Flora/fauna quickies: Burmese pythons slither north; time to tap and sap maple syrup; mounted archery as a sport

(Photo by Cristobal Herrera-Ulashkevich, Shutterstock)

From mysterious beginnings, Burmese pythons have been noshing their way north, "reaching West Palm Beach and Fort Myers and threatening ever-larger stretches of the ecosystem," reports Patricia Mazzei of The New York Times. "That was one of the few definitive conclusions in a comprehensive review of python science published last month by the U.S. Geological Survey, which underscored the difficulty of containing the giant snakes."

It's maple syrup time, and in Vermont, New York, Maine, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Ohio and Michigan makers are tapping and sapping. "Allison Hope, executive director of the Vermont Maple Sugar Makers Association, is optimistic about this year's prospects," reports April Barton of the Burlington Free Press. "In mid-February, Hope said she visited an operation that had been boiling on Valentine's Day, which is the earliest in a long time. At that time, their sugar content was 2%, which they were really pleased with for an early season boil."

Photo courtesy of Caroline North

Artesmis, Fred Bear and Legolas Greenleaf are all on the "Most Famous Archers" list. We may want to add Caroline North from Collins, New York, pop. 6, 000, to the esteemed roster. "North is a riding instructor and horse trainer. Her equine interests took a turn toward a more daring endeavor about five years ago," reports Jason Guarente of Lancaster Farming. "Eternal Flame Mounted Archery is exactly as it sounds. People shoot arrows at targets while on horseback. The sport is deeply rooted in history through military training and warfare."

Paying for parking. Ugh. Here's one place you might not mind so much. "With few exceptions, all vehicles parking in Great Smoky Mountains National Park for more than 15 minutes now need a parking tag as part of the park's new Park It Forward program," reports Eve Chen of USA Today. "'100% of funds collected from these fees stay in the Smokies and go directly back into preserving the Smokies and ensuring the visitor experience remains first-rate,' the national park said on its website."

Climate change and extreme weather are a power couple no one likes. The results are swaths of loss from physical damage, but there are emotional scars, too. "Climate change is drying out rivers, supercharging wildfires, raising seas, and altering the seasons as we know them. These disastrous changes to the environments we depend on for food and shelter are also harming our mental health," reports Sarah Gibbens of National Geographic.

Humans can do good things."With ropes, animal sleds and a whole lot of patience, rescue teams in California successfully pulled 17 large farm animals out of a thick, sticky mud trap on a farm in the unincorporated area," reports Deborah Netburn of the Los Angeles Times. "The sounds of agitated mooing could be heard over the voices of more than a dozen rescue workers as they struggled together to heave a black cow out of the mud. . . . After rescuing the first six animals, the crews had to set up a skid steer to clear a path to access the additional 11 animals before they were able to rescue them as well."

While not egg-ceptionally great news, the price of eggs has finally begun to fall. "Prices fell 6.7% in February. . . . With February's price drop, the cost of a dozen eggs declined to $4.21," reports Khristopher J. Brooks of CBS News. "Even though prices are easing, shoppers are still paying 55% more for a dozen eggs than they did a year earlier, partly due to an avian flu epidemic."