Birth of a Robin

LADYBUGS: Facts and Lore

FACTS


1. Ladybugs are great for our veggies and plants, they eat aphids which are harmful to our plants.

2. a ladybug will flap its wings approximately 500 times a minute

3. A ladybug produces a chemical to protect themselves from predators which smells and tastes terrible.

4. A ladybug's spots fade as they get older

5. Females are usely larger than males

6. They can eat up to 5,000 aphids in 3-6 weeks.

7. They have a life span of one to two years.






LORE


In Norway, if a man and a woman spot a Ladybug at the same time,
there will be a romance between them.

In the Spring, if numerous Ladybugs are seen flying around,
British farmers say it forecasts many bountiful crops.

Folklore suggests if you catch a Ladybug in your home, count the number
of spots and that's how many dollars you'll soon find.

In the 1800's, some doctors used Ladybugs to treat measles! They
also believed that if you mashed ladybugs and put them
into a cavity, the insects would stop a toothache!

If the spots on the wings of a Ladybug are more than seven,
it's a sign of coming famine. If less than seven, it means
you will have a good harvest.

Nearly ALL cultures believe that a Ladybug is lucky.
Killing one is said to bring sadness and misfortune.

If you find a ladybug in your house during the winter, you
will have good luck.

Queen Anne's Lace

This morning as I went for a little walk, I noticed all the Queen Anne's Lace blooming. I remember as a child I used to love picking the flowers and putting them in bottles of water with added food coloring and watching the flowers turn colors.

As I got closer to the flowers, I noticed a colony of bugs feeding off the nectar in each little bloom.
Some of these bugs were so tiny, while others were just a fraction bigger. I don't really know what kind of bugs they were, but they were cool to photograph. A sweet lady bug also allowed me to photograph her for awhile.

The Queen Anne's Lace grows wild around here, as I guess it does in the majority of the States. It's one of my favorite wild flowers, but it wasn't till recently that I learned some of the benefits from the plant.

Some people take a teaspoon of seeds with a glass of water immediately after having sex to keep from getting pregnant.

The Queen Anne's Lace is really a wild herb and is a diuretic. It is also known as a cleansing herb because it supports the liver, stimulates urine flow, and removes waste by the kidneys. The root of this herb is used to delay menustration. Making an infusion of warm water and flower heads has been said to treat diabetes. Some take the root of a young plant and crush the root to make a tea to prevent and eliminate kidney stones. It has also been said that tea will remove worms and parasites in the human body. The thick sap can also be used for cough and congestion.

The Queens Anne's Lace contains flavonoids, essential oils, vitamins B and C, pectin, lecithin, and glutamine. The root of the herb when crushed smells just like carrot and why the Queen Anne's Lace is also called Wild Carrot. It belongs to the same family as parsley and is an ancestor to Carrots. Some have taken the flower heads of the plant and battered and fried them, claiming they taste like fried carrots. I have never tried this nor ever tried any of the tea!

There are several different fables how the Queens Anne's Lace got its name.
If you look closely in the center of the flower head, you will see one small purple flower. It is said that Queen Anne of England pricked her finger while sewing lace and the single purple flower in the center of the white cluster of flowers, signifies one single drop of her blood.
An English botanist suggests that the name did not come from Queen Anne but from Saint Anne the mother of the Virgin Mary who was a lace maker.

Some religions have used the Queens Anne's Lace in rituals and spells.

As I have said, I have never used any of the teas, nor cooked the flower heads, Ive just always enjoyed seeing the beautiful flowers. I suggest if you decide to try any of the teas, to research a little more before doing so.

NOTE: I have read that the leaves can be toxic on this plant, only the flower heads and root are edible. Please do not get the Queen Anne's Lace mixed up with the POISON HEMLOCK. As with all herbs and wild plants please research before ingesting.

Here are a few photos I took this morning. I love all the little insects on the flowers.

