(E.B.W.) Critter Corner
Feature:
10 Fascinating Facts About Butterflies
“...1. There are more than 17,500 recorded butterfly species around the world...
2. Butterflies & moths are part of the class of insects in the order Lepidoptera... they have 6 jointed legs & 3 body parts: the head, the thorax, & the abdomen. The wings are attached to the thorax, & they also have a pair of antennae, compound eyes, & an exoskeleton.
3. The Cabbage White... is the most common butterfly in the U.S.... These butterflies have a wing spread of just about 2 inches. Males have only one spot on each wing, while females have 2...
4. Monarch Butterflies migrate to get away from the cold... The iconic North American Monarch has been greatly affected by extreme weather events, going through drastic dips & spikes in numbers over the past several decades...
5. Monarchs are not the only butterfly to migrate. The Painted Lady, American Lady, Red Admiral, Cloudless Sulphur, Skipper, Sachem, Question Mark, Clouded Skipper, Fiery Skipper, & Mourning Cloak are among the other butterflies that also migrate...
6. The Common Buckeye Butterfly...with its bold multicolored eyespots & thick upper-wing bars, all designed to frighten away any birds that might be tempted to chomp on them...
7. The Orange Barred Sulphur Butterfly is...very distinctive, being bright yellow with patches of orange marking both forewings & hindwings...
8. ...The butterfly starts its life as an egg...The caterpillar (larva) hatches from the egg & eats leaves or flowers. It loses its skin many times as it grows, increasing greatly in size. Eventually it turns into a pupa, or chrysalis, & finally a beautiful adult butterfly emerges, & the cycle continues.
9. An adult butterfly has a very short life... the entire life cycle of a butterfly can range between 2 & 8 months...
10. The Giant Swallowtail Butterfly... with a wing spread of 4-7 in...These butterflies are called “swallow” because they have long tails on their hind wings that resemble the long, pointed tails of the birds known as swallows...”
Judy Molland
June 20/2016
care2.com
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(E.B.W.) Critter Corner
Feature:
Why Pets Make You Happier
“...I read about a mother- daughter team in Portland, Ore., using pet llamas as ‘therapy animals’...
Lori & Shannon Gregory created Mountain Peaks Therapy Llamas & Alpacas 8 years ago. They’d heard llamas are gentle & easy to keep, so they decided to buy a baby llama. The friendly, playful animal began to attract increasing numbers of visitors, so they decided to register him as a ‘therapy animal’.
They now own 5 llamas & 3 alpacas, & have taken them on more than 1,000 visits to rehab centres & clinics. Patients are encouraged to play with the animals, offer them food, & stroke them. The animals have helped to calm the anxious & cheer up those suffering from depression. They even encouraged one mute patient to talk again...
...an animal provides a talking point, a way to encourage those who may have withdrawn into themselves to start engaging with others. Watch anyone walking a dog. People stop to ask questions about the animal, & this often leads to further conversation...
...when we stroke a creature, we release oxytocin, a powerful neuropeptide. Markus Heinrichs at the University of Freiburg showed that oxytocin reduces anxiety & increases a sense of calm...”
Linda Blair
Daily Telegraph
in The Gazette, Montreal
May 14/2016
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(E.B.W.) Critter Corner
Feature:
9 Things to Know Before Adopting a Turtle
“...1. Not All Turtles Swim
...Some turtles... need access to water to stay hydrated but spend most of their time living on dry land...Turtles, who mostly swim in water, typically have webbed feet...many turtles are omnivores...
2. Turtles Are Long Lived
Many turtles, when housed at the right temperature & humidity, exposed to ultraviolet light, & fed a species-appropriate diet, can live for decades...
3. All Turtles Carry Salmonella
Salmonella is a species of bacteria that many reptiles, but especially turtles, can carry normally in their intestinal tracts & are unaffected by it...
4. You Can Tell Boy & Girl Turtles Apart... males have longer tails, & their rectal opening — called the vent — is further down the length of their tail than in females. In girl turtles, the vent is much closer to the shell.
5. Females Can Lay Eggs Without Males
...female turtles can lay eggs without a male turtle being around to fertilize them — although these infertile eggs won’t hatch...
6. Aquatic Turtles Still Need Dry Land
Turtles typically live in rectangular tanks filled with water, as they spend most of their time swimming... all turtles should have a basking area in their tanks — typically a large rock — where they can climb up & hang out...
7. Even Tiny Turtles Need Big Spaces
... turtle tanks need to be 5 times the length of an adult turtle & contain water that is 2 1/2 times as deep as the turtle is long...
8. Turtles Need Veggies, Too
Turtles have a high requirement for vitamin A in their diets as they do not store this vitamin in their bodies. As a result, they need to get it from their food...dietary sources of vitamin A... include dark leafy green vegetables & red, orange or yellow veggies, such as bell peppers & squash...
9. Turtles Know Their Owners!
...many turtles recognize the sight & sounds of their owners! In fact, many owners comment how their pets swim right up to the water surface to greet them when they walk in the room...”
Dr. Laurie Hess (Vetstreet.com)
May 28/2016
care2.com
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(E.B.W.) Critter Corner
Feature:
Tangled Whale Came to Waterfront For Help: Rescuer
“A man in Digby N.S., who helped free a whale from a fishing net said he’s convinced it came to the waterfront looking for help. Barry O’Neil was working on a boat...when Dallas Kenly called out. ‘He kept yelling, ‘Come look at this, you won’t believe it.’‘ O’Neil & Nathaniel Denton rushed over to see a 6-metre minke whale, burdened by about 9 kg. of net tangled in its nose & mouth. O’Neil jumped into the waist-deep water & saw that the rope had really dug in. It had clearly been there for some time, & kelp had been growing on it. ‘He...was as gentle as a kitten. It was just like it came there for help,’ said O’Neil. ‘It calmed right down’. He took out a jackknife to cut it free. ‘He was in no hurry to get away. He took his time. We watched him swim away, nice & calm.’”
The Canadian Press
in the Montreal Gazette
July 23/2016
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(E.B.W.) Critter Corner
Feature:
Meet New York’s Newest Groundskeeping Crew
“New York’s newest landscaping crew are certainly unusual hires. They are charged with weeding Brooklyn, New York’s last remaining greenspace. They walk on 4 legs. They eat everything. And they are covered in fur. Yep, they’re goats.
The Prospect Park Alliance hired 8 goats to help weed Prospect Park in Brooklyn. The goats—Zoya, Olivia, Max, Charlie Brown, Diego, Raptor, Skittles & Reese—will work through the summer to clean up the park that has been rattled by a tornado & hurricanes Irene & Katrina, according to the New York Times. The job is expected to be completed by September.
Zoya & crew will leave their home in Rhinebeck, New York, & take up residency in Prospect Park, working on fenced-off sections that need the most help. Larry & Ann Cihanek, the goats’ owners... will check on the herd twice a week. Ann told The Guardian that goats love weeds such as poison ivy & will eat those plants first.
‘They’re a bit like children,’ Larry told the New York Times. ‘They will eat their favorite foods first, & one of their top foods is poison ivy. They love it.’ A single goat can eat up to 25 pounds in one day...
Other
than being a natural, chemical-free method of weed removal, using goats
has saved past customers anywhere from 50 to 75% compared to other
methods...
The goats began work last week.”
EcoWatch
May 29/ 2016
care2.com
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Memorial
Tammy Too
Aug. 5/1995
When I lost you I lost a piece of my heart. I can never thank you enough for all the love you gave me. You got me through the roughest of the rough times. I love you dearly. Rest in Peace baby boy.
