Horrifying Tuesday : Death Cherries

It's that time of the week again, Horrifying Tuesday. This week, we're talking about that ghastly Atropa belladonna or more commonly known as Devil's Berries, Death Cherries, or Deadly Nightshade. Hinting from the word "death" in the name "death cherries", you can assume what will happen to you if you consume one. But what exactly are death cherries? Are they simply every-day red cherries with white skull and crossbones painted on them?

The skull and crossbones indicate health and beauty.

The death cherry is commonly grown in shrub-fashion, reaching up to 5 feet tall with 7 inch leaves. The berries grown from the plant are commonly green, ripening to a piano black color; most likely to indicate the serious nature of the berry. The berries can only reach about one centimeter long in diameter, but it's as potent enough to kill a fully grown adult if consumed.

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Horrifying Tuesday : Asian Giant Hornet

As any animal with the words "Giant Hornet" in their name, they're generally not a pleasant animal. This week, we're going to talk about the Asian Giant Hornet, which is no laughing matter. These aren't those little raccoons that break into your house and steal some of your dishes; these guys are going to break into your house, bite the crap out of you, steal your furniture, and kidnap your children. Okay, they won't kidnap your children.

"But we will steal your high-quality china"

The Asian Giant Hornet, or the Vespa madarinia is one the world's largest hornet in the entire world. Their body length is about 2 inches, and their wingspan is about 3 inches. Think about it, two inches of flying agony, flying around looking for fine-quality furniture and a nice exposed skin to latch on.

They are native to tropical Eastern Asia, hence the name. Since we know nothing 'good' comes out of any jungle from Asia, we can safely assume that the Asian Giant Hornet isn't going to be a fluffy bear that throws love and magical love at people. The Japanese have even named the critter "suzume bachi" which literally means "Sparrow Hornet", which is disappointingly not "Awesome/hardcore Instant Killer Of All Things Hornet" as I've suggested at the "Give Animals A Local Nickname" conference.

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