Armadillos in Catoosa County
A few years ago, a social work professor at my college was telling me that armadillos were coming into our region, a proof of global warming. At the time I was skeptical about global warming, which is now called climate change, but that skepticism is, I must admit, slowly eroding. I have lived a long time, in two distinct regions of the country, and in my life I have seen differences in "weather patterns" which I know, I know, is not the same as climate. What I see is more extreme weather more than continuously hot or cold weather.
This morning the temperature was 46 degrees. It is beautiful outside for mid-May anywhere, especially here, because by now the the afternoons can be very hot. It will be in the 80s today, maybe. I am enjoying the cool spring, and we've had enough rain to protect against a drought, at least for a while. I finally put in my garden, four rows of beans, six okra plants, four peppers, and four tomatoes. My husband is putting in a storm door to the back porch, my mother's day present, so I can enjoy my small back yard which is almost entirely secluded now because of the overgrowth over the years of trees. The mornings can be pleasanter, if I rise early.
But yesterday I saw some unusual roadkill. It was not a beaver or a ground squirrel or hedgehog. It was clearly, unmistakably an armadillo, and as I have seen a great deal of roadkill in Catoosa County (mostly possums and squirrels and rabbits), this struck me. Could it be that the warming climate has allowed them to come north? Or has someone brought them here, as they have coyotes (by hunt clubs looking for an alternative to wolves?)
According to Wikipedia (again, I know, I know, it's not an academic source)
One species, the nine-banded armadillo, (Dasypus novemcinctus), is found in the United States, primarily in the south-central states (notably Texas), but with a range that extends as far east as South Carolina and Florida, and as far north as Nebraska and midwestern Kansas. Their range has consistently expanded in North America over the last century due to a lack of natural predators. They have been found as far north as southern Illinois.
So, is it the climate or lack of predators (again, lack of wolves and wildcats)?
It is not popular for conservatives to talk about the environment, but I do not consider myself a staunch conservative when it comes to the environment. The problem, of course, is not that there is climate change; the problem is why and what can be done about it? The easy answer--use less fossil fuels--sounds good but unless they stop industrializing in India, Brazil, and China, we can make all the sacrifices we want and it won't matter. And a story from the AP today shows that windmills (windfarms) kill more birds than electrical wires, gas and oil wells, even endangered species. Do we trade one ecological evil for another?
I believe in creation care, but it is just an academic point until the American people search for a way to be less wasteful of water, air, gas, food, and animals.
This morning the temperature was 46 degrees. It is beautiful outside for mid-May anywhere, especially here, because by now the the afternoons can be very hot. It will be in the 80s today, maybe. I am enjoying the cool spring, and we've had enough rain to protect against a drought, at least for a while. I finally put in my garden, four rows of beans, six okra plants, four peppers, and four tomatoes. My husband is putting in a storm door to the back porch, my mother's day present, so I can enjoy my small back yard which is almost entirely secluded now because of the overgrowth over the years of trees. The mornings can be pleasanter, if I rise early.
But yesterday I saw some unusual roadkill. It was not a beaver or a ground squirrel or hedgehog. It was clearly, unmistakably an armadillo, and as I have seen a great deal of roadkill in Catoosa County (mostly possums and squirrels and rabbits), this struck me. Could it be that the warming climate has allowed them to come north? Or has someone brought them here, as they have coyotes (by hunt clubs looking for an alternative to wolves?)
According to Wikipedia (again, I know, I know, it's not an academic source)
One species, the nine-banded armadillo, (Dasypus novemcinctus), is found in the United States, primarily in the south-central states (notably Texas), but with a range that extends as far east as South Carolina and Florida, and as far north as Nebraska and midwestern Kansas. Their range has consistently expanded in North America over the last century due to a lack of natural predators. They have been found as far north as southern Illinois.
So, is it the climate or lack of predators (again, lack of wolves and wildcats)?
It is not popular for conservatives to talk about the environment, but I do not consider myself a staunch conservative when it comes to the environment. The problem, of course, is not that there is climate change; the problem is why and what can be done about it? The easy answer--use less fossil fuels--sounds good but unless they stop industrializing in India, Brazil, and China, we can make all the sacrifices we want and it won't matter. And a story from the AP today shows that windmills (windfarms) kill more birds than electrical wires, gas and oil wells, even endangered species. Do we trade one ecological evil for another?
I believe in creation care, but it is just an academic point until the American people search for a way to be less wasteful of water, air, gas, food, and animals.
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