Rescue me!

It is cool here..out of the norm cool. I love it and I am surely not complaining about Fall being here, but I think some of my bayou critters might be. Early this morning as we were just getting started in our work, my son noticed a beautiful black swallowtail butterfly that had just hatched from its cocoon. Its wings were not fully developed and it was struggling to fly. The cool weather made it virtually impossible for this poor thing to move. It had fallen on the ground and surely would have been attacked by the multitudes of fire ants that inhabit this hill. He gently picked it up and carried it to me.."Here, Mom..have a butterfly." "Thanks, Son..just what I needed." Now you can see where this was going..I was to sit and use my hands as a heater for a critter! Not that I have any qualms about holding a bug, but it was a matter of "you found it..you hold it!" The butterfly must have agreed with me..he was staying put! Good butterfly! Soon the warmth from my son's hands allowed the butterfly to start moving easier and he lifted it near a rose. At first, the swallowtail refused to budge from its toasty warm perch but I suppose the scent of the rose soon was too enticing. Slowly, it edged its way onto the petals of the rose. After just a few moments, another beautiful "Flying Flower" lifted it wings and flitted away. Another successful rescue! Another small part of nature allowed to live.

Later as I was walking down the lane, I felt something bite my ankle! Looking down, I could see no bug that might have stung me so I rubbed my ankle. OUCH! Now I knew what was hurting! Rockachaws! Sand burrs! Stickers! Ouch! My sock was full of these things! My goodness that hurt! For those who do not know, sand burrs are the seeds of a grass that usually grows in open sandy areas such as the barrier islands in the Gulf of Mexico. It will grow anywhere the seed is deposited in sandy soil. Our burrs were deposited here by Hurricane Katrina.. in abundance. The sand that washed in was so full of the burrs that now our hill is covered with this weed. The burrs are very prickly and are designed to stick to animal fur so they can be transferred to new growing areas. The trouble is..they stick to everything! And are extremely sharp! These pointy things have TEETH! When you come in contact with a few heads of the seeds, my goodness, you will know it! They pierce the socks and with each step pierce your skin. Pulling them off the sock seems like a good idea until you try it..then you again realize..they BITE! The very fine "needles" on each burr are slightly barbed on the end thus making it painful to remove. Hmmm..now I am between a rock and a hard place. Do I leave the stickers in the sock to be stabbed with every step or do I attempt removal only to have them embed themselves in my fingers? Neither! It is most sensible to find somewhere to sit, remove the shoe, carefully roll the sock over the mass of biting burrs to remove it and then deal with these boogers at home with a pair of pliers! There, I will not be reseeding since as soon as I remove them from my sock, they will go into a fire! I am supposing there is a lesson to be learned here..I really should be more careful where I step!