Orchids in Kansas

Although Kansas has more species of native orchids than Hawaii, they aren't very showy. These tropical orchids (Phalaenopsis) are currently blooming our greenhouse. They are not species (i.e. directly from their jungle home), but rather are hybrids of various varieties that are cultured for their flowers (size, shape color, etc).

Cactus in Kansas

This is a photo of a Mammilaria cactus that bloomed early this year and has already set fruit (seed pods). I saw this in the Blue Hills of Mitchell County, Kansas on April 4, 2012.

It's a small, low-growing species ... about 2.5 inches across, but has brightly colored (pink) flowers and even brighter fruit.

Our backyard jungle

While working in the garden last week, I saw a large variety of land snail that we've had crawling around for the last 15 years or so.... I had never seen them in Kansas before that... I kind of thought that we had brought them back from Hawaii in some orchid pots because that was about the time I first started seeing them. They are now very common here.

I have a friend at Pittsburg State University who is studying Kansas snails, so I sent photos to him... it turns out that it wasn't anything exotic (like from Hawaii), but rather a snail commonly found in the Eastern U.S. that is now moving west... it is certainly a new record for this part of the state... a jump of several hundred miles from the previously known most western occurrence.

Here's lookin' at you, bub!.... Face to face with a White-lipped globe snail...first described by Say (1816).

Texas Horned Lizard

Last week we were fossil collecting in the Blue Hill Shale in Mitchell County, Kansas. At the end of the day, I looked down and saw a Texas Horned Lizard in the grass. It was only about 60 degrees and I think he was just out trying to catch enough sun to warm up... So I picked him up and took some close-up photos. Although he looks sort of mean and dangerous, he was pretty docile at the time. Actually, about the only thing they eat is ants.

Cat, Eagle, and a Fox walk onto a porch...

What a terrific series of videos! I don't at all understand how the eagle isn't eating the cats. Oh well, makes for a great clip!

Spring time in Kansas - Garter Snakes

The birds are singing and the trees are greening.... and the garter snakes are coming up out of the ground....We can usually tell when it's Spring at our place because the cats start bringing in Garter snakes (unharmed) to show us... The snakes are just emerging from hibernation and are easy to catch.. but not a lot of fun to play with (if you are a cat) because they don't move or try to get away. We have a den of them that hibernate underground during the winter in the remains of an old tree stump in our backyard. The cats find them when the snakes come up to catch some sun and get warmed up. Garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis) are common in Kansas and harmless, feeding mostly on small insects and worms.

Kentucky never seceded from the Union. But.

Interesting tidbit about Kentucky and the Civil War. Not that this would be common knowledge, but it was an interesting look at how perception changed for the people in those States after the war:

"Kentucky never seceded. They did send 35,000 troops to the Confederacy and 90,000 to the U.S." Loewen said. "Today Kentucky has 74 Civil War monuments. Two are for the U.S. and 72 are for the Confederacy."

Check out 6 Busted Myths about the Civil War