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Living Outdoors by Bud Jones, Tallapoosa, GA (2025)

10/02/2024

Living Outdoors

By

Bud Jones

I cannot believe that October is already upon us with the leaves already starting to turn and will soon be covering the ground. I always look forward to the color spectacle that follows. It is my favorite time of the year.

Along with the annual colorings of leaves, another spectacle happens in the fall, and that is the migration of the Monarch Butterfly. This beautiful orange insect with black wing veins and a black tip on each wing is a paradox of nature. Whoever heard of butterflies migrating? Some say that only birds do that, but did you know that the Monarch Butterfly does as well?

We first encounter this beautiful butterfly as it comes out in the early spring. The adults fly about from flower to flower seeking nectar. It (like all butterflies), have a long tongue that is rolled up in a coil. When seeking nectar, this tongue is uncoiled and stuck down into the flower.

As spring progresses and the plants begin to grow well, the Monarch seeks out the milkw**d plant. It is on this w**d with its milky-like sap that the female butterfly lays her eggs. The eggs hatch out into caterpillars that are basically white with yellow and black stripes. These caterpillars live off of the milkw**d plant, then later build silk-like bags called chrysalises. It is in these bags that they change into butterflies.

It is late summer now, and these newly hatched butterflies begin to congregate in old fields and other places where there are a number of flowers. Goldenrods are highly favored. Sometimes their numbers are so many that it is hard to believe. Once, when I was a college student, I took a hike in the North Georgia Mountains. I came upon a flock of Monarchs that were clustered on a tree limb, and there were literally hundreds of them. I was flabbergasted.

As the fall season deepens, the butterflies begin to move south. Soon they are gone. For years scientists were puzzled as to where they went, and just a few years ago it was discovered that they spent the winters in the mountains of Mexico. There they live until spring arrives once more.

The rains come again and then the earth warms up. Spring arrives once again and with it comes the Monarch Butterfly, journeying all the way from Mexico. The female lays her eggs and then dies. The life cycle has started all over again.

09/23/2024

Living Outdoors
By
Bud Jones
In my opinion, one of the most amazing animals in our area is the Trapdoor Spider. I have only seen three of them and found one nest but I know that they are very plentiful. The problem with finding them is that they are so secretive and their nests are difficult to find. Normally they are nocturnal.
The Trapdoor Spider chooses a site where there is soft dampened earth. She digs a burrow to a depth of about 8 inches. The walls are tamped down by the spider to make them hard, and then the whole inside is lined with the spider’s webbing.
Now comes the amazing part. The female goes to the top of her burrow. She smoothes out the edges with her fangs, then proceeds to tamp down bits of earth and covers them with webbing. In this way a real tight fitting lid is built that opens on a little hinge, also made of webbing. This little trapdoor is so tightly built that it is waterproof, and if opened by human hands, it takes a knife blade to pry it open.
At night the female spider stays close to the top. If she hears an insect approaching the trapdoor is quickly opened and she dashes out and grabs her prey. She then takes her time in enjoying a free meal. The trapdoor is so well camouflaged that is nearly impossible to find.
The male spider lives separately from the female and very few of them are hardly ever seen.
Are you looking for a new miracle? Surely the Trapdoor Spider proves that nature itself shows the touch of the Master’s hand.

