If you’re looking for a beautiful blue-purple flowering perennial, then you can’t go wrong with catmint or salvia. These two plants are very similar in appearance and growing requirements, but… Read More
By Rebecca Mathews 3 years ago
Rebecca Mathews
Rebecca is a writer at A-Z Animals where her primary focus is on plants and geography. Rebecca has been writing and researching the environment for over 10 years and holds a Master’s Degree from Reading University in Archaeology, which she earned in 2005.
A resident of England’s south coast, Rebecca enjoys rehabilitating injured wildlife and visiting Greek islands to support the stray cat population.
Thyme is a popular herb and the holidays wouldn’t be the same without its festive aroma. If you want to grow some of your own, it couldn’t be easier. Thyme… Read More
By Rebecca Mathews 3 years ago
Salvias are immensely popular plants with pollinator-friendly flower spikes and aromatic foliage that deters rabbits and deer from the garden, but is salvia a perennial or annual? The answer depends… Read More
By Rebecca Mathews 3 years ago
Celosia is a plant of many species and many names, but they all have one thing in common: vivid and unusual flower heads! Whatever species of celosia you choose to… Read More
By Rebecca Mathews 3 years ago
Dill is a tasty herb with blue-green foliage, hollow stems, and yellow umbel flowers. It’s easy to grow in the majority of USDA zones and zings up casseroles, soups, and… Read More
By Rebecca Mathews 3 years ago
Creeping Jenny. You either love it or hate it! This pretty mat-forming evergreen is a staple around the pond and container edges, but it can get out of hand without… Read More
By Rebecca Mathews 3 years ago
Australia is located in the Pacific Ocean. It's the smallest continent but one of the largest countries and home to many species of animal. However, not all of these animals… Read More
By Rebecca Mathews 3 years ago
Parsley is widely grown. It’s tasty in soups, casseroles, and sandwiches, but if you’re not going to eat much, it’s still a very attractive herb that brings an astonishing pop… Read More
By Rebecca Mathews 3 years ago
Oregano is an ornamental aromatic herb that gives a deep, rich taste to pasta and casserole dishes. It's very popular in Italian cuisine and widely grown worldwide, but is oregano… Read More
By Rebecca Mathews 3 years ago
The fossil record indicates there were at least 71 bird species on the Hawaiian Islands, but today there are only 21 and 11 of these species are endangered. Have you… Read More
By Rebecca Mathews 3 years ago
Key Points: Mandevilla is a beautifully fragrant and brightly colored climbing vine from tropical and subtropical regions of Brazil, Mexico, and the West Indies. Mandevilla is naturally perennial and in… Read More
By Rebecca Mathews 3 years ago
Milkweed is a wildflower that’s essential to the monarch butterfly lifecycle and a nectar-rich source of food for our pollinators, however it is toxic and considered a weed by many.… Read More
By Rebecca Mathews 3 years ago
Citronella is the beloved scent of bug haters! This pretty plant is known for its ability to keep annoying mosquitoes away from your BBQ, but is citronella annual or perennial?… Read More
By Rebecca Mathews 3 years ago
Chamomile is perhaps best known for soothing teas and soaps that treat eczema, but did you know chamomile is a plant that looks just like a daisy? It’s very easy… Read More
By Rebecca Mathews 3 years ago
Reptiles are one of the most successful species to live on planet earth. They lived alongside the dinosaurs millions of years ago and survived the extinction-level event that wiped out… Read More
By Rebecca Mathews 3 years ago
Extinct giant moose and other massive prehistoric deer were truly a force of nature. From enormous Irish elk to the heavyweight broad-antlered deer, these prehistoric Cervidae roamed the planet for… Read More
By Rebecca Mathews 3 years ago
Animals that were almost extinct and came back are dubbed 'Lazarus animals' after the biblical character Lazarus, a man who rose from the dead. Lazarus species are amazing. They've survived… Read More
By Rebecca Mathews 3 years ago
Have you ever wondered about all the extinct animals that have lived on Earth and why they're no longer around? If so, read on and look at our list of… Read More
By Rebecca Mathews 3 years ago
From saber-tooth tigers to woolly mammoths and dire wolves, extinct Ice Age animals are fascinating creatures that capture our imaginations. It’s hard to imagine humans once lived alongside such huge… Read More
By Rebecca Mathews 3 years ago
Mammoths lived on the earth for millions of years, but they started to die out 10,000 years ago, finally going extinct 4,000 years ago. Their close relative, the African elephant,… Read More
By Rebecca Mathews 3 years ago
Around 10,000 years ago, a whole host of megafauna animals became extinct at the end of the last ice age. They included giant sloths, dire wolves, mastodons, woolly mammoths, and… Read More
By Rebecca Mathews 3 years ago
Extinction isn't a new concept. It's happened for millions of years. The most famous extinction event was the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. It's not new, but recently many different… Read More
By Rebecca Mathews 3 years ago
Key Points Coleus is a perennial and an annual that can be classified as a herb or succulent as well. It is native to tropical and sub-tropical environments. This plant… Read More
By Rebecca Mathews 3 years ago
Goats are hooved animals that eat a wide variety of foods and survive in some pretty tough environments. 10,000 years ago goats were domesticated alongside sheep for their milk and… Read More
By Rebecca Mathews 3 years ago
