yuck! What Stinks??

I did not have my own image of a skunk, and while looking for one online I came across this non-profit animal rescue site, Tails of Joy. Check it out, it's a good cause!

Anyone who has lived/lives in North America from Canada all the way to Central America (or Indonesia and the Philippines) for any length of time has probably encountered a skunk.  Maybe it ran out in front of your car, maybe it scurried off into the woods as you were taking a walk, or maybe it ran under your hot tub deck just as you stepped out to take a pee.  Whatever your encounter with this smelly (yet adorable) creature was, I’m sure you had the same reaction I did, Terror!

My Story

I had just stepped out of my hot tub (yup, that was me) and as I was standing there dripping, my local skunk ran right in front of me and under the very deck I was standing on.  I stood there for a moment, frozen. ‘What do I do now?!?!’ I thought.  Naked and freezing I slowly turned and quietly stepped back into the hot tub.  I sat there for a moment, contemplating how I was going to get out.  I watched around me in the dark, hoping to catch a glimpse of the little bugger scampering away.  No such luck.  I just sat there for a while.  Finally I decided, the only way I was going to get to bed, was to risk it.  I quietly pulled the cover back onto the tub, climbed out, grabbed my towel, and made a slow and silent run for it.  I never heard him chatter at me (which my father says they do before they spray, most of the time anyway) and I made it to my room safely.

Others had similar experiences, others were not so lucky…

Claude’s Story

I was coming home one night, from rollerblading.  Going back to my surf shop, in Maine.  I had to cut across this gravel area behind my house to get onto my porch, about 40 yards long, in my Rollerblades.  I stepped one foot onto the back porch before I noticed there were two skunks on my porch.  They both turned, not intimidated, and stared at me.  I promptly turned around and ran in my skates across the gravel road.  The skunks proceeded to chase me.  I got to the hardtop and skated away, stayed away for several hours, hoping the skunks would leave.  But then I returned, the skunks were still there.  So I just went in the front door.  I later got rid of all the trash in the immediate area, and the skunks moved on to the near by restaurants for garbage.

Steve’s Story

Talk about a stench.  My wife and I built a bedroom cabin on our original homestead piece (where our daughter lives now).  There was a raised crawlspace under there, where we stored extra wood and the loose odds and ends.  Well, one day a skunk family moved in.  Now for those of you who think skunks are cute, well, you get close enough to one, they really are.  But you know what?  You don’t want to get close to one.  But my dog did.  We couldn’t sleep in our bedroom cabin for several days.  And the dog, she was just exiled, screw the tomato juice thing.

P.S.  You probably want to know how I got rid of the skunk. It was nothing heroic.  I snuck up to the opening under the house, looked in, and there wasn’t any skunk.  The dog went in too, just to be sure.  I took a board, and closed up the opening.  And that was that.

P.P.S.  I actually did get sprayed but I won’t tell you that story (it’s not exactly sweet) and I certainly didn’t stick my nose up at the idea of tomato juice then.

Most people know the reason a skunk sprays is because it feels threatened.  The skunk possesses two glands on either side of his anus.  The horrible (and extremely memorable) smell comes from a sulfur-filled fluid that is released when the skunk senses danger.  The distinct stripes and coloration of the skunk, and the ritualistic performance before a skunk sprays, are also warnings to animals.  The skunk would prefer not to spray you, because they only have enough fluid for five or six uses, and it takes up to ten days to replenish their supply.  However, if you do not heed the warning signs (chattering, foot stamping and dancing on front legs with the tail raised high) you had better watch out.  They can spray up to 15 ft with deadly accuracy.

If you have a resident skunk, you can be pretty sure she or he is your only one.  The females range up to 1.5 square miles, while the males can range up to 8 square miles.  Skunks are loners by nature.  During the winter season they burrow (if it is very cold the females may den with a number of other females, while the males frequently den alone) but in general they are singular animals.  Although they are not your typical hibernators, they do become less active during the winter months.  Their preferred time of day is dawn and dusk (making them crepuscular) and they have very poor eyesight, not being able to see clearly much past ten feet.  But they do have excellent senses of smell and hearing.  They are omnivores, and will eat just about anything; from berries, to carcasses, to cat food, to garbage.

