Outdoor
Confessions of a Hunter
Anyone that hunts or spends time in the woods comes across critters and insects of all types. Nothing is more fun than crawling into a deer stand for the first time of the season, only to combat wasp and spiders descending into all out-combat warfare; and believe me, chemical weapons are a good thing in this war. There is a particular insect that finds its way into your clothes, boots and even your bed; the scorpion. If you have never been stung by one, it’s about like a bee sting, really not that bad, but who really wants to be stung by anything? The biggest difference is a bee or wasp will sting you once, a scorpion can sting a few times.
Living in the country, scorpions are nothing new; they come with the territory. Scorpions can be found under rocks, in a wood pile, under the house or in the house from time to time. One particular year, they were exceptionally bad. They were all over the place outside, in the flower beds and at night seen on the porch and quite a bit in the kitchen. One night getting ready for bed, I folded the sheets back to find a scorpion. Well, that just got into my head. The thought of a scorpion sleeping with me was quite unsettling. As luck would have it, bam! I got stung in the middle of the night in bed.
To read more pick up a copy of the December 2020 NTFR issue. To subscribe call 940-872-5922.
By Tony Dean, [email protected]
If moisture is adequate, there are several winter annual grasses that dominate the landscape during early spring in Texas. One of the most common is Rescuegrass.
This winter annual is native to South America but grows over much of the United States and can be found in all ecoregions of Texas. Rescuegrass is easily recognized by its flat seed head.
Numerous seed heads produce seed that is transported by animals and can quickly spread to other areas.
To read more, pick up a copy of the April issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By Norman Winter | Horticulturist, Author, Speaker
The National Garden Bureau has designated 2024 as the ‘Year of the Angelonia’ and I am in full celebration mode. As I was preparing for my contribution to the celebration, I was, however, sent into taxonomic trauma.
For the last 26 years of deep love for the Angelonia, or summer snapdragon, I have told everyone via newspaper, radio and television that they were in the Scrophulariaceae family. Since most gardeners don’t like those words, I modified or simplified the snapdragon family, but somebody has tinkered with green industry happiness and moved Angelonia to the Plantaginaceae or plantain family. I immediately reached out to my friend Dr. Allen Ownings, Horticulture Professor Emeritus with the Louisiana State University AgCenter. I said, “Did you know this, or better yet, did you do it?” He said, as I expected, that the Taxonomist group had done it. This reminded me that someone once said taxonomists have to eat, too.
To read more, pick up a copy of the April issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By Jelly Cocanougher
Brazen rumbles cut through the daylight stillness. Enamored by the grandiose symphony of the firmament, tinged in anticipation from where the light will snap next.
The clouds dance in the sky as a love letter to the electrically-charged synergy of the ground and air. It moves unashamed, reckless, and bold. It is raw power that could command attention for any being, a reminder that we are attuned to the primal opus of flora and fauna. The spirit of the prairie was awakened, the hands of a cowboy rests at the heart of it all, a symphony in combination.
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