Are You A Prairie Dogger?

This is a Gunnison's Prairie Dog. I took this photograph on Route 70 just across the Colorado/Utah border. There are five kinds of Prairie Dogs, White-tailed, Black-tailed, Mexican, Utah and Gunnison's. I'm pretty sure this one is Gunnison's because of where I took the photograph. Prairie Dogs are burrowing rodents, a kind of squirrel, actually. They are called Prairie Dogs because they bark. They dig tunnels up to sixteen feet deep and as much as one hundred feet long! They live in enormous colonies called towns, numbering in the thousands and spanning hundreds of acres. Outside of Denver, between the airport and the city, is a colossal Prairie Dog town. Prairie Dogs are very social and kiss when they greet one another. Family groups consist of one male and two to four females. The Mormons in Utah did not invent the polygamy model! Prairie Dogs eat grasses and some insects. As a major prey species for coyotes, foxes and birds of prey, they are an ecological keystone species. Their digging activity turns over soil changing the composition. The grasses that grow there are favored by antelope, deer and bison. The brush that would grow over an area left unchurned by Prairie Dogs is not suitable for grazing. And, the tunnels channel rain to the ground table rather than being lost to runoff and erosion. Without the Prairie Dog, the ecology of many other species would collapse. In corporate America, office buildings filled with cubicles resemble Prairie Dog towns. When a noise or commotion gets the attention of the office workers they pop their heads above the cubicle tops like startled Prairie Dogs. "Prairie Dogging," they pop out of their burrows to see what's going on. Man is the biggest threat to Prairie Dogs due to urban encroachment of habitat and direct removal or poisoning. Perceived competition for livestock grazing land and the mistaken belief that horses step into the burrows have been the motivators. Prairie Dogs are also susceptible to Bubonic plague, Tularemia and Monkey Pox, all transmittable to humans. Before 2003, there was a thriving exotic pet trade in Prairie Dogs which were vacuum sucked out of their burrows. One human case of Monkey Pox was traced back to a Prairie Dog sold at a trade show. Though the Prairie Dog had been infected by an un-quarantined rat imported from Gambia, that was the end of the Prairie Dog pet craze. The Center For Disease Control (CDC) still considers that a major coup in their control of zoonosis. I bet there are a lot of Prairie Doggers at the CDC startled by the sound of imagined threat, something rediculous or perhaps, a vacuum cleaner.



Thanks, in part, to Wikipedia for this information.

Ruby Robinson And Visions

Sacred Datura, or Devil's Trumpet is a common wildflower on the Colorado Plateau, the area of the western United States called 'The Four Corners,' where Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah meet. Also called Jimsom Weed, it grows in Maine as a reseeding annual as it does in the West. David once brought seed pods to me from a now forgotten garden. He didn't know what they were but was curious enough to bring them to me. He knew I would know what they were, and indeed, I did. I've had them for a couple of years, but haven't gotten around to planting them. Part of my hold-up, besides just having a brain like Swiss cheese that doesn't retain thoughts for long, is that the plant grows up to four feet tall. I just don't have the room for it. Laden with white, sometimes lavender trumpets, they get so big that they topple over from their own weight unless staked. That's a chore I avoid adding to my gardening concerns since again, I often fail to get around to it. It's just one more thing to do, and once a plant has fallen over, the damage has been done. Plants staked after the fact take on a post Greco-Roman wrestling match look as that's usually what it takes from the gardener. Another reason I have not planted the Datura is that the stems, leaves and seeds are highly poisonous. It is a member of the Nightshade family, just like the Chinese Lanterns  I wrote about recently.  The plant contains alkaloids which you may recognize - atropine, scapolomine and hyoscyamine. The first two are used in anesthesia induction before you get the gas. Even deeply inhaling the heady perfume of the flowers can provoke headaches and dizziness. Specifically, the seeds are hallucinogenic and narcotic with stronger values than LSD, peyote and psyllicibin combined. Native Americans of the West, such as the Yaqui made a tea from the roots, leaves and seeds to induce visions for consciousness expanding exercises.  Carlos Castaneda, in The Teachings Of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way Of Knowledge, wrote of his own experiences trying this stuff out. A very low dose is used to make the hallucinogenic tea, and guaranteed - visions will be had, and possibly permanent psychosis and death if you screw it up.

