectively divided between agricultural and desert groups. It shares its habitat with that of the mourning dove, but the white winged dove will fly higher.
They generally nest at low densities in the desert, but are found in high concentrations near riparian areas. Nesting in riparian zones is referred to as colonial, as opposed to noncolonial behavior in more harsh environments. Such colonies are quite variable, but may be very large. Colony size varies from 5 hectares (0.019 sq mi) to well over a 1,000 hectares (3.9 sq mi). Outside of colonies, nests have a density less than 10 per hectare, but within colonies, 500–1,000 nests are found per hectare.
Before the advent of widespread agriculture, they may not have been widely present in what is now the United States, as evidenced by a lack of fossil remains and absence from the journals of early European explorers. Their presence in California is likely recent, as a result of the manmade filling of the Salton Sea at the turn of the 20th century. The historical range of the dove closely mirrors that of the saguaro cactus, on which it relies heavily for nectar and fruit where it is found. Modern agriculture has greatly expanded their range by providing a reliable source of forage. The urban heat island effect may also enable them to live further north than they otherwise could.
White-winged doves typically migrate into Arizona beginning in March. In California, birds arrive in April and depart by August. Texas migrations run from April through June, peaking in May, and departures run September to October. Migratory groups may include as many as 4,000 individuals, though typically less than 50. A combination of weather, food availability, and hunting pressure can affect the timing of migration. As populations expand in Texas they are becoming less migratory; about 1/3 of birds now overwinter in Texas. Migrations are tracked via traditional banding methods, but the isotope composition of hydrogen and carbon in the feathers can also be used. A 2015 study showed that by tracking the amount of various isotopes, researchers could accurately identify a white-winged doves migration origin. They could also identify if it had been eating from saguaros because of the unique carbon signature that cactus photosynthesis produces.


To impress females, males circle them with tail spread and wings raised, and also fan or flap their tails, or engage in cooing and preening. Males may aggressively defend territory from other males, sparring with wing slaps. Males and females work together in raising the young. The white-winged dove builds a flimsy stick nest in a tree of any kind, and lays two cream-colored to white, unmarked eggs. One chick often hatches earlier and stronger, so will demand the most food from the parents. A dove may nest as soon as 2–3 months after leaving the nest, making use of summer heat. The dove nests as long as food and enough warmth are available to keep fledglings warm. In Texas, they nest well into late August. Families and nestmates often stay together for life, perching and foraging together. They return to the same nesting site year after year, sometimes rebuilding a nest in the exact location it was the year before.
They have better nesting success when in mesquite or tamarix trees. Breeding occurs in two peaks in the summer, although the timing of their breeding varies by year. The peak breeding times for these desert doves occur from May–June to July–August. Breeding in urban areas also occurs in two peaks, but may be somewhat offset in timing compared to the desert birds. Eggs are relatively small compared to body weight, as white-winged doves invest more energy in feeding altricial young instead of laying large eggs that would enable precocial young. Males attend to the nest for the majority of the day, except for foraging breaks during the midmorning and late afternoon while the female watches the nest. At night, females watch the nest, and the male roosts nearby. Juvenile feathers begin to replace the natal down by seven days old. The pre-juvenile molt is complete around 30 days old. By early September, most of the adult birds have already begun the migration south. The young leave soon after.


White-winged doves are granivorous, feeding on a variety of seeds, grains, and fruits. Western white-winged doves (Z. a. mearnsii) migrate into the Sonoran Desert to breed during the hottest time of the year because they feed on pollen and nectar, and later on the fruits and seeds of the saguaro. They also visit feeders, eating the food dropped on the ground. Unlike mourning doves, they eat corn and wheat right off the head. This gregarious species can be an agricultural pest, descending on grain crops in large flocks.
White-winged doves have been found to practice collaborative feeding. Observations in Texas revealed that some birds were shaking seeds from a Chinese tallow tree for the benefit of those on the ground. Doves may represent a vector to spread the invasive Chinese tallow tree, by defecating undigested seeds.
Agricultural fields, especially cereal grains, are a major source of forage, but they provide less protein content, which limits productivity. Having access to significant amounts of native seed is important to ensure that nestlings fledge and are healthy. This is made even more critical because white-winged doves do not supplement their diet with insects while raising young, unlike many other grain-eating birds.


White-winged doves are subjected to the usual arid-land predators, including foxes, bobcats, snakes, and coyotes. Aerial predators include owls and hawks. Domestic cats and dogs also take doves.
The oldest recorded wild individual lived to 21 years and 9 months, though the typical lifespan is closer to 10 or 15 years. In captivity, they have been recorded to live up to 25 years.


White-winged doves are popular as game birds for hunting. They are the only North American game species that is also a migratory pollinator. Hunting of the species peaked in the late 1960s, with an annual take around 740,000 birds in Arizona. That has since fallen; in 2008 just under 80,000 birds were taken in Arizona. The national take is larger, 1.6 million were hunted in 2011, with Texas taking 1.3 million. Most of the hunted birds are juveniles, averaging about 63% of the catch. Large numbers of birds were taken prior to the 1970s, when falling populations led to a tightening of hunting laws. In the 1960s, hunters could legally take up to 25 birds per day in Arizona over a three-week season. The Arizona dove season has since been restricted to two weeks and six birds per day, with shooting only allowed for half of each day. The bag limit in Texas is four birds per day, but the Texas catch remains the largest of any state.
They are also popular among birders and photographers. People in many areas provide feeding stations and water in backyards to attract them for observation.
The Stevie Nicks song "Edge of Seventeen" features a white-winged dove.


The United States Fish and Wildlife Service has tracked the population of these doves for decades. The United States population peaked in 1968, but fell precipitously in the 1970s. The decline is likely due to loss of large nesting colonies in the 1960s and 1970s from habitat destruction, shifts in agricultural trends, and over-hunting. The population has continued to decline despite tougher hunting laws. Its population and range in Arizona has sharply contracted, though its range continues to expand in Texas. Though it is the second-most shot-hunted bird in the United States, it remains poorly studied, especially in California and Florida, as well as in Mexico.
Lead poisoning, especially in hunting areas, poses a significant risk to white-winged dove health. A 2010 Texas study found that 66% of doves had elevated lead levels. The study noted that birds with lethal concentrations of lead were not found because accidental ingestion of lead shot can kill birds in just two days, and that they are incapacitated before that point, meaning that such birds died before they could be collected by researchers.
Climate change is expected to expand their range to the north, but will also threaten populations with increased drought and fire, which destroy habitat, and spring heatwaves, which can kill young in the nest.
Colonial nesting sites in Mexico have seen significant losses. The main causes were brush clearing to make way for agricultural or urban development (leading to habitat loss), extreme weather such as droughts and hurricanes, and over-hunting. The population in Mexico followed the trend of American populations. In the 1970s, only a million birds were in northeastern Mexico, compared to a rebound of 16 million in the 1980s, and five million in 2007. Habitat fragmentation is of great concern to the species, especially due to the preference for returning to the same large colonies year after year. Due to continued pressures, large nesting colonies are now mainly gone, and are not expected to return. Despite this, the white-winged dove has proved adaptable to human disturbance, and is regarded as a species of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.


The zenaida dove (Zenaida aurita) is a member of the bird family Columbidae, which includes doves and pigeons. It is the national bird of Anguilla, where it is locally referred to as "turtle dove".


The Zenaida dove is approximately 28–30 cm (11–12 in) in length. It looks very similar to the mourning dove, but is smaller in size, has a shorter, more rounded tail, and is a bit more darkly colored.   It is also distinguished from the mourning dove by showing white on the trailing edge of its wings while in flight. The mourning dove does not have the white trailing edge.


It lays two white eggs on a flimsy platform, built on a tree or shrub. It also nests in rock crevices, and on grassy vegetation if no predators are present. It has been recorded that some birds have up to 4 broods per year.  Eggs take approximately two weeks to hatch, and the young chicks typically fledge after only two weeks in the nest. Parents feed the young pigeon's milk, a nutrient rich substance regurgitated from its crop.