Humans are not the only animals who fear the skunk.  In fact, wolves, foxes, badgers and mountain lions all avoid skunks.  The only serious natural predator who does not fear the stink of a skunk (beause like most birds, has a near to non-existent sense of smell) is the Great Horned Owl.

People have found many remedies to neutralize the stench.  The most commonly know is the above mention by Steve about tomato juice.  However this does not really work.  Tomatoes do have a sufficient amount of oil to make it easier to wash out the fluid, and they smell of tomatoes themselves is strong enough to overpower the skunk smell, for a time.  Another method is bleach.  Of course this option is only good for surfaces you don’t care about changing color.  Not for use on pets or people, obviously.  And a third option is to make a concoction out of one pint hydrogen peroxide, a small box of baking soda and a couple squirts of any regular dishsoap into a gallon of water.  Mix thoroughly and use immediately.  It’ll keep for a little while but will lose its potency within an hour and if you leave in a covered container it will explode.  CAUTION: hydrogen peroxide can blind your pet if gotten in the eyes.

Of course, time is the only real remedy.  And of course, do everything you can to NOT get sprayed.  On the bright side, you’ll have a good story to tell your grandkids (and blog readers).

Deer Ticks,

I’ve known you all my life.  Since I was little I’ve avoided you.  I’ve double checked every inch of me to be sure you aren’t hitching a ride.  And still I’ll find you crawling across my hand when I’m sitting at my desk.  And the question is…How in this good green earth did you get there??  I mean seriously.  You didn’t crawl across the table, I’d have noticed (wouldn’t I?)  But there you are.  And then (bug friendly folks turn your heads please) I squish or burn you before you BITE me!  Eewww.  I hesitated in writing this because you are so….eeewwww!  However, my friends and I were talking the other day, and we were arguing about which breeds of ticks can give a person Lyme Disease.  I’d heard it was only the little brown ones with white markings on their backs (Dog Tick) but my friend had heard it was only the little red ones (Deer Tick).  And then I realized how little I actually know about ticks.  And although I don’t necessarily Want to know ticks, it’s important to be informed about your enemy.  So here is what I found (because no one should suffer alone).

Male Deer Ticks (click to link to image) are small, flat, and black.  The females (click to link to image) are a little larger and red with a black shield around their heads.  I had always thought the tiny black ones were the babies because I’d often find them attached along with the bigger red ones.  The females gorge themselves on blood, grow to be the larger gray ticks, fall off and lay up to 3000 eggs before they die.  This whole process can take up to two years.

The eggs hatch in  spring (around April) and the larva is the first of three stages in its life.  This larva only has six legs, doesn’t climb very high, and will wait for up to two months for a host.  They prefer mice, rabbits, squirrels but will attach to dogs, cats, deer and humans.  A small portion will then move to the second phase.

They detach, molt and become what is known as a nymph.  The process takes about two months, which I believe is one of the reasons we have two “tick seasons” around here.  This sexless, eight legged, blood sucker will climb a little higher on grass and bushes, and again seek a host, albeit a larger one.  Again they will drop off and molt.

We can thank our lucky stars only a small portion of ticks survive these two phases to adulthood.  While adults they seek hosts like deer and bear, and of course the occasional accidental human.  This is also the time they breed.  Both a male and a female must be attached to the same host (another obstacle we can be thankful for).  Once the female is impregnated she will drop to the ground, lay her 3000 or so eggs and then die.  The eggs will hatch the following Spring and the cycle begins again.

ALL species of ticks carry Lyme Disease.  That’s right ALL of them (and there are hundreds).  And whether they have bitten you for an hour or two days, the disease might have transferred.  And then again it might not.  And then of course, if you have it you might not have any symptoms, or you might. The symptoms include;

* Headache
* Flu-like symptoms
* Spreading “bull’s-eye” rash from the tick bite
* Swelling and pain in the joints

As I said, I’ve lived around ticks my entire life.  And I don’t think I’ve ever been bitten (of course I am very careful and try to avoid them.  When I’ve been walking in the fields or bushes, I am sure to check very thoroughly for them before I go in the car or house) and my brother (who is 33) was just bitten for the first time this year.  But one of my friends has been bitten a dozen or so times this year alone.  And so far (symptoms take about 10 days to occur) no Lyme Disease.

