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Milam County Texas Master Naturalist Summer 2012

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Milam County Texas Master Naturalist Summer 2012 The Texas Master Naturalist program Celebrating and sharing our experiences activities are coordinated by AgriLife along “the roads” we take through nature. Extension and Texas Parks and Wildlife. Texas Master Naturalist and Extension programs serve all people regardless of Award Winning Newsletter of the El Camino Real Chapter socioeconomic level, race, color, sex, religion, disability or national origin. Milam County Texas Master Naturalist Summer 2012 Table of Contents Prairie Tracks by Katherine Bedrich Prairie Tracks 1 By Katherine Bedrich First Annual National Moth Week – female stabs the ovary of the yucca flower Use of Tools in Extraordinary 2 July 23-29, 2012 with her ovipositor and inserts an egg. She Ways. By Katherine Bedrich mounts a stamen, scrapes together a wad of pollen, carries it back to the pistol containing Moths belong to the class Insects and Snake Bite First Aid. By Don 3 her egg, and thrusts it into the funnel- Travis the order Lepidopters; which includes but- shaped stigma. She takes neither nectar nor terflies. One feature to differentiate moths My 2012 Summer “aha” Observa- 5 pollen for herself but performs the only act tion. By Dorothy Mayer from butterflies is the antenna - moth anten- that will guarantee the proper food for her na are hair like to feathery. Egg - caterpillar offspring. The yucca plant in its turn may Mine’s Bigger Than Yours, by Doro- 5 - pupa - adult = complete metamorphosis for lose a few seeds to the young worms—surely thy Mayer moths. a small price to pay for such perfect pollina- Who’s Watching Who? By Donna 6 Most moths fly tion service”1 Lewis at night and More feed on nectar Reflections While Riding a Bicycle. 7 than 10,000 By Genie Lindburg and pollen; the species are caterpillar Is it really worth it? By Sue Taylor 8 found in Black Witch Moth Ascalapha odorata stage feed on North Ameri- A Blob of Bird Poop. By Ann Collins 9 plant leaves. ca from inner Certifications, Etc. 10 Three body segments identify the class cities, back- Insecta. Some characteristics of the head yards, rural are a pair of antenna, compound eyes, and Our Motto Our Mascot areas and Green Tree Frog mouth parts; the thorax has three pairs of other nature Luna Moth - Actias luna ● Look legs and two pair of wings; and the abdomen places. The ● Learn terminates with the reproductive structure. First Annual National Moth Week will be July ● Teach The wingspan of moths found in Texas 23-29, 2012. Check the website for infor- ● Conserve can be over 5 inches. Moth diversity includes mation www.nationalmothweek.org. Partici- color, patterns, camouflage, size and shape. pants become Citizen Scientist helping to Many moths are valuable food source for identify moth distribution and provide need- Did You Know? birds, bats and other animals. ed information on the life history of local Moths are an important part of the polli- moths. This project will be a nocturnal What weighs 1ton, can nation cycle. “The yucca moth, which is the event; leave a light on and check around the run 40mph and jump 6ft? sole pollinator of yucca, is a unique exception light after dark. I am ready to be a Moth Citizen Scientist, are you? See the last page for the and provides a good example of symbiotic relationships between plants and animals. The (Continued on page 2) answer. Milam County Los Caminos Summer 2012 light bulb you would our attitude toward life 1 Bohart, George E.; Insects, The Year- now be a small unsightly cinder is to come easy go easy book of Agriculture, 1952. P.108 have you no sense we are like human beings used to be before they became Other source: Drees, Bastian M.; Jack- plenty of it he answered too civilized to enjoy themselves man, John A.; A Field Guide To Common but at times we get tired Texas Insects of using it and before i could argue him we get bored with the routine out of his philosophy Photos by Katherine and Charlie Bedrich and crave beauty he went and immolated himself and excitement on a patent cigar lighter And now a little poem…Editor. fire is beautiful i do not agree with him and we know that if we get myself i would rather have “the lesson of the moth” by archy (Don too close it will kill us half the happiness and twice Marquis) but what does that matter the longevity it is better to be happy i was talking to a moth for a moment but at the same time i wish the other