The Zenaida dove breeds throughout the Caribbean and the tip of the Yucatán Peninsula, an example habitat being in the Petenes mangroves. It was reported by John James Audubon to breed in the Florida Keys, but there are only three verifiable records from Florida. It is found in a variety of open and semi-open habitats. Its mournful cooOOoo-coo-coo-coo call is similar to the call of a mourning dove, but faster in pace.
The bird is resident and abundant over much of its range. Zenaida doves are commonly hunted as a game bird.


These birds forage on the ground, mainly eating grains and seeds, sometimes also on insects. Zenaida doves frequently feed close to water. They often swallow fine gravel to assist with digestion, and will also ingest salt from mineral rich soils or livestock salt licks. It is thought the salt aids in egg formation and/or production of pigeon milk.


Zephyranthes atamasca, commonly known as the atamasco-lily or more generally a rain-lily, is native to the southeastern United States.  It grows in swampy forests and coastal prairies, preferring acid boggy soils rich with leaf mold.  Following the appearance of broad, grassy leaves in early winter, it blooms in March or April. It has several narrow, linear basal leaves about 0.5 in (13 mm) wide and 10–15 in (25–38 cm) long.
Its native range extends from Florida north to Maryland and west to Mississippi. The species is also naturalized in Bermuda and in the Mariana Islands. Both its leaves and bulbs are poisonous.


The scientific name of this species has a somewhat complex history. In 1753, in the first edition of Species Plantarum, Carl Linnaeus placed it in the genus Amaryllis  using the epithet "Atamasca" (the capital "A" showing that this was intended as a noun, not an adjective). However, in the second edition of Species Plantarum, he changed the spelling to "Atamasco" (again with a capital "A"). "Atamasco" is the Native American name. When in 1821, William Herbert transferred the species to his genus Zephyranthes he used Linnaeus's later spelling for the epithet, i.e. Zephyranthes atamasco, this being the type species of the genus. Many sources have used this spelling subsequently. However, the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants conserves the type of Zephyranthes using the spelling atamasca.


Synonyms include the following:
Amaryllis atamasco L., orth. var.
Note: Amaryllis atamasco  Blanco = Hippeastrum miniatum
Amaryllis aramasco L., orth. var.
Amaryllis atanasia Crantz
Amaryllis pulchella Salisb.
Amaryllis verecunda Salisb.
Amaryllis virginiensis Oken
Atamasco atamasco (L.) Greene, nom. inval.
Zephyranthes atamasco var. minor Herb.


Zeugomantispa minuta, the green mantisfly, is a species of mantidfly in the family Mantispidae. It is found in the Caribbean Sea, Central America, North America, and South America.


Zeuzera pyrina, the leopard moth or wood leopard moth, is a moth of the family Cossidae.
It is considered a pest by fruit growers, as the larva feed on branches of many kinds of fruit trees (see list below). Olive trees in particular are very susceptible and can be killed by the larvae burrowing within them.


This species can be found primarily in Europe (excluding Ireland) but also in northern Africa (Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco) and Asia (Taiwan, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Korea, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Syria, Turkey). It was introduced into the northeastern United States prior to 1879 and has a range extending from Maine, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas.


These moths are associated with woodland, gardens and orchards.


Zeuzera pyrina has a wingspan of 35–60 mm. This is a highly distinctive species. The male is slightly smaller than the female. The length of the abdomen of the female is about 45–50 mm. These moths have a white head, with a black forehead and a very furry white thorax marked with six black spots. The abdomen is black, with short white hair-like scales on the posterior edge of each segment and a flat brush of scales on the apex. Forewings are whitish, long and narrow, with numerous black spots or black spots with white interior spots, arranged in rows along the veins. Hindwings are translucent, except in the anal area, with small black spots. In addition to the dimensions, the two sexes differ in the shape of the antennas, thinner in the female, while in the male they are markedly bipectinate, with the exception of terminals articles.


The moth flies from June to September depending on the location. The caterpillars are xylophagous. They feed on the wood of various deciduous trees and shrubs (see list below), feeding internally for two or three years in the stems and branches before emerging to pupate under the bark. It can be a pest of fruit production.


Recorded food plants include:
Acer
Aesculus
Amelanchier
Broussonetia
Carya
Castanea
Celtis
Ceratonia
Cotoneaster
Crataegus
Cydonia
Fagus
Fraxinus
Ilex
Juglans
Ligustrum
Liquidambar
Liriodendron
Lonicera
Malus
Olea
Prunus
Punica
Pyrus
Quercus
Rhododendron
Ribes
Robinia
Rubus
Salix
Syringa
Tilia
Ulmus
Viburnum


Zinnia elegans (syn. Zinnia violacea) known as youth-and-age, common zinnia or elegant zinnia, is an annual flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is native to Mexico but grown as an ornamental in many places and naturalised in several places, including scattered locations in South and Central America, the West Indies, the United States, Australia, and Italy.


The uncultivated plant grows to about 15 cm (5.27 in) in height. It has solitary flower heads about 5 cm (2 in) across. The purple ray  florets surround black and yellow discs. The lanceolate leaves are opposite the flower heads. Flowering occurs during the summer months.


The species was first collected in 1789 at Tixtla, Guerrero, by Sessé and Mociño. It was formally described as Zinnia violacea by Cavanilles in 1791. Jacquin described it again in 1792 as Zinnia elegans, which was the name that Sessé and Moçiño had used in their manuscript of Plantae Novae Hispaniae, which was not published until 1890. The genus was named by Carl von Linné after the German botanist Johann Gottfried Zinn, who described the species now known as Zinnia peruviana in 1757 as Rudbeckia foliis oppositis hirsutis ovato-acutis, calyce imbricatus, radii petalis pistillatis. Linné realised that it was not a Rudbeckia.


Zinnia peruviana, the Peruvian zinnia, is an annual flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is native to North America and South America.


Zinnia peruviana is an annual plant up to 50 cm tall (rarely 100 cm tall). The stems are green, but later become yellow or purple. The leaves are ovate, elliptic or lanceolate, 2.5–7 cm long and 8–3.5 cm wide; 3- to 5-nerved. The peduncles are 1–7 cm long. Flower heads with 6–21 red, maroon or yellow ray florets (with a 0.8–2.5 cm long petal each) surrounding 12–50 yellow disc florets (with 0.1 cm long corolla lobes). Fruits (cypselae) oblanceolate to narrowly elliptic, 0.7–1 cm long, 3-angled or compressed, striate.


The native range of Z. peruviana spans from southeastern Arizona and the Greater Antilles south to Argentina. It grows mostly on open areas or rocky slopes between 800–3000 m of elevation.
It has been introduced to and naturalized in many places such as China, India, Bangladesh, Australia, South Africa and Hawaii.


Zizeeria knysna, the dark grass blue or African grass blue, is a species of blue butterfly (Lycaenidae) found in Africa, on Cyprus and the Iberian Peninsula.
Sometimes mistakenly called Zizeeria lysimon (Hübner), that species name is invalid as it is preoccupied by Papilio lisimon Stoll, [1790], a butterfly in the family Riodinidae.
The wingspan is 18–23 mm for males and 21–26 mm for females. The butterfly flies nearly year-round.
The larvae feed on Medicago, Melilotus, Acanthyllis, Armeria delicatula, Polygonum equisetiforme, Tribulus terrestris and Oxalis.


Zizina otis, the lesser grass blue, is a species of blue (Lycaenidae) butterfly found in south and southeast Asia. The species was first described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1787. The lesser grass blue is often misidentified as Zizina labradus, the common grass blue.


Pale violet blue, with a silvery sheen in certain lights, forewing: a broad brown edging along the termen, which covers in some specimens quite the outer fourth of the wing, while in others is much narrower. It is always broadest at the apex and is bounded by an anteciliary darker line, beyond which the cilia are brownish at base and white outwardly.
Hindwing: anterior or costal third to half and apex brown; a slender black anteciliary line, beyond which the cilia are as in the forewing.


