| Wild Critters | |||||||||||||||
| Part 1- Resources for identifying them | |||||||||||||||
Wild critters and plants have always fascinated me. Every time I see a plant or animal I don’t recognize I want to find out what it is and more information about it. Birds, rodents, fish, salamanders, bushes, bugs and trees all draw my attention, and seldom do I see an unknown flower in the woods that I do not look it up. For years I have kept the book "North American Wildlife" from Reader’s Digest on my desk at home. Dozens of markers stick up out of the book, showing pages where I have found some plant or animal that is new to me. And sometimes I am just looking to clarify something about an animal or plant that is familiar. For example, the first section of the book is mammals and the first page marked is one showing foxes, coyotes and wolves. I was interested in finding out the difference between red and gray foxes. The look very similar, their ranges overlap in most of the US, and we have both species around here. Each species described in the book has a little map of north America showing the range of the animal or plant discussed. It is interesting that coyotes have a map showing they are not found in the south. My book was published in 1982 but even back then coyotes were moving into this area. They are common now and I hope any newer copy of the book would show them living here, too. Driving home from the coast a few years ago I saw a bird flying overhead that made me slam on brakes and stop in the middle of the road to look at it. Fortunately, it was a back road and there was no traffic. The bird was a swallow tail kite, a striking soaring bird with a split tail that looks like a pair of open scissors. I had never seen one before and found that they are coastal plain birds that are fairly rare. Bugs don’t escape my attention, either. Ever hear of a click beetle? Growing up we called these beetles "popping bugs" because they would pop out of your hand if you held them flat on their back in your palm. I got more info about these bugs from my book, and the picture looks just like the ones I remember. I have located pictures of plants ranging from evening primrose to giant onions in my book. Many of the plants I find interesting I have seen growing in ditches and road right-of-ways. For many years I kept a shovel and bucket in my truck and stopped and dug up plants to bring home. I have evening primrose, day lilies, giant wild onions, wisteria, Queen Anne’s Lace, butterfly weed, Jerusalem Artichoke and more in my yard from these efforts. A few days ago a guy posted on a newsgroup on the internet about catching a fish with feet. I remembered catching a huge salamander years ago and wondered if that was what it was. I could not remember the name but my book quickly showed a picture of a hellbender, our only fully aquatic salamander. The internet has become a major part of my search now. I switched to search on my site and quickly found a picture and description of a hellbender. I posted the url and the guy said it was what he was talking about. This is a really strange looking critter that gets up to 29 inches long. That is huge! Although not a wild plant, I have been looking for a shrub like my mother had in our back yard for years. I never remember hearing the name, but found out it was a Rose of Sharon. When it did not turn up in my book, I was able to search the internet and find a picture as well as information on planting and care of it. I plan on getting one soon. Watch for unusual plants and animals and try to identify them. It can be fun as well as educational. Page 2 > Unusual critters spotted > Page 1, 2
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