Nature’s World by Al Batt

My neighbor Crandall stops by.

“How are you doing?” I ask.

“Everything is nearly copacetic. I’m so tired, I don’t have enough energy to snore. I’m just glad that I’m not paid what I’m worth. I like to spend my afternoons trying to forget about my mornings. I bought some of that furniture that needs to be assembled. I’ve tried to put it together in every language that was in the instructions booklet. So far, none of them has worked. They need more cuss words. I went to one of those gigantic malls in the big city. The food court there left me mallnourished. My uncle Chuckie hasn’t lost all his marbles, but there is definitely a hole in the bag. When he sees a sign saying “Wet floor,” he does. He’s as old as his tongue and slightly older than his teeth. He and his wife live on the Snake Trace. Their home has more furniture than house. Government surveyors came to Chuckie’s farm to do some work. The surveyors told Chuckie, ‘We’ve discovered that your farm isn’t in Minnesota. It’s in Iowa.’ Chuckie said, ‘That’s the best news I’ve heard in a long time. I don’t think I could take another Minnesota winter.’”

 

Nature by the yard

The day had a smooth takeoff.

There were light stains on the darkness. Tomorrow was as remote as the stars. My brain felt like a tuning fork, resonating with the new day.

An insect crawled on me. It was an unwanted fashion accessory. A squirrel attempted to become part of a tree by freezing in place. It was using the tree as a shield not a sword. Leaves glowing in autumn colors brightened the day.

A red-bellied woodpecker scolded from a tree. White-throated sparrows whistled songs more humble than those sung in the spring. What do birds give out on Halloween? Tweets.

An explosion of starlings filled the air. A shape-shifting flock. Starling flocks can create amazing shapes as they swoop. Starlings fly en masse to confuse predators. They reach speeds of 20 mph, but rarely crash into one another. A starling has instant reaction time and incredible spatial awareness. Each bird tracks about seven other birds in flight, enabling the flock’s impressive cohesion.

A short walk in the yard won’t save the world, but it couldn’t hurt.

 

Q&A

“How many kinds of milkweed are there?” There are over 100 species of milkweed in North America and 14 species in Minnesota.

“How can I tell if my tree is a buckeye or a horse chestnut? The horse chestnut typically has seven leaflets and each leaflet is broader at the far end, narrower at the end nearest the stem. The buckeye has five leaflets and is narrower at the far end.

Rodney Hatle of Owatonna wrote, “Under our sunflower seed feeder, a perhaps female goldfinch was flirting with a male who seemed to be paying not the least attention and moving away. It’s Oct. 6th, late for mating and raising eggs — even for goldfinches. The behavior continued until the male eventually came to the other and spent quite awhile feeding it. So, was this an adult feeding a juvenile?” It was. The immature American goldfinch (both male and female) has a dull brownish appearance. It has black shoulders and tail, and buff-colored wing bars. An adult has white bars. Young goldfinches have clean looking feathers, while an adult’s plumage shows wear. Babies flutter their wings and call noisily while begging for food. Goldfinches wait to nest until milkweed, thistle, and other plants have produced fibrous seeds, which goldfinches incorporate into their nests and feed their young.

“Is poison oak the same thing as poison ivy?” Poison ivy and poison oak are neither ivy nor oak species. They belong to the cashew family. The leaf shape and growth habits of these plants vary greatly. Some botanists classify poison ivy and poison oak as varieties of one species, both having leaves divided into three ovate leaflets that are downy beneath.

“How do birds find a feeder?” Most birds find food by sight. Birds might see other birds at a feeder and investigate.

“What makes the best fall colors?” It depends on the weather. Green chlorophyll disappears fastest during an autumn with bright sunlight and cold days. This disappearance exposes the orange and yellow pigments. Dry weather concentrates sugar, which speeds up the manufacture of red compounds. Dry, sunny days followed by cool, dry nights make the best season for leaf peeping.

“How do I raise monarch butterflies?” Find milkweed plants along a country road. Look for chewed leaves and caterpillar frass on the leaves. Cut the stalk, place it in a water-filled vase, and put it in a large container. Keep an eye on the caterpillars and be sure fresh milkweed leaves are always available.

 

Nature lessons

Unlike most mice, the meadow jumping mouse and the woodland jumping mouse hibernate. Small (one ounce or less), with long tails and hind legs, they eat insects, seeds, and fruit. They have cheek pouches in which to carry food.

Stinging nettles, called itch weed or burn weed by many, is a host plant for the caterpillars of the red admiral butterfly. In “The Little Black Hen” by A. A. Milne, the hen said, “Nettles don’t hurt if you count to 10.” People tell me that this is not true.

Most European countries prohibit the declawing of cats.

 

Relive those pie in the ear days in Hartland

Hartland Evangelical Lutheran Church Soup & Dessert will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Oct. 27.

Cross of Glory Lutheran Church Soup & Pie will be from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Nov. 5.

 

Thanks for stopping by

“There is very little difference in people, but that little difference makes a big difference. This difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative.” — W. Clement Stone

“The cream of enjoyment in this life is always impromptu. The chance walk; the unexpected visit; the unpremeditated journey; the unsought conversation or acquaintance.” — Fanny Fern

 

Do good.

 

Al Batt of Hartland is a member of the Albert Lea Audubon Society. Email him at SnoEowl@aol.com.