Devil's Walking Stick

Hollyhocks in bloom

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Hollyhocks belong to the Malvaceae or mallow family of plants. Cotton, okra and cacao are other members of this family. I took this picture in my cousin's beautiful back yard. 

The wild rose mallow are blooming in the road ditches near me. Hopefully I can get a picture before they are gone.

What plant is this?

Here is my post of an unknown in nature. I'm certain I should know the name, I think I can find it in a field guide, however, I thought you might be able to identify it from this picture. 

 

Last week I visited the Springfield Nature Center and hiked one of the trails. Among the leaf litter, this plant caught my eye. I snapped a picture with my phone. Can you identify it?

Ethics and Safety in nature

This picture demonstrates a reason you need to be cautious when hiking. Without the spring and summer foliage, this plant is not easily identified. If you get too close, a few hours later you might figure out what it is.  The hairy root growing up the tree is poison ivy. Even if you have never experienced a reaction to it, an allergic reaction could occur. It is best to always avoid this plant.

Photography Scavenger Hunt

The photographic assignment: head outside and take pictures of plants or animals in an ecosystem that fit 5 categories.

For most of the pictures, I walked the 20 acres around my house in search of the scavenger items. It was about 3 p. m. 50 degrees and sunny. I had to use my iPhone because I had left the sd card out of my Nikon. Here is what I selected:

Something colorful (focus on lighting)

This picture was taken in the city of Cape

Girardeau, during a hunt for birds. The

teachers spotted this colorful harbinger of 

spring. He sat patiently so I could get a nice shot of his colorful breast. It is highlighted by the noon day sun and really shows off the bright orange.

Something important in nature (perspective)

This picture shows an important part of owning land. If you do not want other hunters wandering around, the purple band should be an indication that hunting is not welcomed on your property. Before I used this purple band, I had people fishing all the catfish from my pond and killing all the quail on my small farm. I have only heard quail on occasion, never seeing coveys as before.

Camouflage (lens focus)

Can you spot my 110 pound Golden Retriever?

Even thought she does not spend all of her time outside, sometimes it is important that she can blend in with the natural surroundings. She blends in so well, I often have to listen carefully to locate her.

Something small (zoom)

I tried to get a picture of the egg-shaped seeds from the Eastern Red Cedar. I'm not too pleased with this shot, so I will try again with my Nikon.

Something gross (composition) This was a nice size tree, but look what someone did to it. Do you see the strands of barb wire? The tree faces my property and in on the property line. The farm has been in my family since 1976 and I know we didn't do this.

Vernal Equinox

Finally, the vernal equinox occurs today when the sun passes over the equator. Spring officially begins at 11:57 p.m. CST today for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere. To celebrate, my dog and I walked to the woods. She was as excited as I was. I had my camera in hopes of catching a great shot.  I think she was open to any experience. Her pace was a steady trot, sniffing the air and ground as she went.

We came upon a spot where a silhouette of bones lay on the ground. I thought my dog, bone lover that she is, might disturb them, but she sniffed and walked away. The bones were bleached white with no meat or fur left. They lay undisturbed, just as the wild animal breathed its last breath.

My next thought was of an essay written by Aldo Leopold, Home Range.  In the essay he wrote about the wild things that live on his farm. He posed the question, “Who is the more thoroughly acquainted with the world in which he lives?” He was referring to the owner of the farm, me, and the wildlife who roam there.

I know wild things visit my farm. I hear them at night. I see their tracks. Once a deer came to eat berries from a wreath placed on my back door. Unlike the wildlife, my survival does not depend on knowing these things.  A rabbit needs to know a place of refuge. Nightly the deer must find a safe place to bed down. Their very survival requires much knowledge of the area they make home.

You can read more about Aldo Leopold at this web site: www.aldoleopold.org

Oh, and my dog, who I bathed yesterday, found her way to the pond and waded right in. She was in dog heaven.

A Little Birdie

Yesterday, around noon,  the weather did appear spring-like.
A group of teachers took a short walk in search of common birds.
This colorful guy would not move from his perch.
Teachers were able to locate and identify several common birds.

Mourning dove, robin, sparrow, red-winged blackbird and crow were spotted.

Hopefully the teachers will return to their classrooms, searching
for birds common to their schoolyards.