Flora and Fauna Hiking Guide

Flora and Fauna Hiking Guide Know Your Fauna Common Animal Tracks in the U.S. | = animal's location Beaver Eastern cottontail rabbit Н: 6" F:3" H:4" F:1" Raccoon Eastern gray squirrel H:4" F:2 2" H:24" F:1%" Opossum Coyote Н: 2" F:1%" H:2 4" F:2 2" Red fox Black bear H:2" F:2 " H:7-9" F:4 2" Bobcat Whitetail deer Н: 2" F:2" H:2 2-3" Identifying Your Flora Chow Down Keep an eye out for these edible plants on your hike. Always practice caution, eat a tiny portion of the plant, and wait 30 minutes to an hour to digest. If no nausea or sickness occurs, it can be assumed safe to eat. Fruits and Berries Wild blackberries Blueberries Mulberries Persimmons Elderberries Gooseberries Shoots, Flowers, and Leaves Cactus ! Avoid spine Agave ! Avoid spine Daylily flowers and roots Cattail shoot ! Avoid milk sap Prickly leaf lettuce Nuts Acorns from oak tree Nuts from hickory tree Seeds from acacia tree Mushrooms Use caution, picking the wrong mushroom can cause serious illness or death. Morel Family Half-free morel Yellow morel Black morel Caesar's mushroom Look out for poisonous close cousin that has white speckles, these can wash off in heavy rain. Tubers and Bulbs Rinse and boil before eating. Onion grass Wild onion Wild carrots Wild garlic Wood sorrel Indian cucumber Look Out! Plants to streer clear of on your hike: Poison ivy Characteristics: Side Effects: Treatment: • 3 glossy, oval leaflets • Green in the summer • Yellow, orange, or red in the fall and spring • Plant is ¾ to 4 inches long • Stems can be red or green E Wash area with soap ! Rash ! Blisters and water after contact E Avoid scratching H Over-the-counter skin medications E Antibiotic ointments Poison sumac Characteristics: Side Effects: Treatment: • 9 to 13 untoothed leaflets connected by a red stem • Green with flowers or white berries in the summer • Yellow, scarlet, or purple in the fall • Size of small tree to large shrub ! Swelling ! Itching ! Redness E Wash hands and under fingernails to prevent spreading E Antihistamines I Oral and topical steroids Poison oak Characteristics: Side Effects: Treatment: • 3 shiny leaves • Light brown or gray stems • Green in the summer • Yellow, orange, or reddish I Wash hands and under fingernails to prevent spreading E Oatmeal bath E Hydrocortisone cream W Antihistamine ! Burning ! Itching ! Rash black in the fall • Plant is 1 to 6 feet tall Holly Characteristics: Side Effects: Treatment: ! If berries ingested [leaves are not poisonous] • Nausea • Vomiting • Diarrhea • Central nervous system depression Only in extreme cases I Go to emergency room immediately • Green leaves with pointed tips and red berries • Grayish-brown bark • Berries mature in fall and stay on through winter • Leaves are 2–4 inches long • Plant is 15 to 30 feet tall Wood nettle/stinging nettle Characteristics: Side Effects: Treatment: ! Redness ! Severe itching E Wash area with soap • Triangular or heart-shaped leaves with linear bumps • Green flower clusters, brown seed-like fruit, and stinging hairs are also found on plant • Leaves decrease in size as they go up stem • Leaves are 1 to 6 centimeters long, 1 to 4 centimeters wide • Plant is 3 to 6½ feet tall and water after contact E Apply paste of water and baking soda to area to alleviate itching Hemlock Characteristics: Side Effects: Treatment: • Leaves and flowers similar to parsnips and carrots • Foliage resembles fern leaves • Purple blotched stem • Musty odor when fresh • Plant can be up to 10 feet tall ! If ingested • Nausea • Vomiting • Confusion • Burning mouth • Paralysis • Respiratory distress • Death E Go to emergency room immediately From spotting tracks to identifying poisonous plants, recognizing potential dangers while hiking can help make your hike safer and more enjoyable. animals.nationalgeographic.com commons.wikimedia.org defenders.org edibleplantproject.org en.wikipedia.org fineartamerica.com flickr.com kremp.com luminearth.com ryanbuda.hubpages.com sites.google.com mississippi-crops.com mooseyscountrygarden.com msuturfweeds.net store.isons.com stumpjack.com telegraph.co.uk theguardian.com udleditions.cast.org newmexicomyco.org opsu.edu organicauthority.com outdoorlife.com freerepublic.com galleryhip.com identifythatplant.com whisperingearth.co.uk wildlifeonline.me.uk pailandpie.com placesonline.com worldofsucculents.com FIX .com