Brownish grey. Forewing: a short, transverse, dusky lunule on the discocellulars and a transverse, anteriorly curved, discal series of seven minute black spots, all the spots more or less rounded, the posterior two geminate (paired), the discocellular lunule and each discal spot conspicuously encircled with white; the terminal markings beyond the above consist of an inner and an outer transverse subterminal series of dusky spots, each spot edged on the inner side very obscurely with dusky white, the inner line of spots lunular, the outer with the spots more or less rounded. Cilia dusky.
Hindwing: a transverse, curved, sub-basal series of four spots and an irregular transverse discal series of nine small spots black, each spot encircled narrowly with white. Of the discal spots the posterior four are placed in an outwardly oblique, slightly curved line, the middle two spots geminate; the three spots above these are placed in an oblique transverse line further outwards; lastly, the anterior two spots are posited one over the other and shifted well inwards, just above the apex of the cell; discocellular lunule and terminal markings as on the forewing, but the inner subterminal lunular line in the latter broader and more prominent. Cilia dusky. Antenna black, shafts ringed with white; head, thorax and abdomen brown, with a little blue scaling; beneath: white.


Brown, with a more or less distinct suffusion of violet blue at the bases of the wings, on the hindwing continued obscurely along the dorsum; both forewings and hindwings with slender anteciliary lines, darker than the ground colour.


Ground colour slightly darker than in the male, markings precisely similar. Antennae, head, thorax and abdomen as in the male, but the thorax and abdomen above without any blue scaling.


Zizina otis occurs in south Asia. It was reported from the Hawaiian island of Oahu in 2008.Zizina otis labradus is found in the North Island, and the northern part of the South Island of New Zealand. While the Zizina otis oxleyi is found in the southern part of the South Island of New Zealand only.


The species breeds on many plants of the family Leguminosae including Alysicarpus vaginalis, Desmodium species, Glycine max, Indigofera species, and Mimosa species.


Zizula hylax, 'the Tiny grass blue' is a species of blue butterfly.


Male upperside: dull violet blue, which changes to a brighter tint of violet in certain lights. Forewing: the costa very narrowly, the termen much more broadly dull brown; this edging to the termen in most specimens decreases in width from apex to tornus, and is outwardly followed by an anteciliary darker brown line. Cilia brownish anteriorly, posteriorly brownish at the base with the apical portions white. Hindwing: the ground colour brighter than on the forewing, the costal and terminal margins much more narrowly edged with brown, which edging is merged in the anteciliary dark brown line. Cilia: brown along their basal halves, white apically.
Underside: grey. Forewing: a dusky brown lunular line on the discocellulars; two subcostal spots above the cell, one on either side of the discocellular lunule; a very strongly curved discal series of five spots, of which the posterior three are somewhat lunular in shape and placed obliquely en echelon, the next above these hook shaped, the anterior spot round; both the subcostal spots and the spots of the discal series are black, each narrowly encircled with white; beyond these are inner and outer subterminal dusky lines, which anteriorly are continuous, posteriorly somewhat broken and macular, followed by a very conspicuous jet-black anteciliary slender line. Cilia greyish white, traversed by a medial transverse blackish-brown line. Hindwing: with the following small white-encircled black spots: a subbasal transverse series of three, followed by a highly curved series of eight spots, that curve across the disc of the wing to the costa and along the latter towards the base; discocellulars with a dusky short lunular line as on the forewing; terminal markings and cilia similar, but the outer and broader subterminal line more broken and macular than on the forewing. Antennae black, the shafts ringed with white; head, thorax and abdomen dark brown, with a little violet pubescence on the head and thorax; beneath: palpi, thorax and abdomen greyish white.
Female upperside: glossy brown, without any violet tint whatever; the anteciliary darker brown lines on both forewings and hindwings well marked. Underside: very similar to that of the male, the ground colour a shade darker, the markings slightly larger and more prominent. Antenna, head, thorax and abdomen as in the male, but the latter three without a trace of violet or blue on the upperside.


The tiny grass blue is found in several races throughout tropical and subtropical Africa, Asia, and Oceania, including India, Japan, the Philippines, Singapore, Eswatini, north and east coasts of Australia and also in southern Australia.


The wingspan of the adults is about 1.5 centimetres (0.59 in). The eggs are pale green, round, and flattened, with a diameter of about 0.5 millimetres (0.020 in). They are laid singly on buds and flowers of a food plant. The caterpillars are 0.7 centimetres (0.28 in) long, green with a dark red line along the back, and light and dark lines partway along the sides. The sides are hairy, and the head is pale brown. The pupa is 0.7 cm long, hairy and green, and is attached to a stem or the underside of a leaf of a food plant.


Food plants include various members of the family Acanthaceae. Species noted include Hygrophila auriculata and Phaulopsis dorsiflora.


The golden-crowned sparrow (Zonotrichia atricapilla) is a large New World sparrow found in the western part of North America.


The golden-crowned sparrow is one of five species in the genus Zonotrichia, a group of large American sparrows. It has no subspecies. It is a sister species with, and very closely related to, the white-crowned sparrow; studies of mitochondrial DNA show the two evolved into separate species very recently in geologic time. The white-throated sparrow is a slightly more distant relative. Hybridization with both white-crowned and white-throated sparrows has been reported.
Ornithologist John Latham first described the species in his book General Synopsis of Birds in 1781, but he thought it was a variety of what he called the "black-crowned bunting" and neglected to give it a scientific name. That lapse was corrected in 1789, when Johann Friedrich Gmelin assigned it the name Emberiza atricapilla in the 13th edition of Systema naturae. Various authorities in the 1800s (including John James Audubon) placed it in the genus Fringilla, but many assigned it to its current genus, Zonotrichia, once William John Swainson had established that genus. Peter Simon Pallas described the same species in 1844 as Zonotrichia coronata and, for much of the 1800s, this was the name used by most authorities.
In the bird's scientific name, the genus name Zonotrichia is a compound word: from Ancient Greek ζώνη (zone, transl. band) and θρίξ (thrix, transl. hair). The specific epithet atricapilla is Latin for "black-haired": ater (transl. black) and capillus (transl. hair of the head).


Measuring 15–18 cm (6–7 in) in length with a wingspan of 24.75 cm (9.74 in) and ranging from 19.0 to 35.4 g (0.67 to 1.25 oz) in mass, the adult golden-crowned sparrow is fairly large for an American sparrow. Like all Zonotrichia sparrows, it has a relatively long, square-tipped tail and a slightly peaked crown. Males and females are similarly plumaged, though males average slightly larger than females. Other than a plain gray nape, the adult's upperparts are grayish-brown, with broad brownish-black streaks on the back and scapulars, and an unstreaked rump. Its underparts are gray, slightly paler on the belly and buffier on the flanks. Its wings and tail are brown, and it shows two white wing bars.  Its legs are pale brown, and its bill is dark, with the upper mandible darker than the lower. Its iris is brown.
In the breeding season, the golden-crowned sparrow has a broad yellow central crown stripe which becomes pale gray towards the back of the head.


Although its distinctive crown patches allow for easy identification of the adult golden-crowned sparrow in breeding plumage, an immature or non-breeding bird might be mistaken for a white-crowned or white-throated sparrow. It is distinguished from the former by its crown pattern and dusky (rather than pale pink or yellowish) bill, and from the latter by its larger size, plain throat, and lack of a buff-colored central crown stripe. A young or non-breeding bird may also resemble a female house sparrow, but can be distinguished by its larger size, darker plumage, longer tail and (usually) some amount of dull yellow feathering on its forehead.


The golden-crowned sparrow is common along the western edge of North America. It is a migratory species, breeding from north-central Alaska (including the Aleutian Islands as far west as Unimak Island) and central Yukon south to the northwestern corner of the US state of Washington, and wintering from southern coastal Alaska to northern Baja California. It has been recorded as a vagrant in Japan and Russia, and occasionally strays as far as the eastern coast of North America, from Nova Scotia to Florida.  In the winter, it is generally found in brushy areas, (particularly chaparral), usually in dense shrubs.


The golden-crowned sparrow spends its winters in flocks with conspecifics, but also often with other sparrow species, especially white-crowned sparrows. Flock territories typically range in size from 15–20 acres (6.1–8.1 ha). Individual birds remain with the same flock for the entire winter and return to the same wintering site each year. Studies show that the golden-crowned sparrow's black and gold head stripes are used to signal social status in wintering flocks. Such signals help to reduce the incidence of confrontation between flock mates, thereby reducing such potential costs as injuries or the unnecessary expenditure of energy. The size and color of a bird's crown patches are better predictors of dominance (indicating which bird will avoid confrontation with another) than are the bird's size or sex. Birds with similarly sized gold crown patches are far more likely to engage in agonistic behavior than are those showing differences, and the outcomes of such confrontations can be predicted based on the color of their black stripes. This suggests that social status in this species involves more complexity than a single signal will allow, and that the multiple color patches allow a gradient of interactions between flock mates.