09/17/2024

Living Outdoors
By
Bud Jones
It was on a cold January morning and the frost lay heavy on the high w**ds and grass of the grownup fields. We turned the beagles loose, eight of them, and got ready for the rabbit hunt. There was myself, my daddy, and Bruno Smith.
We were down on Walker Creek where the cane grew in thick patches. Suddenly, Old Lady, the lead dog, barked and the other dogs ran to her. They picked up the trail of the rabbit, and their yelping and barking set up a wild chorus that was music to the ears of us rabbit hunters.
Rabbits have a habit, when chased by a dog, to run in circles, so my daddy positioned us so that one of us would get a good shot. Soon I heard Bruno shoot and knowing his good marksmanship, I knew we had one in the bag. As the day wore on I had killed four rabbits. I quickly cleaned them, and then hung them on my belt.
At lunch time when I swaggered out of the woods with four rabbits dangling from my belt, my daddy grimaced and shook his head. He had only one and Bruno had two.
Yet the best part was to come. That afternoon we skinned our game and cut them up for frying. The extra rabbits we gave to our neighbor, whose husband was an alcoholic, and they always needed food.
Now friends, the closest you could ever get to heaven on this earth was to eat some of my momma’s fried rabbit. She used a big iron skillet and I liked to take a hind leg, smear it with a big wad of butter, with salt and pepper. Friends, I just can’t describe it. Yes, those rabbits helped to feed a growing family. No frozen foods or like items back then.
Well, my mother and daddy are gone. So is Bruno Smith, but oh how I cherish those memories. I wish that our young people today could have such experiences, but I can hear it now.
“Mama, what’s that big platter of stuff you just put on the table?”
“Oh,” replied mama, its fried rabbit. Come on and try a piece.”
The boy sneers and shakes his head. “No thanks, Mama. Just reheat me some of that cold pizza.”

08/20/2024

Living Outdoors

By

Bud Jones

I have often said that if the conversation around the table gets boring, then switch to snakes. Talking about snakes always brings up some interesting stories and questions.

One such question was brought to me the other day: can a venomous snake bite while under water? The answer is yes, but a snake would have to be under great pressure to bite a human while under water. Let me explain.

Many non-venomous snakes that are water snakes catch fish, frogs, crayfish, etc., while under water. If a snake catches a fish, for example, while under water, it will take the fish out on a sand bar or on the bank of the river and swallow it whole. A venomous snake, like a water moccasin, will do the same thing if it catches a fish.

However, as an example, if a person is wading in the water and accidentally stepped on a water moccasin, the snake could bite and the venom would be injected. Here’s why.

In our area, the venomous snakes are the canebrake rattlesnake, the pygmy rattlesnake, the copperhead, and the water moccasin. Each of these reptiles has hollow fangs, and at the end of each fang is a tiny hole. When a venomous snake bites, the venom is forced through the fang, out that tiny hole and into the victim. Therefore, if a person is bitten under water, the venom is never exposed to the water, so the bite is still very dangerous.

When we think about it, biting under water for a snake would be similar to a person trying to eat an apple under water. It would be very difficult trying not to swallow water. That is why I said a snake would have to be under pressure to bite someone while under water.

Many years ago, I was on an inner tube in Greene’s Creek, playing with my daughters in the water. All of the sudden a copperhead swam right by my left shoulder. Had he chosen to, he could have bitten me, but we were both above water, not under water.

I think that getting bitten by a venomous snake under water, though a real possibility would not be likely to happen.

08/13/2024

Living Outdoors
By
Bud Jones
One of the best known, but least understood of all the birds in our area, is the Chimney Swift or “Chimney Sweeper.” Often called the “cigar with wings,” this little swift is a most unusual bird.
When spring first brings warm weather for the insects to come out, then the Swift arrives. Swift is an apt name for this fast little bird, as it darts through the sky in pursuit of flying insects, it is indeed “swift.”
A sparrow-sized bird, the Chimney Swift is gray all over with long, narrow wings. Each one of its short, stubby tail feathers are quite stiff. They have real tiny feet. They are so small, in fact that they can’t perch on a limb.
They are constantly flying, and when they do need to rest, they hang on the side of a tree like a woodpecker, and use their short, bristly tail feathers for a brace.
Probably the most unusual thing about this little bird is its nesting habits. Before the white man came here with all of his houses, etc., the Chimney Swift nested and roosted in hollow trees. After the advent of chimneys, the Swift recognized a good thing when he saw it and started to nest in chimneys.
Their nest is made of small twigs that they pick from trees while in flight. They take these twigs to the inside of the chimney and cement them to the chimney wall using glue made from soot and their own saliva. The nests are durable and withstand a lot of wear and tear. Three to five tiny white eggs are laid in the nest.
Hearing a strange noise upstairs one morning at daylight, I eased up the stairs to ascertain the commotion. With ball bat in hand, I walked into the den to confront the burglar only to find a scared, frustrated Chimney Swift flopping from wall to wall.
As fall progresses and cool weather kills the insects, the Swift heads for its winter home in South America. There it will spend the winter where insects are plentiful and the living is easy.

