An Alien Pest

We were walking down a dirt side road and came across this odd looking flowering shrub. It is called a Rattle Box or Spanish Gold, among other common names used. I was going to try planting some of the seeds and growing it in my yard until I read more about it. This plant, native to South America and introduced as an ornamental in this country in the early 1900's, has spread and taken over large areas of wetlands. All parts of the plant are poisonous and the seeds will easily kill squirrels and birds if eaten. For that reason I'm going to pass on growing this pretty but deadly plant.

Sebastian's Hurt Paw

Our cat Tommy is lame from being hit by a car shortly before we found him in the road. Our little old scoundrel Sebastian has been watching us pet Tommy and has decided that if he has a hurt paw and holds it up he will get petting too. Here is Sebastian in his acting debut.

Green anole

We went back to the swamp and after the rains the whole area is now overgrown with tall grasses and weeds. There were lots of creatures running around, including this green anole. It was hanging on a weed and was very curious about us.

Wild Squash

Here's a real oddity we found while on our walk today. We were traveling over a small creek and I looked down on the bank to see what looked like gourds on a vine growing there. I looked it up and it is Cucurbita moschata, an edible squash related to the butternut squash! What in the world was it doing growing there? I could only find the one clump of vines in the area so it is a real puzzle.

Walking and Signs

"And the sign said anybody caught trespassing would be shot on sight
So I jumped on the fence and yelled at the house, Hey! what gives you the right
To put up a fence to keep me out or to keep mother nature in
If God was here, he'd tell you to your face, man you're some kinda sinner.

Sign Sign everywhere a sign
Blocking out the scenery breaking my mind
Do this, don't do that, can't you read the sign?"

- Five Man Electrical Band

More Finds On Our Walks

Today we walked down Church Road, a country road inhabited by a handful of "good ol boys". Here is a pretty climbing butterfly-pea flower I found at the side of the road.

On the way back home we went behind the abandoned Catholic church into a wooded area. There is a hunting club nearby where the "good ol boys" alternate shooting deer and swilling beer. These wonderful guys have a lot of hunting dogs. Apparently over the years when the dogs get sick and die they just toss them behind the church. I suppose that is their sentimental version of a Christian burial. Anyway, there are a large number of dog skeletons laying in various spots behind the church. So they wouldn't have died completely in vain I took a few of the bones for us to study next term in Anatomy class.

A Weed By Any Other Name...

On our walks it doesn't take a lot to amuse me. I enjoy looking at the unusual weeds along the way, including these. The first one's name stumped me for awhile because it didn't have its usual flower stalk. This odd looking plant has extremely sharp thorns on the leaf tips. It would look great in an outdoor cactus and succulent garden. It is a purple thistle.

The next photo is obvious. I've always loved groups of wild ferns. They have an exotic appearance that reminds me of the tropics.

The Sentinel Bunny

Yesterday the wife and I were doing our daily late afternoon walk and we decided to head down a rural side road. I caught this guy sitting beside a pond near the side of the road. He was just watching everything passing by, including us. Finally he ducked back through the weeds towards the pond. When we came back by the pond awhile later he was sitting there again watching the world go by.