Like other Zonotrichia sparrows, the golden-crowned sparrow feeds on the ground, where it forages by pecking and scratching. It also occasionally leaps into the air after insects or gleans them from foliage. Its diet, particularly in the winter, consists primarily of plant material; items include seeds, berries, flowers and buds, as well as the occasional crawling insect. The species is an important destroyer of weed seeds on the Pacific Slope, with various ryegrasses, fescues, bromes, pigweeds, chickweeds, mulleins, filarees, common knotweed and poison oak among its known food sources. Paired birds commonly forage together, with the male following the female.
The species shows two weight peaks each year: one in mid-winter, and a much higher one shortly before it begins its migration north in the spring. The latter elevated weight is maintained until the bird reaches its breeding grounds.


The breeding season runs from late May through early August. Males on the breeding ground sing throughout the day from an exposed perch. The nest is a bulky cup built by the female.  Located on the ground (or occasionally on a low branch), it is made of dried plant material and lined with hair, fine grasses and feathers. The female typically lays five eggs, though clutches of three to five have been recorded.  The eggs, which are pale green, oval and heavily spotted with reddish-brown, measure (0.65–0.67)×(0.80–0.82) mm (0.026×0.031 in). They are incubated by the female for 11–14 days. The young are altricial—born naked, blind and helpless—but fledge from the nest within 12 days. Both parents feed the young.
The oldest known golden-crowned sparrow lived at least 10 years and 6 months; it was banded as an adult one winter, and recaptured nine winters later.


The song is a three-note whistle, descending in pitch. It is very distinctive, and often described as oh-dear-me. The call also sounds like the words I'm so weary, so Alaskan gold miners along the trails called this bird "Weary Willie". However, birds in the mountains of British Columbia have been reported to have a trill on the third note, rather than a clear whistle as in other populations. These songs are heard mainly in the breeding season, but also in the wintering grounds just after fall migration as well as just before they take off for spring migration. Like other Zonotrichia sparrows, it has a sharp, distinctive call note, which is transcribed as tsew.


The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists the golden-crowned sparrow as a species of least concern. The sparrow's extremely large range and population size lift it well above the thresholds used to designate an imperiled species, and data from Christmas Bird Counts show that its numbers are stable or increasing. Throughout its range, it is protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, and many of its wintering grounds are in protected areas, including national forests and national wildlife refuges.
As with other flock-living passerines, the golden-crowned sparrow is prone to elevated levels of feather mites. It serves as a host for chiggers, chewing lice, including Machaerilaemus maestum, and hippoboscid flies, including Ornithoica vicina. Diseases which are known to affect it include canarypox. A number of predators prey on the golden-crowned sparrow at some point in its life cycle.  These include northern and loggerhead shrikes, sharp-shinned and Cooper's hawks, northern harriers, merlins, mountain pygmy owls, western screech owls, barn owls, feral cats, and Columbian ground squirrels.


The white-crowned sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys) is a species of passerine bird native to North America. A medium-sized member of the New World sparrow family, this species is marked by a grey face and black and white streaking on the upper head. It breeds in brushy areas in the taiga and tundra of the northernmost parts of the continent and in the Rocky Mountains and Pacific coast. While southerly populations in the Rocky Mountains and coast are largely resident, the breeding populations of the northerly part of its range are migratory and can be found as wintering or passage visitors through most of North America south to central Mexico.


The scientific name is from Ancient Greek. The genus name Zonotrichia is from Ancient Greek ζώνη (zone, transl. band) and θρίξ (thrix, transl. hair). The species name leucophrys is from λευκός (leukos, transl. white) and ὀφρῡ́ς (ophrus, transl. eyebrow).


Adults have black and white stripes on their head, a gray face, brown streaked upper parts and a long tail. The wings are brown with bars and the underparts are gray. Their bill is pink or yellow. They are similar in appearance to the white-throated sparrow, but do not have the white throat markings or yellow lores.
Measurements:
Length: 5.9-6.3 in (15-16 cm)
Weight: 0.9-1.0 oz (25-28 g)
Wingspan: 8.3-9.4 in (21-24 cm)


There are five currently recognized subspecies of white-crowned sparrow (pugetensis, gambelii, nuttalli, oriantha, and leucophrys), varying in breeding distribution migratory route. Birds of the subspecies nuttalli are permanent residents in California, while birds of the subspecies gambelli may migrate as far as the Arctic Circle during the summer breeding season. Northern birds migrate to the southern United States and northern Mexico.


Their breeding habitat is brushy areas across northern Canada and the western United States.
The white-crowned sparrow is a very rare vagrant to western Europe. It has been sighted in England, Scotland, Ireland, and Norway. In 2008 a white-crowned sparrow was spotted in Cley next the Sea in Norfolk, England. To commemorate the event an image of the bird was included in a window at St Margaret's Church.


These birds forage on the ground or in low vegetation, but sometimes make short flights to catch flying insects. They mainly eat seeds, other plant parts and insects. In winter, they often forage in flocks.
White-crowned sparrows nest either low in bushes or on the ground under shrubs and lay three to five brown-marked gray or greenish-blue eggs.
The white-crowned sparrow is known for its unihemispheric slow-wave sleep, which allows it to stay half-awake for up to two weeks during migration. This effect has been studied for possible human alertness applications in shift work and truck driving.
Recent studies by ornithologists including Elizabeth Derryberry have shown that white-crowned sparrow songs are affected by human activity and noise.


The Indian white-eye (Zosterops palpebrosus), formerly the Oriental white-eye, is a small passerine bird in the white-eye family. It is a resident breeder in open woodland on the Indian subcontinent. They forage in small groups, feeding on nectar and small insects. They are easily identified by the distinctive white eye-ring and overall yellowish upperparts. The range previously extended eastwards to Southeast Asia, Indonesia and Malaysia but when the taxa in these regions were assigned to other species, the English name was changed.


The Indian white-eye was described by the Dutch zoologist Coenraad Jacob Temminck in 1824 from a specimen collected in Bengal. He coined the binomial name Sylvia palpebrosa. The English and scientific names refer to the conspicuous ring of white feathers round the eyes, palpebrosus being New Latin for "having prominent eyelids", from the Latin palpebrae "eyelids".
The English name of this species was changed from "Oriental white-eye" to "Indian white-eye" to more accurately reflect the geographic range following the reorganisation of the taxa with the introduction of Hume's white-eye (Zosterops auriventer), the warbling white-eye (Zosterops japonicus) and Swinhoe's white-eye (Zosterops simplex).


This bird is small (about 8–9 cm long) with yellowish olive upper parts, a white eye ring, yellow throat and vent. The belly is whitish grey but may have yellow in some subspecies. The sexes look similar. The species is widespread and is part of a superspecies complex that includes Zosterops japonicus, Zosterops meyeni and possibly others. The taxonomy of the group is still unclear with some island populations being distinctive while some subspecies are not well supported. The population from Flores, Indonesia for instance is found closer to the pale white-eye. The family itself is now questioned since they are nested along with the Stachyris babblers.
About eleven subspecies are well recognised. These include the nominate form (type locality Bengal, India) which is found from Oman and Arabia, Afghanistan, northern India and extends into China and northern Myanmar. The population in the Western Ghats and hills of southern India is placed in nilgiriensis while salimalii of the Eastern Ghats hills (Shevaroy, Chitteri, Seshachalam, Nallamalai) is sometimes subsumed into the nominate race. The population of the plains of India, Laccadives and Sri Lanka are sometimes placed in egregius (= egregia) but is restricted by other works to the population in Sri Lanka. The populations in southern Myanmar, Thailand and Laos are placed in siamensis. The Nicobar Islands form is nicobaricus and is sometimes also used for the population on the Andaman Islands which are, however, a distinctive and unnamed population. The populations from southern Thailand to western Cambodia are placed in williamsoni. Other Southeast Asian island forms include auriventer (=aureiventer), buxtoni, melanurus and unicus.
Race occidentis (now often subsumed into the nominate race) of the Western Himalayas has the upper side dark green and the flanks are tinged in brown. The form salimalii has a shorter bill and is brighter yellow-green above. Some authors consider the nominate race to be restricted to Sikkim, Bhutan, Assam and Yunnan and consider the peninsular race as occidentis (or amabilis if the form from Kathiawar described by Koelz is considered valid).
In Sri Lanka, race egregia is smaller and has a brighter back and throat than the endemic Sri Lanka white-eye, Zosterops ceylonensis found in the central hills.


