In The Shadows

Tucked up next to our house in the most shaded spot possible is a plant growing in compacted soil.  As it first made its appearance earlier this year, it looked almost like a coarse-leaved grass of some kind.  With growth it became clear that it was probably some kind of Lily.  It finally bloomed this week and even in its most showy state still seemed somewhat hidden in the shadows.

There are a lot of people like that plant.  They face tough circumstances and throughout their life quietly remain in the shadows doing their job where they not only survive but thrive.  They do what they do well despite the adversity they face.

I admire someone like that.  They have found a niche in which to build their lives, and they work hard to make it the best life possible.  Often, the next generation, their children, succeed in unexpected ways because they were taught the values that drove their parents to excellence despite their circumstances.  They deserve our respect and they deserve recognition for what they have done.

Many of my classmates in school came from such circumstances.  Their families worked hard through struggles that others didn't face.  Many of those classmates have gone on to have very successful careers.  Several were the first generation to go to college.  Others own their own businesses.  They have fought to succeed and have done well.  I admire them.

Below is a photo of the orange daylily (Hemerocallis fulva) growing in the shadows near our home.  It thrives despite its circumstances and when you stop and take notice you see its glory.

 Invasion With Benefits

There are many invasive plant, insect and animal species that have found their way to our country.  Most of them exploit a niche that may be occupied by other species which may be unable to resist the invader.  Some of them are harmful and some less so.  Some may be beneficial.

It is wise to be cautious of uninvited guests.  That's why the government has inspection services that seek to limit or prevent the entry of plants, animals and other species that might be harmful.

We are very careful what plants we bring onto our small piece of Texas.  We prefer those which are native and try to avoid those that may proliferate beyond our ability to control them.  Over time we hope to identify all of the different species currently on our land and eliminate those which are invasive and destructive.  It is only common sense that we protect our home.

One of the invasive species that we have found is the Asiatic Dayflower (Commelina communis).  It blooms for only one day each year.  It originated in Asia but has spread to many areas throughout the world.  In China it is used as a medicinal herb and for making certain dyes.  It is sometimes found as an ornamental.  Recent research indicates it may have beneficial properties for soil remediation where it is found to remove copper, lead, zinc and cadmium from the soil and does well on reclaimed mining sites.

 Contentment

Jake is the faithful guardian of our place.  He was found by the side of the road as an abandoned puppy, rescued and through a series of connections, ended up as part of our household.  He is, and has always been, an outside dog.  He generally refuses to come in when invited.

Until we moved to our present home, Jake always had a fenced yard in which he stayed.  Until a couple of years ago he had an older companion which kept him company and, in many ways, raised him.  Due to age and infirmities, she did not make the last couple of moves.  Before bringing Jake to his new home, we constructed a fenced area specifically for him.  Our assumption was that he would be more comfortable in an enclosed area since that is the way he had always lived.  That assumption was incorrect.

Jake became an escape artist.  It became apparent that we would never be able to confine him again, so with admonitions to confine himself to our property (yeah, like that was going to happen) we allowed him to roam.  We are far enough from busy roads that we felt the risk of being hit by an unwary driver was low and that he had the age and maturity to remain close.

Jake did introduce himself to our neighbors and was especially welcomed by the children.  He seems to have a way with young humans and is like a big teddy bear.  Our grandchildren all seem to be happy to see him and my father-in-law, who is in his upper 80's always asks about him since Jake stayed with him for a brief while during our transition to this place.

He seems content.  He often lays on the front porch surveying his domain and protecting it from wandering rabbits or other small creatures that stray into his vision.  I don't think he could catch one and am somewhat certain he doesn't really try; he just lets them know that they are in his territory and he is the boss.

Contentment is something that most of the human race never finds.  Learning to live in the moment and know that all is well is rare.  I think we all need to learn to take life a little more like Jake.

 Homemade

Do you ever think about how we learned to do so many things?  I spent some time the other day researching how to make paper.  It stemmed from reading a book in which one of the characters made their own paper and ink to draw and illustrate plants.  I will likely attempt it at some point, but it looks like a lot of work.

I wonder if early paper was conceived by watching wasps build their nests.  There are over 1100 species of paper wasps around the world, so it is quite possible that primitive man sought to reproduce the material that comprised wasp nests.

Rock, wood and vellum (animal skin or membrane) were likely the first writing or drawing surfaces for primitive artists and calligraphers.  Around 3,000 BC the Egyptians developed a process of making paper from the papyrus plant.  It was commonly used for thousands of years until replaced by thinner, smoother sheets made from milled plant and wood fibers in a process thought to have been developed in the Han Dynasty of early China around 20-220 AD.  Because it provided a better writing surface it spread westward and became widely adopted by the Islamic world by the 8th Century.  It was another 300 years before it spread to Europe where it replaced the use of animal skins.