08/05/2024

Living Outdoors
By
Bud Jones
When I was a young, married man, it was my honor to be the Boy Scout leader at the First Baptist Church of Tallapoosa. I also was the teacher of the RA group (the Royal Ambassadors), which contained most of my scouts. It was my job to teach the RA group more about Jesus and the Bible.
One afternoon when the group met, I had promised them that after our Bible study I would take them on a hike down to the Tallapoosa River. As usual, my old redbone hound, Old Blue, was in the crowd.
As I remember, I had appointed Jimmy Lanier to give our Bible story that day. All the boys were quiet and respectful and Jimmy was doing a good job. Everything I planned was going well. Suddenly, about half-way through Jimmy’s reading, Old Blue, my hound, got up and sauntered over to the podium that Jimmy was teaching from. Casually he gave it a good whiff, then raised his leg, gave the stand a good sq**rt, then walked away. Of course, Jimmy could not suppress a smile, then an outright laugh. Suddenly the whole class was laughing. Even myself, the teacher, could not help but smile. Finally I got them quiet.
“Well boys,” I said, “I guess the meeting is over. Let’s just go on and hike.” Old Blue was the first one out the door.

07/22/2024

Living Outdoors
By
Bud Jones
Sunday morning I heard a wild turkey call in my own backyard, at least I thought it was a turkey. It sounded just like one, the only problem being that I heard this call from the tops of some very tall pine trees which is an unusual place for a turkey.
In a few minutes, after peering intently, I saw a crow sail out of the same grove of trees; I felt kind of foolish, for it was the crow mocking the turkey, that had fooled me. After consulting my bird books I found that crows commonly make noises like a turkey.
The crow is an unusual bird. If it ever comes down to what will be the last animal on earth, I think the crow and coyote will vie for top honors.
It is a large intelligent bird, well equipped to survive.
Crows congregate in flocks, sometimes huge flocks, so huge in fact that they can often do extensive damage to a famer’s crops. They are omnivorous, that is, they will eat most anything. Corn, insects, carrion, bird eggs, acorns, pecans, etc., you name it and the crow has probably tried it.
Their intelligence is legendary. If they see a couple of people walk into a grove of trees, they will stay away from those trees until they see those people emerge. If a flock is feeding on the ground, a sentry is always posted in a nearby tree to keep a sharp eye for predators. Their eyesight is phenomenal, and the slightest movement can be detected.
Crows during the spring, pair off to begin nesting duties. The nest is usually in an evergreen tree, though others are used. The nest is a bulky sort of affair, made of sticks, pine needles, leaves and other natural material. Here, four to seven bluish-white eggs, covered with brown spots, are laid. A crow nest can often be located by homing in on the guttural sounds that the young ones make.
The deadly enemies of the crow are hawks and owls. I have often seen crows chasing and harassing these birds of prey. The noise they make while chasing a hawk is amazing. They have also been known to chase and harass a fox just for the sport of it.
As fall approaches the birds begin to flock up; this is the time of year we tend to notice them the most. The fall flocks can range from a few dozen to several hundred birds.

07/16/2024

Living Outdoors
By
Bud Jones
There are some people who have a hard time believing the miracles that the Bible tells us that Jesus performed. I have never had that problem. I believe what the Bible tells us. In fact, there are miracles that happen around us all the time, yet most people are not aware of them. Let me acquaint you with just one.
There is a small moth called the Bagworm moth. It is usually dark colored and would be hard to identify. The larva feed on tree leaves. As the larva grows, its body secretes a sticky fluid, and this fluid allows trash like leaf pieces, sticks and other debris to stick to its body. Therefore it looks like a piece of the forest floor. It is well camouflaged in its protected bag.
When the time comes for the larva to pupate (go into the cocoon stage), it attaches itself to a twig and changes into an adult Bagworm moth. The female does not leave the bag but emits pheromones (chemical s*x attractants), that will attract the male moth. To mate the male thrusts his abdomen through a hole in the lower end of the hanging bag. Later the female lays her eggs in the bag, and when they hatch the larvae leave the bag and start off their life by eating leaves. Soon they will make their own camouflaged bags.
The clothes moth, so often found in your homes, is classified as a Bagworm moth, only the larvae do not make cases like the above.
So, do you have trouble with the miracles in the Bible? If so, you need to be aware of the miracles that happen all around you every day. My whole point is why criticize the biblical miracles when all around us are things happening that also are miracles too. Do you believe them?

