Looking upstream he can see for a great distance. It looks like a painting.
The ducks go to -and-fro, yellow and purple flowers sway gently in the breeze. An otter frolics near the shore. With hands that appear to be human it works at opening a freshwater oyster. Yes everything above the water looks picturesque, but under the water it is a much different story.
People often wonder how is it that such a hideous creature as a leach can attach itself to your skin and start sucking blood without you feeling it. The answer lies in the antiseptic they produce before they bite. They apply it to your skin, kind of like a dentist when he uses a cotton swab before he sticks you with a needle. You don’t feel the needle; you don’t feel the leach, or leaches.
Down under the water, in the muck surrounding Ryan’s leg s the leaches are searching. They are searching for the source of the heat and the motion. Four of them find a host from which they will feed. There are now two leaches on each of Ryan’s legs. They are below his knees and inside his pants. It will be some time before he discovers them.
After taking a moment to enjoy the view Ryan continues across the creek. Once again he feels the hard sandy bottom and once again the red-bellied pan fish and minnows scurry for safety as Ryan exits the far side of the creek. He looks back to admire his beautiful line of ribbons fading off into the distance from which he came.
He knows he can lead the way back to his father now—without a fancy gadget. He figures he will be right here at this point at around three o’clock tomorrow leading the rescue party in. He looks ahead with anticipation. Just ten more ribbons, or a half-a-mile, and he should be at the Oklawaha River. He starts moving through the knee deep water of the sweet gums. The shadows are growing longer as the light continues to fade.
With five ribbons tied and only five more to go until he reaches the river he moves with a sense of confidence now. He finishes tying the fifth ribbon and picking up his machete he hears a hammering noise not far away.
TAP, TAP, TAP—TAP, TAP, TAP. He envisions a man with a hammer. The swamp noises can play tricks on you. It sounds so close, and with the possibility of finding help he decides to make a quick detour.
He makes a hard left and walks in the direction of the hammering. His mind is running wild with the thought of finding someone who could help him. Maybe it’s the man who helped him out of the hole. He has only gone a short distance when he comes across a small pond full of waist high “pitcher-plants.” He had only read about these plants in his biology class, seeing them now gives him the creeps!
The pitcher -plant is just one of many carnivorous or meat-eating plants that thrive in the wetlands and swamps. They have adapted to eating meat because the soil is too poor to provide enough nutrients to sustain life. Some pitcher-plants are big enough to eat rats! He must wade through them to get to the source of the hammering. About halfway across the pond he peels back the hood on one of the plants and looks inside to see what it has caught to eat. He sees a lizard, some flies, and a half digested tree frog. Releasing the plant he shudders at the thought of what it must be like to be eaten by a plant!
The hammering stops as he looks around. Then it starts up again and he spots the source.
Up ahead in a dead tree is a giant woodpecker. It is the pileated woodpecker, the largest in all of North America. Ryan should be upset that it’s not a man, but instead he is mesmerized by its beauty, its striking red cap and black and white stripes—along with its odd looking feet. Most birds have three toes forward and one back, but the woodpecker has two forward and two back, making him much more at home on the side of a tree. Ryan watches as he leans back on his stiff tail feathers using them like a chair. TAP, TAP, TAP—TAP, TAP, TAP. He drills a hole, and then with his
The ducks go to -and-fro, yellow and purple flowers sway gently in the breeze. An otter frolics near the shore. With hands that appear to be human it works at opening a freshwater oyster. Yes everything above the water looks picturesque, but under the water it is a much different story.
People often wonder how is it that such a hideous creature as a leach can attach itself to your skin and start sucking blood without you feeling it. The answer lies in the antiseptic they produce before they bite. They apply it to your skin, kind of like a dentist when he uses a cotton swab before he sticks you with a needle. You don’t feel the needle; you don’t feel the leach, or leaches.
Down under the water, in the muck surrounding Ryan’s leg s the leaches are searching. They are searching for the source of the heat and the motion. Four of them find a host from which they will feed. There are now two leaches on each of Ryan’s legs. They are below his knees and inside his pants. It will be some time before he discovers them.
After taking a moment to enjoy the view Ryan continues across the creek. Once again he feels the hard sandy bottom and once again the red-bellied pan fish and minnows scurry for safety as Ryan exits the far side of the creek. He looks back to admire his beautiful line of ribbons fading off into the distance from which he came.
He knows he can lead the way back to his father now—without a fancy gadget. He figures he will be right here at this point at around three o’clock tomorrow leading the rescue party in. He looks ahead with anticipation. Just ten more ribbons, or a half-a-mile, and he should be at the Oklawaha River. He starts moving through the knee deep water of the sweet gums. The shadows are growing longer as the light continues to fade.
With five ribbons tied and only five more to go until he reaches the river he moves with a sense of confidence now. He finishes tying the fifth ribbon and picking up his machete he hears a hammering noise not far away.
TAP, TAP, TAP—TAP, TAP, TAP. He envisions a man with a hammer. The swamp noises can play tricks on you. It sounds so close, and with the possibility of finding help he decides to make a quick detour.
He makes a hard left and walks in the direction of the hammering. His mind is running wild with the thought of finding someone who could help him. Maybe it’s the man who helped him out of the hole. He has only gone a short distance when he comes across a small pond full of waist high “pitcher-plants.” He had only read about these plants in his biology class, seeing them now gives him the creeps!
The pitcher -plant is just one of many carnivorous or meat-eating plants that thrive in the wetlands and swamps. They have adapted to eating meat because the soil is too poor to provide enough nutrients to sustain life. Some pitcher-plants are big enough to eat rats! He must wade through them to get to the source of the hammering. About halfway across the pond he peels back the hood on one of the plants and looks inside to see what it has caught to eat. He sees a lizard, some flies, and a half digested tree frog. Releasing the plant he shudders at the thought of what it must be like to be eaten by a plant!
The hammering stops as he looks around. Then it starts up again and he spots the source.
Up ahead in a dead tree is a giant woodpecker. It is the pileated woodpecker, the largest in all of North America. Ryan should be upset that it’s not a man, but instead he is mesmerized by its beauty, its striking red cap and black and white stripes—along with its odd looking feet. Most birds have three toes forward and one back, but the woodpecker has two forward and two back, making him much more at home on the side of a tree. Ryan watches as he leans back on his stiff tail feathers using them like a chair. TAP, TAP, TAP—TAP, TAP, TAP. He drills a hole, and then with his
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