A Jumping Spider - Thiodina sylvana

Eve, the writer of the lovely Sunny Side Up blog, recently posted this macro photo of a Jumping Spider. Ever since I was but a wee lad, Jumping Spiders were the one species of spiders that I was never really afraid of. Perhaps because they themselves seemed to not possess a fear of me. Often times I have seen these little spiders on my desk while I am working- and they are not shy about jumping onto my notebook or even my arm. These spiders almost seem friendly- and for that, I have liked them.

Unfortunately, my freedom from arachnophobia in regards to this spider has been tainted.

At least two medical sources list this spider as being venomous:

1. Medical Toxicology of Natural Substances
   By Donald G. Barceloux, Ed Krenzelok
2. Toxicon
   By International Society on Toxinology
   

The Medical Toxicology of Natural Substances had this to say concerning the Jumping Spider Family (Phidippus):

In vitro studies suggest that Phidippus venom is cytotoxic and capable of producing necrotic lesions. Envenomation produces a sharp, painful site that may develop into urticarial (author's note: urticarial: rash like, burning - remember that the latin name for the Stinging Nettle plant is 'Urtica' as well) swelling and pruitus (author's note: pruitus: itchy sensation) lasting several days to a week. A small ulcer potentially may develop in the area of the bite, but the formation of necrotic lesions in humans is not well documented. Treatment is supportive.

I have been bitten by a fairly large Jumping Spider before. I made the mistake of grabbing it and clutching it in my hand so that I could take it outside. It bit me on the palm. Its bite was a sharp pain- but that was it. I didn't have any of the symptoms mentioned by the article. There were no visible or lingering signs that I had ever been bitten.

Jumping Spider Facts:

1. Jumping Spiders can jump. Typically between 10 to 40 times their body length. That would be like a 6 foot man being able to jump a distance of between 60 to 240 feet. By comparison- the current world record for a long jump by a person is 29.4 feet.
2. There are over 4000 described species of Jumping Spiders. They are the largest group family of spiders.
3. Jumping Spiders have the best vision of any spider species. (source)
4. Jumping Spiders will stalk their prey- much like a Lion or a Tiger. Once they see their target- they will creep slowly toward it- stop- then creep forward again- and then stop- etc- until it is finally close enough for the big pounce attack! (source)
5. Jumping Spiders can leap as far as they do because of special muscle contractions that happen in their body. These muscle contractions force fluid into the spider's legs which causes the legs to extend quickly. (source)
6. The Thiodina sylvana (the species pictured) species of Jumping Spider was described and named by Nicholas Marcellus Hentz. Mr. Hentz was a fascinating man. He lived during the 1800's and described over a 100 of species of spiders and insects. He once also lived in my hometown of Florence, AL- he and his wife were the directors of the women's college that was located in Florence at the time. His wife was an accomplished novelist. He once gave a museum his insect collection (and presumably spiders were in the collection)- it numbered over 30,000 species! (source)

As I was searching for more information on Thiodina sylvana, I actually stumbled upon a website that sells these spiders (or at least they did in 2006- the date of the price list.) The seller listed the common name of this spider as the "Woodland Jumper" and was selling a female for $7.50. (source)

Portraits of Nature - Eastern Box Turtle

Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina)

Portraits of Nature - Elegant Crab Spider

Elegant Ground Spider (Xysticus)

Portraits of Nature - North American Millipede

North American Millipede (Narceus americana)

Aniseroot

The wildflower known as the Aniseroot is aptly named. The leaves and root of this wildflower really do smell like the Anise spice of Asia (but they are not related.) Even this plant's scientific name is descriptive regarding the aroma: Osmorhiza longistylis. Osmorhiza means "fragrant root". Licorice is derived from Anise, therefore, another common name of this wildflower is Licorice Root.

Aniseroot has a very similir looking cousin, the Sweet Cicily wildflower. The best way to tell them apart is via the styles in the flower blossoms of the Aniseroot- they are longer than the styles of the Sweet Cicily- thus the scientific name of "longistylis." Both plants are members of the carrot family (Apiaceae).

Both the leaves and the root of the Aniseroot plant are edible. The leaves can be added to salads to add some flavor, however, it has been reported that the leaves also produce a bitter aftertaste. (source). But, like the root of the Toothwort, Aniseroot is primarily used as a spice or condiment rather than as a food to be eaten whole.


