Flashback!

   Our weather is all over the place.  Recently, it seemed as if spring had made its appearance and was ready to stay.  All that did was set me into a frenzy of getting gardens ready, planting and...taking down the temporary greenhouse that had done well housing all of the potted plants during our (brief) "ice age".  I pushed a little too hard and it came back to bite me.  Yep, the temperature dropped for a lovely one night but that one night was enough to cause a bit of fretting.  Son and I covered the plants the best we could with some painter's drop cloths and called it a night.  We hoped for the best.  

  The plants did well under their blankets which were gathered back as soon as the sun popped out bright and warm.  Son gathered the huge tarps for me to launder before storing for the next need.  I carefully shook each tarp to make sure no treefrogs or lizards had snuggled in for the night then tossed two at a time in the washing machine.  All went well....until that last load.  Again, I shook the tarp vigorously before loading it into the machine, however, I guess it was not strong enough.  When that tarp was hauled out and thrown in the dryer, I spied a black "stick".  My heart sank.  Surely that was not one of my sweet praying mantids!  It definitely was NOT a frog nor a lizard but some sort of bug.  As I examined the corpse, I realized that it was a what Mom called a Devil's Walking Stick and Dad called a Spit Tobacco Bug.  Those are both names for a Two-striped Walking Stick or Stick Bug.  As much as these are not favorites of mine (they do "spit"), I felt terrible about killing the poor thing.  After all, it was just seeking a bit of warmth from the freezing night temperatures.  

  This all did bring flashbacks of some 40 years ago.  My oldest son was forever taking hikes with my Aunt Marie. He and "Aunt Ri Ri" would often go critter hunting much like my grandson and I do.  The only difference was...my son would pocket most of the critters without Aunt Ri Ri knowing...also...without me knowing.  The critters, along with rocks, leaves, sticks or anything else he found interesting were stashed for good keeping right in those pockets.  Now, I was not in the habit of checking my kiddo's pockets before washing his clothes so you can see where this is going.  Yep, I found many, many waterlogged critters in that washing machine....usually dead.  It was not fun.  The inanimate objects were not a problem but sticking my hand in the machine to grab ahold of a water bloated lizard or earthworm was not the nicest thing.  I literally had to make him start "unloading" his pockets at the front door!

  Finding the dead walking stick in the washer was not fun but it did evoke a giggle about the memories from long ago.  It is probably a good thing that I am not too overly squeamish when it comes to things like this.  Perhaps having a curious little boy who loved to shove things in his pockets for safe keeping got me over a lot of things.  Gotta love him!  He may be grown now but the memories of him being a toddler live on and bring lots of smiles.

No Spitting Allowed!

   Several times in the past, I mentioned the two-striped walking stick bugs.  When I was a curious tyke, I was given plenty of warnings to steer clear of the critters.  "Spit Tobaccos can spit at you and you will be hurt."  Pop let my curiosity be sated with exploration of most critters but not ones that would cause harm.  I was allowed to hold non-venomous snakes and spiders, catch beetles, play with squirrels, rabbits and even baby fox but, at the same time, I was taught to respect all critters and give the harmful ones plenty of space.  In other words, I was encouraged to "view those from a safe distance". The two-striped walking stick can cause severe pain and even a temporary blindness with its "spit".  I still follow Pop's rules...somewhat.

  As I was watering the garden, a slight movement in a potted amaryllis made me take a closer look.  As the leaves were pushed aside, a walking stick came inching out and sat on the outer edge of a leaf.  It moved no further even though I busily watered the other plants for a full twenty minutes.  The bug sat there as if to inform me of its presence in hopes that I would not further disturb its peace.  I did not.  The bug (or in this case, bugs) and I shared the space with  not further ado.  

  Most folks would have been a bit squeamish about having the walking stick nearby.  Just the thought of a 5 inch long,  "tobacco juice" spitting bug can prove to be daunting to some.  I, on the other hand, go by the mantra of live and let live..as much as possible.  With the walking stick, I may come to regret this decision as they do eat plants.  For now, the critter can live in peace as long as it does not spit.  Spitting is disgusting in all forms!

Critter Of Many Names!

