Critical Mass

I suspect most of the people reading this know what Critical Mass (when referring to a bicycle event) is, but if you don't, I just discovered that wikipedia has a good entry on the subject: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_Mass

365 Urban Species. #110: Cattle Egret

Urban species #110: Cattle egret Bubulcus ibis

The cattle egret, unlike its swamp-dwelling relatives, like the great blue heron, is a creature of grasslands. It is an African bird, originally, that associates with hoofed mammals, including (obviously enough) cattle. It follows these animals around as they forage, stirring insects out of the grass, and feeds on these insects.

Over the past millennia, every so often some cattle egrets would cross the Atlantic and visit South America. Some time relatively recently, the egrets discovered that some of the forests had been cleared, and replaced with grasslands full of the kind of insects they liked to prey upon. They even found that humans had performed the great service of bringing cattle, of all things, to this new continent. Some egrets didn't return to Africa, and over time a permanent South American population of cattle egrets developed. Inevitably, they spread into the vast, cattle-filled landscape to the north.

In Antigua, the cattle egrets have their choice of livestock to follow around: Cattle (including at least two herds of African zebu), horses, sheep, and the ever present goats. The most efficient disturber of the grassland insects, however, is the power mower. Adaptable as always, the cattle egret follows these strange creatures as naturally as any cattle herd.

( larger numbers, brighter sun )

365 Urban Species. #119: Shepherd's Purse

Photo by cottonmanifesto

Urban species #119: Shepherd's purse Capsella bursapastoris

I must confess, I don't know what "purses" shepherd carried or perhaps presently carry, or where these purse carrying shepherds live or lived. However it's a fair guess that these were Mediterranean shepherds, as this plant hails from that region. The "purses" are the little triangular or heart-shaped seed pods that the plant bears.

Shepherd's purse is yet another European mustard that has become an urban weed in North America. Shepherd's purse sprouts early in the year, and flowers before most other herby plants. It can grow in poor soil, and can even sprout from cracks in the pavement.

Its uses include edible greens (salad or cooked) of high nutritional value, and edible seeds. The seeds can be eaten raw from the pods or ground into a flour, as apparently some Native Americans did. It seems like gathering shepherd's purse seeds would be fairly labor-intensive, but the plant certainly grows in large enough amounts to make it potentially worth it. Many birds eat the seeds of this weed, and its seeds are sometimes included in birdseed mixes.

( more pictures )