Nature! The Grim Reality of The Wild...

Cheryl Almost ready to run.

Her calf has been giving her trouble.

Another pleasant day ( Compared to what we had last week!) and Cheryl decided to go out on another training run.  Her calf  has been bothering her for a few days now,  so she decided to take it easy and see how things panned out.  She has had lots of complaints lately.... 

I don't run,  That is why I'm qualified!

First it was the job, then the cold, then A COLD, (or flu, or something)  now it is an injury.    What a crybaby!   I say that from the warm and comfortable position of my IKEA couch...  With my warm and delicious cup of dandelion tea.   Yeah!  I'm kinda qualified to point out Cheryl's wimpiness. 

See the Bald Eagle?

Along the way,  we noticed another Bald Eagle in the middle of the field.   Yesterday,  we scared up about 8 of them from the same area.  With Cheryl taking things easy today, I had time to check out what all of the fuss was about. 

Wonder what he was doing out there...

I discovered the secret.  Well, not really a secret for me. I had a feeling that this is what we would find.   A dead deer in the middle of the field.  I was not even surprised to see that it was a buck.  I shall explain.

"Mystery" solved!!!

For those who may not know, Bucks duke it out among each other for the affections of the females.   Sometimes,  those battles can get ugly... and deadly.  With no visible gunshot wound,  no blunt trauma from a car hit, ( although, there may have been on the other side)

Nice rack.  12 points!  

My guess is that this is the "loser" in a fist-to-cuffs  exchange between two males showing off for the ladies.   Cheryl was saddened that the majestic buck we saw last year might  not be around any more.  I offered that HE might have been the winner,  and this poor guy was the ill-fated suitor.

Wonder how big the winner was.

 IF I remember properly ( and I have no photographic evidence for this.) He was VERY large in the antler and neck area.  This buck was only a 12 pointer!  (The picture hides a couple points) With broken tines!   It must have been a serious battle.

Safer courtship.  

So there is nature in action.   The once majestic buck has now been reduced to pigeon food ( Noted: A very large and majestic meat-eating pigeon.) That is what you get when you fight over the ladies.   Better to do the mating dance...  dancing might make you look foolish, but at least you don't DIE!

Even if you DO look ridiculous.  Safety first. 

I resisted the old red-neck urge to cut off the head and bring it back home.  I know, I know.... I'm not that guy anymore.   (Although, I would not be surprised if my brother or cousins would have done such a thing.  I'm no longer a taxidermist nor a hunter.

And I had such big plans...

 Cheryl has pretty much forbade me from bringing any antlers of any kind back into the house.   I can live with that.  (But it was a sweet rack and still in pristine condition.  Leaving it out there for he squirrels and mice to gnaw at it just seems like a waste.  What a tragedy.)

Wood Ear!   In the middle of the Sidewalk?   How?

Wonder why it is called Wood Ear?

Clusters of Wood Ear Mushrooms. Wonder how they taste.

After her short run, we walked back into the hills to, once again, see if we could find any new winter mushroom.   We found this Wood Ear mushroom.   Get this!  In the middle of the sidewalk.   As if someone had picked it and dropped it there.   The key to this story was that this was the mushroom I was looking for.   What are the odds?  (almost zero!  How and Who put it there?   The very mushroom I was after!  Very strange.)

They are  edible,  but this one looked a little old.   And having not found it on a log myself, I am uncertain of the origin and back story.   But finding it there in he woods at least confirms my suspicion  that they are in this area.  Perhaps we will be able to find some in the spring.

She is actually miserable.  See?

Hope everyone is having a fun and exciting day today.  If you can enjoy the 45 degree weather and sunshine, I would highly recommend.  Hopefully,  the worse part of winter is behind us now.  I'm still impressed with just how cold Iowa can get.   And I'm happy when those days are few and far between.

Cheryl 's New Weapon Against Insects!

Just say NO to BUGS!

As mentioned in a previous post,  my wife has been at war with the various insect populations that infiltrate our borders.  We have nothing against the wildlife  personally,  but when the enter unannounced and uninvited...  Well,   our good manners disappear.

READY...  FIGHT!!!!

