Description: For the loveable critic in your life! From Wikipedia: A diacritic /daɪ.əˈkrɪtɪk/ – also diacritical mark, diacritical point, or diacritical sign – is a glyph added to a letter, or basic glyph. The term derives from the Greek διακριτικός (diakritikós, "distinguishing"), which is composed of the ancient Greek διά (diá, through) and κρίνω (krínein or kríno, to separate). Diacritic is primarily an adjective, though sometimes used as a noun, whereas diacritical is only ever an adjective. Some diacritical marks, such as the acute ( ´ ) and grave ( ` ), are often called accents. Diacritical marks may appear above or below a letter, or in some other position such as within the letter or between two letters.
Description: Go bananas: Calling all epicureans! From Wikipedia:The Muses /ˈmjuːzᵻz/ (Ancient Greek: Μοῦσαι, Moũsai; perhaps from the o-grade of the Proto-Indo-European root *men- "think") in Greek mythology are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the poetry, lyric songs, and myths that were related orally for centuries in these ancient cultures. They were later adopted by the Romans as a part of their pantheon.The Roman scholar Varro (116–27 BC) relates that there are only three Muses: one who is born from the movement of water, another who makes sound by striking the air, and a third who is embodied only in the human voice. They were again called Melete or "P...
Description: Wikipedia: "Tradescantia pallida is a species of spiderwort (a genus of New World plants) more commonly known as wandering jew, a name it shares with the closely related species T. fluminensis and T. zebrina. Other common names include purple secretia, purple-heart, and purple queen. It is native to the Gulf Coast region of eastern Mexico. Edward Palmer was the first European to observe and assign a Latin name to the type specimen near Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas in 1907. (Based on an 1829 Tradescantia watercolour illustration by G. Loddiges)
Description: Not tragic Ophelia, but Lophelia: the coral that thrives in cold seawater. 'Lophelia pertusa, the only species in the genus lophelia, is a cold-water coral which grows in the deep waters throughout the North Atlantic ocean, as well as parts of the Caribbean Sea and Albertan Sea.' (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Text_of_Creative_Commons_Attribution-ShareAlike_3.0_Unported_License) h/t: http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/03mex/background/coral_diversity/media/figure_1.html
Description: Don't howl; write! Or draw! Or paint! Or make music! The Year of the Red (Howler) Monkey will soon be upon us. If you happen to be a candidate for not holding forth on the veracity of astrology, you should appreciate a quiet T-shirt instead. It speaks volumes. You know what they say about those negatively correlated hyoids...
Description: A striking black and white bird, common in Canada. From Wikipedia: The common loon (Gavia immer) is a large member of the loon, or diver, family of birds. The species is known as the great northern diver in Eurasia; another former name, great northern loon, was a compromise proposed by the International Ornithological Committee. Based on "The great Speckled Loon from Newfoundland" CC-BY-2.0 BHL
Description: Gray or grey, salt and pepper, it's a jay! From Wikipedia:The gray jay (Perisoreus canadensis), also grey jay, Canada jay or whiskey jack, is a member of the crow and jay family (Corvidae) found in the boreal forests across North America north to the tree-line and in subalpine forests of the Rocky Mountains south to New Mexico and Arizona.
Description: No more bees, wasps or hornets for you! The little bee-eater will take care of all of them. Probably flies too. Not that YOU'd ever have a problem with those! The little bee-eater tunnels a snug nest in a sandy embankment, and they roost cheek-to-jowl in a row, looking like a cute caterpillar.
