HONOR’S HAVEN NATURE ALMANAC 4

“June is busting out all over” as the Rogers and Hammerstein lyrics (from “Carousel”) go, and so it is here with the flora and fauna at Honor’s Haven. Some birds have migrated through the area, but the ones that have stayed are now busy nesting.

One of the more interesting nests is that of the Cliff Swallow. They make their nest almost completely out of mud and mold it against the side of a cliff, or in this case the side of the Honor’s Haven Hotel under the eaves and above the indoor tennis courts. In contrast to the similar looking Barn Swallow, which makes a mud nest in the shape of a cup, the Cliff Swallows make a mud cocoon with a single entry hole. They are great insect eaters, and their large mouths help them catch them on the fly.

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With nesting comes singing, and one of the best singers is the Mockingbird. They often imitate the songs of several different birds, and combine them into one as though they were singing a show tune medley – hence the name Mockingbird. If they feel that their nest is in danger, they will not hesitate to buzz the intruder.

Flowers also are busting out all over. This will be true all through the summer and fall. As one flower fades, a different species will come into bloom for a while. The beautiful colors of the flower petals attract Hummingbirds and bees to help pollenate the flowers which eventually develop into seeds. Some of these seeds are preceeded by a fruit stage in their formation. On the right, is Bittersweet Nightshade. While the flower is beautiful and delicate, the berry it will become is poisonous. Still, used in the proper manner it has been used to treat warts, rheumatism, gout, whooping cough and several other maladies.

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In contrast, the blossom of the Purple Flowered Rasberry (flower on the left) is not only pretty, but it is very good to eat. Their berries are black when they are ripe, which reminds me of one of the anomalies of the English language – that blackberries are red when they are green. Not only are these berries good to eat, they make very good pies. However, some people object to the tiny seeds in the berry which often get caught in your teeth

Last, fungi and mushrooms are making their appearance in force. Every rain brings about a new crop of them. Some are small and some are large and some are just right to be a toad’s stool. In addition some are good to eat, and some are extremely toxic. To play it safe I never pick them to eat, I just take pictures of them. Because some of them are brightly colored they can also be very photogenic.

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