                                                              Seed pod of Sacred Datura

                        Lovely blossom of Sacred Datura, photo taken in Moab, Utah on Potash Road

I have always disliked Halloween and considered it a nuisance 'holiday', especially when my kids were growing up. I was a good mom and made costumes for my little ones and helped them to assemble their own when they got older. But, I felt dragged into the whole fan fare and was relieved when it was over. I was lucky enough to live in a rural area where very few Trick Or Treaters pestered me. I thought I had become of an age where I could totally opt out, but apparently not. Now, my friends have grandchildren old enough that I'm pulled into the orbit of their Halloween. David and I had to dress up for Halloween this year to humor my friend whose grandson was coming to Trick Or Treat at her house. I was struggling to come up with a costume idea when my friend asked me on the phone, "Well, what do you want to be?" I said, "Filthy %^&* rich!!! And you?" David didn't want to do it at all, which meant his costume responsibilities were foisted onto me, The Wife. My first idea was to be 'Jon And Kate Plus Eight.' I already had a blond wig I could use. I was going to get 8 baby dolls from the dump, tie a length of rope around their necks and drag them behind me. As 'Jon,' David would not have to dress up at all since Jon and Kate just got a divorce, so he didn't matter anymore. However, I could not get the dolls together in time, so I had to bail on that plan. Then, I thought "Ocotomom!" You may recall that woman who gave birth to eight babies a year or so ago. I was going to get eight dolls and duct tape them around my stomach. They would each face outward, arms and legs extended as if pleading for help. I was going to get a pair of those big wax lips we used to get for penny candy (now THAT dates me, doesn't it?). Over-sized red lips would make me look like the Octomom, Natalie Sulia. She claims she never had silicone shot into them to make her look like Angelina Jolie, but I don't believe her. Anyway, that plan was also foiled for lack of time to round up les enfants. So, I had to go with available material and be Ruby Robinson, Star Of Stage And Screen. David was my body guard, 'Bod,' for short. When I asked him how I looked, he said "My dear, you are just a vision of loveliness." I think somebody had been into my datura seed stash.

Last Call- Barb Or Huck?

This photograph was taken on November 1st from our pier looking southward. The land mass on the left is Hermit Island. The red bushes on the right are Huckleberries.

Huckleberries are common here. The leaves turn intense red in the fall accentuating the ledges along the shore. The berries are long gone as they are loved by birds and rodents. Cooper's and Sharp-shinned hawks sit in the trees above these bushes waiting for the rodents and other birds drawn to the berries. Snakes like the rodents, too. I have eaten the Huckleberries myself. Once, I made a pie, too. The berries look much like Blueberries, though they are usually darker - nearly black. Huckleberries are related to blueberries, which are in the Vaccinium family. They are easily distinguished from Blueberries though, as they have 10, comparatively large seeds inside; Blueberries have loads of tiny seeds. The seeds is one of the reasons why I never made more than one pie. Another reason is that I had to pick them and I'm lazy that way. Huckleberries are not cultivated, so unless you happen upon a patch like I have, it's not likely that you would have eaten them. Huckleberries were named for the English Hurtleberry which they resemble. The word 'huckleberry' had numerous slang uses in the 19th century, most often meaning small or insignificant, sometimes kindly or good. The phrase, "I'm your huckleberry" meant just the right person for the job. It's not known for sure, but conventional thinking is that Samuel Clemens named his character 'Huckleberry Finn' because the word huckleberry evoked a thing of small and low character. If you were to ask me, I'd tell you that the berries of the Japanese Barberry seen here are of low character, though they are also stunning this time of year. The birds eat the berries and long ago, yellow die was extracted from the bark and stems. Nonetheless, the Japanese Barberry is on the Department of Agriculture's list of noxious, invasive weeds and should never be planted, though it pains me to admit that I have done so in the past. In fact, these bushes should be ripped out where they have been planted. Again, I have them in my yard and haven't ripped them out. BUT - I'm telling you that YOU should. I'll be sorry one day for leaving them, because they have horrible little thorns that make the shrubs nearly impossible to work around. The thorns are so viscous that the shrubs are used for crime prevention! To deter burglars they are planted under vulnerable windows and as property breaks. I know of a house in Bath located on the corner of a busy intersection where thrives a thick hedge of Barberry. No school child nor meandering drunk would ever think of cutting across the corner of that lot. Samuel Clemens should have named his character Barberry Finn, though I suppose shortened to 'Barb' wouldn't have the same effect as Huck.