So, ticks are prolific and may carry Lyme Disease, which you may or may not get  (and let’s not even talk about all the other diseases they may carry…).  And the best advice I can give, avoid at all costs.  But you know, if you live in the country, and like to walk in the woods and fields, you must accept the chance encounter with a nasty little neighbor (and a few dozen of his closest relatives).   Just give yourself a thorough once over to be sure they aren’t staying for dinner.

Sincerely *ahem*… Stephanie.

How To: Deer Control

What do you think when you think ‘Deer’.  Bambi right??  Cute sweet little doe-eyed deer.  And of course you’d be right.  I saw two baby deer on the road just this morning.  Covered in spots, bounding down the road.  AAWWWW, so adorable!

But too soon to grow into the ultimate De-struc-tor!  Seriously.  Here in the country, deer can destroy an entire crop in one night.  When we planted our first acre of olive trees, we of course fenced the space, but within a few days the deer damage was unavoidable.  They would skip one tree, only to nip off every single leaf, EVERY SINGLE LEAF, from the next one.  It is one of the saddest sights to walk down your orchard and see every other tree completely killed and eaten.

I've circled a bitten leaf for you, even though they are hard to miss. Sniff Sniff

But luckily, if you are diligent, they are easily defeated.  Deer may be insistent, but they aren’t exactly smart.  They can be easily fooled.  Smell is one of their most important senses.  If you strategically place smells they don’t like around your garden, orchard, vineyard, etc. you can keep the deer at bay.  If you live near neighbors, this may not be the best option but, you can pee around in random spots along the border of your homestead, the deer smell lingering human and avoid the area.

The same effect can be achieved by keeping your hair clippings (or go ask your local barber, I’m sure they would be willing to share a bag of hair with you, gross I know but effective).  Wrap a golf ball sized amount in a little cheese cloth, or even an old pair of nylons, and place them every five feet or so around your garden.  The smell will dissipate eventually, so replace them whenever you cut you or your families hair.

If you have a dog, or plan on getting a dog, walk them around your perimeter every day.  Have them do their business around the perimeter (feel free to join them ).  Not only will this put a ring of predator ferimones around your land, it will become part of your dogs habit, and at night they will protect your space!  (Additional bonus, this keeps Lots of different animals away.)

Of course you can always go with a more basic technique; sprinkle a little blood meal around your beds, a good fertilizer and also scares the deer away (blood equals danger, no surprise there).  Deer Out is a man made deer repellent.  They have a 100% money back guarantee, which is good, but the whole “pleasant peppermint scent” kind of puts me off.  Not sure why.  Maybe because I don’t care what it smells like, I just want it too work.  Another product I found, but haven’t tried, is Deer Away which claims to have no scent, but to be derived from rotten eggs.  I think this one might actually work like it says it does, because I know from personal experience Actual rotten eggs work wonders.  Sure they don’t smell great for a while but one must make sacrifices to be a gardener (or just buy the spray).

So to recap:

• Pee.  Everywhere.

• Walk your dog and have them pee.  Everywhere.

• Save your hair and make little balls and hang them.  Everywhere.

• Sprinkle blood and/or rotten egg.  Everywhere.

Did I forget anything?  Could this whole process sound any nastier?  But you know what, it works!  So suck it up, get your hands dirty, and have a bountiful harvest, deer free.

Buck standing at attention in the morning mist.

Moth Madness

Over the last week we’ve had an influx of moths in the barn.  I noticed the first one dead on the floor, and then suddenly they were everywhere.  I don’t think I ever saw one alive (they get caught in the barn, and it’s too hot for them to survive long) but I picked one up and took some photos of it.

I had no idea what kind of moth it was, so I google searched for black and brown moths and discovered it was a Parthenice Tiger Moth (Grammia parthenice).  Wikipedia says this kind of moth lives in Southern Canada and most of the United States, except for the west coast.  Obviously this is incorrect, because we are Definitely on the west coast, and we Definitely have this moth (unless I identified it incorrectly, which is totally possible).

While trying to find out what kind of moth my picture was, I found out a whole bunch of interesting information.