  Today was obviously Bug Day and I had no idea.  Son was outside doing a bit of cleanup after some construction work and I was inside baking him some cookies. I figured one good turn deserves another and I have yet to see a young man turn down a plate of cookies!  Just as I was about to pop another tray into the oven, I sensed he was at the backdoor.  Ok, so what was up with that.  Sure enough, I checked and he was standing there.  "Umm, I am too dirty to come inside but I wanted to show you something." he stated.  I knew this had to be good!  Son does not get excited over critters but he knows I do.  I put down the cookie sheet (unbaked) and grabbed the camera.  Something was up!

  Sure enough, he had found a four inch long Spit Tobacco! Or, in fact, two of the critters. (It is mating season for these insects.)  This is not the true name and is only one of many given to this critter.  Spit Tobaccos, Devil's Horse, Prairie Alligator, Witch's Horse, Devil's Darning Needle and Musk Mare are all names given to the Two Striped Walking Stick.  As you can tell by the common names, most folks do not think too kindly of this critter and rightly so.  When agitated, this walking stick has a weird defense.  It has glands that create some pretty foul gunk and it can actually spit it at a predator.  The "spray" is actually toxic and if the critter can aim and hit the eyes of its predator, the stuff can actually temporarily blind it not to mention how painful it is.  I have heard tell that the walking sticks have remarkable aim so be careful if you find one!

  Pop was the one who taught me about "Spit Tobaccos".  As a kid, I was curious about all critters (still am) and wanted to hold everything.  Pop was pretty good about letting me explore but when I was in danger, he would let me know.  "Best steer clear of that one.  It will spit tobacco juice in your eyes and it will really hurt."  For the longest time, I truly thought that the critter chewed tobacco and would spit at me.  Well, I was partly right.  They do spit..just not tobacco juice.  Funny thing, any sort of tobacco product disgusts me to this day.  Ain't no critter gonna spit at me!

Aptly Named

Not many of us run around calling plants by their scientific names. Not many of us could pronounce these goofy sounding names if we tried. That said, it is no wonder most plants have acquired common monikers..easier to say..easier to remember. Case in point..Aralia Spinosa. I grew up calling this Prickly Ash Tree. I could not tell you if this is the actual name or just one that seemed to fit, but Boy!..is it ever prickly!

Out behind the house under a thickly clustered grove of assorted trees, I spied a unique sapling. This little tree actually excited me a bit since I have not seen one for many years. Obviously, a bird ..umm.. "planted" a tree for me! This small sapling was covered from top to bottom with thorns! "Prickly Ash!", I declared! This immediately brought back memories of running through the woods as a kid and coming in contact with a mini grove of these trees. Trust me when I say, this is not something you ever want to do..come in contact with even one of these trees! They hurt! They hurt....tremendously! It also brought back memories of "skinning" (peeling the bark) from young saplings that were about twenty feet in height. One might wonder just why in the world a person would skin a tree, but it was for good reason! My brother found that once skinned, (and still green) the young tree was very flexible and yet still very strong. He was a budding track star and needed to practice. The young tree (sans its bark and thorns) became a homemade pole to be used in the sport of pole vaulting. I must admit that it worked well and when it came time for him to compete with an actual pole, he was excellent! Using that homemade, heavy and much stiffer pole gave him the edge when he was handed the actual piece of sporting equipment.

I have also heard this tree called the Devil's Walking Stick. This name, too, I can understand. It would stand to reason that the old Devil himself would have a walking stick that would be evil and covered with thorns. The tree's trunk is as prickly, poky, spiny as they get! Like I said, it is not something that is fun to contact! As nature-loving as I am, this is one tree that I absolutely refuse to hug! (hehe) Aside from the obvious detrimental side of the tree, (which in the way you look at it, is all sides!) there are pluses to having this tree in the yard. It is quite the conversation piece as it looks a tad prehistoric. Panicles of creamy white flowers appear in Midsummer and later in the Fall the clusters of fruit ripen to purplish black drupes. Birds and animals feed upon the fruit as it ripens. There are stories of how this tree was used in the past for many different uses medicinally. None of these uses have been proven but it is still interesting that something so potentially dangerous could have a positive use.

So....the small tree will be extracted from the undergrowth and replanted in some wide open spot. Here it will be easily noticed and not be a danger to any unsuspecting visitor to the Bayou. I can enjoy the beauty of the small tree, the birds will have the pleasure of eating the fruit and the tree will be free to flourish. But warning...Tree-huggers..This is one tree that is off-limits! You hug at your own risk!