Deer Dancing On The Beach

 Directly across the cove from us is Hermit Island (see http://www.hermitisland.com/ for more information). The island is largely undeveloped. It has rustic campsites for spectacular ocean side camping. Hunting is not allowed on the island, so the White-tailed deer abound there. The campers love the deer that have become habituated to humans. They are quite tame (the deer, not the campers) which allows for easy viewing. Sand-dollar beach is about 1/4 mile from here. I've become so accustomed to the usual shapes, textures and forms 'across the way,' that I could immediately see the deer from as far away as our house. I did have to use binoculars to count how many there were, though. Thankfully, I've got a telephoto lens long enough to photograph the surface of the moon, so I could get these shots. Otherwise, I would have to be in a boat for this look at deer gamboling across the beach. One winter the snow was so deep that I saw deer over there eating sea weed. They were along the water line on what would be the left side of the photo (north) and were clearly munching on the rock weed. Now, that's desperate. Unless, of course, you are eating California rolls wrapped in knori - throw in a little wasabi paste and pickled ginger, then desperation becomes haute cuisine.

Don't Mind Me, I'm Just A Magpie

BLACK-BILLED MAGPIES are ultra common in Colorado. They are as everywhere there as Sea Gulls or crows, to whom they are related, are on the east coast. Though they are protected in the United States, they are regarded by most Westerners as a nuisance bird. I couldn't get enough of them! Their sharply contrasting feathers are visually appealing and they are quite gregarious. They are also very interesting. A University Of Colorado scientist, Dr. Marc Bekoff maintains that Magpies hold funerals for their dead. He saw four magpies by a dead magpie and recounted: "One approached the corpse, gently pecked at it, just as an elephant would nose the carcass of another elephant, and stepped back. Another magpie did the same thing. Next, one of the magpies flew off, brought back some grass and laid it by the corpse. Another magpie did the same. Then all four stood vigil for a few seconds and one by one flew off." In the journal, Emotion, Space and Society , he says "We can't know what they were actually thinking or feeling, but reading their action there's no reason not to believe these birds were saying a magpie farewell to their friend." Indeed. Magpies are also the only known non-mammal to recognize itself in a mirror, so why couldn't they have emotions? They are highly intelligent, adaptive birds that eat anything and will turn things over to look for food underneath. Their resourceful omnivorousness is why some people think they are a pain. They will eat the eggs of other birds, tear open trash bags and rob dumpsters. I like to think of myself as a kind of magpie, a flashy dumpster diver of the writing kind. It would be fitting if when I'm reincarnated that I come back as a magpie.

The most well known magpies in the east are Heckle And Jeckle of cartoon fame.

I could not have said it better myself!

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LAST CALL - Chinese Lanterns and Pocket Watches

