Chia Seeds

Hello, I'm the OUTDOOR PROFESSOR from DiscoveringTheOutdoors.com/ 

Here's your outdoor tip on Chia seeds.

Remember the Chia Pet®--soak a clay animal in water, cover it with a paste of seeds, and almost by magic, you have a green, hairy looking pet in a few days. It was a great gift--at least for the giver. I'm sure many Chia Pets® never left their boxes, but they were also great "regifts."  This topic is a bit different for the Outdoor Professor, but it is a unique twist on the use of a natural seed.

The Chia Pet® name was first used on September 8, 1977 and is the registered trademark belonging to Joseph Enterprises, Inc., the originators of the Chia Pet. Name recognition for people of the late 70's and 80's was super for this "pet" and many people still remember the trademarked name today.

Over the past few years, chia seeds have become an important supplement for those wishing to boost their energy and vitality. Past civilizations discovered that these seeds provided a high level of easily digestible protein, omega-3 oils, and fiber. Chia absorbs up to 10 times its weight in water promoting a feeling of fullness that helps a person want to eat less. As an added bonus, a crop of chia is hearty, environmentally friendly and drought and pest resistant.

General characteristics of these seeds include:
Three times the antioxidant strength of blueberries
Five times the calcium of milk including boron to help calcium transfer to bones
Twice the potassium of bananas
Three times more iron than spinach
Twice the protein of many other seeds and grains
Lots of fatty acids with omega 3 and omega 6 oils

The list of potential benefits for eating chia seeds is a long one. Try an Internet search and you will find more than 100,000 sites discussing the health benefits of chia seeds. Two major health problems fall at the top of the list--obesity and coronary artery disease with weight loss/reduction of cholesterol vying for first place. Improved digestion is a claim also made by many including the helping acid reflux, IBS, hypo-glycaemia, celiac disease, and diabetes. Even improvement with thyroid problems is on the list of possible benefits of chia seeds. It is important to mention that some people find ingesting the seed paste is objectionable and feel it may create some stomach distress. But chia seeds are still popular with many people.

You may not be growing seeds on a Chia Pet®-- but you might try adding some chia seeds to your diet to take advantage of some of their health benefits.

 

This is the OUTDOOR PROFESSOR from DiscoveringTheOutdoors.com/

Additional outdoor tips can be received by subscribing to the Outdoor Professor Tips on iTunes or Stitcher.  If you enjoy outdoor tips, you’ll also find an e-book at Amazon.com with a collection of the Outdoor Professor Tips.

 

References-Additional Reading

11 Proven Health Benefits of Chia Seeds (No. 3 is Best)
http://authoritynutrition.com/11-proven-health-benefits-of-chia-seeds/

10 Uses for Chia Seeds
http://wellnessmama.com/4981/uses-for-chia-seeds/

Top 10 Health Benefits of Chia Seeds
http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/top-10-health-benefits-chia-seeds-6962.html

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Crawfish and Their Chimneys

 

 

Hello, I'm the OUTDOOR PROFESSOR from DiscoveringTheOutdoors.com/ 

Here's your outdoor tip on crawfish and their chimneys.

Crawfish can be a delicious part of the Southern cuisine.  Particularly crawfish tails are great for catching a variety of fish.  But what about those mud chimneys that you often see in a yard or flat area with high water table—water close to the surface?  Common crawfish burrow during the late summer, spend most of their time in the fall and winter underground in tunnels filled with water, and then move to open water in swamps, ponds and lakes.

There are a large number of crawfish varieties.  Most are about 3-4 inches long.  Crawfish are detritivores because they break down organic materials like leaves and consume lots of microbes for protein.  It has been said the crawfish eat everything and everything eats crawfish.  Crawfish are inactive during the day and come out at night to feed.  Crawfish predators include birds, raccoons, otters, minks, many other mammals including humans.  There is a group of snakes of the genus Regina that are crawfish specialists.  Just as other arthropods, crawfish have a rigid exoskeleton.  This is made largely of non-living tissue and does not grow.  This means they must be periodically shed making them vulnerable to predators for about two days during molt. Crawfish molt six or more times during their first year of life and are ready to reproduce by the end of that year.  Molting is done once or twice a year for the remainder of their lives.

Commercially Red Crawfish or White/River Crawfish are most common.  Both look red when cooked, but the Red Crawfish has heavy and thick pincers and the White have at least one long and slender pincer.  Reds are in swamps and ditches and Whites are most common in deeper water such as lakes.  Both can be found together and you probably get mostly Reds with a few Whites when you buy crawfish for your table.

