- Nature News | Marlene A. Condon
- January 2, 2024
The following nature story appeared as a letter to the editor in the fall 1999 issue of Virginia Tech Magazine, and was submitted by Everette M. Prosise, class of ‘68.
“I always wondered why a fighting gobbler was used to depict Hokie [the Virginia Tech mascot] fearlessness. A turkey is a turkey, at least so I thought. Its image as a fighter I accepted on blind faith. But now I have seen the turkey hen fight with a passion that would make the eagle seem tame.
“I was starting a grill at my farm and weekend retreat in Dinwiddie, VA when I saw a turkey coming into the back field. She had about 10 babies about the size of large quail walking with her. I watched with great pleasure the beginning of a new cycle of wildlife.
“Without warning, the hen took off vertically as if she had stepped on a land mine. About 20 feet off the ground, she intercepted a hawk that was coming in for a baby. The hen hit the hawk with its feet first and with its back almost parallel to the ground.
“The hawk flew toward the back of the field with the hen in pursuit; it turned back towards the babies, and the hen hit it again. They both fell about 10 feet and were fighting with their feet, until the hawk headed for the tree line and kept going.
“The hen returned to her babies. When they went back into the pines, the babies were very close to their mother’s feet. It was unbelievable. A mid-air fight between a hawk and a turkey. From now on I’ll be proud of our turkey mascot. Wish you could have seen it.”
So don’t make fun of the Virginia Tech mascot that’s based upon a very courageous creature!
Now for a personal nature story. One day I discovered first-hand the origin of the name “Touch-me-not” for our native orange-flowering Impatiens capensis.
As I sat by my pond observing the wildlife in and around it, I kept feeling tiny impacts upon my face. There were no obvious insects around me, nor were there any clouds in the sky possibly sprinkling upon me. Each time I felt something, I would look around, but the source remained a mystery. Finally, I’d been pelted enough to get serious about finding the answer to this mysterious occurrence.
I scrutinized my surroundings and smiled as I spied the Touch-me-not plants across the way. It was fall and the plants were covered with seed capsules. A slight breeze was blowing, causing the capsules to touch one another or other parts of the plants.
Touch-me-not seed capsules have elastic sides at maturity, and the slightest touch causes the sides to spring apart. As each side twists spirally, seeds are sent flying through the air with enough momentum to take them several feet away, where I interrupted their travels.
The breeze had not heeded the warning of each seed capsule to “touch me not”!
Marlene A. Condon is the author/photographer of The Nature-friendly Garden: Creating a Backyard Haven for Plants, Wildlife, and People (Stackpole Books; information at www.marlenecondon.com). You can read her blog at https://InDefenseofNature.blogspot.com.
You must be logged in to post a comment.