Squidoo - Became a Giant Squid

We joined Squidoo.com at the end of April and on October 6th, after months of hard work, became a Giant Squid. What in the world is a Giant Squid, some kind of strange underwater group? Well, not exactly, although there were about 20 others who also received the honor at the same time. On Squidoo, we lensmasters write and illustrate web pages called lenses. In order to become a Giant Squid, a lensmaster must have published at least 50 good, quality lenses. Anyone who enjoys writing can become a member by creating a lens. You don’t have to know much about html and there’s a whole community of lensmasters, greeters, angels and others who are ready and willing to help new lensmasters learn what it takes to excel at Squidoo. If you’d like to get started creating a lens right now click here: Join Squidoo and Create a Lens. It’s free and if you don’t like it, you can quit any time and just delete your account.

Of course, most of our lenses are about nature, plants, animals, our pets and the outdoors, but we also have some about Louisiana food, customs and celebrations. Maybe you’d like to check out our naturegirl7 lensmaster’s page to see all the lenses that we’ve written. Writing for Squidoo is fun and you earn money, too. But the thing I like most about Squidoo is that I can spread the word about all the things that I feel are important, like the environment, habitats, native plants and animals and just about anything else that I feel like writing about. Come join us and give it a try. I bet you’ll love it.

Spring

We purchased a couple of Wildlife Cams that take photos automatically day and night and we’ve been able to see the variety of animals that visit our property. So far we have photos of: Wood ducks, deer, raccoons, flying squirrels, banded hummingbirds and a variety of resident and migrant song birds.

The Ruby-throated Hummingbirds returned to their breeding grounds here in Southeastern Louisiana much later than normal. The returnees that have been caught are birds that are only 1 year old. No birds that bred in previous years have been caught yet. Carolina Chickadees are building nests in 5 of the nest boxes on our trail. Flying squirrels are using 3 others. Carolina Wrens hatched in the nest in flower pot by front door.

We discovered 2 mature Wild Olive (Osmanthus americana) trees by the river. Many native plants are in full bloom such as Silverbell, Parsley Hawthorne, Mississippi Wake-robinTrillium, Honeysuckle Azalea, etc. A seasonal list of St. Tammany’s blooming native plants can be viewed on the FNPS website. As representatives of the Folsom Native Plant Society, we donated and planted 2 trees, a Live Oak (Quercus viriginiana) and a Red Mulberry (Morus rubra), in the school yard at Folsom Elementary. We also gave a “Gardening to Attract Wildlife” presentation and helped man the FNPS (Folsom Native Plant Society) booth at the 2 day St. Tammany Master Gardener’s Plant Show. Our club has been invited back next year.

White Tailed Deer, Kingfisher and Plant Rescue

This morning, when we were half way to the river, we saw the white tails of 3 deer as they made a hasty retreat towards the Tchefuncte. All the corn that we put out for the wood ducks was gone. I guess with all the habitat destruction that has been going on around us, our property must have most of the browse plants that they need to prepare for the winter months.

When we reached the river we heard the chattering of a Belted Kingfisher. This fellow will sit right across the river and chatter until our dog, Rio, barks at him. The kingfisher will fly up river & back down to us as if he wants Rio to chase him. We’ve also seen a Kingfisher up at our pond by the house. The last few days we’ve seen what looks like some mallard ducks and also the resident wood ducks.

When we got back to the house we hurriedly prepared for a native plant rescue mission. One of the other members of the FNPS had alerted us about some beautiful wildflowers (including unusual, possibly rare milkweed, unusual large lavender asters, mountain mint and 20+ other species of native plants) that would soon be destroyed when another strip mall is built. We were able to move about 50+ plants today despite the rock hard soil. We plan to go back after we get a good rain, when it’s easier to dig. We will probably have to go on many more of these missions because St. Tammany Parish is in a building frenzy.

The Destruction Continues, but the FNPS brings hope

Apparently we spoke too soon. What we thought was the culmination of the storm debris removal project from the creek was just a 3 day siesta. The heavy equipment, chain saws and machetes came back with a vengeance and went deeper into the woods. Countless more live trees were scarred and damaged when the ones that were broken by Hurricane Katrina were pulled out of the stream. The smell of diesel fuel permeates the once fresh air while our eardrums are pummeled with the sound of the giant chipper / shredder machine. The trail (more like road) that they carved through the forest by the creek is wider that the creek in most places. What is really being achieved by this project? The healthy trees & shrubs that they are damaging or destroying could have absorbed hundreds of gallons of rain water. The parish would be better served if restrictions for new building that included raised houses instead of red clay fill and cement slabs were enforced in low, wetland & flood zone areas.

Here are some statistics that were compiled by the LSU AgCenter that say a lot:

Tree Facts: The Benefits of Trees

In a forest area only 10% of rainwater leaves the site.

Just 10% impervious area (like concrete) doubles the amount of water leaving the site.

A 30% tree canopy can reduce city storm water by 14%.

American Forests estimates that the nation’s trees are worth $400 billion per year in storm water management alone.

On a lighter note, the Folsom Native Plant Society’s meeting at the Covington Public Library last night had excellent attendance and featured a wonderful presentation by native plant experts, Latimore Smith (Director of TNC Science & Stewardship) and Nelwyn McInnis, The Nature Conservancy Florida Parishes Director. We were treated to a history of the Longleaf Pine forests that once covered all of St. Tammany Parish. We also learned about the 19 species of rare native plants that are preserved within TNC St. Tammany Parish properties. The FNPS is growing in numbers and we are trying to reach the public, especially those that are new to the North Shore, to teach them about the value of our native flora.