evening and be burned up with beauty there was something i wanted he was trying to break into than to live a long time as badly as he wanted to fry himself an electric light bulb and be bored all the while and fry himself on the wires so we wad all our life up archy into one little roll why do you fellows and then we shoot the roll Explanatory note: pull this stunt i asked him that is what life is for The character of Archy, created by Don because it is the conventional it is better to be a part of beauty Marquis in 1916, was a cockroach who thing for moths or why for one instant and then to cease to had been a poet in a previous incarnation. if that had been an uncovered exist than to exist forever To write he must leap headfirst onto the candle instead of an electric and never be a part of beauty keys of a typewriter, and thus is unable to capitalize his letters. Use Tools in Extraordinary Ways, by Katherine Bedrich These are just a few interesting examples of intelligence sufficiently to take a drink, or in the case of the photo, to get and creativity of wildlife—excerpted from the National Wild- a worm. life Federation web Dolphins, often considered to be one of the most intelli- site: nwf.org. Photos gent of all mammals have been seen pulling off pieces of are internet public do- sponge, wrapping it around their beaks and then using to for- main. age along a sandy sea bottom for food. The sponge protects Crows offer one their beaks from irritations and abrasions. such example. They Perhaps the most elaborate “tool” user is the bowerbird have made a clever ad- of Australia. It collects shiny objects such as bottle caps and aptation to modern so- pieces of glass to make an elaborate (and wholly attractive) ciety through the use nest that will lure a of automobiles. While mate. Many days they surely don’t drive, they have figured out that the crush- will go into the ing weight of a car or truck can crack walnuts and other deli- preparation of the cacies. Crows will place their prospective treats on the road nest and only the and wait for a passing vehicle. They know exactly where the finest shiny items wheels are most likely to fall on the roadway! will be selected. Crows, considered by many to be among the brightest of creatures, have also been seen dropping stones into a water pitcher with a narrow neck in order to raise the water level HTTP://TXMN.ORG/ELCAMINO PAGE 2 Milam County Los Caminos Summer 2012 Snake Bite First Aid By Don Travis [This is reprint of the article I wrote for our inaugural ness. This is also clearly visible in the above picture, between newsletter in Fall 2008. I thought it was timely to print it the bottom of the eye and the bottom of the nostril. again. Don Travis] A coral snake can be up to 3 ft long and has red, yellow, and black bands along the length of the body, with red and Of the 300,000 species of snakes, only around 1% or yellow touching (remember, red and yellow = kill a fellow, red 3,000 are venomous. In the U.S., between 8 and 15 people die and black = friend of Jack). They have round pupils and a of snake bite every year. There are 15 venomous snake spe- black nose. While they have fangs, they tend to chew on their cies native to the state of Texas. These include 1 coral snake, victims for a few seconds, and may leave tooth marks with or and three different varieties of the pit viper species that without fang marks. Coral snake include: 1 cottonmouth (or water moccasin); 3 different cop- Do not handle the perheads; and 10 different rattlesnakes. snake. Even a dead Obviously, preventing snake bites is better than treating snake can be dangerous them - by being careful where you step or reach, and by wear- since any venom remain- ing proper clothing and hiking boots when taking excursions in ing on the fangs could the woods. But what if you do get bit? be injected if the skin is scratched. A snake Identification is key. may only inject part of If you are bitten by a snake, try to memorize the identi- its venom with each fying features of the snake - a must if you need antivenin. Is bite, so it is still dan- the head triangular or round? Is the pupil of eye vertical or gerous after the first strike. A dead snake can have a bite round? What about coloring and markings? Only Australia has reflex after death, even with its head severed. approved venom detection kits to determine which venom is present from a Get help on the way immediately. Rattlesnake blood or urine Obviously call 911 as soon as possible.
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