Garden Blog - Top Tropicals
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PeopleCats of TopTropicals. Cat of the Month: Sonya growing indoors
Sonya, the Co-Author of our columnist Alex Butova, this year can't wait for the Spring to begin. Sonya is a
True Tropical Cat, enjoying sunny hot days, and she hates cold and snow in
spite of her beautiful fluffy coat. Together with Alex, she grows tropical
flowers in their apartment in Riga, Latvia. The countdown to True Spring has just
begun, and Sonya promises warm weather to start by hers and Alex's birthday
on March 16.
Aren't we lucky to live in Tropics!
TopTropicals PeopleCat Club and Zoo
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Make
your kind donation today and receive a surprise gift from us! Every little
bit helps. Thank you and God bless you and your pets!
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PeopleCats of the World. Cat of The Day: Sabake from the Cat Cafe
We continue inviting PeopleCats of the World to our Blog. Today's cat of
the day is visiting us from Cat Cafe Nurri from Tallinn, Estonia - Nurri Kassikohvik (Nurri means Purr!). Our columnist Alex Butova has visited enchanting Nurri Cafe especially for this
report!
This amazing cat project is supported by donations, cat gift shop, as well
as order surcharge - $6.50 per customer. Nurri Cafe is a foster home for cats
rescued from different troubles. Some of these cats eventually find their
forever homes when adopted by the customers. But some have become Nurri's
family members, the cafe is their permanent home, and of course - place of
work.
One of such permanent residents is a fluffy beautiful Sabake (BTW "sabaka"
in Russian means "dog"... well, it is what it is!)
Sabake's main responsibility is checking out customers at the cash
register. She also advertises souvenirs and offers to sign the Guestbook - which is
she uses as a napping mat.
Sabake is very proud of her beautiful, long, thick fur. Cafe employees have
a daily task of grooming her fur coat which is quite a job!
In May 2020, during the world's shut-down, the MAOW Academy hosted a webinar from this cafe: "For
everyone who cares how the life order of "stay home" worked on cats and how they
get used to the "old" life order again."
In the photo: Sabake napping on the Guestbook
TopTropicals PeopleCat Club and Zoo
Thank you for supporting us in helping PeopleCat Community!
Make
your kind donation today and receive a surprise gift from us! Every little
bit helps. Thank you and God bless you and your pets!
Date:
PeopleCats of the World. Cat of The Day: Sir Nicolas from Sankt Gilgen
We continue inviting PeopleCats of the World to our Blog. Today's story is about very Important Purrrson, director of a Hotel - Sir Nicolas, a Royal Tuxedo Cat.
Sir Nicolas in managing Kendler Hotel located in Sankt Gilgen, Austria. He
was interviewed by our columnist and editor Alex Butova - a big time traveler whose first writer's priorities during every trip are - botanical gardens and cats.
Sir Nicolas's lakefront Kendler Hotel located by the beautiful mountain Zwolferhorn. Accoring to what Sir Nicolas told Alex, besides beauties of the Alps, his city is famous with the fact that Mozart's mother was born here. But the most important feature that Sir Nicolas appreciates here is a small butcher's shop which is actually a part of the hotel's property.
Sir Nicolas and Alex spent good hour chatting about life, people, and nature. He showed her his business card - a leather collar with his full name, job position (hotel manager), address, and a phone number. He added (off the record) that he also owns (as a silent partner) the Guest House, the Club Restaurant, the Brewery, and - most definitely - the Butcher's shop. He says hi to TopTropicals cats and all the cat-and-plant lovers!
In the photo: Sir Nicolas and Alex
TopTropicals PeopleCat Club and Zoo
Thank you for supporting us in helping PeopleCat Community!
Make
your kind donation today and receive a surprise gift from us! Every little
bit helps. Thank you and God bless you and your pets!
Date:
Meet PeopleCats of TopTropicals. Cat of the day: Ditta - the Botanical Cat
Ditta lives in Botanical Garden of
Riga, Latvia. Our columnist Alex Butova has been writing about that garden a lot and posted
numerous plant photos in our Catalog; now it is time to introduce its PeopleCats!
Ditta is the Boss of Riga Botanical Garden. She owns the security room and
watches her premises. Ditta is in charge of all events and exhibits of the
Garden, and her favorite spot is the Rose Garden.
