We have moved from flora to fauna. Here are some things I didn't know.
White-tailed deer: I was always taught the number of points on a rack told you how old a buck was. Not so says the textbook. "Contrary to popular belief, a buck's antlers are NOT (my emphasis) an indication of age but, rather, an indication of the overall fitness of the owner, his size, and how well he has grown that year." So my dear hunting friends, he may not be as old as you think, just mighty healthy. Ha!
Deer ticks and Lyme Disease: "If you do find a tick burrowed into your skin, you generally have a 24-hour grace period before the (Lyme) spirochetes make their way from the tick into you. Consequently, check yourself early and often!" That makes a tick sighting a wee bit less frightening.
Earthworms: They're considered an invasive species. They are NOT native to Minnesota There are approximately 15 species of worms in Minnesota, all brought here by humans, either "unintentionally with soil and plants brought from Europe in the late 1800s and early 1900s, but many have been brought here intentionally as fishing bait." Who knew!? Earthworms can destroy the part of our forest floors that makes them springy, and a great place to grow seedlings--the future forest. Destroy any leftover worm bait next time you fish, and save a forest.
What I did know, and was reemphasized in this chapter, is that animal (2-legged [humans], 4-legged, winged, finned, and creepy crawlers) survival is dependent or coexistant with habitat, and habitat's survival is dependent or coexistant with animals. Change one, change all.
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