Hurricanes!

With Hurricane Irene lurking off the south-east coast I thought it might be good to explore some facts about hurricanes in general and those that have effected North and South Carolina in recent years.

First, what is a hurricane? A hurricane is a cyclonic storm that forms in the tropics and effects the North Atlantic or the Eastern Pacific. Similar storms form in the Western North Pacific called typhoons and in the South Pacific and Indian oceans called cyclones. These storms have a rotating wind system that forms around a calm eye. The winds are in a counter-clockwise direction around the eye of the storm. To be called a hurricane the winds must be in excess of 73 mph. These storms also have heavy rainfall associated with them. The season of hurricanes is from June 1 to the end of November with the majority of storms in August and September.

Hurricane Hazel came ashore in North Carolina in October, 1954. Passing 95 miles to the East of Charleston, South Carolina, Hazel made landfall very near the North Carolina and South Carolina border, and brought a record 18 foot storm surge at Calabash, North Carolina. Wind gusts of 150 mph were felt in Holden Beach, Calabash, and Little River Inlet 100 mph gusts were felt farther inland at Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, and New York. A local resident who lived in this area in 1954 says that the landscape of Myrtle Beach was wiped clean making way for the development we know there today.

If you have lived in this area for a number of years you have probably heard of Hurricane Hugo. In September 1989 this storm came ashore at Charleston, South Carolina and proceeded to come across the piedmont to Charlotte, on up to Lake Norman and then went west across the state to drop a lot of rain in the mountains. In this area it is remembered mostly for the wind that knocked down trees all over the area. One result was the huge piles of debris that had to be removed from the neighborhoods. The power was out in some areas for weeks and telephone service as well. And this was before the day of cell phones.

In 1999 Hurricane Floyd came ashore in North Carolina and produced a flood of dramatic proportions. One thing that it pointed up was the hog-waste lagoons in the eastern part of North Carolina. Because of the 12 to 20 inch rainfalls over the eastern part of the state coming soon after the heavy rains of hurricane Denis, the lagoons flooded across the countryside producing a very foul situation, especially contaminating water supplies.

In 2003 Hurricane Isabel washed out a portion of Hatteras Island to form what was unofficially known as Isabel Inlet. Damage was greatest along the Outer Banks, where thousands of homes were damaged or destroyed.

These are but a few of the storms that have come ashore in the Carolinas. Here's a link to more history of Hurricanes.

We tend to think about the destruction to real estate and the loss of life that comes with hurricanes, but what happens to the wildlife? There is likely loss of habitat and birds can get sucked up into the storm and killed. Also, they may be pulled out to sea far from their natural habitats. Here's an interesting post that talks about what happens to birds in a hurricane. So, what will Irene bring? We wait to see.

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Sun Splash Party Invitation

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Poison Ivy-Leaves of three, let it be!

Wonderful to be outdoors in the summertime, going for a hike in the wetlands, on the greenway or even strolling in your backyard. One of the hazzards you may encounter is Poison Ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) . Fifty percent of the population is allergic to this plant. Contact with the sap causes painful, irritating rash in those who are sensitive. All parts of the plant contain the oily mixture and even brushing against the plant can release the sap which binds with the skin and produces the rash. Washing soon after contact can help avoid the rash. But, avoiding contact with the plant is the best approach. Learning to recognize this plant is important. The picture above is Poison Ivy in it's trailing form.

It also can form a vine up a tree easily recognized because it has a very hairy vine. Even in winter when the leaves have been shed you should look for the hairy vine on the trees and avoid them if you are sensitive.

Another plant sometimes mistaken for Poison Ivy is Virginia Creeper. Notice in the picture above that it has five leaves in a cluster instead of three. And the vine is not hairy.

Blackberries have three leaf clusters as well, but they have briars. Briars are painful if you get snared by them but don't cause a rash like Poison Ivy.

So, even though it's hot outdoors, if you plan to go hiking in places with a lot of undergrowth you should wear long pants, shoes and socks and even a light weight long sleeved shirt to be on the safe side. When you get home take a shower, not a bath, to remove any traces of the Poison Ivy sap. You should also wash the clothes you wore in hot water with detergent.

Now, get outside and enjoy yourself!

Inchworms!

Today's post is about inchworms. I'm a little late posting this but I've been waiting and watching for the cicadas who are much nosier than inchworms. And since the cicadas haven't shown up at my house yet I thought I'd write about inchworms. Seems like we've had an unusually large crop of inchworms this year. A couple of weeks ago I'd find them indoors after I went for a walk, crawling up my legs or on my neck. A little creepy. This picture is not very clear- I'll try to get a better one.

Inchworms are the larva of the geometer moth. They are named because of the way they travel that suggests measuring inch by inch. They draw the hind quarters forward while holding on with their front legs. They can stand erect if disturbed. I see them as they drop down on a single thread from a tree or someplace above where I stand. The destructive ones are also called cankerworms.

The maple tree down by the pond has had a visit from the inchworms or maybe the cankerworms. It had put out leaves but then the leaves were completely stripped off. The leaves are starting to come back now so I guess it survived the attack of the inchworms.

