Susil

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Susil
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News From Mississippi

Life & Events > Blackjacks & Horse Cripplers
 

Blackjacks & Horse Cripplers

I haven't been out much since I've been here--it's too hard to load me in the car and get me back out again. I'm wobbly as a rag doll from the waist down. But my daughter got me in the car one day and drove us to San Antonio, and I noticed all the dead trees all along I-37. Thick clusters of black jack oaks, dead from drought, their skeletons black and gnarly, with limbs shedding off and falling on the ground like dried up arms.

The years of drought here in Texas are destroying these hardy trees.One landowner, and only one I've noticed so far, has piled up great piles of dead trees and limbs in preparation for when the burn ban is lifted. All I can think of is how much wood is going to waste

.Here in mid-Texas where I am, There is an escarpment near the house, and a ravine where once a creek or river must have run, now it's all dry bed. Boulders and rocks of all kinds are embedded in the escarpment. Zee on one of her excursions to look for arrowheads and rock specimens saw a patch of cacti that are becoming increasingly rare in the wild, a "Horse Crippler Cactus."  She brought them home and potted them up.

They are barrel shaped (these were small ones). They have fine bristles that imbed themselves in your flesh and are very painful.This cacti form M&M sized red round things on top. I opened one up and there were teeny little black seeds inside, or maybe the impending flower. Deer love these, but how they can eat them with without suffering pain I don't know.Bye for now, love from susil

posted on Jan 29, 2013 12:37 PM ()

Comments:

The drought is very worrisome. Predictions indicate it is likely to continue, sadly, due to climate change.
comment by marta on Feb 3, 2013 8:32 AM ()
Hi marta; well, the predictions are that the drought isn't over yet. I had no idea how bad it was till I came here.
reply by susil on Feb 3, 2013 12:37 PM ()
I didn't think you could kill black jacks. We have them in abundance.
We have horse crippler cactus too, I just didn't know what to call it.
comment by elderjane on Jan 30, 2013 10:09 AM ()
Hi jeri; Folks who live here say it's the worst drought in memory and the trees suffered. the horse crippler cactus is what locals call it; I don't know it's real name!
reply by susil on Feb 3, 2013 12:42 PM ()
comment by jondude on Jan 30, 2013 5:19 AM ()
hI jon; hope you are staying warm! Thanks for reading..
reply by susil on Feb 3, 2013 12:45 PM ()
drought --certainly a long one there, ours lasted in all 7 years with rainfall well below average.our govenment has since built a desalination plant in case of drought occuring as bad again.
Pity we cant send the floodwaters at present in queensland over to you , it all flows out to the sea
comment by kevinshere on Jan 29, 2013 8:33 PM ()
Hi kev; When it does rain it'll be a gully buster with floods all over==that's the way it goes here.
I must say I think desalinization plants are something all countries will need in the future. ]
reply by susil on Feb 3, 2013 12:55 PM ()
I like cacti are very interesting. One reason I like then is because they are so hardy.
comment by larryb on Jan 29, 2013 5:58 PM ()
Hi larry; cacti are one of my favorite family of plants--low maintenance!
reply by susil on Feb 3, 2013 12:57 PM ()
Cacti are so interesting. All of them are supposed to bloom, but we've got some transplanted variety that has been growing well, but so far no flowers.
comment by troutbend on Jan 29, 2013 2:38 PM ()
Hi Laura; Zee has cacti and other plants marking the boundary on her property and most of them have flower buds already---they make such pretty flowers!
reply by susil on Feb 3, 2013 1:03 PM ()

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