*Cocoon photos compliments of my granddaughter Caroline Buttimer.

07/08/2024

Living Outdoors
By
Bud Jones
The Belted Kingfisher is one of my favorite birds. It is one of the most pronounced and picturesque personalities of the feathered world. It is a handsome, sturdy, self-reliant bird that makes his living by the persistent, skillful and largely harmless practice of an ancient and respected art.
This art that I am talking about is fishing, for the Kingfisher is an expert fisherman. Often I have watched them as they have perched on a limb above Greene’s Creek, patiently waiting for a fish to come by. When one does, the Kingfisher drops from his perch and plunges headfirst into the water. They do not spear the fish with their bill as many people think, but they simply grasp it; and once they have it, they fly out of the water and alight on a perch. Here they swallow their prey headfirst.
Some people have complained that the Kingfisher destroys too many fish. This is preposterous. The fish that they capture are usually the slow-moving species such as the horned dace, the carp, or other species of minnow. They will also capture game fish such as bass or trout, but this hardly makes a dent in the fish population.
The Kingfisher is about the size of a blue jay. They are a blue-gray color on the back, and white underneath. Their most notable characteristic is their large, crested, head, with a big, thick bill.
The Kingfisher is one of the notable birds where the female is more colorful than the male. As mentioned earlier, the male has a white breast, while the female has a white breast with a broad, orange band going across it.
I have always wanted to see the nest of this bird. Finally, one spring, I found one. On the banks of Greene’s Creek the birds had excavated a hole back into the bank. The hole, or tunnel, can be from four to six feet into the bank, and here, at the end, in an enlarged chamber, the five to eight eggs are laid.
Once you hear the voice of this odd bird, you won’t forget it. Usually, while flying, they utter a loud, dry, rattling sound that is loud and clear.
Kingfishers are resident birds that are with us all year. Normally you will find them only around water, where they are constantly looking for food.

06/25/2024

Living Outdoors
By
Bud Jones
Haralson County is blessed with a variety of bird life. Many of you are familiar with the robin, wren, crow, and blue jay, but most of our birds go unnoticed or unrecognized. Such is the Oven-bird, a bird of the deep, quiet woods, and found in our area only in the summertime.
The Oven-bird is a warbler, that large group of colorful birds that descend on us in the spring, and leave for South America in the fall. It is about the size of a sparrow, olive-colored on the back, with a white breast streaked with brown. It has a black line over the eye, topped with brown on top of the head. To those of you who might be lucky enough to see an Oven-bird, you’ll notice that it is one of the few birds that walks, instead of hopping like most other birds.
Why is the bird called by such a strange name? I used to teach nature study at a summer camp in Atlanta. While roaming in the woods one day, I flushed an Oven-bird from her nest. Quickly she scurried off, using the old broken-wing trick to try to lure me away. Even though I had seen her leave the nest, I had great difficulty in finding it. Built directly on the ground, it was difficult to see. What I found was a beautiful, dome-like structure imbedded in the ground, arched over with dead leaves and so perfectly blending in with its surroundings that it was nearly impossible to see. The hole in the nest was on the side, and the whole appearance reminded me of an old-time Dutch oven, hence the name, Oven-bird.
The call of this little warbler is easy to recognize, a loud “teacher, teacher” is heard in a quick, rising crescendo. Once you associate this call with the bird, you’ll never forget it.
Unfortunately the Oven-bird is becoming scarce. It spends the winter in South America, and its habitat is being destroyed at a rapid rate. Even in our area many hardwood forests are being destroyed, making it harder and harder for these birds to find a nesting place.

