BACKYARD SCIENCE; MORE DISCOVERIES

This Prickly Poppy is considered a weed. The prickly plant can be a bother to bare legs but I think it's beautiful!
Medicinal Uses: Analgesic, narcotic, sedative, antispasmodic, anti-diarrheal, antitussive, diaphoretic, aphrodisiac.


A Kildeer


Poisonous Pokeweed, this had proven fatal to children!


The hunt


Emma picking some ANNUAL FLEABANE


I was sad to see that several large Pines were cut down last week. This stump is the sweet smelling remnant of a still beautiful piece of nature.




This giant Cicada got away after I took a few pictures. He was probably twice as big as our other ones and very pretty.


This was a cool discovery. He is a Wheel Bug, AKA Assassin Bug. These are a very unique insect, being "one of the largest true bugs in existence". They eat smaller insects by plunging their beak into the victim and injecting them with an enzyme that dissolves their insides. They are said to inflict a bite that is more painful than a bee sting and can take months to heal.
We took this one home for study and he is now a member of the insect zoo. :)