Rejuvenated by Nature

I have been so busy the last couple of weeks that I have neglected my walks through the woods. I have neglected my walks and talks with Nature. My mind set on helping my Mother get ready for her move 400 miles away. My body tired, achy, and worn out. My mind only focused on helping her and getting my house organized from the furniture and odds and ends she is giving me. With each ache and pain, I kept forcing myself to do more and more, telling myself my Mother is 63 years and hasn't complained one bit. I kept pushing and pushing myself ignoring the fact that all I needed was just a few minutes a day with Nature to rejuvenate myself.

Saturday afternoon, drenched in sweat from southern heat and humidity, I was unloading my car, when I heard the sound of something tapping on the pecan tree beside me. I stood still, motionless, and quite so I could see what tapping on the tree. My eyes scanned the tree up and down and for the life of me I couldn't find it.
Suddenly, there it was, just a little above eye level, some sort of woodpecker. I damned myself for not having my camera on me. I took my chances and ran inside for my camera. When I returned, he was still in the tree but had moved a little further up. He stayed long enough for me to snap one photo and he flew away.

With the tail gate still opened to my car, still loaded, I walked off, and walked down into the woods. The pines stood tall and erect. They swayed just a bit as if they were welcoming me. Birds began to sing, all around me. I sat just for a moment and listened. I looked around me. All the trees were full now, big huge star shaped leaves on the Sweet Gums, Pines looking more bright green than before, the Oak leaves now full size, wild daisies blooming among the brown pine needles on the ground....it all looked so much different since the last time I visited. For 2 weeks I neglected my walks and talks with Nature, when I returned, nothing looked the same. I left a little offering before I left, and made a promise I wouldn't stay gone so long again.

Last night just before midnight we had a small storm. I stood in the back yard, watching the lightening, feeling the wind and rain against my skin, and smelling the freshness of the near summers rain. I reached down and picked up a few pea size hail off the grass and tasted it. I listened to thunder rumble after each lightening bolt, and suddenly my body was no longer exhausted, my mind no longer clouded. I slept like a rock last night and woke this morning feeling fresh and rejuvenated. Using all 5 senses last night, I stood and let Nature envelope me and cleanse me. Today I feel energetic, alive and whole. My body ready to tackle the week ahead, my mind free and clear.

Below is the photograph of the Woodpecker. Im not exactly sure what kind it is. I looked him up in my bird book. Only thing it resembles is the Red-cockaded but the book says they are declining and endangered.

Ive also included a few photographs I took Saturday in the woods.

The Tortoise and Mosquito

The last two weeks have been extremely hectic for me with so much going on. However, I finally received my new camera and have been having a blast taking as many nature photos as I can. The other day I neglected my house work and thought I would go outside and just enjoy the weather, take a little walk, and take some photos. I didn't even make it to the woods, when I saw a tortoiseshell turtle slowly making his way down the hill. He was kind enough to stop a while and let me photograph him.

The mosquitoes were horrible, and I should have sprayed myself down with some Rosemary and Lemon Balm to protect me from their bites. When one landed on my hand as I was photographing the turtle, I thought I would try out my super macro function on my camera. I was really impressed with the way the photos turned out.

Our Boy Named Eugina

Eugina was born almost 2 years ago. His Mother disappeared shortly after giving birth, leaving us to hand feed him. Later, after discovering Eugina was a boy we tried changing his name to Eugine, but somehow it just didn't fit. Eugina, as a kitten, was a barrel of laughs. He would often climb in the most inconspicuous hiding places, and playfully attack us as we walked by. He loved the outdoor life, chasing birds and chasing squirrels. Often times we would see him crouched low to the ground, his tail still and stiff, stalking and preying on a nearby bird feeding from the ground, but to our knowledge he never killed our wildlife friends.

Eugina was every bodies cat. He walked with me through my daily walks in the woods. Sometimes, he would run ahead of me, other times he walked along my side. He would wait patiently as I stopped to photograph some nearby nature. He would walk along downed pine trees, and sit with me for a little rest as I listened to the peace and quietness only nature can bring.