06/17/2024

Living Outdoors
By
Bud Jones
At this time of the year I am reminded of the importance of trees to the wildlife population, not only live trees, but hollow, dead trees. Many people think that to have a good population of certain species of animals, food is the only essential requirement. However, wildlife must have a place to live.
When I was a young boy, many of our city streets were unpaved, and many trees lined the streets, some dead and hollow. In these trees roosted woodpeckers, owls, songbirds like the titmouse and nuthatches, squirrels, flying squirrels, possums, raccoons, etc. Today these trees are gone and so is the wildlife that lived in them.
I remember two dead maple trees on the street that leads to the cemetery down from the grammar school. One tree was used year after year by the pair of redheaded woodpeckers.
Old time loggers and pulpwood cutters used to leave a few dead trees standing in a forest. They realized the importance of such trees as den sites. Today, it seems as if clear cutting is the preferred method of harvesting lumber, where not a tree of any sort is left standing. For the life of me, I cannot see why this is done. Not only are all trees destroyed, but the land is left open for fire and erosion to take place.
There are certain species of owls in our area that use only hollow trees for nesting and roosting. These are the barred owl and the screech owl. When their roosting trees are gone, then these birds have to move on.
As I mentioned before, flying squirrels, raccoons, gray and fox squirrels, songbirds, field mice, even snakes use hollow trees for their den sites. It seems that these trees could be spared so wildlife could use them. We must remember that animals have to stay out of the weather just like people do.
I remember in grammar school reading a poem titled “Woodsman, Spare That Tree.” The writer realized the importance of old trees for wildlife. We could make a similar plea today, “Woodsman, Spare That Hollow Tree.” It is the least that they could do.

06/10/2024

Living Outdoors
By
Bud Jones
Many years ago a friend told me that as a boy he had carved his initials on the top shell of a box turtle, then, forty years later he found that same turtle with his initials still on his shell, in the same area where he had found it years earlier.
This tells us that the Box Turtle, or terrapin as it is often called, is a long-lived reptile. It can vary in color but usually the shell is covered with some yellow spots. The male has a concave depression on the lower shell which helps him maintain his hold on the female during breeding.
Usually the male has red eyes and the female’s eyes are brown but this is not a sure way to distinguish between the s*xes.
Females normally lay their eggs in the spring or summer. They dig a hole in soft earth and lay from two to seven eggs in it. When her eggs are laid, she covers the eggs with the loose dirt and says goodbye to them. No parental care is given to the hatchlings once they come into the world. Usually hatching takes anywhere from 60 to 100 days depending on the weather.
Box Turtles have a varied diet. They will eat plant material, fungi, salamanders, slugs, insects, snails, and even carrion. When cold weather approaches they dig a hole in the soft earth and in the hole they enter a period of hibernation.
Some people think it is sporting to run over turtles as they are crossing the road. I think this is a terrible way to treat any wildlife but especially one that is as inoffensive as the Box Turtle.

05/20/2024

Living Outdoors
By
Bud Jones
Recently a friend of mine called for help. His grand-daughter had to have a special project for school. It was a collection of 20 different tree leaves properly identified. Notice that the granddaughter called her grandfather for help, because she did not know anything much about trees.
This incident got me to thinking about my own childhood (many years ago, of course), and how different things are today. When I was a youngster, we had to split firewood, saw it, and carry it in the house, etc., etc. Keeping the old wood-burning stove going in the kitchen was one of my jobs.
I learned that hickory was heavy and tough, and I knew what the bark looked like. Pine was light and easy to split; maple and ash burned hot. All these things, and more, were picked up as a matter of course while working with wood.
Today, things are different. Except for fireplaces, kids today know nothing about wood, and most could care less. There is a different world, one of television, computers, cell phones, and other technological advances. Who in their right mind cares what a tree or plant looks like?
I guess I am old fashioned. I still think that we ought to know something about the world around us. Not only does it help us to appreciate the wonders that God has created, but by watching the natural world, we can get an idea of where we have been and where we are going.
I’ll tell you what I would like to see. I think it would be nice if one of our schools (maybe a middle school), would offer a course in nature study. This might help children to learn of and to appreciate our natural world. They could learn to identify plants and animals, and of how they fit into the scheme of things.

