Observations in the Natural World

Quote: odiousgambit

LOL.

There's definitely a price to pay going into the woods where the deer thrive. They were so bad a few weeks ago I just didn't go. I think it was because it had been too cold, then finally some warm days came and they were going for it

I have spent a lot of time in the bush and we have way to many deer here, it is mule deer paradise. In a 250 mile stretch of the main highway through my town 3 deer a day die on the highway from being hit by vehicles.

Hey Og, are you using one of the plant identifier apps? There’s 3 that I know of.

If so, which do you prefer?

Quote: rxwine

Hey Og, are you using one of the plant identifier apps? There’s 3 that I know of.

If so, which do you prefer?

I am a holdout against having a smart phone.

A neighbor has the app though. I was trying to save what I thought was a walnut tree that blew over, it was big enough to not have that problem, about 6-8 feet tall. This got us wondering if it was really a walnut tree, even though it grew up right next to one. The neighbor's app showed it to be a 'tree of heaven' ... now I realize I need to get rid of a bunch of them, they're invasive junk trees. Though we don't get the bugs that sometimes collect on these, i'm afraid we could, plus I just don't want them, I want better trees.

In case you wonder about why I would mis-identify, check out the video, when young they are similar.

https://youtu.be/4BA5Dec3_8o

Quote: kenarman

I have spent a lot of time in the bush and we have way to many deer here

I too have spent a lot of time in various bushes, but the only animals I came across were crabs.

Quote: kenarman

I have spent a lot of time in the bush and we have way to many deer here, it is mule deer paradise. In a 250 mile stretch of the main highway through my town 3 deer a day die on the highway from being hit by vehicles.

My son and I drove the Alcan a few years back. We pulled into a convenience store, I believe at Pink Mountain. Standing behind a customer at the counter I heard the clerk ask the person in front of us if they'd seen any deer. {we had been behind them for at least a half hour], and they replied "no, we haven't seen any". When we got to the clerk, I was shaking my head because we had counted 105 deer in the last hour, mostly following this person who hadn't seen any of them. Scary.

Quote: missedhervee

I too have spent a lot of time in various bushes, but the only animals I came across were crabs.

I hope you didn't adopt any.

Quote: missedhervee

I too have spent a lot of time in various bushes, but the only animals I came across were crabs.

"Deadliest Catch"

Quote: petroglyph

My son and I drove the Alcan a few years back. We pulled into a convenience store, I believe at Pink Mountain. Standing behind a customer at the counter I heard the clerk ask the person in front of us if they'd seen any deer. {we had been behind them for at least a half hour], and they replied "no, we haven't seen any". When we got to the clerk, I was shaking my head because we had counted 105 deer in the last hour, mostly following this person who hadn't seen any of them. Scary.

I have counted 50 or 60 in a 1 hour trip occasionally but not sure I have ever seen 105 in one trip. In March/April they herd up for a while and seeing 15 or 20 in one spot isn't rare.

Because there are so many collisions with deer a lot of people try and it use it as an excuse with their insurance company. The rules are if you don't have witnesses or deer debris on your vehicle you are at fault. This means if you are a local you always take out the deer before you hit the ditch. Tourists still try and save Bambi and total their vehicle and maybe serious injury or death to those in the car.

Quote: petroglyph

"Deadliest Catch"

No, not crabs: scabies.

Summer of 1975; while working in NC I met a vapid but nubile southern belle.

One thing led to another and voila, I got scabies.

Nasty little buggers ...

Quote: odiousgambit

I am a holdout against having a smart phone.

A neighbor has the app though. I was trying to save what I thought was a walnut tree that blew over, it was big enough to not have that problem, about 6-8 feet tall. This got us wondering if it was really a walnut tree, even though it grew up right next to one. The neighbor's app showed it to be a 'tree of heaven' ... now I realize I need to get rid of a bunch of them, they're invasive junk trees. Though we don't get the bugs that sometimes collect on these, i'm afraid we could, plus I just don't want them, I want better trees.

In case you wonder about why I would mis-identify, check out the video, when young they are similar.

https://youtu.be/4BA5Dec3_8o

Over the years, I have wondered about the identity of a spicy-smelling weed that grows on the sidewalks of Philadelphia and Hudson County, NJ. Searching the internet produced no answers.

But then "Google Lens" appeared recently on my phone. Taking one picture of the plant, I got its various names; Mexican tea, Jesuit's tea, and Dysphania ambrosioides.

In Mexico, it is called "epazote," and it is a popular spice. Here's an article that mention that in the 1980s, a chef had difficulty in finding epazote for his restaurant until he discovered it growing out of Philadelphia sidewalks. https://philly.eater.com/2019/4/17/18304724/tequilas-mexican-restaurant-philadelphia