Human sign on hickory nuts

I left my mark and secured my stash, like all the other animals.
Shagbark and pignut hickory nuts are great wild edibles, and there's
still time to get a few for yourself:
http://ouroneacrefarm.com/hickory-nuts-foraging-pignut-shagbark-hickory-nuts/

-Janet

Hickory nuts: Which rodent(s)?

As I am not able to upload more than 1 or 2 photos per post on this blog, I'm posting just a portion of the story here, and directing you to my personal blog, where I've posted the entire thing with additional photos. I would love to hear your thoughts about which animal 1. created the pile of husks, 2. left the shells that have holes on both sides, and 3. left small shell fragments. Please see entire post here:
http://ouroneacrefarm.com/hickory-nuts-rodent-sign/
...and leave your thoughts in the comment section of that post.
Thanks!
Janet

Colorful Critters

Found this box turtle yesterday at the edge of some nearby woods. Not a very good picture, but it was pretty cool to come across one for the first time in years. (I didn't wait around for it to emerge from its shell; my little dog was way too interested.)  The beetle is a mystery. The colors and back pattern are striking. It's definitely in the category of small beetles (only 1/4 inch or so), but I had no luck determining its type.
.

Foraging for hazelnuts

There's still time to harvest wild hazelnuts, but not much. They should be picked when the nuts are beginning to turn brown, but the husks (or, more properly, the involucres) are still green. The cluster on the left is ripe enough for picking. The cluster on the right is riper, and some of the nuts have already fallen out. Don't wait that long - go searching now.

For details on how to identify and where to find wild hazelnuts, see my most recent wild edible post here: http://ouroneacrefarm.com/hazelnuts/

Janet

Lug worm castings on the beach

We saw these coiled piles scattered on the beach along the east coast of Scotland a few days ago. Their appearance is reminiscent of earth worm castings, and I found out that they are indeed castings of a worm: the lug worm, Arenicola marina. Usually there is a blow hole a few inches away from each pile. The hole leads down to the mouth of the worm, which continually ingests sand, and digests the bacteria in the sand.  The sand particles are excreted as castings from the rear end of the worm, which sits just below the surface of the ground. The coin is about an inch in diameter

The odd thing about the castings we found was that there were no blow holes associated with them. I am told that this might be because the sand was too fluid (fine and wet), for the holes to persist. For some great photos of blow holes and castings in abundance, and some great information on this species, see:
http://natureinfocus.wordpress.com/2011/07/10/lug-worms-at-whiteford-sands/

Janet
http://ouroneacrefarm.com/

Striped Skunk Don't Care

A few days ago, I heard a loud buzzing in our yard and discovered a
ground nest of bees [wasps? other vicious stingy-thingies?] that had
been dug out and devoured, presumably by a skunk. The swarm was upset,
and I left them to rebuild what remained of their underground lair.

Today I peered into the hole, and found that the skunk had returned,
finished off what he had started, and left a pile of scat on top of
the shattered nest in the deepest part of the hole. That's quite a
statement.

Striped skunks are the honey badgers of suburbia.
http://youtu.be/4r7wHMg5Yjg

Bears & More

I am posting this on the off-chance that not all of you have seen this highly-publicized and very entertaining video: 

 http://www.yellowstonegate.com/2013/07/video-captures-grizzly-bears-other-wildlife-visiting-popular-rub-tree/