Bitter Sneezeweed

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While hiking in Mingo National Wildlife Refuge in Missouri, I noticed this familiar-looking flower. Though rather than being tall, like the six foot plus Autumn Sneezeweed in my backyard, it was growing low to the ground.

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This upper-branching native annual reaches 10 to 20 inches tall. The entire plant has a strong odor and is bitter to the taste. The leaves are narrow and located alternately on the stem.

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A member of the Sunflower Family, Bitter Sneezeweed has showy flowers that are noticeable in the late Spring or Summer and are located at the end of each branch. Each bloom has about eight petals that often bend downward at maturity.

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This genus is primarily found growing in sandy soils in the southeastern to southcentral United States, from Virginia to Florida west to Missouri, Kansas and Texas.

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With a Latin Name of Helenium amarum, the genus name comes from the Greek name helenion, which honors Helen of Troy. It is unclear as to the relevance of Helen of Troy to the within genus of plants which are exclusively native to North and South America.

Bitter Sneezeweed’s species name, amarum means “bitter” in Latin. Also known as “Bitterweed,” this plant is named in reference to it containing a toxic substance which causes milk to taste bitter when cows graze on its foliage.

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The common name of “sneezeweed” is reportedly in reference to the former snuff-like use of the dried and powdered flowers of this plant by members of some Native American tribes for treatment of blocked sinuses.

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Grass Pickerel

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I caught this very fine fish in a minnow trap while visiting southern Illinois in October. At an average size of about a foot long, it looks like a miniature version of its relative, the Northern Pike.

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The Grass Pickerel occurs primarily in the sluggish, vegetated waters of pools, lakes and wetlands. It is the most common and widely distributed pike in Missouri and Illinois.

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Like other pikes, it has a duckbill-shaped snout, a large mouth with many sharp teeth, and a single dorsal fin. Its back and sides are olive or yellowish brown, and often barred or mottled with a darker color. A dusky bar angles downward and slightly backward from the eye.

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This species hunts by ambush, darting out to seize prey from a place of concealment. Young Grass Pickerel eat small crustaceans, amphipods, isopods, and young aquatic insects. Larger examples eat small fish, crayfish, and dragonfly nymphs.

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Its sleek, muscular, torpedo-shaped body, with fins positioned in the back for quick bursts of speed, are perfect adaptations for its lie-in-wait predatory habits and are worthy of admiration.

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Soybean Looper

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While visiting a nature center in Missouri, I noticed a few of these moths resting on the outside of the building. This species is attracted to light at night and often sticks around until the following morning.

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This insect is small, with a wingspan ranging 1 to 1-1/2 inches and is mottled brown to black in color. It is robust in body shape. This moth’s forewings possess silvery white spots, which can be used to distinguish it from similar-looking moths.

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Soybean Looper caterpillars form loops, or rings, with their bodies as they crawl across stems and branches. The wide rear end is brought up right behind the head, bending the body into a complete circle, just before the head stretches forward again. They feed voraciously on the leaves, stems, and even the pods of their food plants, which include soybeans, goldenrod, lettuce, sweet potato and peanut. Other host plants include cotton, tomato, and tobacco.

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This insect’s main habitat is fields and cultivated land. Adults are avid pollinators, drawn to flowers by their vibrant colors and distinct shapes. While feasting on pollen, they inadvertently transfer it, aiding in the reproductive process of plants. Their interaction with flowers is crucial for the ecosystem, and Soybean Loopers (as well as other moths) serve as unsung heroes of plant pollination.

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The Soybean Looper is known as “Falso Medidor” in north-eastern Mexico. It is found from southern Quebec and southern Ontario through the eastern and southern part of the United States to South America.

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