WORDS OF A FEATHER Story and photos by HEATHER SHIRLEY As regular readers of this column know, I continually encourage you to spend time outdoors and explore. It’s great to go to new areas and explore magnificent forests and enjoy majestic views. But sometimes that may seem like too much effort. The weather is iffy. You’re tired. You don’t have time, don’t want to get in the car and drive anywhere. Never fear! Mother Nature is so generous that she will find her way to you wherever you are! On a recent walk around my neighborhood in south Florida, I enjoyed seeing a crawfish crossing the road. I had just returned from a road trip through Louisiana, where I enjoyed eating several hundred of its relatives (slurp!). Instead of eating this crawfish, I picked the little lady up and carried her across the road, both to make sure she didn’t get smushed by a car and to get her closer to water, where she belongs. Crawfish breathe through gills and live in a variety of waterways, from swamps to freshwater streams, ponds, even drainage ditches. When I picked up the crawfish, I saw she was “in berry,” which means she was carrying eggs that resemble blackberries. A crawfish glues these eggs to tiny appendages on her abdomen and Right in Your Own Backyard carries them for two to 10 months. She cares for the eggs by tucking and fanning her tail to aerate them. When the eggs hatch, the baby crawfish stay close to their mama for up to four months. In North America, there are 400 species of crawfish—also called crayfish, crawdads, mudbugs and a host of other terms. They are a keystone species, meaning they profoundly impact their environment. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, a keystone species is “the glue that holds a habitat together.” If such a species is removed from its ecosystem, the environment radically changes. Crawfish impact their areas because they break down algae and other plant material and invertebrates they eat, helping the decomposition process. In turn, they are a food source for 240 species of animals. That’s a lot of creatures relying on the humble crawfish…I hope this one’s eggs survive to adulthood! I also enjoyed watching tree squirrels on my morning walk. Tree squirrels are most commonly gray, but they can also be black (frequently seen across Canada) and white, such as the one photographed here, which I saw in North Carolina. Squirrels are often vilified for behaviors we find intolerable, such as poaching from bird feeders or nesting in attics, but really, they’re just doing what we all do—working to secure food and shelter. Squirrels are another animal important to the ecosystem, so it’s a good idea to cultivate a peaceful coexistence with them. (Incidentally, the Humane Society has great tips on how to kindly manage life with squirrels. Check out humanesociety.org/resources/what-do-aboutsquirrels.) Although squirrels are omnivorous, most of their diet consists of nuts, seeds and acorns. They frequently cache their food for winter storage and, in so doing, inadvertently plant new trees, thus renourishing the forest. At a recent dinner with friends of a friend, a guy was going on about how the neighborhood squirrels deliberately taunted his dog, luring the dog toward it, then happily running away, feinting in one direction and changing course. Ummm, no. Like most rodents, squirrels are prey to many birds, mammals and even snakes. Their behavior when threatened is indeed to first freeze, hoping the danger goes away. They are not luring their predator closer. If the predator continues to pursue, squirrels will expend precious energy by running in an erratic pattern to evade chase, head up the nearest tree and flatten their bodies against the Scan the QR code with trunk. I can assure you they your phone’s camera do not find the game of to hear the sounds of chase as fun as your dog a squirrel. does. Squirrels are territorial, but live in close proximity to each other. A group of them is called a scurry, which seems both fitting and cute. Squirrels frequently communicate with chirpy vocalizations and furious tail twitching to warn of predators or advise staying away from their food cache. They use scent as well to advertise to each other and to help them find their hidden food. You may see a squirrel rubbing its face over an acorn—it’s covering the acorn in scent so it’s easier to find on some future snowy day. Although many people scoff and call them tree rats, there are no records of diseases such as rabies or salmonella transferring from squirrels to people. In fact, squirrels are one of the most trusting wild animals, and many can grow accustomed to taking food from your hand— or from your birdfeeder. I think their acrobatic antics are worth the payment of some extra seed. Give squirrels—and crawfish and the other critters around your neighborhood—a chance. If you start noticing them more, you may appreciate them more. Hopefully, as our appreciation for nature grows, the more motivated we will be to protect and care for it. PROUDLY SERVING THE BOATING COMMUNITY SINCE 1987 MORRIS COUNTY MARINE INC. Sales • Service • Storage Top: Female crawfish on its back showing eggs. Bottom: White tree squirrel. 38 LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2023</strong> Wishing everyone a safe and healthy <strong>Spring</strong> launch. Text: 201-400-6031 745 US 46 W • Kenvil, NJ God Bless America
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