The root of Aniseroot has a long folk medicine history as well. Some of its reported medicinal uses have included (source: Native American Ethnobotany;Moerman) :

• Used as an eye salve by various North American Indian tribes
  
• The Omaha and Ponca Indian tribes would use the root to attract horses
• The Potawatomi tribe chopped the roots and added it to their fodder to fatten their horses
• The Chippewa used a decoction of the roots as a wash for their dogs' noses to increase their sense of smell

Portraits of Nature - Fowler's Toad

Fowler's Toad (Anaxyrus Fowleri)

Portraits of Nature - Coral Fungi

Books in the Running Brooks

Millipedes

A thousand legs has a millipede
While a hundred does the centipede
The millipede eats plants
The centipede eats ants
I wonder if any get knock-kneed?

My little limerick about millipedes and centipedes doesn't begin to cover the differences between centipedes and millipedes, but it does point help to point out a key difference between the two (other than the number of legs)- the centipede is a carnivore that primarily eats insects and spiders- while the millipede usually consumes plants or rotting wood and leaves. Oh- and centipedes bite- some even have poison glands. Millipedes on the whole- do not bite- but they aren't defenseless, as you will soon discover.

This pretty yellow and black millipede shown in the photo above was identified for me by perhaps one of the top millipede experts (if not the foremost expert) in the United States- Dr. Rowland Shelley. I had posted this photo on bugguide.net and he was kind enough to review and comment on the photo: "These 3 photos are of an unusual, yellow banded form of Apheloria virginiensis (Drury, 1770) (Polydesmida: Xystodesmidae). I'm aware of the form's existence, but I would not expect this color variant way down in Alabama, at the southern extremity of the generic range. A.v. corrugata, in Kentucky, exhibits this very color pattern, but it has not been collected in central Tennessee, where it would be expected if this were corrugata here in Alabama. So, this form is under study and it may be a new species or new subspecies of A. virginiensis. Rowland Shelley." (source) That would be very exciting to know that we have discovered a "new" species right here literally in our own backyard! Of course, we really wouldn't be the "discoverer"- that honor goes to whomever is willing to go work through the ardurous task of describing the new species.

Another interesting note about these types of millipedes is that they possibly excrete the toxin cynide through their "skin." While handling the above millipede, I did notice a white liquid being expelled from the "skin" of the millipede. Who knew? An interesting abstract regarding this phenomenom is located on the ScienceDirect website. The paper title is Cynogenesis in Plants and Athropods.

This red and black centipede appears to be a type of Sigmoria millipede. (source) It, along with the yellow and black millipede shown earlier, are known as "flat back millipedes." Each belong to the Polydesmida family. Members of the Polydesmida family can be identified by the fact that their bodies have 18 to 22 body rings- with 20 body rings being the most common. (source)

This brownish millipede appears to be a member of the Parajulidae family of millipedes. These millipedes look remarkably like earthworms. The one photographed above even flailed around like an earthworm after I caught it. These millipedes are infamous for crawling into houses- typically basements. They have a very unpleasant odor and usually aren't welcome guests.

This semi-lovely black millipede with the red racing stripes is scientifically known as the Narceus americanus. Its common name is the North American Millipede. This millipede is noteworthy in that it is the largest of all the millipedes in North America. It can grow to a length of 10cm- which makes it twice as large as any other millipede in North America. (source)

All of the millipedes pictured here were found in my back yard. There are at least 2 other species that we caught that I haven't been able to get a good photograph of yet. So, why do we need so many millipedes? Consider this quote and decide for yourself:

Throughout Northwest forests, the principal shredder is the cyanide-producing millipede (Harpaphe haydeniana), which has a shining black body and bright orange racing stripes. Since the millipede crushes, filters and then recrushes its dead leaf diet, it increases the availability of nutrients 40,000-fold. After extracting what it needs, the millipede defecates a pellet of partially used nutrients covered with microbial fuel (intestinal mucus). Immediately, a microbial garden grows on the surface and then a soil fungivore comes along and breaks up the pellet, feeds, excretes with its own mucus, and the whole process repeats over and over again until all the nutrients are used up. It is the shredder that is key to the process. The cyanide-producing millipede alone eats 33 to 50 percent of all the dead coniferous and deciduous leaves that come to rest on the forest floor. It is one of the most critical links in the entire soil foodweb. From the article: Small in Size, but Great in Importance by Andrew Moldenke.

Comparison of two millipedes from Polydesmida family of millipedes.

