Mysterious Fern From The Creek

  Every now and again, I come across something on my walks that defies explanation.  To be honest, I know there has to be a logical reason behind the find but I have trouble understanding it.  Take today, for instance.  As I strolled down the newly mulched debris line left behind from Hurricane Ida, I came across the most beautiful fern frond.  Hmm?  How did that get here?  The nigh on 15 inch frond was laid perfectly across the path as if someone had placed it there just for me to find.

  The ferns grow mainly down in the creek bed which is a good thousand feet from the pathway that I was walking.  Since they are well below the hill which separates the creek from this path, there was not much chance that the wind had broken the fern and carried it here.  There had to be another explanation.  I pondered.  Did an animal carry it here?  Did a bird snatch the fern to line its nest?  Maybe a squirrel did the same?  Who knows?  

  The question of how the fern became positioned as it did is still unanswered.  As I said, there has to be some logical answer as to how and why the fern was there but it is beyond my reasoning.  I just accept it as another bit of mystery of the Bayou.

Drama In The Oaks!

  Wandering around the Bayou and surrounding woods is something I do best!  I can wander til the cows come home and never feel bad about it.  Yesterday was a wandering day. Down near the marsh edge, there are many old oak trees.  These trees have been here and held strong for as long as I can remember and then some.  These old oaks are always a source of interest.   They hold secrets aplenty! Their branches sweep low to the ground which offers a hiding spot for all sorts of critters.  Yesterday's point of interest was not a critter that was easily seen, however, and I am not even sure if the critter was there at all!

  On one of the lower limbs, a tiny twig held a huge lumpy, bumpy thing.  I have seen these "growths" on the oak twigs many times and have always secretly wanted to cut one open to find my critter.  Inside, there is supposedly the larva of a wasp just waiting to burst forth in its full glory of wasphood. The gall wasp is also commonly called a gall fly.  It belongs in the family Cynipidae which is considered a superfamily because it has so many members!  There are lots and lots of these critters and they all induce the galls on trees to house their larvae.  It is pretty neat when you think about it.  While there is still some question as to how the wasp induces the tree to make the gall, the tiny critter has a nice wooden home to protect it while it grows. 

  There is one downside to this whole house thing, however.  The larva has one enemy that knows just how to get to it.  There is a different wasp that is parasitic to the gall fly.  The female has a long, hard tube-like ovipositor that can literally poke a hole in the gall.  It lays an egg which hatches and feeds upon the original occupant of the "house".  

  See?  I told you oak trees have some pretty neat secrets!  There are wasps that are called flies that can make trees do fantastic, magical things but they have enemies that can break into their houses to eat their young!  Drama in the oaks!

Bayou Secrets!

  It seems as if the Bayou is full of the most interesting things.  At least, I find them interesting.  Others probably do not but then, again, Son says I am easily amused...maybe?   The most recent find is, not only interesting, but also weird!  To be totally honest, I am not sure what it is!  Yes, I realize it is a skeleton but...

  While on the pier, I nearly stepped on what appeared at first glance to be some strange bug.  I quickly picked up my foot to realize that this was not a living creature (was one but no longer).  It was a skeleton of something rather "fishy".  It made sense that this is a fish skeleton of some sort but what was it doing on the pier and what type fish had these bones?  I have no clue to either question.  Being only about three inches long, the thing greatly resembled a creepy bug!  The (what I am assuming were) ribs splayed out in strange positions.  Whether this was how the fish actually was formed or whether this was due to my almost squishing the skeleton remains unknown as well. Each rib was awfully pointy, however and the foremost two were brought forward to make them almost appear to be pincers.  Now, no fish that I have ever seen around here has pincers so that is likely another misconception on my part or a bit of warped imagination coming in strong.  Both are a high possibility!

  The mystery skeleton was flipped back into the water whence it came.  The earth-shaking questions of its original form sank to the muddy bottom to be hidden from sight forever!  The Bayou sometimes does not tell its secrets!