And so it is that Cheryl has decided to wage a kind of war.   I help sometimes....  if the spider is not too big and scary.  Mostly,  I lack the "Killer Instinct" that Cheryl has.   (I try to let the little guys back outside into the wild.)  Cheryl has all kinds of brutal methods  in her arsenal when it comes to dealing with them.  Crushing, pinching, flushing, taping Vacuuming...  even stepping on things if they mess is not to big.  And let's not forget her Chemical Warfare past...

A new and Fun way to dispose of Ants!

Bugzooka in ACTION!!

But yesterday,  the Bugzooka had arrived  and found the elusive middle ground that we both need.  Cheryl is very excited!

Five minutes!   Bugs are safely contained. 

She urged me to take it out for a spin;  and I did.   It works!   I was able to clear off the window,  and not harm a single queen ant!   Although I had  my own  secret agenda,  Cheryl warned me that enslaving them was not part of the deal.   Too bad.   I had big plans. I guess starting my own ant colony will not be in the cards...  for the moment.

Time to Release. 

The consolation prize for me was that I was able to take them outside and release them.   Mother nature actually cooperated by producing a pleasant day yesterday.    Although the temps dropped dramatically back into the 20's,   it was up in the 50's yesterday.  I'm hopeful that the little guys ( or girls) found some shelter from the cold and will begin their new brood in the spring.  OUTSIDE! 

Nudge Nudge!  Get OUT!  Enjoy your Freedom!

So now we have a method of insect removal that is humane and fun.   I would feel bad releasing them out in the cold now,  but it is better than any of Cheryl's previous methods.

I wonder what else I can use it on. 

Plus,  I think the cold only slows the ants down, but does not kill them if they can find some shelter in the leaves of underground.  I can't wait to try the BugZooka on some of the other "problem insects" in the spring.  Not that I hope for more home invasions.   It's always best it they stay outside.

A-Hunting We Will Go...

Mushroom hunting with Cheryl 

Since Cheryl is laid up with the flu...  and the weather has finally delivered temps back into the 40's,  We decided to walk through the woods instead of run/bike through them. 

Small winter Mushroom.  branch-like gills underneath. 

But what do you do while walking?  It appears that we are consistent in  our desire to forage for new bits of nature.  Either berries in summer or flowers and mushrooms in spring.   But lately I have been watching You-Tube videos about mushrooms that grow in the late fall and throughout winter!

Softer, white mushroom.  Trametes?

More pores on the underside.

So we decided to go out and see if we could actually find some of these mythical mushrooms in our local area. 

Well, I knew we would find a few things because I have blogged about them before.   But I was impressed with what we were actually able to find... and the diversity.  Like butterflies,  they mushrooms have always been there....  we just never saw them.  Until now!

Colorful version of the Trametes Genus

So Many Versions of this stuff!

Now I'll say right away I'm not 100% on what these specific species are. ( ok, a couple I'm pretty darn sure I have identified them correctly.)  And I'm not about to take the plunge and eat one... yet.  (Not without a second, more qualified opinion) but I thought that taking a few pictures for later study.. and blog posting,  might be kinda fun.  So here we go!

Polypore Underside.   Supposedly white.

First up!  The turkey tail... I think. I am very confident I have at least identified the Genus.   (Trametes versicolor?)  I know you can eat Turkey tail... and that there are medical benefits to it.   But we encountered several versions of this mushroom that have very similar qualities.   I know Turkey tail has a white underside....   But I'm not sure if they darken as it matures.

Colorful Green Version

I also know it is a Polypore. ( spores come out of holes instead of gills on the underside) But some of the samples we found had what look like small hairs!   Not sure about that one.

Is this the same fungus?

Check out the underside. 

Still others had this wonderful green color.   I'm not sure if this was a moss growing on the fungus,  or if the actual color was the mushroom itself...

Small Hair-like pores.   What is THIS? 

These are just the difference I noticed,  and I know very little about fungi and how to classify them. This seems like a big family,  and until I'm 100% about the differences,  I doubt I will be collecting any of these for food/medicine.

Pheasant Back/Dryad Saddle.

Polypore Underside. 

We found some Pheasant Back.  This is one of the mushrooms I'm positive I ID-ed correctly.  I watched the video last night and I knew I had seen these before.  Sure enough,  even in the middle of winter, we found one.   Pretty cool!   I know they are edible,  but they are tough and I guess you need to cut off the outer layers for the best flavor.  Perhaps something worth exploring at a later time.

Tinder Fungus!   Hard, Bark-like.   Not edible.

But good for making fiber and tinder!

