Q&A
Outdoors Tomorrow Columnist Takes Reader Questions
By Bob Henke
Journal & Press
Q: I’ve noticed a steady decline of partridge in Washington County over the last 20 years . It seems too long for their cycle. There’s still plenty of habitat and the only difference I’ve noticed is an increase in coyotes and also ticks. Could either be a cause of the decrease?
A: Conditions are seldom static in the world of the ruffed grouse and their numbers fluctuate from year to year, and from decade to decade. Across most of their range in the northern states, Canada and Alaska, Ruffed Grouse numbers have risen and fallen in a somewhat predictable pattern for most of this century, in what is often called a “10-year cycle”. In the Lake States, for example, periods of abundance usually coincide with years ending in 0, 1 or 2, and the bottom of the depression in years ending with 5 or 6. This is not invariable, but a general, regional trend. These “cycles” sweep across the continent more or less as a wave, beginning in the far Northwest and Northeast, and progressing southeastward and southward respectively. That said, the situation in much of the northeast has appeared quite bleak. This is due to a couple factors—both related to management practices.
First, our habitat is not holding up. Our forested land is getting more mature. The mature woods is ok for drumming sites but to raise broods successfully, grouse need dense second growth with about 5000 stems (saplings) per acre. The places that seem to be following the traditional cycles are those where large-scale clear-cutting takes place, such as the great north woods in Maine. Here grouse populations are robust and growing. Secondly, since the anti-fur movement has managed to destroy the market for natural garments, our population of predators has skyrocketed. This has been terrible for all sorts of ground-nesting birds as well as many small mammals and amphibians. This is why many of the species we remember from our youth, from grouse to whip-poor-wills have crashed. The best hope is if everyone begins to reject synthetic fabrics in favor of natural materials and we can again rely on hunting and trapping to manage our wildlife better. On a positive note, I did hear a grouse drumming last spring for the first time in quite a while. Ticks, by the way, are a great source of food for young birds of all kinds.
Q: Ok, I’ll bite. If all you have caught is deer mice, how do you know there is a house mouse about? I swear you do this just to generate more questions to answer.
A: I am innocent. I could have elaborated on mouse detection but I have an allotted word count. I quit when I hit it. However, the species of mice are easily distinguished by the other nasty habit they have, to wit, pooping relatively continuously and indiscriminately. If you look closely at the little black, rice grain-sized mouse droppings, you can easily identify the offending party. The house mouse scat is blunt on one end tapering to a point on the other. Deer mouse and white-footed mouse droppings are sharply pointed on both ends.
Q: Good afternoon Bob, I read your story on, “When mice aren’t nice, “ and I had to share my story with you. I’ve had a mouse or the whole family living in my Toyota RAV4 for years. They have done extensive electrical damage to another vehicle I own costing over 1,000 dollars to replace wiring harness.
I have tried every possible way to get rid of them other than a mouse trap to snap their heads off because as the lady from Cornell Cooperative extension advised me, once they die, all the parasite, fleas, ect leave their body looking for another host. The thought of that grossed me out even more than cohabitating with them in my vehicle. Thank God, none of the mice have decided to move into my house. If you have any thoughts on how to evict them please let me know. I do have a dog that rides in the vehicle with me so the peppermint and heavy chemicals aren’t an option.
A: Yours is not a unique experience. The heater in my truck began filling the cab with the hideous miasma of deceased rodent. It took several hours work to purge the ventilation system of bushels of nesting material, several hundred hickory nuts, some catfood, and a couple mouse carcasses. There are a number of commercial products to repel rodents but do not bother, they generally do not work, especially the ultrasonic ones. I have found some limited success with bars of Irish Spring soap but it has to be very close to the area where they want to nest. In more open area, like an attic or the inside of the vehicle, loud punk rock or techno music seems to work well. Nothing natural likes that stuff. However, trapping is far and away your best bet. Mouse traps do not chop their heads off and migrating parasites is not a thing. If you are still squeamish, get one of the little live traps made for mice. However, make sure you take them far enough away before releasing. White-footed mice routinely travel 100 yards or more foraging and will return to a nest site from 500 yards pretty routinely. You might also try a cat.
Q: Hey Bob—Back when you wrote for “that other paper” you did a column, I do not remember just what it was about, but it had a listing of the meaning of all the flowers. You know, the flower language. I am trying to pull something off but all the stuff I look up seems to be all over the place and didn’t have as many flowers as you listed. Any chance you can help out?
A: You have a lot of faith in my aging synapses and even more in my chaotic file system. However, you are in luck because I had to dredge it all out recently to help one the couples I was marrying. I compiled the list from information in the UK so some of the diction is a bit “different.” Good luck!
White rosebud - heart ignorant of love; Crocus – abuse, not; Rhubarb (!) – advice; Indian jasmine – attachment; Holly - am I forgotten; Deep red carnation - alas! for my poor heart; Deep red rose - bashful shame; Full red rose – beauty; Burgundy rose - unconscious beauty (hmm?); Unique rose - song me not beautiful; Turnip(!) – charity; Chrysanthemum - cheerfulness in old age; Buttercup – childishness; Great yellow daffodil – chivalry; Lettuce - coldheartedness (I guess so! Iceberg…get it?); Moss rosebud - confession of love; Red poppy – consolation; Red tulip - declaration of love; yellow sweetbrier or yellow rose - decrease of love; Mistletoe - difficulties, we will surmount; Yellow carnation - rue, distain; Thornless rose - early attachment; Anemone – expectation; Scarlet poppy - extravagance, fantastic; Blue violet – faithfulness; Purple lilac - first emotions of love; Forget-me-not - hmm....gee?; Damask rose – freshness; White rose - I am worthy of you; Peach blossom - I am your captive; Iris - I have a message for you; White daisy – innocence; Yellow rose – jealousy; Dandelion - love’s oracle; Lotus flower - estranged love; Ivy – marry me; Provence rose - my heart is in flames; Yellow iris – passion; Dog rose - pleasure and pain; Christmas rose - relieve my anxiety; Filbert – reconciliation; Spanish Jasmine – sensuality; Peony – shame; White poppy – sleep; Yellow chrysanthemum - slighted love; Amarylis - splendid beauty; Honeyflower - sweet and secret love; Pansy – thoughts; Zinnia - thoughts of absent friends; Forget-me-not also means true love; White and red rose together – unity; Parsley - useful knowledge; Pink carnation - woman’s love; Lady slipper - win me and wear me (I swear that’s what it says! I hope it is symbolic or else they get a marigold!); Marigold - vulgar minded; Rosemary - your presence revives me; and Ice plant - your looks freeze me.
And now, I am thoroughly out of space—no ulterior motives.
Contact Bob Henke with your sightings or questions by mail c/o The Greenwich Journal & Salem Press, by email at outdoors.tomorrow@gmail.com, on Twitter at @BobHenke, or on Facebook.
And Now for the Comics … By Darren Johnson
Again, thoroughly enjoyed Bob Hencke’s column. He is so informative!