Summer's Love Bugs

Summer's Love Bugs

By: Judi Stuart

Port Discover: Visitor Services Manager

 

Just the mention of the word “bug” makes most people start scratching.  However, there are insects that people, especially kids, love.   For grown-ups, they bring back nostalgic memories of summers during their childhood.  Who doesn’t remember the glass jar at the foot of the bed with those sparkling, enchanting lightning bugs flickering off and on?

            Actually, lightning bugs aren’t bugs at all.   They are part of the beetle family.  While they appear all over the world, various cultures have attached myths to these magical creatures.

            Aztecs thought they brought a spark of knowledge in a time of ignorance and darkness.  Europeans believed that a person would die if a firefly flew in the window.  Native Americans caught them and smeared them on their faces and chests as decoration.  

            Today, the firefly is the state insect of Pennsylvania and Tennessee.  They are used for medical research in the areas of cancer, multiple sclerosis, cystic fibrosis and heart disease.  Fireflies are truly beneficial and don’t bite, have no pincers, don’t attack, don’t carry disease, and are not poisonous.  Their larvae feed on the larvae of snails and slugs. 

            If you are really ambitious, you can become part of a lightning bug network and help with research.  The Museum of Science in Boston allows you to sign up and send them data about the lightning bugs you observe once a week in your back yard.

            So the big question is why do lightning bugs flash anyway?  As you might guess, they are trying to attract a mate.  The females perch close to the ground while the males fly around flashing, and then a dialogue soon begins.  Each species of lightning bug has a unique flash pattern.   

            Bioluminescence is the ability of a living organism to give off light which is referred to as “cold light” because no heat is present.  The firefly is the most common land animal that has bioluminescence, but certain types of worms, fungi and mushrooms also display light.    

            Fireflies are most often found around low, wooded areas that retain moisture like ponds and marshes.  Adults sometimes feed on pollen and nectar.  The female lays her eggs in the ground, and they hatch in about 4 weeks.

             If you want to try to attract the golden creatures, there are several things you can do.  Try to reduce the amount of light on your property so there will be no interference with the signals they are giving each other.  Instead, install lights that are low to the ground and point straight down.  Don’t use bug zappers or chemical pesticides.  You could enhance the moisture available by adding more birdbaths.  Allow for some tall grass in the yard where the males can rest during the day.

            Take your children and yourself back to a slower, more beautiful time and have a lightning bug night often.  The summer is short and so are childhoods.  If you want to learn even more about fireflies, go to www.squidoo.com and research with your children. 

(Source: www.digitalartscape.com)

Looking for an ancient species

Looking for ancient species? You might find one here

By: Judi Stuart

Port Discover: Visitor Services Manager

 

As an adult, he weighs about 800 pounds, is 13 feet long, and has 75 teeth. It’s the teeth that worry me.

I have visions of one of the monster reptiles crawling up the bank of the canal in our backyard to look for a snack.

After reading that a 12 foot alligator was run over and killed by a minivan in Dare county in May, I figured that they are headed my way, too.

Th

e victim, “Cheeseburger,” was so nicknamed by the locals because he especially liked that delicacy fed to him by Dare residents. Apparently, he was just lying on the highway when he was struck and killed.

Because he had been fed by people, he saw no need to protect himself.

Previously, a 12-foot alligator killed an 80-pound Siberian husky near Jacksonville. It is illegal in North Carolina and many other states to feed alligators because it causes them to lose their fear of people. Generally, they prefer to stay away from humans.

Alligators survived an extinction that killed 75 percent of the life on Earth 65 million years ago and are sometimes described as living fossils. There are only two species of alligators.

The Chinese alligator lives in the Yangtze River and only ten to fifteen are known to be surviving. They are much smaller than the American alligator which lives in the south-eastern United States including Florida, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina and North Carolina.

In the spring, female alligator move into areas where decomposing vegetation creates more heat for the eggs. The sex of the offspring is determined by the temperature of the nest. Males are produced in the warmest areas and females are hatched in the cooler nests.

The mother looks after the young for a year, and they are considered mature when they are about six feet long.

Because their nests leave deep holes, they contribute to the ecology by providing habitats for other animals. They also help plant diversity in these areas, thus contributing to the ecological balance in the wetlands, rivers, lakes, ponds, swamps, and marshes where they live.

Although they are known for their powerful bite, the jaw muscles are relatively weak. A human can hold the jaws shut with little effort. The reptile’s preferred meal includes small animals such as fish, birds, turtles and small deer.

How many alligators are there in North Carolina? A study sponsored by the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission has recently tried to estimate that number. The last study was done in 1980.

The results concluded that the highest concentrations were still around Wilmington, the Croatan National Forest, and south of the Albemarle Sound. In our area, alligators have been spotted in a pond near Morgan’s Corner, in Merchant’s Mill Pond, and other isolated areas.

Because North Carolina is cooler, the reptiles are more vulnerable to predators all year long.

Be aware, don’t feed them, and never let them see you smile.

(source:www.ccfriendsofwildlife.org)

Goat farming gaining in popularity

No kidding, goat farming is gaining popularity in the US

By: Judi Stuart

Port Discover: Visitor Services Manager

 

Down the road from my home lives a precious, small herd of goats. When our grandchildren come to see us, we usually take them to visit the goats and feed them crackers or carrots.  

Every day when I ride by, they bring a smile to my face. Sometimes, when one gets a horn stuck in the fence, we have to stop and perform a rescue. They are fascinating creatures.  

Goat farming is rapidly increasing worldwide, especially in the U.S. where it is the fastest growing segment of agriculture. The price for goat products is rising to meet the demand of the increasing population of Hispanics, Indians, and Muslims who each view goats as part of their cultural traditions.

In fact, American ranchers are having a difficult time filling the need. Farmers in some parts of the country have used government money to replace their tobacco growing with goat production.

Texas has the most goat farms, and North Carolina is among the top ten producers. Across the world, China and India lead in goat farming and goat meat is the most consumed meat per capita worldwide.   

Growers also cite the benefits of eating and showing goats in comparison to other animals. Many people believe goats have more personality than sheep. They require less land on which to live than cows do.  

Their main enemies are coyotes and foot-and-mouth disease. Goat meat has more protein than beef and is lower in fat than chicken.

Humans first tamed and herded goats 9,000 years ago. They can be taught their name and will then come when called.

A mother goat, called a doe, can recognize her kid’s scent and call from birth, and she usually has two babies a year.  Male goats are called bucks. Domestic goats are called a billy and a nanny.   

Contrary to popular belief, goats are very picky eaters and will refuse anything that they do not consider suitable.  Because they are foragers, not grazers, they are useful in land clearing, and in some areas, herds are rented out for that purpose.

Goats have four stomachs. Food first goes to the rumen from which it is regurgitated for “cud chewing” and then it moves to the reticulum, the omasum and finally to the abomasums. A mature goat can hold four or five gallons of chewed plant material, which then ferments causing loud burps to come from the animal.

There are six recognized dairy breeds in the U.S. which are the Alpine, LaMancha, Oberhasli, Nubian, Saanen, and Toggenburg.  Oberhasli gives the milk that tastes most like cow’s milk, but they each have a distinctive flavor.

Fainting goats only appear to faint.  When they are frightened and panic, a condition of their central nervous system temporarily paralyzes their legs, and they fall over.

Most goats are curious and take objects into their mouths to investigate them, but do not eat them. Legends of Ethiopia give the goat credit for discovering the coffee bean by chewing it and finding it eatable.

No kidding!

 

(Source: www.glenisk.com)