This is what we came here for!! A boat ride with a naturalist through the Mobile Delta.
Observations
Tricolor heron, a white chested heron, used to be called the Louisiana heron. Herons were migratory until the 1980’s when they decided that the weather was suitable and stayed.
Pelicans always spin to the left immediately before they hit the water to pick up a meal.
We see several alligators as we ride through the wetlands. They were shy and would go under the water before we got close. One can tell how big an alligator is when you see their head above the water. Measure from the tip of the nose to the eyes. One inch equals one foot of body length, and it is very accurate. I am not sure that I want to get that close.
Cattails are edible and taste like bad celery.
Duck potatoes are found in shallow wetlands and produces edible tubers that have traditionally been extensively used by Native Americans.
Spanish moss has very small flowers.
Anhinga live in swamps and hunts by spearing fish. They are protected by the Migratory Bird Act of 1918. Their tail feathers are used for fans of a specific Indian tribe which are the only ones who can hunt them. Their tail feathers are worth $5,000 per tail. One man was capturing them and selling them. The FBI set up a sting operation and the man was found in violation and served a prison term.
Sea grasses make oxygen during the day and consume oxygen at night. This makes the water becomes hypoxic at night and the fish have to leave the area to find air!!
Bobolinks have just started to return. They can be identified by their afro.
Red wing blackbirds are often seen flying around to the different females in his harem of six. However, oftentimes his girls have eggs that he didn’t father. Hmmm.
The purple gallinule is as colorful as a peacock. One of the most vividly colored birds in all of North America, purple gallinules combine cherry red, sky blue, moss green, aquamarine, indigo, violet, and school-bus yellow. These long-legged, long-toed birds can be seen stepping gingerly across water lilies and other floating vegetation as they hunt frogs and invertebrates.
Convict caterpillar feeds on the delta lily seeds. His name comes from black and white stripes. The delta lily is part of the amaryllis family.
Different types of dragonflies and damselflies emerge every two weeks. The male and female have different colors.
Sedges have edges and are pollinated by the air on the flowers on top. Rushes differ from sedges by being round.
Osprey nests can be found in dead trees. They tend to break off during storms. Eagles make nests in live trees.
Whirligig beetles spin on top of the water. They smell like apples to us but the fish hate it.
White banded fishing spider, a voracious hunter, is known to make an underwater web.
A lotus with a white flower is native; a pink flower is Asian. All parts of a lotus plant are edible. In fact, lotus seeds are sold at the Asian markets.
Golden club is the oldest plant found in the fossil record. When it is put under water, it is irradedent and looks like silver mercury. When one takes it out of the water, it isn’t wet.
Civil War
Winton, Alabama did not vote to secede from the United States. They were a rural hilly farming community. The county only had eight slaves and they were owned by one man. The county did not want to commit to fight for either side. However, there was an Alabama regiment from Winton that fought for the Union and was often engaged in espionage.
The Battle of Blakely in Alabama was the last battle of the Civil War and was concluded just hours after Lee signed the surrender at Appomattox.
After our boat trip, I asked about seeing carnivorous plants. Ben told us to drive out to Splinter Hill Bog Preserve.
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