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We went on a picnic at the park with another family after church today, and had an absolute blast. We waded in the stream, caught crayfish, spotted a frog and a snake, watched bats huddle in the eaves of a covered bridge, and went on a nature hike, where we learned that it's NOT always a good idea to sniff unknown fruit you find growing near the ground to see if it smells gross (it does). After extensive internet searching I discovered that this particular plant is a Mayapple, the fruit of which is edible when fully ripe, though not tasty in the opinion of some. Apparently you can even make it into jellies, marmalades and pies. The seeds are not safe to eat and the rest of the plant is quite toxic. According to a few accounts, a native american wishing to commit suicide would eat the highly poisonous roots.
Another discovery I made while we were munching on lunch was a little fuzzy white caterpillar I couldn't resist bringing home. From my research it appears to be a Hickory Tussock Moth. I guess the only way I'll know for sure is if it looks like the proper moth when it comes out of its cocoon---that is, if it lives long enough in captivity. Apparently it prefers the leaves of trees like walnut, which were in abundance at the park, but not in my backyard. It will eat other hardwoods, but it looks like I need to find some walnut trees in short order to make it happy. In the meantime I need to keep the kids from touching it as the hairs are irritating to the skin and eyes.
Regarding our monarch caterpillars, one thing I am finding a challenge has nothing to do with keeping a supply of milkweed on hand. No, the difficult part is finding a place where our new cat, Mitsy, can't get to them (which would be nowhere). She's quite the climber, and she's constantly knocking the 30" high mesh-enclosed habitat off tables and batting it around on the floor. The poor things are getting motion sick. I've contemplated hanging a hook in the middle of the kids' bedroom ceiling to suspend it from. Can cats pole vault? |
(pic not mine)
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Posted by Beth
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