Dr. Rowland Shelley wrote an excellent guide to millipedes and centipedes that can be found online at http://www.emporia.edu/ksn/v45n3-march1999/index.html This is part of an great series of online and printed guides that the Kansas School Naturalist produces. The catalog of their articles is at http://www.emporia.edu/ksn/.

Cleavers

If ever there was a plant that has blossoms labeled as being nondescript, and the plant itself considered a nuisance and an ugly weed- the wildflower known as Cleavers could be the champion for all such wildflowers.

Haven't heard of a Cleavers? How about one of its other common names: Goosegrass, Stickwilly, Stickyweed, Catchweed, Robin-run-the-hedge, Coachweed, Everlasting Friendship, Grip Grass, Loveman, and Sweethearts? (source1, source2)

Its scientific name is Galium aparine. Galium is derived from the Greek word Gala, meaning "milk". Aparine is derived from a Greek word that means "to seize".

As you have probably gathered from its many "sticky" common names and its scientific name- this plant literally acts like velcro when it comes into contact with fabric- as well as many other materials. Cleavers use the angled teeth that grow along their stems as a means of survival. The stems of the Cleaver plant are too weak to support the plant, therefore Cleavers grow taller by growing up and latching onto the foliage of other plants and uses the other plant as a support to hold it up. Cleavers really are cleavers.

Cleavers are in the Madder family of plants. This is notable because Coffee aribica is also in the Madder family- which means that Cleavers are related to the Arabian Coffee Tree. The seeds of the Cleavers can be roasted and makes an excellent coffee substitute. However, be forewarned (or delighted, as the case may be), that the Cleavers sourced coffee is caffeine free. (source)

Not a coffee fan- then how about some tea? According to the website Annie's Remedy, a very healthy tea can be made from the leaves of the Cleavers plant. Annie's Remedy website is also kind enough to provide the recipe for making Cleaver tea.

The plant can also be eaten as a pot herb after boiling for about 15 minutes. I boiled a few of the plants and then added some butter and seasoning. It was palatable- which is a nice way of saying that you probably wouldn't want to serve it to guests, but that the taste isn't bad.

The Fowler's Toad - a Toad with an Odor Like Unroasted Peanuts

The Fowler's Toad is a fascinating toad that I have been acquainted with since I was but a little boy growing up in North Alabama. I lived in a suburb without any noticeable outdoor water sources like a pond or a pool- but yet we had many of these toads in our yard. They had taken up residence near the central heating and air conditioning unit located at one end of the house. The condensation from the AC unit would run out onto the ground- and this is where the toads made their home.

Toads are unique amphibians in that regard- unlike most frogs who need to keep their skin damp or wet- the skin of a toad is usually thick and dry. The toad's thick skin helps it to store up water better than its froggy cousins.

As I continued to read through various websites and books regarding this amphibian- the following were my favorite Fowler's Toad facts:

1. Fowler's Toads have been documented eating slugs, earthworms, sow bugs, beetles, and other small insects. They will only eat the earthworms, however, if their other food options aren't around- which is sort of like me and rutabagas. There is also an account of one New England city that had imported Fowler's Toads to assist with their mosquito problem. The thought was that many toads would eat many mosquitoes. Unfortunately, the town's plan didn't work exactly as envisioned- they now have an issue with too many Fowler's Toads, as well as their original issue of the over population of mosquitoes.
2. A Fowler's Toad releases a toxin from its parotid glands- which are the glands directly behind the eye ridges. The toxin is released when a predator picks the toad up with its mouth. Most mammals find the toxin distasteful and quickly drop it. However, snakes and birds do not seem to be affected as much by the toxin and continue to happily eat the little amphibian. But, there is a mammal that is an exception. . .
3. Raccoons are intelligent enough to flip the toad over on its back and eat it via its belly- thereby bypassing the parotid glands and its nasty toxic release. (source)
4. A Fowler's Toad typically lays between 7,000 to 10,000 eggs which will then in turn hatch in the short period of only 2 to 7 days into little oval black tad poles. It takes another 30-40 days for the tad poles to morph into the tiny little toads. (source)
5. This toad's scientific name was changed in 2006 from Bufo fowleri to Anaxyrus fowleri. (source)
6. Fowler's Toads usually only live to be a maximum of about 5 years of age in the wild. (source)
7. Fowler's Toads were named after S.P. Fowler, an early naturalist from Massachusetts.
   

And my favorite factoid regarding Fowler's Toads? Fowler's Toads have the distinctive smell of unroasted peanuts (at least according to this source.) For the record, I haven't sniffed one to find out- but I probably will one day.