TIPS for Writing your Botany ABC Book Entries

Use the writing techniques you have been learning, but no indications are required for the finished essays.  Avoid banned words because that will automatically improve your writing. The verb "to eat" is an exception if your plant is edible or poisonous if ingested.

Formatting rules remain in place. Merriweather, 11 to 12 point font, double space using the tool bar, etc.

Think about continuity because all of these essays will be in one "book."  For example, if you start with the Latin name of a plant, consider starting the same way for each letter's plant.

If you include a quote at the end of an essay, consider doing the same thing with all of your entries.

Ultimately, the choice is yours. :-)

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》Tell your reader facts about the plant that everyone should know. 

》Tell your reader some history, care advice, the plant's Latin name, and/or zone in which it thrives.  Consider explaining its main use. Is your plant used medicinally or ornamentally.  Is it symbolic (like St. Therese of Lisieux and roses, or St. Anthony of Padua and a lily, or even Popeye and spinach?)   Is your plant particularly nutritional?

》Tell your reader something VERY interesting and/or surprising and/or little known.

》You must include a great illustration. Be sure to wrap your text.

》If you need more information for your essay consider holding your reader's attention with LAGNIAPPE. You might weave in a quote, folklore, a legend, a song, an old wives' tale, urban myth, or anecdote.

 

Writing Prompts

 

AI Overview of the History of Eyeglasses

 The history of eyeglasses and their lenses includes many key events and developments, including: 

• 13th century

  Italian monks are thought to have created the first shaped lenses for reading, made from beryl quartz. These lenses were convex and worked like magnifying glasses. 
• 1352

  A painting by Tommaso da Modena depicts monks using eyeglasses to read and write. 
• 1600s

  Spanish craftsmen created the first frame temples by attaching silk ribbons or strings to the frame and looping them over the wearer's ears. 
• 1727

  British optician Edward Scarlett invented the modern style of eyeglasses frame, which could be placed over the ears and nose. 
• Industrial Revolution

  Large-scale production of eyeglasses made them more affordable and available to the middle class. 
• World War I

  The war cut off America's traditional lens sources in Europe, which led to the first volume factory production of ophthalmic glass in the U.S. 
• 1972

  The FDA mandated that all lenses need to be shatterproof, which led many glasses makers to turn to plastics. 

Other notable events in the history of eyeglasses include: 

• Abbas Ibn Firnas developed the first corrective lenses in the 9th century. 
• Pince-nez, which translates to "pinch nose", were a 19th century innovation that had a spring clip to hold the glasses in place. 
• The invention of electric light by Thomas Edison in 1879 allowed people to read into the night without straining their eyes. 

The History of Glassblowing

 Who was the first glassblower? How old is glassblowing? Keep reading for a brief history of this incredible art form.

The First Glassblowers

The craft of glassblowing is believed to have originated in the 1st century BC in areas now known as Israel, Iran, Palestine, and Lebanon.

The Roman government went on to be the first to establish large glass workshops, with glass being formed for both utilitarian and decorative purposes.

A few decades later, craftspeople then discovered that they could use molds to create different designs — designs that were more complex and inventive. The result? The introduction of mold-blown glass.

Venetian Glass

Trade with the Middle East eventually brought glassblowing to Venice, an area which became a leader in the industry.

The secrets of forming Venetian glass were considered so special, and the glasshouses so numerous, that in the 13th century the Italian government relocated Venetian glassmakers to the island of Murano to preserve their knowledge and to prevent the growing city of Venice from burning from the numerous furnaces.

It's said that the glassblowers were actually forbidden to leave because they were considered that important. However, some glassblowers fled Murano and took their techniques to other parts of Europe.

The secrets of Venetian glass then spread even further in the late 1660s when a glassmaking guide called L'Arte Vetraria, written by the alchemist and glassmaker Antonio Neri, started to be republished.

Glassblowing comes to America

Meanwhile, in what is now the United States, in 1607 the Virginia Company of London established Jamestown, England's first permanent colony in North America.

Although attempts at a local glass industry failed due to climate and economic factors, this did lead the way for future glassmaking in the New World, and in 1739 German colonist Caspar Wistar founded the first successful American glasshouse in Pennsylvania.

Glasshouses in New Jersey and Massachusetts also operated for many years, creating windows for the new colonies by spinning molten glass on the end of a pipe to create flat sheets that could later be cut into window panes.

Glassblowing and Science

It was also in the 1600s that glassmakers in Europe discovered the magnification properties of glass when formed with particular curves, which brought us the telescope and microscope.

As medicine developed, the demand for glassware and glass tubing grew and in order to satisfy that need, larger furnaces were created that would allow for ribbons of glass to be extruded and then placed into molds of desired shapes — ultimately a less labour intensive and faster process than stretchy and shaping glass freehand.

In the mid-1600s English glassmakers invented what was known as "black glass" (it was actually dark green in colour). This glass created thick dark vessels that were perfect for transportation, as the glass stood up to shipping and protected the goods inside from sunlight. This development soon placed England as a leading bottle distributor.

In 1676 an Englishman named George Ravenscroft lead another development in glassmaking when he created a formula for making glass using lead. The lead glass, or "flint glass", remained workable for a longer period of time than other glass. Given its remarkable weight and clarity, people started to make vessels that didn't have decoration, but instead focussed on form.

The Art and Appreciation of Glassblowing

While use of glass and styles of decoration, engraving, and cutting changed through the 17th and 18th centuries, it wasn't until the late 19th century that the industry saw another big development.

It was at the 1878 Paris Exhibition that designers Eugene Rousseau and Emile Galle lead the Art Nouveau period that would last until the 20th century — an art style characterized by curves that matched well with the fluidity of glass.

Almost 100 years later, a world leader in glass knowledge and creation emerged with the formation of the Corning Museum of Glass by Corning Glass Works in Corning, New York. Arthur Houghton Jr. and his cousin Amory Houghton opened the museum as a non-profit educational institution in 1951. Today, the museum features collections, exhibitions, research, and teaching facilities with 460,000 visitors stopping by annually to learn about glass.

Then in the 1960s, the studio glass movement was born. American glassmakers shifted from factory environments to independent studios. Among the pioneers of this transformative movement was Harvey K. Littleton, who worked with the Toledo Museum of Art and scientist Dominick Labino to develop smaller, affordable furnaces perfect for individual artists. Instead of being characterized by a particular style or philosophy, this movement has been focussed on the glass itself, the artists who make it, and an overall sense of community amongst creators and producers.

Today, glassblowing is an international art form that continues to grow and change, with glassblowers continuing to develop and share new techniques and ideas.

source: https://www.gatherbreweryandglassworks.com/blogs/news/history-of-glassblowing?srsltid=AfmBOooo4OyF-kBm1oyA1SRwSY7XC2sFTdCr07T6zl-7pHEqAVd6xgAg