Gary
Red Mulberry – An Excellent Food for Wildlife
Walking out on my daughter’s balcony in her Maryland townhouse, I am careful not to step on the dozens of berries that fell onto the deck from the branches of a Mulberry tree that tower over the veranda. The tree is laden with ripe black-purple berries that dangle from the tree’s branches. Tufted Titmice, gray […]
Elderberry – A Shrub With Many Uses
WARNING – do not .eat berries from trees, bushes, or plants unless you absolutely have a positive ID on the plant. People die from eating poisonous fruits and berries! For example, to the amateur botanist, poison hemlock is plant that grows in similar habitats as elderberry and has flowers that look similar to elderberry, but […]
Water Turkeys in Florida
A large, strange inky black bird with a snake-like head and webbed feet swims under water hunting fish in Lake Tsala Apopka. It is an underwater fishing expert and is skilled at spearing fish with its long, thin, pointed beak. It emerges from the water, swims to a limb, climbs up and hangs its soaked […]
Leaves of Three… Leave Them Be
The sun’s rays penetrates the morning mist in the red maple- black gum wetlands along a river on Long Island one spring day. Yellowthroat warblers sing from high-bush blueberries and catbirds “meow” from the forest canopy. A white-tailed deer, its fur a rich brown, browses on plants on the forest floor. It raises its head […]
Giant Snakes Create Havoc in Florida
Snakes are popular house pets, especially with children. Burmese pythons are one of the many species of exotic snakes sold in pet shops. When purchased these snakes are small and manageable, but are capable of growing rapidly up to 8 feet in one year with proper care. This results in some people releasing their pets […]
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