Next,  Tinder Fungus!   No real need to explain the name... it is used to make fires and transport coals.   It is very hard and bark-like.   I'm not sure the specific species that this one is,  but I'm confident it is something from this genus.   I read that you can boil it and extract the fibers (Called Amadou) to make clothes.

Something New!  

Brain/Coral-Like underside

We found this mushroom as well,  When I flipped it over,  I was impressed by they maze-like polypore structures.   I looked around, and the closest I could find was this information:    https://nature.mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/thin-maze-flat-polypore
  I guess it is not edible....  But fascinating to look at.

They are a little past their prime. 

Summer Oyster Mushrooms.  

And last:   The Oyster Mushrooms.  We found Summer as well as Fall varieties.   The summer ones had shriveled up considerably, but I remember what they looked like last summer.  Hopefully,  I will remember when they pop out again and will have a better way to ID them.  ( Still think it may be a Jack-O-Lantern Poisonous look a-like.)

See the gills underneath. 

Previously posted, but now larger and softer.

And then the Fall Oyster Mushroom.   I was surprised that the warmer temps and drizzle appeared to have re-hydrated them!  They are much softer and larger than a previous post.  I'm fairly confident about these guys.  Looking at the underside also confirms my ID.   I Still lack the guts to eat one though.   I'll have to look up the mushroom club in Iowa City to see if I can find an "Expert".  (Anyone who  knows more than me...  which should be easy.  I'm no botanist.) 
So that is what we did today.   Sometimes you have to explore your surroundings with new eyes.   And eventually, I will gain the confidence to take a bite out of one of these things....  I'm pretty sure I know the poison ones by now...  but not all the edible ones.  There are so many things to consider.

When Hidden Worlds Become Visible... and Unwelcome.

Three Unwelcome Guests in our apartment. 

If you follow this blog,  you may have seen an older post about my wife's battle with the local fauna... specifically insects.   Spiders, House Centipedes, and Lady bugs have all found their various battles cataloged here.   But there is one army that persists...  The ants.

Ants on our window... in winter!

I'm not sure what species of ants are within our walls or near our foundation,  but they somehow find their way into our apartment in the dead of winter.  ( And Spring!  And sometimes Fall. ) My wife went full on chemical warfare  last spring, and the ants continues to come.   Eventually,  some vinegar treatments did the job... OR  ( and most likely)  The ants had finished their invasion and settled on a new colony elsewhere.

Finally!  One in focus...

A Drone and a Queen. And my finger...

But now it is winter!  And the ants are back.   Larger ones this time.  I believe they are queens looking to create new colonies.   I know about as much about ants as the Animal Planet and National Geographic shows tell me. (Which is still probably more than the average, non-bug person.)  I'm more into butterflies, moths and beetles.  But last night we watched a program of the Leaf-Cutter Ant from South America.
 And then another program from a You-Tuber who shows off his ant colonies.       It gave me ideas. I must say,  I was entertained when three different species were battling each other for the food.  ( Two wild species had invaded his "Titan Ant Eden")

Fascinating!  But can you pet them?

But watching ants is a lot like watching fish.   It's calming,  fascinating....  and eventually rather boring.  They are not as active or annoying as say:   A cat!  But that is the point after all, isn't it?

Kinda annoying.  But he's so soft!

#1.  They are already in your apartment.

You gain inner peace by watching the ants diligently and methodically work to find food and build a network of caves.  As small as they are, their work ethic and ingenuity makes you feel like what you do in life does matter in the bigger picture.   But maybe that is just me.

If a Vacuum and a Gun had a baby.... It would look like this.

A New Toy for Cheryl.

In the mean time,  there is very little that can be done about our current ant invasion.   The temps have warmed outside, but transplanting the ants outside would just be mean.    I don't feel like hosing down the windows and outside areas with vinegar.  At some point,  even we will be driven away by that smell.   So perhaps there is another answer that is still humane and less toxic...   The BUGZOOKA!

Harassing my Hummers!   It's WAR!

A POW awaiting her fate!  No Prisoners!

Cheryl is very excited.   I never knew a kids toy could pique her interest so.  Maybe it will make collecting the bugs more of a game than a hassle.  I have watched a few videos of the BUGZOOKA in action and it looks like it actually works!

 And I have big plans for it once the Yellow Jackets return to harass my humming birds.   LET THE WAR BEGIN!