Papermaking continues to improve even today with the addition of plastics as well as more advanced fiber processing.  Adding a wax coating to paper allows its use for drinking cups or straws that are completely biodegradable, unlike plastic based coatings.

Paper wasps construct their nests with fibers pulled from dead wood and other dried, fibrous plant material.  The fibers are chewed and mixed with saliva before being pasted into the familiar umbrella-shaped nests filled with chambers for raising the next generation.

The wasp in the photo is stripping wood fiber from some oak firewood.

 Mid-Air Refueling

Hummingbirds are amazing creatures.  We planted Texas Lantana and Texas Sage specifically to attract them and the butterflies.  A couple of the Lantanas are in beds which front our porch where we have a couple of rocking chairs that allow us to enjoy the beautiful weather we have been experiencing.  We sometimes sit there watching birds and using the Merlin app on our phones to help us identify them by their calls.  We also hope for the tiniest of winged visitors to helicopter in for a quick sip of nectar from the flowers.

The Ruby Throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) is the most common out of the 363 species found across the Americas. (For a great list of 10 Interesting facts, click here.)  I was fortunate a couple of days ago to have phone camera in hand when one made a brief re-fueling stop.  The buzz of wings sounded like a giant bumblebee as the tiny, winged blur dropped in for his snack.

How can such a high-energy consumer drink enough nectar in tiny sips to keep its body fueled?  It is no wonder they always seem to be in a hurry, dashing from flower to flower for quick a caloric boost before moving on.  Unlike bees and other pollinators, they don't lite upon the flowers but delicately partake of their meal without touching other than with their beak and tongue.

I wonder if engineers got the idea for mid-air refueling from watching hummingbirds.

 Preconceptions

As we sat on the patio yesterday during a break from our yardwork, I noticed what I thought was a beetle land on one of the tomato plants.  I watched him a moment then decided to take his picture to see if I could identify what he was.  He was rather unique looking, but I feared he would start munching on the leaves and if that was the case he would find his life span shortened significantly.

It was identified by iNaturalist as a Black Firefly (Lucidota atra).  That gave me pause because fireflies are supposed to fly at night -- hence the name.  It turns out this particular species is diurnal (likes the daylight).  It preys on soft-bodied invertebrates such as snails and slugs.  That makes him one of the good guys.

I have to admit that I judged him prematurely.  I thought he was there to attack the tomatoes, and I was prepared to take immediate action.  We do that about a lot of things -- prejudge.  It is because our crazy minds are wired to defend against things we have been conditioned to see as potential danger.  These preconceptions can be useful but can also cause behavior that is harmful.  That Firefly was a beneficial that would have fallen to my preconceptions had I not paused to learn a little more about it.

One of the things that sets humans apart from animals is the ability to override the wiring in our DNA and use reason.  That ability to reason opens doors of understanding.  This world needs a lot more understanding.

 Confusions From Conclusions

Sometimes the "Ah ha" moments shouldn't be.  Jumping to conclusions with incomplete information can lead us down paths that only add to the confusion already sloshing away in the chemical solutions of our minds.  A small piece of information can ignite those synaptic connections in a way that could best be described as a short-circuit.

Using the iNaturalist app on my phone I identified the flower pictured below as Carolina desert-chicory (Pyrrhopappus carolinianus) and given the name, jumped to the conclusion that I had finally discovered what Chicory looked like.  Chicory has been a common substitute or, addition to, coffee for many years.  In my mind I associated it with the Deep South -- especially during the Civil War when Naval Blockades limited the supply of coffee to southern ports.  So, seeing the "Carolina" in the name as well as the word "chicory" I had an "ah ha" moment that led me to believe we had the coffee substitute growing on our place.  I was wrong.

When I dug deeper and did a little research on the plant, I found that, although in the same Family, Asteracea, it was not the same plant as is used as a coffee substitute.  I did learn that it is also called the Texas Dandelion and is common on roadsides throughout the state.  Hmmm...maybe the leaves are edible like those of the true Dandelion.  Nope, wrong again.

Our brains are amazing and work in ways beyond our understanding.  Unlike the massive AI data centers currently under construction, they utilize only a small amount of energy to gather, organize, store and comprehend vast amounts of information.  But, just like a computer program, the saying, "garbage in, garbage out" is also true.  That amazing organ in our skull can make mistakes but it also holds the power to limit those mistakes and to correct them.

We believe many things that are simply not correct.  Those beliefs stem from the information that we feed into that amazing organ which resides between our ears.  If the information is incorrect, or incomplete, we draw wrong conclusions and what we think we know is really the confusion caused by incomplete or incorrect information.

In today's world of social media, the propagandists understand and exploit that weakness.  We all need to learn to dig a little deeper.

 On The Shelf

Being put on the shelf can be a good thing or it can be a signal that utility has diminished.

