Outdoor
Texas Parks & Wildlife Department wants to ban gassing rattlesnakes
By contributing writer Peggy Browning
What happens when you spray gasoline or other toxic chemicals into caves, between crevices of rocky outcroppings, or down the burrows of animals on the rolling plains?
When faced with noxious fumes, slow-moving, groggy rattlesnakes will inevitably emerge from their natural habitats. They are often sickened by the gassing and some of them die on the spot where their lairs were sprayed.
When the snakes retreat from their hiding places, they are accompanied by all the other inhabitants of the poisoned area. Other species of animals besides the rattlesnakes are affected by the gassing of their environment.
They are the innocent bystanders of the animal world. This includes other species of snakes as well as lizards, toads, prairie dogs, rabbits, and other burrowing animals. Gassing does not discriminate. It kills, sickens, or displaces all wildlife in the area affected.
Since 2010, The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department has been questioning this indiscriminate method of rattlesnake capture and has been working on banning the gassing of rattlesnakes. Texas hopes to join thirty other states that have already banned the use of gas and other chemicals for rattlesnake capture. To read more pick up the April 2014 issue of North Texas Farm & Ranch.
By: Jelly Cocanougher
Delicate microbes buried just beneath the surface. We walk by them, unbeknownst to us. Spores, spawn, and sclerotia, each with distinct characteristics. It is said that these fungi are all connected, speaking to one another as they populate the earth. The interconnectedness of all living things and the decaying world, such beauty lies within these otherworldly alien organisms.
By: Landon Moore
Landon Moore is the Wise County 4-H President and a member of the Wise County 4-H County Council. He is involved in beekeeping, as well as raising rabbits and poultry.
This essay was one that he wrote, and it was named the champion for both the Texas and National chapters of the Foundation For The Preservation of Honey Bees.
Varietal honey is honey that comes from a single source.
This honey has a flavor derived from the source flower and can even have a similar scent. In general, lighter colored honeys have a more subtle taste and dark honeys are more intense. Varietal honey has been compared to wine, in that honeys produced in different years can be distinguished, even if they come from the same flower and location.
This phenomenon is called terroir and is responsible for the individual taste of each honey harvest.
To read more, pick up a copy of the October edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By: Norman Winter | Horticulturist, Author, Speaker
Early in the summer, I was sent a press release that caused one of those holy wow moments. The headline said it all, “Proven Winners ColorChoice Expands Catalog with the Addition of Hollywood Hibiscus.”
I had already become familiar with the Hollywood Hibiscus series and was thrilled that the Proven Winners was adding this to their lineup.
This flower is nothing short of beautiful and exhibits prolific flower production. The flowers show three distinct colors, deep red in the very center, then the majority which is a rich rose pink with lighter pink to white along the margins.
To read more, pick up a copy of the October edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
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