Wildlife

Feral Pigs: First Property, Then Scourge, Now 'Wildlife'

editor — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 10:24:14 -0800

Wild Boar Piglets Cubed
Photo: Janet Morrell

The most controversial figures in Pennsylvania these days aren't running for president, but for their lives. Feral pigs have become a nuisance -- a hazard, some say -- in the Keystone State, rooting up the land, attacking deer and out-competing native animals for food. One major concern is that the wild pig population could threaten Pennsylvania's $271 million domestic hog industry by infecting farm animals. (No wild pigs in Pennsylvania have yet been found to carry disease.)

But put away your rifle, for now anyway. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled in December that feral hogs are "protected mammals." And until the state's Game Commission can draft regulations on wild boar hunting, shooting a feral pig is illegal.

Chiggers: Try The Wire Brush On The Black & Decker

editor — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 09:52:12 -0700

Chigger bites! Mike Blair's wife, Chris, came back from a walk with the mark of the chigger.
Photo: Mike Blair

Chiggers. Now there’s a scourge that brings to mind words you won’t hear in church. Those little devils are always out there, somewhere, waiting invisibly to cause you a week of misery. Anyone who’s spent much time outdoors can relate.

You expect to find them in dense, heavy vegetation, and the wise never enter such places without wearing long pants and protective footwear and spraying thoroughly with repellent. But sometimes, you get stupid and forget that chiggers may lurk in dry duff along trails, or in mowed lawns and such.

Roadrunner Theatre: Catch a Great Chase Scene

editor — Wed, 8 Aug 2007 09:38:48 -0700

The outdoors is an endless source of natural theatre. Roadrunners are among the most interesting performers. These long-tailed rural sprinters prefer running to flight, and they can run up to 17mph. Their short wings are not built for sustained air travel but serve them well in gymnastic escapes and dashes to capture food.

An Ally Fly in Caterpillar Combat

editor — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 11:43:03 -0700

Tachnid fly takes aim for a tomato hornworm, Pratt, Kansas

Photo: Courtesy of Mike Blair

Fireweed Says 'Carpe Diem' in Alaskan

editor — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 19:13:20 -0700

Fireweed, the motivator, now blooming in Alaska
Photo: Mark Wieland and Kim Lehman

“Here is the deal,�? writes Fish Taxi, blogging from Valdez, Alaska. “Once the Fireweed blooms to the top and goes to seed we have six weeks ‘til winter. How it looks today we have two months. Give or take a few blooming days.�? That’ll be “take,�? since she made this prognostication on July 25th.

Epilobium angustifolium grows up to 8 feet tall and seems to inspire Alaskans with a huge range of emotions—elation, industriousness, melancholy, dread.