He would join my husband in the shed, and watch him tinker with all his manly toys. He would twist around his legs, weaving his tail in and out, purring loudly till my husband acknowledged his presence. He would often aggravate him, by pushing his head against his hand as he tried screwing something together with a screwdriver. A slight push away, and a few cuss words never fazed Eugina, he continued till my husband scratched his head. Satisfied, hed lay down nearby and watch him curiously.

He didn't have a certain human he liked to sleep with. He divided his time among us all. Some nights, you might would find him curled at the foot of the bed, while my 16 year old daughter was texting and doing homework all at the same time. Other times you might would find him, sleeping above my 14 year old daughters head, sharing the same pillow. He would often curl up in my husbands lap as he stretched back in his recliner. I always knew when Eugina climbed on my bed for a midnight nap. His purrs were always so much louder than the other cats.

Eugina, loved mice and was a great mouse hunter. We laughed one day as we watched him catch 5 in a row near the chicken pen. Another time, we saw him walking up from the woods with a field rat in his mouth as big as he. With Eugina around, no mouse was safe.

While Eugina stalked the wild birds, he never bothered my husbands cockatiels and parrot. In the evening my husband would let the birds out of their cages to explore the shed. Eugina knew they were part of the family and he never bothered them. Sometimes we would catch Winston, my husbands cockatiel, perched on top of Eugina as he was sleeping.

Eugina, was a protector to all our animals dogs, cats, and birds, as well as us humans. He would keep the mice population down. He would curl up against Stella, my American Bulldog, during one of his many cat naps. When Stella got sick one time, Eugina laid by her side all day and night till she started feeling better. He never seemed to mind, Stella's slobbering, long tongue as she licked him and cleaned him as if he were her young.

When one of our other cats Pirate, was stuck in the tree for 6 days. Eugina became disgusted with our many attempts of trying to get her down. He watched us day after day as we tried endlessly to no avail. He would sit back on the pic nic table, and watch us climb the tree, and offer her can salmon and tuna to try and bribe her down. He sat silently laughing at the many stupid attempts we made trying to rescue her. Disgusted with our silly stupidity, he jumped from the pic nic table, to the tree, and climbed all the way to the very tip top. He jumped branch to branch as he often watched the squirrels do, and he tip toed as if walking a tight wire, all the way to Pirate. He touched noses with her, meowed several times, then scooted back down the tree. Midways down, he turned and looked up at her, and meowed loudly as if he was saying "that's how its done, you idiot". When Pirate finally came down by herself, 6 days later, Eugina sniffed her from head to toe making sure she was ok. He followed her in the house and watched as she gorged on a whole can of salmon. He sat and waited patiently for the left overs.

Friday morning, after I got out of bed. I saw Eugina laying on the window sill. I opened the window to let him in as I have done every morning for the past 2 years. He looked as if he were asleep, but when he turned to the sound of the window opening, he didn't look like Eugina. He scared the living hell out of me. He scared me so bad, that I slammed the window shut because I didnt think it was him. Then I realized, it was Eugina and something was terribly wrong. His jaw hung open exposing his white sharp teeth. His green eyes were crossed with a white film over them. My youngest daughter ran outside to get him off the window ledge, cradling him gently in her arms.

We had assumed Eugina had been hit by a car, but later learned he was hit by a blunt object, whether a bat, a hammer, or with a foot from a swift hard kick. With Eugina's jaw broken we fed and gave him water through a straw and syringes. I gave him a warm bedding to sleep in, and told him stories during the evenings. I stroked his back, I kissed his little head gently. I whispered "I love You" in his ear and offered him comfort and courage. Yesterday morning, Eugina became to weak. He could no longer battle his injury.

Yesterday morning we laid to rest, our boy named Eugina.

Weekend Wonders