The species is found in a wide range of habitats from scrub to moist forest. They sometimes occur in mangrove areas, such as in the Karachi region, and on islands they may lead a more insectivorous life. They are somewhat rare only in the drier desert regions of western India.
A feral population was detected in San Diego, California, in the 1980s and subsequently eradicated.


These white-eyes are sociable, forming flocks which only separate on the approach of the breeding season. They are highly arboreal and only rarely descend to the ground. The breeding season is February to September but April is the peak breeding season and the compact cup nest is a placed like a hammock on the fork of a branch. The nest is made of cobwebs, lichens and plant fibre. The nest is built in about 4 days and the two pale blue eggs are laid within a couple of days of each other. The eggs hatch in about 10 days. Both sexes take care of brooding the chicks which fledge in about 10 days.
Though mainly insectivorous, the Indian white-eye will also eat nectar and fruits of various kinds.
They call frequently as they forage and the usual contact call is a soft nasal cheer. They pollinate flowers when they visit them for flower insects (such as thrips) and possibly nectar (questioned) that form their diet. The forehead is sometimes coloured by pollen leading to mistaken identifications. They have been observed bathing in dew accumulated on leaves.
When nesting, they may mob palm squirrels but being small birds they are usually on the defensive. Their predators include bats (esp. Megaderma lyra) and birds such as the white-throated kingfisher. Endoparasitic Haemosporidia of the genus Haemoproteus and Dorisa have been isolated from the species although these rarely cause death.
Like some other white-eyes, they sometimes steal nest material from the nests of other birds. Cases of interspecific feeding have been noted with white-eyes feeding the chicks of a paradise flycatcher.
Although not strong fliers, they are capable of dispersing in winds and storms to new areas including offshore islands. A feral population of this species established itself in California during the 1980s requiring their capture and destruction. They were captured by luring them using call playback and live decoys into mistnets.


The Cape white-eye (Zosterops virens) is a small passerine bird in the white-eye family. It is native to southern Africa. It is commonly found in suburbia, parks and gardens, besides a variety of mesic to well-watered habitats.


There are two subspecies:
Z. v. capensis Sundevall, 1850 – south-western South Africa, Lesotho and adjacent western KwaZulu-Natal.
Z. v. virens Sundevall, 1850 – eastern and south-eastern Botswana, eastern and northern South Africa, Swaziland, and adjacent south-western Mozambique.
These subspecies interbreed where they come into contact.
The Orange River white-eye (Z. pallidus) has been split from the Cape white-eye.


This species is about 12 cm long with rounded wings, strong legs, and a conspicuous ring of white feathers round the eyes. The upperparts are green, and the throat and vent are bright yellow. The members of the Z. v. capensis has a grey breast and belly, whereas Z. v. virens has a greenish-yellow breast and belly.
They are very vocal, and constantly keep in touch with soft trilled pee, pree or pirreee callnotes. The song consists of repeated long jerky phrases of sweet reedy notes, varying in pitch, volume and temp, usually starting off with teee teee or pirrup pirrup notes, then becoming a fast rambled jumble of notes, which may incorporate mimicked phrases of other birdcalls.


This is a sociable species forming large flocks outside the breeding season. It builds a cup nest in a tree and lays 2-3 unspotted pale blue eggs. The eggs hatch in 11–12 days, and fledging occurs in another 12–13 days. The peak breeding season is September to December.
The Cape white-eye feeds mainly on insects, but also soft fleshy flowers, nectar, fruit and small grains. It readily comes to bird feeders.


It is found in a wide range of densely to lightly wooded habitats in South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland and marginally in Mozambique. Most populations are resident, but some perform minor seasonal movements.


The six-spot burnet (Zygaena filipendulae) is a day-flying moth of the family Zygaenidae.


Zygaena filipendulae is a common species throughout Europe , except the Atlantic coast of the Iberian Peninsula, northern Scandinavia and the Great Russian North. It is also present in Asia Minor, through the Caucasus to Syria and Lebanon.


This species can be found in meadows, woodland clearings, sea-cliffs and area rich in grasses and flowers, up to 2,000 m altitude.


Zygaena filipendulae has a wingspan of 30–40 mm (1.2–1.6 in). The sexes are similar. The fore wings are dark metallic green with six vivid red spots (sometimes the spots are merged causing possible confusion with other species such as the five-spot burnet). Occasionally, the spots are yellow or even black. The hind wings are red with a blackish fringe. The larva is plump and hairy with variable markings, usually pale green with rows of black spots.
It is an aposematic moth because it is distinguished by its colors as toxic to predators like birds and lizards. If attacked it emits a liquid containing cyanide.


Subspecies include:
Zygaena transalpina transalpina
Zygaena transalpina alpina Boisduval, 1834
Zygaena transalpina altitudinaria Turati, 1910
Zygaena transalpina annae Aistleitner, 1979
Zygaena transalpina astragali (Borkhausen, 1793)
Zygaena transalpina bavarica  Burgeff, 1922
Zygaena transalpina centralis  Oberthur, 1907
Zygaena transalpina centricataloniae  Burgeff, 1926
Zygaena transalpina centripyrenaea  Burgeff, 1926
Zygaena transalpina collina  Burgeff, 1926
Zygaena transalpina curtisi  Tremewan, 1961
Zygaena transalpina dufayi  Dujardin, 1965
Zygaena transalpina emendata  Verity, 1916
Zygaena transalpina gulsensis  Daniel, 1954
Zygaena transalpina helvetica  Bethune-Baker & Rothschild, 1921
Zygaena transalpina hilfi  Reiss, 1922
Zygaena transalpina hippocrepidis  Hübner, 1799
Zygaena transalpina intermedia  Rocci, 1914
Zygaena transalpina jugi  Burgeff, 1926
Zygaena transalpina latina  Verity, 1920
Zygaena transalpina maritima  Oberthur, 1898
Zygaena transalpina marujae  Tremewan & Manley, 1965
Zygaena transalpina miltosa  Candeze, 1883
Zygaena transalpina philippsi  Romei, 1927
Zygaena transalpina provincialis  Oberthur, 1907
Zygaena transalpina pseudoalpina  Turati, 1910
Zygaena transalpina rupicola  Rocci, 1936
Zygaena transalpina sorrentinaeformis  Rocci, 1938
Zygaena transalpina splugena  Burgeff, 1926
Zygaena transalpina subalticola  Rocci, 1918
Zygaena transalpina tenuissima  Burgeff, 1914
Zygaena transalpina tilaventa  Holik, 1935
Zygaena transalpina xanthographa  Germar, 1836


This species can be found from Germany to Croatia and Italy and from Spain to Austria and Slovenia. It is more frequent at more than 2000 meters of altitude in the Alps, especially in the Italian Alps and in Italy, with the exception of Sicily and the Adriatic coast.


This moth occurs in warm, dry climates, particularly on dry meadows, but also on flowering grasslands at higher elevations. Though the form astragali extends beyond the 50. degree of latitude, being still common near Mombach (Mainz), Darmstadt, etc.. South Europe, especially Italy, must be considered the principal locality of the species, the forms here flying occurring from May to July in really surprising numbers; maritima flies in great abundance even in dull weather and till night -fall on the southern slopes of the Riviera, near Genoa, Pegli, Savona, etc., transalpina being likewise very common in the southern valleys of the Alps of Ticino, extending into the North Italian plains.


The wingspan o Zygaena transalpina can reach about 29–35 millimetres (1.1–1.4 in). The forewings are of a shining bluish green, or of a blue black, with three pairs of carmine-red spots for each wing (in some individuals of both sexes, the spots are only five ). The two spots on the base are oval. The hind wings are carmine red, with a black blue border and a slightly darker fringe. The underside of the forewings is light black blue, usually with the same spots as the top.