Did you know:

Many of the 11,000 species in the family Arctiidae (ark-TYE-ih-dee) are poisonous.  They can retain the toxins from their host plants while in the larval form and they can also acquire toxins by regurgitating on a decomposing plant and then ingesting the fluids (gross but cool).  The adult moth can also transfer the toxins to its larvae and the males will sometimes transfer his defenses to a female protecting its larvae.  They can have quite a few different poisons in them, but two of the most interesting ones are cardenolides, which can cause congestive heart failure, and pyrrolizidine alkaloids, which can cause liver failure!

Luckily, like many other animals, these moths have developed aposematic characteristics, in the form of bright coloration, to deter predators from eating them.  Some nocturnal species have even developed ultrasonic vibrations which confuse predators (mainly bats).

Moths often spread their wings to appear larger and discourage predators (notice the bright colored underwings)

When these moths are in the caterpillar form, they are often referred to as “woolly bears” or “woolly worms” because they are furry.  In Northeastern American lore they are believed to predict the weather.  If the caterpillars are more brown then black, it will be a mild winter, more black then brown and a harsh winter is ahead.  Of course this is only a legend, one female moths’ larvae can vary from all black to all brown and anywhere in between.

Another interesting fact, they can survive extreme cold!  Even into subzero temperatures.  Some species are even known to crawl across snow looking for a place to build their pupa.

It’s good to note, especially since the caterpillars are awfully cute, these moths may be abundant but they rarely do permanant damage to a healthy host.  So if you see a few in your garden, don’t worry.  And anyway, two of their main food sources are dandelions and thistle (weeds we usually want gone anyway!).

Further Reading:

Butterflies and Moths of North America

Capture a “Bear” for the Winter (fun for kids!  and adults too of course)

whoa…um HUGE

Taken 8/7/06 : 1/250 : 5.6 : ISO 100 : Canon EOS Digital Rebel

I was rummaging around in my photos and came across this.  I wish I’d thought to take a picture of “him” with something to compare for scale, cause he’s GINORMOUS!

Look at your thumb.  See how big your nail is?  That’s just his butt!!  Now add eight long hairy legs and he’s there, on the tip of your thumb  (that’s right, Shiver).

But still beautiful.

BEAR BUMP!

As you may have noticed, the country is bursting with wildlife. Almost every day I see something beautiful and worth mentioning. One of my most memorable stories is a little short but certainly worth retelling…

About five years ago, the nursery was still in the construction phase, I was hanging out at my brothers house down the way. My father came down the hill on the rhino (a beefed out golf cart) and stopped to pick me up. We were heading down the hill to have dinner with my brother and some friends. We went out the gate, around the corner and had only gotten about…100ft or so down the road when I looked up the hill on my right directly behind my bro’s house and there was a black bear charging down the hill at us. Before I even had time to think he was upon us. He turned just as he reached us and actually bumped into the side of the rhino! My thigh brushed his fur and if I’d had the mind to reach out I would have touched him. He was as long, and almost as wide, as the rhino itself.

My dad hadn’t even noticed the bear was there before he was gone back up the hill again. The entire experience couldn’t have been more then 20 seconds but it’s something I’ll remember forever. Definitely a story to share with the grandkids someday.

I wanted to give you guys at home a little more information about the Wild California Black Bear. I found both of these sites very useful and interesting, I hope you feel the same.

http://sagehen.ucnrs.org/Documents/visitors/wildlife/bear.pdf

http://www.sdnhm.org/fieldguide/mammals/ursu-ame.html

~ Stephanie

Deer Story

Our first rottweiler, Shiva.

Back in May 2002, when we first purchased our properties and the land was new to us, we took walks to understand the “lay” of our land. One particular 40 acre section on my son’s land was covered in a delightful patchwork of small meadow and oak woods. This meant constantly changing dapple-light and sudden late spring sun, followed by dense oak shade, as we walked along the cow trails from meadow to meadow. The wood was really just on its best behavior – the grass was still green and stood up like little wires around the lushly mossed oaks; the wild flowers, actually a little shy, were sprinkled here and there and then gone.