We have all heard of "Top Shelf" items such as a valuable Crystal Bowl, or for some, a high-dollar bottle of Bourbon.  It's also where one might place objects they wish to admire such as photos of loved ones.  Maybe it's an old Cream Pitcher that a great-grandmother used which once held cream separated by her own hands that ended up on great-grandfather's oatmeal.  Whatever it might be, it is held in a place of honor.

We have also heard the term used in a less honoring way such as when one is "put on the shelf" which connotes that they are no longer needed for service.  This happens to older employees who are given a watch and a plaque as they are retired.  It is a symbolic way of telling them they are no longer needed.

Life is a series of cycles, all of which fit into the larger cycle of birth, growth, death and rebirth.  In nature, death is followed by resurrection as the nutrients are broken down and then utilized by plants, animals, insects and other living things such as fungi.  If your view of life is simply that of the natural cycles, then that is what you have to look forward to.  My view is that is what will happen to our physical body and if you have never experienced a Spiritual Birth, that will be the end.

Stereum fasciatum is a fungus that colonizes dead trees.  It is a "shelf fungus" and clearly signals the end as it breaks down the wood into its component nutrients.

 Aggressive Home Invaders

Yesterday was tree trimming day around our place.  We have several large Sweetgum trees that needed some shaping up.  One of them contained a birdhouse which I had not seen any birds approach.

We've only been here since mid-January and things like the undesirable branches and the birdhouse were left by our predecessor for the new owners to handle.  There are a couple of other birdhouses, one of which was featured in a previous post with a nest of baby Eastern Bluebirds in it.  No birds would come near the birdhouse hanging in the Sweetgum tree.

I decided that since the birds didn't like the birdhouse in question, I would remove it from its prominent place.  After trimming limbs which had grown near it, I unhooked it from its perch and let it drop to the ground.  I quickly found out why the birds avoided it as a number of red paper wasps came boiling out of it in search of something to blame for their short drop and abrupt stop.

After batting the most persistent of them away with my sweaty cap, they learned to keep their distance from me but continued to remain in the neighborhood.  Wasp stings are not something I desire and when younger, would react somewhat severely to them.  Needless to say, I was wary of the tiny, winged warriors as I completed my task of trimming the tree.

In recent years there have been numerous stories of home invaders in the news.  I find it disturbing that someone would think it is an acceptable thing to do.  As I think about it though, I realize it is simply animal behavior.

In nature it is not uncommon for animals to occupy burrows created by other animals (think Rattlesnake in a Prairie Dog hole).  Animals will slip into a temporarily unoccupied den and then defend it by force.  In this world of increasingly animal-like behavior by humans I suppose it was only a matter of time that such things as home invasion and adverse occupation would occur.

Below are a couple of photos of the birdhouse in question.  The first shows the entire house while in the second you can see the dislodged Paper Wasp nest resting on the bottom.

Fear vs. Knowledge

We sometimes fear things that we know to be harmful.  Through past experiences or, perhaps, through study, we learn -- we expand our knowledge -- regarding that thing and acknowledge it is potentially harmful.  Knowledge helps us to know how best to respond.

There are many things, however, that we fear due to ignorance or misperception.  We are wired (my term for our genetic inheritance) for fight or flight.  It might be as simple as public speaking or as complex as using a computer for the first time.  In the case of speaking, it is fear of appearing foolish or of failing to make a positive impression.  In the case of the computer, it is fear of breaking it.

One of the things most people grow up with is a fear of snakes.  That fear is societally programmed into us and likely wired into us.  Some snakes can be deadly and if you don't know what kind of snake you are dealing with it is best to err on the side of caution.

Snakes play a beneficial role in nature.  They are especially adept at managing the population of many pests.  Rodents are a primary source of sustenance for many species whereas insects play a significant role in the diet of others.  Even those species of snakes which are potentially deadly due to their venom can play an important role if they are respected and given space.

My grandfather's barn had a workshop just inside the main door, and Grandpa always threw junk scrap metal in one corner at the end of his workbench.  It was on an outside wall and in time, a rattlesnake made that scrap pile its home.  I knew about it as long as I can remember.  Until I was old enough to understand the danger, Grandpa wouldn't let me go into the shop alone.

He didn't have any rodents in the shop thanks to that snake.

After Grandpa died and we were cleaning his shop that snake played an interesting role in a story I will relate at a later time.

Learn about snakes.  They are interesting creatures and provide an important service.

Below is a Western Rat Snake (Pantherophis obsoletus) pictured both coming and going.  He was resident in a small woodpile we moved.  I don't think he was happy that we discovered his hiding place but there are plenty of others to which he can relocate.  Rat Snakes are interesting in that they often winter in shared dens with other species of snakes -- especially Copperheads and Timber Rattlers which are both poisonous.