Stressful
Tuesday, September 16th, 2003
By Dr. Everett Vreeland
The only time I have discerned stress in the animal world it was always related to attempts by humans to exert control. Protecting their young seemed a matter of fury and aggression, not stress or worry. Our species appears to create stress and, in some ways, lean on it as a force about which they may complain, in their mind rightfully. Recently I have observed an over-equipped cycle warrior “relaxing” as his bicycle went on, on a cell phone and a similarly over - bedecked fly-fisherman jabbering away on a phone in midstream. Do-it-yourself stress.
We are in a period of rampant blossoms in the natural world. Masses of lilies on most watered areas. Cornflowers abound in their unique blue, queens lace usurping the roadsides, and soon to be jo-pie weed, then butter and eggs with its warm blend of yellow and orange. I watch with interest as their special pollinators arrive to assure their perpetuation and the wondrous and varied ways by which the plants have developed methods to be sure their seeds are spread. Burdocks go in animal hair or people pants. Maple, ash, cattails, and dandelions sail in the wind, and some plants have cells, specialized in the form of springs that jettison the seeds into new ground. Oaks travel by squirrel and others in the form of acorns, while other plants produce delicious berries and send their seeds off in the guts of “critters,” such as we.
This gulf-like weather produces fungi in numbers and varieties only seen intermittently in normal weather. In sizes like the tiniest of nails to those great “amanitas 7″ across and others in colors from deep purple to dark rich nut brown. They grow in the branching shape of clavaria to the definitive Indian pipes and familiar chanterelles, really love this weather, and are everywhere at this writing. If you are on horseback in western forests you will see large and numerous fungi stashed in tree forks above the average snow level by the talented, industrious, and forward thinking Douglas squirrels.
Do not eat mushrooms unless identity is established. A few are deadly.
The fertile and attractive Housatonic runs copiously now from all the rain upstream and as it is less attractive to fly fishermen, it becomes a true magnet for canoe people, kayakers, and tubers. I have canoed that river often and high water is much safer than dodging boulders although nowhere near as interesting as the worlds revealed by the clarity of low water. An early morning or evening trip will reveal a plethora of wildlife whose numbers will amaze you. I think the antics and plumage of the humans during the day are a source of humor for the animal population. Spandex attire must scare animals acutely, in a class with pink and orange kayaks.
Our planet is right now in the middle of its production mode and still astounds me. Species and populations still rise and fall and the reasons sometimes hide or are too evident to recognize.
