Tag Archives: Georgia

Francine the Florida Softshell Turtle

Francine out for a walk between the creek and the house:

Nose

Species Profile: Florida Softshell (Apalone ferox) | SREL Herpetology

Like other softshells, the Florida softshell turtle (Apalone ferox) is a large, flat turtle with skin covering its shell (resembling a pancake). It is the bulkiest of the softshell turtles but inhabits the smallest range. It varies in size with males measuring from 6-12 inches (15-30 cm) and females measuring double that at 11-24 inches (28-61 cm). Adults are usually colored by a dark brown to brownish-gray with dark spots. Also there are usually small dark bumps on the carapace. In juveniles these dark bumps on the carapace are much more easily seen, as they are usually lighter in color than the adults. The carapace of the Florida softshell is covered with longitudinal rows of tubercles that resemble ridges in younger turtles but are less evident in larger turtles. In adult turtles the plastron of the shell usually extends farther than the carapace.
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USDA approves Non-GMO meat label

Now easier to vote at the checkout counter (or the farmers market), at least for non-GMO meat.

Stephanie Strom wrote for NYTimes 20 June 2013, U.S. Approves a Label for Meat From Animals Fed a Diet Free of Gene-Modified Products,

The Agriculture Department has approved a label for meat and liquid egg products that includes a claim about the absence of genetically engineered products.

It is the first time that the department, which regulates meat and poultry processing, has approved a non-G.M.O. label claim, which attests that meat certified by the Non-GMO Project came from animals that never ate feed containing genetically engineered ingredients like corn, soy and alfalfa.

Seen here.

-jsq

Purple okra flower and pod

Update: That was actually a green okra. Here’s a real purple okra and here are purple, orange, and green compared.
A purple okra! Just you wait, orange okra, in a day or so we’ll see who’s purple.

A purple okra!

Purple okra flower:

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Orange Okra almost ready

This is the same orange okra pod seen picked a couple days later:

Orange Okra
Picture by John S. Quarterman for Okra Paradise Farms,
Lowndes County, Georgia, 17 June 2013.

We’re still waiting for more to get ready. Picking plenty of green okra meanwhile.

-jsq

Corn snake in the hand

Snake in the grass and in the hand:

Snake in the grass Snake in the hand

Yellow Dog caught this snake by the swamp. She set it down when I told her too (I was surprised). When she and Brown Dog went off in the brush, I picked it up to transport it where they wouldn’t get it again. Snake on the skin: Continue reading →