These seed pods, a common sight in fall, are known as Chinese Lanterns. They are native to Southeast Europe and Japan, but not to China. Their name comes from their resemblance to Chinese paper lanterns or Japanese lanterns. So, I ask you: why not Asian Lanterns?  They are also called Ground Cherry, Husk Tomato, Wintercherry or Jerusalem Cherry. I don't know if they grow in Israel, either! The seeds and leaves are highly poisonous. They are a  member of the Physalis or nightshade family, as are tomatoes, potatoes, and tomatillos. Inside the paper husk is a fleshy fruit which contains the seed. They do look and feel very much like tomatillos, but don't eat them! In spite of being poisonous, the plant has been used for a variety of medicinal purposes such as, as an anti-inflammatory, expectorant, cough suppressant, bed-wetting, malaria treatment and induction of early labor. I've noticed that when I look up the medicinal value of a plant they almost all were used for these maladies. I caution you to never plant them in your garden, lovely as they are this time of year. Plant them in someone else's garden if you have an ax to grind with them. They are very invasive. One little piece of the fleshy, underground rhizome will sprout a new plant. They will be there forever, impossible to eradicate. One of my sisters used to give pocket watches to the men in her life (and she had plenty). On the inside cover, she would inscribe a sweet sentiment with her name. She said that no man would ever get rid of a pocket watch, even if he dumped her. So, long after she was gone over the horizon, leaving a trail of dust, her gift watch would remain forever in the guy's life. It might be stuffed into a dresser drawer, but it would always be there. My sister died fifteen years ago, but I'm sure that out there somewhere, are pocket watches bearing her name. If a fellow gardener offers to give you Chinese Lantern plants, think pocket watches. These glowing lanterns were given to me by a friend whose garden I know well. I thanked her, but said "Good God! I hope these didn't come from your garden!" I didn't recall seeing them in her yard. "Oh no, I stole them from Ellen Masters garden," was her casual reply. I was shocked by this, but accepted the gift, rather like a pocket watch. Maybe these plants are truly more poisonous than previously thought!

Gruesome Golden Eagles

I shot, photographically, of course, these Golden Eagles on October 9th, 2009 in Colorado. I was off Route 50 south of Hotchkiss headed toward The Black Canyon Of The Gunnison. David and I were following my son whom we were were going to watch climb the walls of the canyon. We had driven many miles on a nameless dirt road toward some place only the inner climber's circles would have known. The eagles were scavenging a Mule deer carcass. When we went by them the first time, zooming along the dirt road agitating choking clouds of red dust, there were only two. I leaped from the car, shielding my camera as best as I could from the dust, shooting quickly as we were following another car and had no idea where we were. It would have been a tedious complexity had we become leaderless out there! The eagles were spooked and took off before I was able to get off many shots. I wasn't sure what I got for images as I raced ahead to catch up to our little convoy of cars. When we dropped my son and his girlfriend off to climb, they ran into two friends who were there for the same purpose. Introductions were made and gear collected. The group had to hike in to the start point of their climb which was going to take an hour or so. We would have time to kill before we could see the climbers ascending the rock walls. In the mean time, I could not get those eagles off my mind. They were the first Golden eagles I had ever seen. I was every bit as excited about that as my son and his friends were to climb. As soon as we got rid of them, I told David we had to go back to the eagles. Hours had passed by then, but I told David "Maybe they came back! That was a big carcass for them to ignore......." I was already patting my pants pocket for the car keys. He knew to resist was futile. And sure enough, when we got back to the field, which was seven miles back, there they were, not two, but three! This time, the Magpies had joined them.
Golden eagles are common in the Western half of the United States, but rare in our Eastern parts. So, the sighting was a big deal to me. I would have been thrilled to see just one, and here were three! I'm quite sure that at least two of them are sub-adults because of the white ankle socks and scattered white feathers. Also, when they took off, I could see white bums. Goldens do not acquire their definitive golden plumage until they are at least four years old. These eagles vary in size, the females being bigger than the males. Only Bald eagles and California Condors are bigger. Though not endangered, the Golden eagle is protected by the Bald Eagle And Golden Eagle Protection Act of 1940 (see http://www.animallaw.info/ for the statute). So, think again if you were going to pull out some of those golden feathers to line your own nest! To mess with one is a felony which can result in a year in jail, $100,000 fine or both. These eagles are scavengers like other eagles. They frequent open grasslands like this site, partly because they like a good snack of Prairie Dog. They will hunt almost anything under the size of a Mule deer, though there have been reported attacks on adult deer. When we drove through this area, we saw easily 150 Mule deer. I did not realize it when I took the photos, but later on zooming in on the eagles, I could see in the distance a herd of Muleys in the background (see photo #2 beyond the irrigation wheels). When locked onto a prey target, they can fly at speeds of 150 miles per hour! The Golden eagle is hunted by Coyotes, Bobcats, and the usual big predators.                                                                                                                                                

Double click on this image for full screen and you can see the deer grazing in background.

The buffy-gold feathers of a mature Golden eagle are obvious on the nape of this handsome bird.

Gruesome! Double click to see the eye of the eagle on the left.