Z. transalpina Esp. (= medicaginis O.; charon, angelicae Boisd.) Very highly coloured: metallic black-blue or -green, with 6 small, widely separated, somewhat black-edged spots. The very bright red hindwing is broadly margined with black. On the underside of forewing all the red spots are merged in the name-typical form. – ab. flava Dziurz. is the (accidental) light-yellow aberration. – ab. ferulae Led. [synonym of transalpina ], which occurs in the southern Alps and extends sporadically into Southern Germany, is red and has still smaller spots on the forewing than name-typical transalpina , but is hardly separable from it as a distinct form. – In ab. nigricans Oberth. (= brunnea Dziurz.) the red has changed into coffee colour, as in ab. chrysanthemi of filipendulae. – boisduvali Costa (= xanthographa Germ.) has yellow spots on the forewing (5 or 6), and a yellow streak or heart-shaped spot on the otherwise black hindwing; South Italy. – ab. zickerti Hofm. [ synonym of ssp. xanthographa Germar, [1836] ] is similar to boisduvali, but the hindwing is all black, being without the yellow central spot. Flying sparingly among the preceding. – astragali Bkh. (= hippocrepidis Hbn.; angelicae Boisd.) [now subspecies] is of a magnificent vermilion colour, with 6 large spots on the forewing and a narrow marginal band to the hindwing. The forewing below is uniformly vermilion (without separation into spots), with black margin. This is the northern form, which occurs in France, South and Central Germany, and Belgium, being said (probably erroneously) to extend as far as Sweden. – Specimens of this form with an abdominal belt are named by Hirschke astragali. ab. cingulata. – ab. miltosa Cand.[now subspecies] is founded on a small specimen from La Rochelle in which the spots of the upperside are also confluent. – sorrentina Stgr. [ synonym of ssp. xanthographa Germar, [1836] ] resembles boisduvali, but the spots are red, and the spot of the hindwing is often very small; Southern Central Italy (Naples). – calabrica Calb. (= spicae Stgr.) [synonym of ssp. xanthographa Germar, [1836] ] is quite black, with very small red spots, the spot of the hindwing being only vestigial, the insect therefore resembling stoechadis; South Italy. – maritima Oberth. [ now subspecies] is, like the name-typical form, very bright red, but the black margin of the hindwing is wider and more sinuate; the (6) spots of the forewing below are not confluent; Riviera. – italica Dziurz. [ synonym of ssp. collina Burgeff, 1926 ] the same, but has only 5 spots; Northern Italy. – Larva green, with black dorsal stripe, and yellow lateral line, above which there are triangular black spots. Pupa black, abdomen greenish white; in a light-yellow cocoon.
This species is very similar to Zygaena filipendulae. They can be distinguished by the color of the apex of the antennae (whitish and are more sharp in Z. transalpina, black in Z. filipendulae). Moreover, in Z. transalpina, the spot 6, when present, is clearly separated from stain 5 and even the spot 3 and 4 are more distant than in Z. filipendulae.


Adults are on wing from the end of May to August in one generation per year. The imagines are lively and active insects, taking perhaps quickest to the wing of all the Burnets. They likewise simulate death when suddenly touched, but revive soon and whiz quickly away, the flight being fast.
It is an aposematic species because its warning colors signal it as toxic to predators such as birds and lizards. In case of attack it emits a liquid containing cyanide.
The larvae feed on the leaves of Hippocrepis comosa and sometimes Coronilla varia and Lotus corniculatus. Larvae can be found from August, after overwintering, to June of the following year.


The Église Saint-Cannat is a Roman Catholic church in Marseille.


It is located in the 1st arrondissement of Marseille. The exact address is 4, rue des Prêcheurs, 13001 Marseille.


The church was named in honour of Canus Natus, a French Roman Catholic Saint from the fifth century.
Construction of the church building started on December 31, 1526, in the presence of Bernardin des Beaux. It was dedicated on May 18, 1619.
The facade was built from 1739 to 1744 by architect Joseph Gérard.
The church has a few works of art. Two paintings by Michel Serre (1658-1733) are displayed in the church: La vierge à l'enfant et le purgatoire and La purification de la Vierge. There is also a painting by Pierre Parrocel (1664–1739), representing the baptism of Christ. Additionally, one can see a sculpture of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux (1873–1897) designed by François Carli (1872-1957).
The pipe organ, designed by Jean-Esprit Isnard (1707-1781), dates back to 1747.
The church building has been listed as a Monument historique since November 2, 1926.


The church building is open on Mondays and Thursdays from 9AM to 1PM, on Wednesdays from 9AM to 7PM, and on Tuesday and Fridays from 9AM to 12PM. However, no Mass are said at present.


WikiWeb_Eglise Saint-Ferreol les Augustins_0

The Église Saint-Ferréol les Augustins is a Roman Catholic church in Marseille.


WikiWeb_Eglise Saint-Ferreol les Augustins_2

The original building on site was owned by the Knights Templar. However, in 1369, it was given to a community of Augustinian hermits. By 1447, they decided to spearhead the construction a new church building. It was dedicated in 1542, even though the vault was only completed in 1588.
During the Ancien Régime (15th century to 18th century), it was used for professional ceremonies. For example, ship-porters had their own altars in the church as early as 1390: one dedicated to Saint Peter, and a second one to Saint Paul.
Pope Clement VII (1478–1534) married his niece, Catherine de' Medici (1519–1589), to Henry II of France (1519–1559), in this church on October 28, 1533.
During the French Revolution of 1789, it came close to being destroyed. However, it was salvaged. Shortly after, it was renamed in honour of Saint Augustine. Later, it was sold to a businessman. Later, it was returned to the Catholic Church.
The facade was destroyed in 1801, due to construction work on the street, and it was rebuilt in 1875. In 1803, it was named in honour of Saint Ferréol de Vienne, a Roman Catholic martyr from the 3rd century who was the namesake of another church in Marseille which was destroyed during the French Revolution.
The high altar was designed by Dominique Fossaty, as were the altars of the Augustinians and of the ship-porters. Inside the church can also be found the Mazenod family's tomb dating back to 1564 and the Montolieu family's tomb, dating back to 1695. The relics of Saint Louis of Toulouse (1274–1297) are also in the church.
The church has a few works of art. Three paintings by Michel Serre (1658-1733) are displayed inside the church: Sainte Marguerite, La Vierge à l'enfant apparaissant à Saint Pierre and Saint Paul. There is also a bust of Saint Ferréol de Vienne. Additionally, there is a sculpture of Saint Augustine designed by Raymond Servian (1903-1953). Another sculpture, by Élie-Jean Vézien (1890-1982), represents Saint Theresa. Yet another sculpture, this time by Louis Botinelly (1883-1962), is of Joan of Arc. A more recently sculpture, designed by Yves le Pape in 1979, depicts the Holy Family.
The neogothic pipe organ, designed by Augustin Zieger, dates back to 1844.


The Église Saint-Germain de Royère-de-Vassivière is a Gothic church built in Royère-de-Vassivière in the department of Creuse and region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. The church was included in the inventory of monuments historiques on 9 March 1963.
The patron of the church is Saint-Germain who was born in Autun in 496. He founded with Merovingian king Childebert I, son of Clovis, the church of Saint Vincent which became the church of Saint-Germain-des-Prés. He was also the twentieth bishop of Paris. The church has a single nave with flat apse.


The current building was built in the late 13th century, or rather of the 14th century. Its porch and its tower seem to have been constructed in the 15th century. A community of religious brothers served the church since 1491.
Before 1776, Royère-de-Vassivière had several places of burial. From 1776, burials in the church were forbidden, for hygiene reasons, by a Royal Declaration, except for the priests. In Royère, this declaration was immediately respected and the last profane burial was that of Marie Lenoir in 1774. In 1779, it was decided to move the cemetery beside the Église Saint-Germain to the outside of the town. The new cemetery was eventually opened in 1856. The old cemetery was replaced by a square under the Mayor M. Toumieux administration. The War memorial of the city is now on the square.


