Saturday, March 21, 2020

Italian Culture essays

Italian Culture essays When I think of culture the first three things that come to mind are art, food, and symbols. The formal definition of culture is the shared products of human groups. Italy is one of the most rich and diverse cultures of the world. Italy is a land of art which is one of yhe main reasons it is rich in culture. It also over the years has developed some of the most popular foods all over the world. Throughout Italy there are various symbols dating back to the beginning of Italy's existence twelve thousand years ago. Italians believe a country that does not appreciate art is a country with no soul. This clearly shows the impact that art has had on Italian culture. During Italy's twelve thousand years many of the most famous artists from sculptors to painters to musicians to architects have come from Italy. Think for a minute what modern art or any art since the fifteenth or sixteenth centuries would be like without the Renaissance. Renaissance Art was born in Florence, Italy and spread throughout all of Italy and Europe. Italy has been the home to two of the most famous painters Michelangelo and Leonardo de Vinci. Michelangelo was not only a painter but also a sculptor and an architect. Italy holds the Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's Cathedral, and the David; these are if not the three most famous pieces of art they are at the top. Italy also has a strong musical influence on its culture. The opera and ballet were both founded in Italy as well as many musical instruments including the viol in, piano, and cello. An Italian monk, Guido D'Arezzo, invented a way to write music on paper. Architecture is another part of Italian art, there are many famous churches and other various buildings including the Coliseum, the Forum, and the Pantheon that architects today are still trying to figure out how they were built. Palladio, one of Italy's most famous architects, was loved my Thomas Jefferson and you can see his style in Monticello...

Thursday, March 5, 2020

Identify the Common Poplars in North America

Identify the Common Poplars in North America The genus Populus  most common North American natives include  one true poplar in the north, four primary species of cottonwoods and the quaking aspen. Most of the known 35 natural poplar species live in the Northern Hemisphere. The cottonwoods thrive in an ecosystem associated with riparian and wetland areas in eastern and western North America. The aspens are most comfortable in boreal environments dominated by conifers with aspen being a major broad-leaved species. Balsam poplar  (Populus balsamifera)  is the northernmost American hardwood and a major deciduous tree in Canada and Alaska. The Common North American Poplar Species Quaking aspenBalsam poplarEastern cottonwoodBlack cottonwood All have long reproductive catkins that appear just before the new leaves of spring and can help in identification. The resulting fruit is a capsule that opens into 2 tp 4 parts. The tufted seeds are shed in masses of white cotton which can cover the ground inches deep. The leaves of aspen and Eastern cottonwood are deltoids  where black cottonwood and balsam poplar are ovate. They occur on a branch alternately, are simple (single leaf) and mostly toothed. Interesting Facts The Eastern Cottonwood,  Populus deltoides, is one of the largest North American hardwood trees.  The aspen  has the widest range in the United States.  It occurs throughout the eastern United States and throughout Canada.Yellow poplar is not a true poplar and not listed here.