05/13/2024

Living Outdoors
By
Bud Jones
Once again the spring bird migration is upon us, with birds of all sizes and colors moving across the West Georgia skies. One bird we are sure to notice, simply because of its abundance in our area, is the American Goldfinch, or “wild canary.” As a matter of fact the Goldfinch is a year round resident of our county, though many people may wonder why they don’t see this bright yellow creature more often during the cooler months if it’s not a migratory bird.
Well, actually, during the winter the Goldfinch travels in smaller flocks, usually eight or ten in number. They are close relatives of our native sparrows and are about the same size, and during the winter both male and female are colored with a dark green back and a dirty white belly; their wings are black, and with this coloration are really not distinguishable from the many other field birds of the area.
However, as spring approaches, the male begins to shade towards yellow and by June is a bright color with black wings and tail and a brief black crown on its forehead. This is the time of year we really begin to notice these brilliant birds in their w**dy field habitat. The female, on the other hand, maintains her winter attire, a drab greenish color.
Usually by late April most birds have built their nests and are incubating their eggs, but not the Goldfinch. This brightly feathered friend waits until June or July to begin the nesting process. It’s not that they are lazy birds, but they wait with purpose. An important component of the Goldfinch nest is Thistledown, and this plant does not mature until the early summer months. Thus the birds wait.
The nest is a small, compact structure of moss, leaves and grasses, but is always thickly lined with thistledown. It is usually built close to the ground in small bushes or blackberry tangle. The eggs, three to six generally, are a pale bluish white with no markings.
The “wild canary” is a beneficial bird in that its diet helps control unwanted grasses and insects. Its main diet consists of w**d seeds and grain and some wild fruit as well as plant lice and caterpillars. They also like to come to feeders when they are accessible.
For those who like to watch birds, the Goldfinch is a study in contrasts. During the summer, with the male’s bright yellow plumage, the birds are easy to spot, but as fall approaches, and the male begins to shade to a drab olive, it takes a sharp eye to spot them. Otherwise, it seems as if the Goldfinch has disappeared. They are, of course, still with us, but we just don’t recognize them in their flatter colors. Then it’s just a matter of months before the springtime and the male, in all his brilliant finery, is again about for us to enjoy.

05/06/2024

Living Outdoors
By
Bud Jones
I don’t dislike many animals; In fact, only a few come to mind when I think of certain species that I don’t care for. However, one stands out in my mind that I truly dislike, and that is the yellow jacket.
These members of the wasp family are truly bad, as most everyone knows. To make it doubly bad, I am allergic to the stings of these natural dive bombers, and wherever I am stung, it swells to a fat, red color.
Yellow jackets have a short, stout, black body, with yellow stripes. Most of the time we do not realize they are present until we disrupt their nesting area; Then they swarm out with a vengeance. Their attack is so fierce that they are dangerous in some situations. The nest is usually underground, but can be in a hollow log or some similar location. This nest, very similar to the common wasp nest, is made of paper like substance, that which covers a hornet’s nest. It can be as large as a bushel basket.
In this nest the larvae, or worms, are fed by the adult insects until they also hatch out as adults. They are fed on plant juices, pollen, etc. Even dead animal carcasses are a favorite of these insects.
I’ll never forget a funny situation that I got into concerning yellow jackets. I used to have a redbone hound dog named Blue. He wasn’t much good at anything, and fairly lazy, but I liked having him around. One day I took Blue on a hike with me. We were going through the woods and came to a big ditch, which was deep and very steep. As I pondered the best way to cross, old Blue just slid down the side of the ditch and hit the bottom. Then he realized he could not get up the other side. As he braced his front feet on the bank, standing on his hind legs, he tried climbing out, whining and barking at the same time. He really wanted out. As I watched him, I noticed a yellow jacket come out of a hole by his foot. He made a circle, then he backed in and popped old Blue in the rear end. He let out a yelp, and shot up the side of the ditch like he had springs in his legs.
Such is the power of this demon of the insect world, the Yellow Jacket!!

Living Outdoors by Bud Jones