Your Favorite Cabbage, This is Not

What’s better than a walk through the woods? How about a walk up the stream? I personally love going on walks up or next to streams because of all the neat things that you can find. Not that you can’t find anything in dry woodland, but there’s a different quality to streams and wetlands, something that I find very attractive. I’m not sure how to put it into words, but I’m sure that, at some point in your life, you have (carefully) gone up a stream and found fish, or salamanders, or even just a neat rock. There’s something magical about it, especially when you’re young. There is one thing less than magical about streams and wetlands, though. That’s when you come home and realize that that nasty smell is coming from your sneakers. And it won’t. Come. Out. Remember that big, green, leafy plant you accidentally stepped on back by the stream? It’s called a Skunk Cabbage. For good reason.

 (This picture was found at http://urbanecologycenter.org/blog/native-plant-eastern-skunk-cabbage.html )

Skunk Cabbage grows near wet, marshy areas like streams, slow-moving rivers, humid woodlands, and, well, marshes. The foul-smelling odor that it releases is to attract bugs such as flies and carrion beetles so that the plant can be pollinated. That smell is very easily carried by the humid air, but it increases tenfold when the plant is damaged, like when you stepped on it. Another element that helps the scent of these lovely plants travel is the fact that they produce their own heat! This allows them to be one of the first flowering plants to bloom each year.

(This picture is curtesy of http://carolynsshadegardens.com/tag/skunk-cabbage/ )

The heat produced by the buds allows them to bloom even when the ground is still frozen. They warm up to about seventy degrees Fahrenheit and melt through all of the snow around them. Once pollinated, the flower heads produce small berries that contain the seeds for next year’s growth, which will grow on the marshy ground that was fertilized by the decomposing plants of the previous year. It’s a fairly ingenious survival method, actually. The plants reek, so most animals avoid them, and the animals that choose to try and eat the Cabbage will get a mouth full of fire (the plants cause a burning sensation when eaten) which only bears are immune to, and even then, only the buds are edible. The actual plant is mostly made up of water, so it is able to decompose very quickly and does not hinder the following year’s growth. Since they are also the first blooming plants, they are able to be pollinated during the first spring thaw, which gives them a head start on the rest of the plants here in Ohio. In fact, if you are willing to brave this cold and go on a little hike, you might just find some Cabbage blooms right now. Heavens knows we Ohio natives are nothing if not stubborn when it comes to the cold, and in this instance, so are the plants we are looking for.

(You can check out this picture at http://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/flower/skunk-cabbage)

 Information citation: http://www.nwf.org/wildlife/wildlife-library/plants/skunk-cabbage.aspx

Whew! I think it’s a little chilly out, don’t you? If you decide to brave this cold and go find some flowers, shoot me an email (gncintern@gmail.com) of a picture and I’ll post it on here! Thank you for reading! Your support is awe inspiring and I’m glad to have it. Stay toasty! 
-Connie

IT'S A WATER MOCCASIN!!! Oh . . . wait . . . Maybe not?

You remember that 6-foot long black snake you saw in the woods or over by the pond? Guess what? It’s not a water moccasin. It is probably a Black Rat Snake.  Would you like to know how I know this? Because there is no part of Ohio that is home to water moccasins, and there are no other black snakes in Ohio that have the ability to reach over 5 feet in length. But most people do not know this, and assume all large black snakes near water are water moccasins.

Black Rat Snakes are really quite remarkable; when they feel threatened, they are able to flatten their heads temporarily so that their head becomes arrow-shaped (this is called ‘head-morphing,’ and there are several other non-venomous snakes that use it as a defense). An arrow-shaped head is one of the tell-tale signs of venomous snakes, so it’s no wonder that most people panic when they accidentally stumble upon one of these beautiful creatures in the wild. But the teeth in this snake’s mouth are only a few millimeters long and can’t do much damage to us humans. In fact, they generally don’t want to harm us at all!

(This picture is from a ‘field trip’ that Jan Ferrel (naturalist here at GNC) went on to visit a class, the link is http://anthocs0311.edublogs.org/2014/01/page/2/ and there are tons of other awesome pictures!)

There is a lot you can learn from the name of any animal. White-tailed deer have white tails, skunk cabbage is a cabbage-like plant that smells bad, and Black Rat Snakes are black snakes that eat rats. It lends information in a creative way, doesn’t it? Rat Snakes are not solid black, though; they have light bellies that range from off-white to yellow-grey, and sometimes you can see patterns along their backs and sides, as well. These patches can be a variety of browns and greys, but they do not always travel the entire length of the snake and are most visible near the snake’s head. When they are young, Black Rat Snakes are a lighter grey or brown and their markings are very prominent so that they are able to blend in with rocks and soil.

(The first picture was found at http://www.marshall.edu/herp/snakes/black_ratsnake.htm  and the second was found at http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/black_rat_snake.htm )

Rat Snakes breed in the spring, usually between the months of April and June, and can lay 5-30 eggs (10-14 on average). When they hatch, these young are almost immediately independent and able to hunt for insects. A little over a foot long, these juvenile snakes don’t have to grow much before they are able to start feasting on the rodents for which they are named, but they don’t stop growing there. Black Rat Snakes can grow to be over eight feet long! On average they will grow to be about five feet long and can be found almost anywhere outdoors.

(This picture is curtesy of http://naturalsciences.org/prairie-ridge-ecostation/what-time-is-it-in-nature/archive/black-rat-snake )

Black Rat Snakes are found in all of Ohio and most of eastern America. They are very good climbers and often hibernate in rocky cavities with other snakes during the winter. You can often find them up in tree hollows or along branches, they can even be found sunning on the roof! This allows them to have a wide variety of prey to choose from, although they most often choose to eat rats, mice, small birds, and eggs. This makes them wonderful for pest control, and that helps keep those pesky critters out of your gardens and kitchens.

(This picture can be found at http://johnburk.zenfolio.com/p581253011/h61268BD5#h61268bd5 )

So next time you’re out looking at the wildlife around you, take a closer look at that tree branch, and thank the snake you have one less mouse to deal with in your house.

Thank you for your support everyone! I have to admit, it’s pretty epic. I you have any pictures of Black Rat Snakes that you would like to share, just send them to me via email at gncintern@gmail.com! 

Information Citations: http://animals.pawnation.com/interesting-eastern-rat-snakes-4318.html

http://www.oplin.org/snake/fact%20pages/rat_snake_black/rat_snake_black.html

I would also like to thank Amanda Kriner (Director of Volunteers at GNC) for help verifying facts and Ms. Costas (my English teacher) for checking my grammar. They are both stellar people and I enjoy working with them both.

Happy (early) Valentine’s Day!
-Connie