Now, my rottweiler, Shiva, was with me. She was always keen and alert for these walks. She loved being up close and following my son. Suddenly her head darted to the side and into a grassy clump my son had just past. I heard a squeal. Her head came up. She gave the very young fawn in her mouth one swift shake and it fell quiet, drooping limply out either side of her jaws. She looked at me briefly, tossed her head high and pranced off into the woods with her prize.

And, if this isn’t strange enough, two weeks later, hidden in the very same clump of grass, Shiva caught another fawn, in exactly the same manner.

Steve

Further Reading:

A Little About Rottweilers

A Little About Meadows

Our Yearly Visitors: Red Tail Hawks

 

An alert red tail hawk perched on top of a stump.

Our land expands beyond the barn in all directions.   The walk on the road from the hothouse to the olive orchard is about a quarter mile.  But if you decide to take a walk on the wildside, you can cut through the woods below.  There are no trails, only one way across a 15ft gully, and it’s about the same distance but it’s a much prettier walk (and really what fun is taking the road anyway?)

One day I was heading that direction and as I was just getting to the edge of the orchard I heard a noise above me.   It was a sudden, loud scream!  I wasn’t worried because I knew it wasn’t human (and therefore also not a mountain lion, because they sound very human).   As I glanced up I couldn’t see anything at first.   Then I spotted them.  Two Red Tail Hawks were in the trees over my head.   They were flying back and forth, screaming at each other.   Swooping and twirling around each other.   It was a beautiful dance to behold.  As I watched I noticed they didn’t particularly care for one another, and that’s when I realized they both had to be males and a female had to be near by.

I searched the surrounding area, and sure enough, about 10ft away up another tree was the pretty girl.   She was sitting on a branch very calm.   Whenever the males got near  she would shift a little, occasionally screaming at them.  I stood and watched the mating dance for a little while and then moved on.

Every year since the female has returned to breed in the same area.  It’s possible the same males come back as well but since the hawk population is steadily growing, it’s also possible she has many admirers.  We say, the more the merrier!  Especially near our orchards.   Hawks are wonderful vermin control along with being a beautiful addition to our amazing home.

Stephanie ~ 3/2/09

 

Further Reading:

http://www.desertusa.com/aug96/du_hawk.html

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Red-tailed_Hawk_dtl.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-tailed_Hawk

Wildlife Abounds

 

A buck standing at attention in the morning fog.

My family’s land is located in the mountains of Northern California.   Because of this, we are surrounded by woods teeming with wildlife.  Most people see a deer and think, “So cute!!”  Although we admire the buck’s beauty, we also see the animal that decimated our olive orchard last spring.

Whenever I walk I almost always catch a glimpse of a deer or two out in a meadow.   Maybe a rabbit might dart across my path or a coyote will howl in the distance.  Dusk is one of my favorite times to walk.   The sky turns so many colors, and the way the light shimmers thru the trees can be breathtaking.   I often find myself daydreaming as I slowly wander down the road.   Seeing a mushroom here or a pile of poop there.

However, walking at dusk has its disadvantages.   As I mentioned before, we are in the wilderness, and with the grazers comes the carnivores.   Mountain lions are aplenty here.   My father and brother have both been stalked multiple times at night.   Now they don’t go out in the dark without a gun.   Dusk is the time for hunting.  Deer (and unfortunately humans’) eyesight is poorest during these late hours of the day.   And mountain lions know this and take advantage.  Luckily I have never been on foot when I’ve spotted a lion (although I’ve definitely gotten the chills like someone is watching me attentively) but I have seen two while driving.   One I only caught a glimpse of a backside with tail.   But the other I was able to see the entire animal, or at least I hope it was all of him.   His head was going off one bank of the road while his tail was still in the bushes on the other side!  He was gone before I had a chance to absorb how huge he really was!  Without tail he had to have been at least 10 feet long.

We’ve never had an animal attack on our land (although they have happened recently in the surrounding area).  We do find deer carcasses quiet often, which is a delight to the dogs.  And although it can be kind of scary to have natural born hunters creeping thru the woods outside your bedroom window, we love it.   Having a healthy ecosystem means we can be secure in the knowledge our land remains abundant and safe, just the way we want it.

Stephanie ~ 1/27/09