I thought I’d post an update especially about what that fasciated Echium has been doing as well as a comparison shot taken of its normal neighbor. I’m posting this as a reply to that earlier post back around March 21 in case you want to compare the after with the before. Here is a progression showing the development of the fasciated one. The first, from April 1, shows the growing tip continuing to spread out and become more contorted.
Five days later on 4/6, you can see that the growing tip is beginning to separate into two portions, a taller thinner part and a broader part that is folded over on itself.
Another five days later on 4/11 the thinner part sits above the broad folded part, looking a little like a bird.
The next three show the two ‘heads’ continue to separate on successive days: 4/12, 4/13 and 4/14. Flowers begin to emerge, later than in the normal one.
The final two photos, both taken on 4/15, are taken from the normal one looking back to the fasciated one. The first shows less of the normal one in order to make the fasciated one easier to see. The second shows the whole flower stalk of the normal one to show the huge difference in height at this stage. Just three weeks before they were roughly the same height of about ten feet.
Found some crimson clover. It’s a Asian and European plant that’s invasive in USA. It’s edible, and I really like it. Since it’s not native, and highly invasive, it’s easy to forage for as much as you want, as long as it’s not in a spray zone.
Mixed it in with my tofu and potatoes with a side of curries cabbage and fruits.
Found some tiny eastern arrow mouths. Ive never seen their babies, or this coloring. I have also never seen them in the grassy dunes. I typically find them as adults, and bronze colored, a few miles north in the forest.
But I double checked and others agreed that’s what it is. Darker baby narrow mouths.
Saved one from a pool. Unfortunately it’s two siblings was drowned. It hopped away after resting half an hour in the sun. This is why I think every pool and pond needs to have wildlife escape routes. Otherwise it’s a death pool.
If it was possible I’d let you borrow her.
But she is a wild snake and come and goes as she pleases.
What pests? If you live near a creek, are there not snakes around? I don’t know that a terrier would help if the pests are mice as I have. I used to feed the mice to stop them from getting into my pantry, but the snakes are by far the best option. They are pythons and they don’t hassle me at all. I’ve had some close encounters but I soon realized the snakes didn’t want to do me any harm.
Mice, yes. But rats too. I’d poison them but there are birds about that hunt and eat them. I’ve tried every sort of trap but they’re very clever. The glue traps work best but then you have to dispatch them as they obviously suffer while stuck. So unpleasant.
I had the same concerns. I didn’t want other animals to get caught in the traps and leaving poison around also has the same problems. Why not try and buy a non-venomous snake like a python and let it loose near your house. It might be able to eat the mice and rats.
I saw a kookaburra catch a frog once and it bashed it against a huge rock before it flew away with it. I felt so sorry for the frog. I think they do eat mice too. They are mighty fast in swooping down on the prey. But the problem is if they come into the house then the kookaburra isn’t going to get them.
I had a cat that caught a mouse once but it was trapped in the bathroom and the cat was at the doorway. It was a chance event. I had 4 cats for about 12 or so years and none of the others caught any mice. Maybe too well fed and not interested in hunting mice.
Just to toss this info out it’s never a good idea to get a nonnative species and release it outside. I don’t use glue traps or chemicals either, except for initial home building foundation and rough framing spraying for termites. Then I take preventive measures by ensuring the house is well dried in, properly caulked , painted and foamed. Though I’m not against spraying for termites every 5 years or so or if I see damage.
This is just a snack. I’m not really not really hungry. The first pic of the uncooked food is what I found today on my hike along one trail. There was a lot more but I did not get it. The mushrooms are puffballs. The leaves is the lemony sweet tarty leaves of the invasive red sorrel grass and the pods are wild onions. In the cooked picture I added black eyed peas from a store.
Also be aware that the amanita mushrooms egg form looks very similar and are often very deadly. There are also carex heads that for some reason have been focused for wild onions.
Mark here is the video I had made long ago with the mice. The butcher bird appears first. It turns its beak up at the small bits of chicken and goes into my kitchen and grabs the big bit of chicken breast that I was cutting up for them. It’s hard to see it leave but it flew out with a piece probably about a third of its weight. It is not the first time nor the last that it has done that. Then the mice appear. I don’t have this problem anymore since the snakes come in and clean up. They are most welcomed and have the “run” of my house. Free stock video from Anna · Pexels
What an ingrate! I was expecting, with a name like that, it would have grabbed a mouse or two as well. Are all mice european imports or did the Polynesians bring them?
The butcher bird is a real character. It even stole a leg of chicken I was preparing to crumb for lunch.
It is though not big enough to catch the mice. The kookaburras are another story. They do catch mice.
The butcher bird is very sneaky. I have had sun birds nesting, in fact they have nested from strings hanging from the ceiling in nearly every room. lol String used for mosquito netting. The butcher bird waits until the young are hatched and a little grown and then it will come near the sunbird nest and make sweet sounds like the parent sunbirds. When the hatchling poke their head out of the nest one is swiftly grabbed and taken away for a meal. It is awful but that is how they hunt.
To try and avoid this was the original reason I started to feed them. The kookaburras kept a close eye on the butcher birds and then there was competition for the chicken offerings. I have seen occasions where the butcher birds have tried to hassle a kookaburra. On one occasion the kookaburra had to quickly do an about turn to stop the butcher bird from attacking. I have even seen a kookaburra being chased in flight by a butcher bird. The kookaburra is at least twice its size, some about three times its size. They are very daring birds. But they do have wonderful sounds. I will post some of their songs when their hatchling leave the nest.
I don’t know the origin of the mice. They come in from the forest. They may be imports, but they may also be locals.
You live in a very cool place Ani. Lots of wildlife. The animals are amazing. Would be really fun to see them and have them just show up like that. As for mice I was pretty certain there was some there but double checked with Wikipedia that mentioned a few species were native there. Looks like there is roughly 30 species of mice scattered across the world.
Went hiking today twice. Once at 6 this morning for about an hour before it rained and then for a few hours in a forest around 2-5pm.
Found some greenbrier which is edible. The herbaceous tips that are not yet woody are edible raw though I prefer to sauté them with pepper and garlic. A sort of watered down asparagus taste. But they are all over where I live.
Friday I jogged 3 miles on the North Country Trail for a short break… It stretches from Nort Dakota to New York State. Parts were apparently part of the Underground Railroad, and I have met descendants of Quakers that moved here to help with that endeavor. The pine plantation probably came from the 1930s, though, with the WPA relief from the Great Depression. The dog loved the trip, though it has been dry and I didn’t see a lot of blooms other than lowbush blueberry (@SkovandOfMitaze has ripe ones already in Alabama).