Isopods are essential to our planet’s ecosystem, and although they are small, they are certainly mighty. Detritivore isopods eat decomposing organic matter, which includes fallen leaves, fruits, decaying plants, animal… Read More
By Rebecca Mathews 3 years ago
In the ancient world of dinosaurs, there were fast, flesh-eating carnivores, enormous long-necked herbivores, and ‘I’ll eat anything’ omnivores all vying for resources. Let’s take a look at these extinct… Read More
By Rebecca Mathews 3 years ago
When we think about dangerous extinct animals, it's usually the T-Rex that springs to mind. No doubt about it, the T-Rex was a dangerous and formidable predator, but there were… Read More
By Rebecca Mathews 3 years ago
Fishing is a popular pastime around the world, and whether you're out for a relaxing time or a serious angler, it's always a thrill to catch a big one. One… Read More
By Rebecca Mathews 3 years ago
Lavender is a very popular shrub with a knockout relaxing scent. Humans have used this aromatic plant for thousands of years as ornamental garden shrubs, food, and medicine. It’s still… Read More
By Rebecca Mathews 3 years ago
Sage is a delicious and attractive herb. It’s used worldwide to flavor dishes (it goes especially well in Thanksgiving stuffing!) but it’s also an attractive low-growing garden plant for sunny… Read More
By Rebecca Mathews 3 years ago
Mint is one of the most popular scents and tastes on the planet and it’s all due to the mint plant. From toothpaste to ice cream, tea, and cleaning products,… Read More
By Rebecca Mathews 3 years ago
Dipladenia is a pretty flowering vine that’s best known as rock trumpet due to its brightly colored trumpet-shaped flowers. It’s a common sight across Central and South America, but is… Read More
By Rebecca Mathews 3 years ago
Verbena is a pretty flowering plant that fills a garden border or a container with summer color. It’s a very popular plant, and there are many cultivars to choose from.… Read More
By Rebecca Mathews 3 years ago
Key Points: There are over 500 species of primates including monkeys, apes, lorises, lemurs, and chimpanzees. Neanderthals are an extinct subspecies of humans who inhabited Eurasia and went extinct 40,000… Read More
By Rebecca Mathews 3 years ago
There are many species of extinct birds, from prehistoric giants who went extinct 65 million years ago to tiny Hawaiian honeycreepers now facing extinction. But which was the biggest to… Read More
By Rebecca Mathews 3 years ago
Azaleas are truly beautiful shrubs with an array of vivid colors. They are grown worldwide for their stunning flower displays, but are azaleas perennials or annuals? Can they survive the… Read More
By Rebecca Mathews 3 years ago
Rosemary is an ornamental and culinary herb that’s native to the Mediterranean but has grown across the world for centuries. Historically, it was used for medicine too! Rosemary flowers are… Read More
By Rebecca Mathews 3 years ago
Alligators are both amazing and terrifying with their powerful bodies and razor-sharp teeth, but do you know about some of the enormous extinct alligators that have prowled the planet? Here… Read More
By Rebecca Mathews 3 years ago
Flies are essential to the world’s ecosystem. They carry out a range of necessary functions that keep our planet healthy. The most basic of these is clearing away rotting organic… Read More
By Rebecca Mathews 3 years ago
Spiders have roamed the planet for millions of years. They evolved from creatures that emerged from the oceans into the eight-legged arachnids we know today. Along the way, spider species… Read More
By Rebecca Mathews 3 years ago
Animal (and plant) extinction is one of the major problems facing humanity. Extinctions over the last few hundred years are the result of human activities such as over-hunting and habitat… Read More
By Rebecca Mathews 3 years ago
Owls are mainly nocturnal birds of prey that hunt small mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and other birds. They swallow their prey whole and regurgitate the feathers, fur, and bones as pellets.… Read More
By Rebecca Mathews 3 years ago
We often hear about extinct animals and the rare creatures on endangered lists, but did you know that plants are under threat and we have extinct flowers as well? A… Read More
By Rebecca Mathews 3 years ago
Key Points: Experts think we only have a small fraction of plants and fruits compared to even 100 years ago. Deforestation and climate change are the reasons some fruit are… Read More
By Rebecca Mathews 3 years ago
Irish elk (Megaloceros giganteus) are the stuff of legends. They were the biggest deer to ever live on Earth, with antlers spanning far wider than their height. Sadly, Irish elk… Read More
By Rebecca Mathews 3 years ago
A quagga is an extinct subspecies of plains zebra that lived in South Africa in great grassland roaming herds until humans hunted it to extinction for its stripy skin. Read… Read More
By Rebecca Mathews 3 years ago
Cross River gorillas are a critically endangered subspecies of the western gorilla. They live in the lowland forests of Cameroon and Nigeria, but they are reclusive and shy of humans.… Read More
By Rebecca Mathews 3 years ago
Key Points The Delaware River starts in the Catskill Mountains of New York.The Delaware River flows through Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.As well as a haven for wildlife,… Read More
By Rebecca Mathews 3 years ago
The Congo River in West-Central Africa is a true force of nature. Its extensive size provides water, food, and transport to 75 million people and supports a vast number of… Read More
By Rebecca Mathews 3 years ago
Flying fish are incredible ocean fish that astonish seafarers with their power and flying ability. Flying fish gather so much speed that they can launch themselves from the ocean and… Read More
By Rebecca Mathews 3 years ago
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