TopTropicals PeopleCat Club and Zoo
Thank you for supporting us in helping PeopleCat Community!
Make
your kind donation today and receive a surprise gift from us! Every little
bit helps. Thank you and God bless you and your pets!
Date:
Meet People of TopTropicals. Pea Cock of the Day: the Orchid Guard
Recently we started to reveal the secret about who works behind the
scenes on TopTropicals project; you have already met our editors and their
assistants: Marina with Tilda, and Alex with Sonya. Today's story is about a Magic Peacock who works in orchid greenhouse of Eleanor
Wilks - our photographer and tropical plant journalist in New Zealand and
Australia. The watermark EleNZ you see on pictures of Australian flora - is
Eleanor's!
Today Eleanor is sharing with us pictures of this amazing bird that helps
her around her Orchidarium.
This young Pea Cock showed up one day in her backyard from nowhere and set
up his living quarters in a tree. She asked around: no one was missing a
peacock... so she took the Pea in and now he is in charge of her orchid
collection. After a day of a hard work, Pea comes home to the back porch, waiting for
Eleanor to sing him a good-night lullaby. Pea won't go to sleep until everyone in the house is ready for bed and the lights turned off. What a responsible house guard!
Check out and more Cat of the Day stories.
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by Alex Butova
As the world's health experts race to find a cure for the novel
coronavirus, this drug have jumped to their attention - Chloroquine. It contains
alkaloid Quinine, extracted from the bark of the Cinchona, or Fever Tree.
We receive many questions from our customers if we carry this plant.
Although we do not offer it at the moment, we definitely can tell you more about
this interesting medicinal plant!
If you like gin and tonic, you will be familiar with the bitter taste of
the tonic which is provided by quinine. While it is now mainly used
to add a flavor to our favorite tipple, the Cinchona tree bark once held a
place as one of the most important drugs in history.
Cinchona was discovered in the 1630s as a treatment for malaria and, for
350 years, was the only effective cure known in Europe until synthetic
replacements were developed in the 1940s. Malaria remains today one of the deadliest
diseases known throughout the tropics, but up until the 20th century the
disease was prevalent throughout Europe, including Britain.
The Cinchona tree is native to the Eastern slopes of the Andes with a range across Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. Once the bark became an established medicine, particularly in the 18th and 19th centuries, demand started to outstrip supply. Threats of overharvesting and the desire to control the source of this precious bark drove various competing empires to source this plant for themselves. Understandably, the Spanish, who were in control of this area of South America, actively tried to prevent this, but failed to establish successful plantations themselves. A race to source and cultivate Cinchona ensued, and eventually both the Dutch, in Indonesia, and the British, in India, founded government controlled plantations for the mass production of quinine.
Chloroquine appears to have "broad-spectrum antiviral properties" and effects on immune response, and to be effective against severe acute respiratory syndrome... As the rest of the world, we are looking forward to the research results and hope the cure will be found soon!
In the meantime, let's just have more Gin-n-Tonic!
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Tu BiShvat - New Year for Trees
By Alex Butova
Tu BiShvat is the Israeli Arbor Day, and it is often referred to by that name in international media. Ecological organizations have adopted the holiday to further environmental-awareness programs. The modern practices and interpretations of Tu BiShvat often revolve around the earth and environment. This holiday is a celebration of nature and appreciation for creating the natural world. In Israel, Tu BiShvat is celebrated as an agricultural holiday. The 15th of Tu BiShvat was celebrated this year on February 10, 2020. This day marked the beginning of a new year for trees. This day marks the season in which the earliest-blooming trees emerge from their winter sleep and begin a new fruit-bearing cycle. Often the date of Tu BiShvat is used for determining the age of fruit baring trees and therefore establishes their birth dates. Therefore, Tu BiShvat is the "birthday" of trees!
The traditions and customs of Tu BiShvat vary, however, the most common include planting trees and gathering with family and friends for a meal. It is celebrated by eating fruit, particularly the kinds that praise the bounty of the Holy Land: grapes, figs, pomegranates, almonds, dates, olives and others. It reminds people that "a man is a tree of the field", and reflects on the lessons we can derive from the botanical analogue.
Check out fruit trees and nuts:
Persimmon tree
Loquat tree