Go Play Outside Right Now: Gators and Caterpillars

Took kids out on the Hillsborough River this morning and had the rare opportunity to watch and listen to two male alligators bellowing. They do this during mating season to presumably attract females and ward off competing males. It was an incredible sight, the way they arch their backs so that their head and tail are both up out of the water, moving about as they expel air with a deep rumble. The sound seemed so loud, but with the competing noise inside my boat and a plane overhead, you can just barely hear the bellow in this video. What you can really see is their movement while they bellow. It was an incredible thing to see, a first for me and the kids, some of whom had never even been in a boat before!

The other first today was finding a Puss Moth Caterpillar (Megalopyge opercularis) on the boardwalk at Nature's Classroom, where I teach. My son brought one of these to me at a scout camp a few years ago, on a stick, and we identified it then. I will never forget it as it is considered to be one of the most venomous caterpillars in the United States! It has tiny little spines with venom beneath the soft looking hairs that hide the danger below. Touching one of these soft-looking creatures can cause severe pain up to and including respiratory distress. Tape is a good way to remove the spines, so I had better add that to my first aid kit. Cool water and an oral antihistamine are also good remedies. Luckily, I did not need to use any first aid skills and we all had the opportunity to see one in real life!