WikiWeb_Eglise Sainte-Genevieve de Loqueffret_0

The Église Sainte-Geneviève de Loqueffret is a Roman Catholic parish church located at Loqueffret, situated in the arrondissement of Châteaulin and the department of Finistère in Brittany in north-western France. The parish church of Loqueffret was built in granite in the Gothic style in the 16th century and is dedicated to Saint Geneviève, a 10th-century Breton saint. The calvary dates to the 15th century. The existing bell-tower dates to 1771 and the bell-tower spire was designed by the architect Joseph Bigot and dates to 1850. The church has two large entrances on the west and south side.


WikiWeb_Eglise Sainte-Genevieve de Loqueffret_1

The 6-metre-high calvary has a granite base, with a table, which could be used for offerings, and a stoup.  The crosspiece and statuary are all carved from kersantite. At the base there is also a marble plaque with the inscription "MISSION 1923 40 JOURS D’INDULGENCE PATER AVE". The crucifixion cross includes a large titulus and on the reverse of the statue of the crucified Christ is a pietà. The good and bad robber's depictions have disappeared but the sculpture of an angel and a demon with tibia and skull have survived. On the lower crosspiece are statues of the Virgin Mary and John the Evangelist and below them and on the shaft of the cross there is a statue depicting Saint Geneviève. All three statues rest on the carving of a human head.


Ömeriye Mosque (Greek: Τέμενος Ομεριέ Temenos Omerié, Turkish: Ömeriye Camii), is a mosque in the walled city of Nicosia on the island of Cyprus, currently located in the south section of Nicosia. Following the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, the mosque gained significance as one of the most important sites of Muslim worship in the non-Muslim section of the island and the city.
Currently the mosque is functioning and open for both worshipers and visitors.


Formerly, the site of the mosque was occupied by the Augustinian Church of Saint Mary, which dated back to the  14th century. During the Ottoman-Venetian War of 1570–73, the church was first heavily damaged during the siege of Nicosia in 1570, and was eventually levelled after the war.
After the Turkish conquest of Cyprus, Lala Mustafa Pasha, the Ottoman commander, ordered a mosque to be built on the site of the former church, based on a popular belief that Umar, second caliph of Islam, was buried at this site in 7th century.
According to Turkish Cypriot folklore, the Ömeriye Mosque is the first mosque where Turks prayed on the island following its conquest in 1571.


Currently, mosque is active and open for both worshipers and tourists. Today, it is mostly used by the Muslim visitors coming to Republic of Cyprus' south section for tourism or business purposes, mainly from neighboring Arab countries and Balkans. Also, Turkish Cypriots who cross to the south section of Nicosia use the mosque during their daily trips.
On 3 June 2014, Turkish Cypriot Director of Religious Affairs, Talip Atalay, visited the Ömeriye mosque during a trip of visiting several sacred Muslim spots located in the south section of Cyprus, following an invitation from Archbishop Chrysostomos II of Cyprus as part of the Religious Track of the Cyprus Peace Process, under the auspices of the Embassy of Sweden in Nicosia. Atalay was accompanied by the EVKAF Foundation’s Chairperson Rauf Ersenal, a native of Tahtakale neighbourhood, whose family fled the area following the 1963 intercommunal violence, never to return.


The area doesn't only include the mosque. Across the street, there is a Turkish bath (hamam) located, named Ömeriye Hamam. The construction of the hamam (bath) was also ordered by Lala Mustafa Pasha.
The bath was in framework of the fundings provided by the EU and it functioned as a touristic attraction also open for bathing until 2012. Government of Cyprus stated the closure of the bath was for renovation plans and efforts.


Öskjuhlíð ([ˈœscʏˌl̥iːθ]) is a hill in the centre of Reykjavík, Iceland. It is 61 metres (200 ft) above sea level. The hill is a designated outdoors area and is covered with trees. At the top of the hill stands Perlan, a landmark building set on top of six water tanks. It is a city landmark built during Davíð Oddsson's period as mayor.
During the Second World War the United States Army occupation force built various bunkers on the hill.
Hof Ásatrúarfélagsins, a neopagan building, is being built on the southern slope of the hill.


Āraiši lake dwelling site (Latvian: Āraišu ezerpils) is a popular tourist location with original and reconstructed remnants of Latvian prehistory. It is a unique nationally important archaeological site: remains of the 9th–10th centuries Latgalian fortified settlement on the island of Āraiši lake.


Today the lake dwelling is partially reconstructed and visitors can see rebuilt prehistoric Latgalian wooden buildings. During the excavations remains of 151 wooden buildings were discovered, with 3700 artifacts, and about a hundred thousand fragments of pottery were found.
Using collected data, ethnographic parallels and replicas of ancient tools, today there are 14 reconstructed buildings of the first period of the construction of the fortified settlement.
Āraiši archaeological museum park is a member of EXARC organization of open-air archaeological museums throughout Europe.


İzmir Clock Tower (Turkish: İzmir Saat Kulesi) is a historic clock tower located at the Konak Square in the Konak district of İzmir, Turkey. It is considered as the main landmark of the city.


Kâmil Pasha, the then-Governor of Aidin Vilayet, held a meeting with the prominent people of İzmir on 1 August 1900. It was decided a clock tower to be built in commemoration of the 25th anniversary of Abdul Hamid II's accession to the throne. The clock tower was designed by the Levantine French architect Raymond Charles Péré. The groundbreaking ceremony of the construction was held on 1 September 1900. The tower was completed in August 1901 and officially inaugurated on 1 September 1901, the 25th anniversary of the sultan's accession to the throne.
The top of the tower was destroyed in a magnitude 6.4 earthquake on 31 March 1928 and again in a magnitude 5.2 earthquake on 1 February 1974. During the protests against the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, the clock of the tower was stolen. The tower underwent restoration in 2019.


The tower, which has an iron and lead skeleton, is 25 m (82 ft) high and features four fountains (şadırvan), which are placed around the base in a circular pattern. The ground area of the tower is 81 m² (870 sq ft) The tower has an octagonal plan and four floors. It was made of marble and stone. The tower has four clocks with a diameter of 75 cm. There is a bell on the fourth floor which is carried by twelve columns. There were tughras and Ottoman coats of arms on four sides of the tower. After the proclamation of the republic, they were engraved and replaced with stars and crescents.


The clock tower was depicted on the reverse of the Turkish 500 lira banknotes of 1983–1989. It is also featured on the emblem of İzmir Metropolitan Municipality. A 1:25 scale model of the tower is on display in Miniatürk.


Ōasahiko Shrine (大麻比古神社, Ōasahiko-jinja) is a Shinto shrine in the Ōasachō-Bandō neighborhood of the city of Naruto, Tokushima Prefecture, Japan. It is one of the shrines claiming the title of ichinomiya of former Awa Province. The main festival of the shrine is held annually on November 1.


The kami enshrined at Ōasahiko Jinja are:
Ōasahiko-no-Okami (大宜都比売命), the goddess of food
Sarutahiko-no-Ōkami (猿田彦大神)
It is believed that in the era of Emperor Jimmu, Ame-no-Tomi-no-Mikoto came to the Awa region (an ancient region that encompassed most of present-day Tokushima Prefecture) seeking fertilized land to sow hemp seeds. The planted seeds were then cultivated by the area's population so they could produce linen called asa, which formed the base of the area's industry. Because of the impact he had on furthering the welfare of Japan, Ōasahiko Shrine was dedicated in the area to worship him as a kami named Ōasahiko-no-Ōkami.
The secondary kami enshrined at Ōasahiko is Sarutahiko-no-Ōkami. He is depicted as standing at the junction of heaven and earth to guide the grandchildren of Amaterasu, the Imperial Family and the founders of the human race to earth. He is primarily known for greeting and guiding Ninigi-no-Mikoto, grandson of Amaterasu, to earth. After his various achievements, he was enshrined at Ōasahiko Shrine along with Ōasahiko-no-Okami.