Crawfish chimneys are smokestack-looking stacks of mud that appear in fields and yards in the spring.  Each one has a crawfish living in a burrow below.  Water-filled tunnels can extend down three feet or more sometimes straight down, but usually with some side tunnels and a room at the end.  Sometimes the color and texture of chimney mud is different at different levels as the crawfish brings up soil from different layers to deposit the pellets on the surface.   They use their legs and mouth parts to dig up mud and make into a little ball or pellet.  Pellets are built on the surface like a brick layers putting bricks on a wall. 

All crawfishes are capable of burrowing but there is not complete certainty as to why crawfish build chimneys.  The crawfish does have to dig its burrow to be able to submerge in water beneath the water table.  One idea is the crawfish has to dig its burrow in order to be able to submerge in water beneath the water table so it will not be exposed to predators.  Should a predator threaten, it can drop back down in the tunnel.  It may also be the chimneys job to help air flow into the burrows so that oxygen can be maintained in the water.

 

This is the OUTDOOR PROFESSOR from DiscoveringTheOutdoors.com/

Additional outdoor tips can be received by subscribing to the Outdoor Professor Tips on iTunes or Stitcher.  If you enjoy outdoor tips, you’ll also find an e-book at Amazon.com with a collection of the Outdoor Professor Tips.

 

References-Additional Reading

Crawfish and Their Chimneys
http://www.americaswetlandresources.com/wildlife_ecology/plants_animals_ecology/animals/invertebrates/crawfish.html

Crawfish and Their Chimneys
http://www.loyno.edu/lucec/natural-history-writings/crawfish-and-their-chimneys

Crawfishes of Georgia
http://www.gcsu.edu/crawfishes/ecologyandlifehistory.htm

Nature Quotient.
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Outdoor Professor’s Tips: Exploring the Wonders of Nature
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Flea Bites

Hello, I'm the OUTDOOR PROFESSOR from DiscoveringTheOutdoors.com/ 

Here's your outdoor tip on flea bites.

Fleas are irritating tiny insects that bite leaving itchy and sometimes painful bumps on your skin.  Even if you do not have a dog or cat around your home, you can have fleas living with you outside and perhaps even in your house.  Fleas do prefer your pet, but will take up residence in your carpet or bedding.  It’s not uncommon for fleas to jump on your ankles or legs in particular.

Fleas don’t grow much larger than a pen or pencil head and are light brown to black in color.  They do not have wings, but jump from place to place.  You have to squeeze them hard between your finger nails to break through the hard shells on their flat bodies to kill them.

Flea bites are small unlike larger mosquito bites.  They appear as little, red bumps often with a halo around the center.  They frequently appear around the ankles in a group or straight line.  Often you also find them around your waist, armpits, breasts or in other folds of skin.

Flea bites are very itchy and can become sore and painful.  Hives or a rash may form near the site of bites.  Extreme itching and scratching can lead to an infection.  Although not completely true for your pets, humans can contract other diseases from fleas.  Don’t scratch them or you can create a secondary infection with white tops on the bumps.

Fleas can store more than15 times their own weight in blood.  The short spikes on their legs allow them to stick to their victim.  When they penetrate the skin they inject saliva with a variety of substances that can cause severe allergic reactions.  They can be carriers of bacteria and viral diseases, and they can transmit tapeworms.  All fleas are parasites needing blood and females need blood to reproduce.  They need to eat about three or more times a day.

The red bumps from the bites will usually go away on their own, but the problem is to get rid of the fleas. Do-it-yourself solutions/chemicals are available, but many not work with a tough infestation problem. If you don’t have a pet, fleas will be coming from your yard or a neighbor’s pets.  Fleas prefer tall grass and shady areas around decks, storage buildings, or woodpiles.  Professional exterminators are best for a serious infestation of your yard or house.  If your pets continue to have fleas, you will also continue with bite problems.  Get your animals to a veterinarian to solve extreme problems.

Over-the-counter anti-itch creams will help along with antihistamine medications. Ice or cold water will soothe the itching. This also reduces swelling and inflammation. If you see many bumps with white heads or serious rash, you should see a doctor.  Fleas are not your friends and the real solution to flea bites is to destroy the fleas.

 

This is the OUTDOOR PROFESSOR from DiscoveringTheOutdoors.com/

Additional outdoor tips can be received by subscribing to the Outdoor Professor Tips on iTunes or Stitcher.  If you enjoy outdoor tips, you’ll also find an e-book at Amazon.com with a collection of the Outdoor Professor Tips.

 

References-Additional Reading

Is it a flea bite?
http://www.healthline.com/health-slideshow/flea-bites#1

Flea Bites on Humans
http://www.fleabites.net/

Flea Bites
http://www.orkin.com/other/fleas/flea-bites/

Nature Quotient.
eBook @Amazon.com

Outdoor Professor’s Tips: Exploring the Wonders of Nature
eBook @Amazon.com

 

 

Check out this episode!