The Question: I enjoyed your article on the Indian Pipe (at CuriousNature.net). I live in SE Wisconsin and I was thrilled to find some of these wonderful plants in my wooded yard. How rare is this plant? I have lived in this area all most all of my 50 years and have not seen one [...]
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How do you identify Poison Sumac?
The Question: How do you identify Poison sumac? Submitted by: Ellie, Wilmington, MA The Short Answer: Poison sumac is a large shrub or small tree found in wet areas. It has compound leaves with 7-13 smooth-edged leaflets, as shown in figure 1. The stalk of the compound leaf is reddish. To differentiate poison sumac from [...]
Word of the Day: Thigmotaxis
The Question: Why did thigmotaxis evolve? Submitted by: Florence, Washington, DC The Answer: Thigmotaxis, which is movement toward a solid object, covers a wide range of animal behaviors (some people would even include some plant behaviors), from the positive thigmotaxis of wall-hugging behavior in mice and head to tail touching behavior in processionary caterpillars, to [...]