The exact year of the foundation of Ōasahiko Shrine is unknown. The shrine is listed in the Nihon Sandai Jitsuroku national history which was compiled in 901, in entries dated 867, 878, and 883, noting promotions in its official ranking. In the Engishiki, written in 927, it is listed as a Meishin Taisha (名神大社). During the Heian and Kamakura period, it was designated the ichinomiya of the province. Under the premodern system of shinbutsu-shūgō syncretism between Buddhism and Shinto, it was closely associated with Ryōzen-ji, the first temple in the Shikoku pilgrimage and jingū-ji to the shrine. It was supported in the Muromachi, Sengoku and Edo period by the Hosokawa clan, Miyoshi clanand Hachisuka clan, continued to improve its shrine rating until it was awarded the 1st grade in 1719.
Following the Meiji restoration, the shrine was designated as a National Shrine, 2nd rank (国幣中社, Kokuhei Chūsha) in 1871 under State Shinto]'s Modern system of ranked Shinto Shrines . This qualified it for government support, and it was able to reconstruct most of its buildings in 1890.
After the abolition State Shinto after World War II, the shrine became a Beppyo shrine under the Association of Shinto Shrines, and in 1970, the current Honden, Haiden and the Gaihaiden were rebuilt from the donations of worshipers. Since then, Ōasahiko Shrine has lost most of its national importance, but remains today as an important place of worship in the Tokushima area.
The shrine is 25-minute walk from Bandō Station on the JR Shikoku Kōtoku Line.


Marking the start of an 800-meter-long (2,625 ft) road leading directly to the shrine's haiden is a large, orange torii. By using reinforced concrete and steel, this torii was first constructed in 1958 and had a height of 15.6 metres (51 ft) and a width of 11 metres (36 ft). Because of its deteriorated state, it was reconstructed in 2002 using metal tubing. The access road which follows is lined with dozens of stone tōrō donated by shrine parishioners in 2004-05.
In the center of the shrine grounds is a 1000-year-old camphor tree known as Go-shinboku (ご神木). This revered tree's main trunk has a circumference of 8.3 metres (27 ft) and a maximum height of 22 metres (72 ft).
Behind the main portion of the shrine grounds to the northeast is the German Bridge (ドイツ橋, Doitsu bashi). From April 1917 to December 1919, about 953 German and Austro-Hungarian soldiers were imprisoned at the nearby Bandō Prisoner of War camp during World War I. This stone bridge was built by the POWs who were held captive at the camp.


Ōhori Park (大濠公園, Ōhori-kōen) is a park in Chūō-ku, Fukuoka, Japan and a registered Place of Scenic Beauty.
The name Ōhori means a large moat and it derives from the fact that Kuroda Nagamasa, the old lord of Fukuoka, reclaimed the northern half of a cove or an inlet called Kusagae which was facing Hakata Bay and made a moat for the Fukuoka Castle.  At the same time the Hii (Tajima) River, which was flowing into the cove, was diverted from its course to the west.
The present park was reconstructed by Fukuoka City, modeled on the West Lake of China, and opened in 1929. A fireworks festival is held here every August.
The Fukuoka Art Museum and the United States Consulate are nearby.
Heiwadai Stadium also used to stand near Ohori Park. Opened in 1949 and closed in 1997 and demolished the following year, this baseball stadium was home to 3 NPB franchises. The Nishi Nippon Pirates only stayed in Heiwadai for their only year of operation in 1950. The Nishitetsu Clippers/Lions (now Saitama Seibu Lions) played their entire time in Heiwadai during their tenure in Fukuoka from 1950-1978 before moving to Saitama. The last team to call Heiwadai home was the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks (now Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks) for their first 3 years from 1989-1992. The stadium was eventually replaced with the Fukuoka PayPay Dome. During a renovation to Heiwadai in 1987, underneath the bleachers of the stadium, ruins of an ancient facility were found. When the stadium was demolished in 1997, the outfield bleachers were left as archeological work continued until these bleachers were also demolished in 2008 due to concerns over safety. It can be said that the reason why there were ruins found under the bleachers in Heiwadai was because it was built over the ruins of Fukuoka Castle.


The Şişli Mosque (Turkish: Şişli Camii) is a mosque located in Şişli Square between the Büyükdere Avenue, the Halaskargazi and Abide-i Hürriyet streets in the Şişli district of Istanbul, Turkey.
Due to lack of any mosque in Şişli, which got incorporated into the urban area with the rapid expansion of the city in the 1940s, the residents demanded the building of a mosque. With the initiative of Mayor Lütfi Kırdar, a land of 3,219 m² (34,650 sq ft) was left over to a symbolic price to the trustees of the mosque.
Designed in classical Ottoman architectural style by architect Ali Vasfi Egeli, its construction began in 1945, and it was opened to worship in 1949. It is the first mosque in Turkey ever built after 1923, in the Republican era.
The mosque, built of gritstone (coarse-grained sandstone) ashlar, is situated in a walled courtyard having three gates. The building has a porticoed entrance porch, is topped with a main dome flanked by three half-domes, and has a minaret featuring one gallery with muqarnas.
Over the hobnailed main entrance door, a calligraphic inscription in Arabic script is fixed, which was created by Hamid Aytaç (1891-1982). In the center of the courtyard, a dodecagon-shaped sadirvan spends water for ritual washing wudu. The courtyard houses also spaces for the imam, muezzin, other mosque officials, and a library.
The entrance to the  mosque is reached by stairs. Inside, a marble fountain is situated in the center. Pews are located on both sides of the entrance. The ground is covered by a rose-colored carpet, and heated underground. The ceiling is decorated. There are calligraphic scripts on the inner walls. The windows over the marble-made mihrab are of stained glass.


Šabac fortress (Serbian: Шабачка тврђава; Turkish: Böğürdelen Kalesi), is a fortress next to modern day Šabac, on the right riverbank of Sava.


Originally the location where the fortress was built was a trading square of the settlement known as Zaslon, where the merchants from Ragusa would trade their goods.
The fortress was built in 1471 by Isa-Beg Ishaković, but soon afterwards, in 1476, it was captured by the Hungarian army with the help of the Serbian despot Vuk Grgurević and Vlad The Impaler, who kept the Šabac fortress under his control for more than four decades. In 1521, on his campaign on the way to Belgrade, Suleiman the Magnificent captured Šabac. As soon as he got hold of it, he had the earth palisade fortifications replaced with bulwark constructions with towers. In the period from 1717 until 1739, during temporary Austrian occupation, the fortress underwent significant adaptations and its surface was extended with additional construction of outer fortifications.


Štvanice is an island on the Vltava river between the Prague districts of Holešovice and Karlín. At the end of the 17th century, a wooden arena was built there. Until 1816, the island was used for dog hunts involving various animals such as bears, bulls, deer, and cows, although these were repeatedly banned. This is the origin of the island's name, which translates to hunt or chase.
In 1931, Štvanice Stadium was built on the island, and originally consisted entirely of wood. This later became the ice skating centre of Prague until its demolition in 2011. Ice Hockey World Championships were held at the stadium four times: in 1933, 1938, 1947, and 1959. It was here that in 1947, the Czechoslovakia men's national ice hockey team won the world championship for the first time.
In 1986, a modern tennis arena was built on Štvanice, with nine outdoor and two indoor courts; the central court has a capacity of 8,000 seats and is the annual site of the ATP and WTA Prague Open tournaments.
The island also has a roofed skatepark, and as such it is the only place which permits year-round skateboarding in Prague. In 2006, a neighbouring indoor skate bowl was added to the facility. In the eastern part of the island there used to be a public swimming pool, which in the 1990s had a nudist resort. This was of interest for being set up almost directly in the centre of Prague, near a hydropower plant and an adjustable water slalom track. The island is spanned by the Hlávkův bridge and Negrelliho viaduct.


The district was once the northeast corner of the Roman settlement Londonium. Though one of the oldest settled parts of the city, the area was completely devastated during The Blitz. It was redeveloped in the postwar decades according to modernist planning principles centred on the automobile. London Wall became an "unpleasant 1960s dual carriageway", a "mini-motorway which acted as divisively upon its surroundings as the old wall had". The sites surrounding the roadway were developed under high-rise schemes including the Barbican Estate to the north. The site beside the road upon which Alban Gate was built was originally home to Lee House, a modernist office complex. In 1986, spurred by Margaret Thatcher's "Big Bang" deregulation of financial markets and the need for more large-floorplate modern office space, planning permission was granted for the demolition of Lee House.