My car sits under a maple tree and besides the drop of first the blossoms and then the seeds onto the car it also got the droppings of the inchworms that were eating the leaves of the tree and the droppings of the birds that were eating the inchworms. Seems like the goldfinches in particular loved to eat those little inchworms.

These things have unfolded in the past month and I think it's pretty much calmed down now. But it was very lively in the treetops for awhile.

Maybe you'll like this song: Inchworm song.

Reptile Day at Davidson College, Saturday April 9

This Saturday is Reptile Day at Davidson College. I went down to the pond today looking for turtles and saw one- probably a river cooter- at a distance but he slid into the water before I could get very close. These nice turtles are very interesting. They like the soft mud in the bottom of the pond and actually can bury themselves there for a couple of months in the coldest part of the winter. Their metabolism slows down and they don't need to breathe. They have an organ in their tail that can absorb oxygen from the water. On sunny days you may see them basking on the bank of a pond or on limbs or other handy places. They are wary and will slip into the water if you approach them. These turtles are omnivorous and one article says they will eat anything plant or animal, alive or dead. They like to eat fish and will also catch insects but must swallow them underwater. There are a lot of predators for river cooters but they are hardy and can live to be 40 years old.

And what about the frogs and snakes? Well I didn't see them today but I'll be watching!

Hope to see you at Reptile Day! And check out this website from the Davidson College Herpetology Lab, the sponsors of Reptile Day.

Garden and Nature Activities for Hobbs Hill

Friends, I have several things I thought you might be interested in, plus, if you haven't seen my blog here's your chance. I'm really looking forward to our neighborhood plant swap on April 9 at the Sherrills home.  Also, Several of us have compost bins and here's some information about composting.  We have an opportunity to have a "Master Composter" come to our neighborhood to talk in more detail about how to get started if people are interested.  Piedmont Farmers Market has their herb sale on April 16.  This is a terrific event and lasts all day so you can visit the Davidson Farmers Market first if you like! And, on Saturday April 9, at 10:30 am Leah Chester-Davis will be at Main Street Books in Davidson talking about her new book The Successful Gardener Guide: North Carolina. Perfect timing for visiting after our plant swap!

Hope you find some of this helpful.

Trip to Belize

We are just back from a great vacation in Belize.  Besides time on the beach and by the pool we went on two trips to the rainforest or jungle and on a snorkeling trip out to Glover's Reef.  In the rain forest we saw the dense foliage, heard and saw many birds and saw a few butterflies.  The Blue Morpho was the most spectacular butterfly we saw.  I saw them several times, once while on a brief hike looking for the Howler Monkeys which were living along the Monkey River.  The Monkeys were too high in their trees for a good picture and the butterflies were just too fast.

On the Monkey River

We also went to the Cockscomb Jaguar Preserve, however, we did not see Jaguars.  They are primarily nocturnal and there are relatively few of them in this very large preserve.

Belize is a poor country in terms of its per capita income but rich in natural resources.  Over 40 percent of the land is in some type of conservancy, either as national parks or private consersation groups.

As we stayed close to the shore most of the birds we saw were those that love the coast and marshlands. Examples:  various herons and ibis, Jabiru stork, the Magnificent Frigatebird, the aptly named Roadside Hawk and several other hawks, a lovely Fork-Tailed Flycatcher, a Pinneated Bittern and a Neo-tropical Cormorant.

Around the lodge we had the constant company of Large Tailed Grackles and the lovely Great Kiskadee.  There was the familiar Belted Kingfisher and a larger bird called the Ringed Kingfisher.

The trip out to Glover's Reef for snorkeling was a highlight. Glover's reef is an atoll beyond the barrier reef.  I don't have any underwater pictures to show you but the coral reef provides home for quite a variety of lovely fish and other sea creatures.  We also visited a Research Station on the reef that is maintained in a very sustainable way with captured rainwater, a composting toilet and solar collectors for electric power.

Spring is on the way.

These daffodils are almost ready to bloom.

This maple tree is about to bloom.  

This river birch has catkins that are ready to release their pollen

And this river birch is even farther along, the catkins are spreading their pollen.

The weather this week has been a contrast.  The past weekend and Monday were so spring like you could almost forget that it's still winter and the vernal equinox is a month away.  But, just as I was about to dig out a pair of shorts to wear the weather changed.  Tuesday was cold and gray and I knew it was still winter.  But, just because the weather is changeable doesn't mean we can't see signs that spring is on the way.  So, I walked around and made some pictures that show the fact that nature knows spring is coming.

Some cool nature websites

Great Backyard Bird Count

North Carolina Herps

Hilton Pond

Western North Carolina Nature Center

These are some great websites.  I enjoy checking out what others are posting and find new links by checking these out.  Maybe you've found some great ones, too.

Pond Frozen in December

This December was so cold.  The pond froze over completely.  Last winter before the level of the pond was changed the pond froze but not from bank to bank.  This year the level of the pond has been lowered by about 50 percent and that makes a big difference in the way it looks and in how much of it could freeze.  Winter has only begun.  It will be interesting to see what else happens.