Flora & Fauna: Delightful fireflies may decline; a donkey's tale; cats chose people; still time to plant; reuniting horses

Fireflies can make an evening forest magical.
(Photo by Tony Phan, Unsplash)

One of the most beguiling insects in the United States very well might be the firefly. Bright, blinking and full of light, the males put on a show hoping to win a mate. For humans, the creatures' harmless nature and luminous joy make them irresistibly charming. But their existence is threatened. "Researchers found that climate change is among the most serious threats to firefly populations in the United States," reports Kiley Bense for Inside Climate News. Darin McNeil, the study’s lead investigator, told Bense, "What we were really surprised to find is it’s also long-term weather patterns, like averages and things that are expected to change with climate change, that are actually the number one drivers of firefly populations." Bense adds, "As some places become hotter and drier, their firefly populations could disappear."

Once upon a time, Diesel the Donkey ran away from home and joined an elk herd in Northern California. He had always longed to live free. "Diesel’s story has made headlines for years. It first did so in 2019, when he ran away from Terrie and her husband, Dave, who after months of searching for their new pet, gave him up for dead," reports Jonathan Edwards of The Washington Post. "Five years later, a video of Diesel roving the California wilderness as a fully enmeshed member of an elk herd [surfaced]. . . . The video, taken by a hunter, shows Diesel turning, trotting and running with his more graceful-looking herd mates." Some of us are born to be wild. Watch the video here.

Driscoll's has worked for years to breed the
perfect berries. (Photo by Maksim Shutov, Unsplash)

Sumptuous and sweet -- it's hard to resist the delights of fresh berries. From the lush decadence of strawberries and cream to the perky freshness of a juicy blueberry in a warm muffin, America's berries have never tasted so good, reports Ben Cohen of The Wall Street Journal. "Driscoll’s had to figure out how to breed, produce and sell its most flavorful strawberries and raspberries. . . . [It's] is now selling those ultraflavorful strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries under a fitting label: "Sweetest Batch." . . . They’re expensive and available only in limited quantities. . . but Americans are stretching their berry budgets to buy them."

Why cats decided to befriend humans isn't clear.
Maybe it's the beds. (Photo by K.S. Matheson, Unsplash)

In terms of evolution, people didn't choose to hang out with other people. Instead, survival mandated that humans stay together in groups. That's not true for felines. Solitary and smart, cats decided to live among people, "domesticate themselves," and even fine-tune their meows to communicate with humans, writes Grace Carroll for The Conversation, a journalist platform for academics. "Originally, cats were solitary creatures. Most of their social behavior was restricted to mother-kitten interactions. Outside of this relationship, cats rarely meow at each other. . . . However, as cats began to live alongside humans, these vocalizations took on new meanings. . . . Over time, cats have evolved to use vocal signals that resonate with our nurturing instincts."

In the American West, many wild mustang herds are rounded up each year to be divided and sold at auction. Clare Staples is working through her sanctuary to return horses to their long-lost herds, reports Cathy Free of The Washington Post. "Staples began purchasing the horses and working to reunite as many of them as possible with members of their original herds at her 9,000-acre ranch in Bend, Ore. She also rescued wild donkeys from kill pens and took in horses that had been relinquished to other animal rescue agencies."

Carrots can be grown the in the spring and fall.
(Photo by Julian Hochgesang, Unsplash)

It may be mid-July, but there's still time to grow your own produce or herbs. "It is never too late to start a garden," writes Nicole Burke, owner of the Gardenary. "Don't believe me? I'll explain. First, let's talk about what your first frost date means (and doesn't mean) because most of us have the completely wrong idea about the 'end' of gardening season. . . . You can absolutely continue to garden after your first frost date in the fall or winter and then begin to plant before your last frost date in the late winter or spring. The only thing your first frost date tells you is when your warm season ends and your cool season begins." Hoping to plant this month or in the fall? Click here.

Flora and fauna: Cat is a shepherd; your fruit is sweeter; the American Serengeti; wild boar for dinner; Vt. prefers cats

Bodacious loves his sheep.
(Photo by Jesse Hirsch, Modern Farmer)

You heard it here first. A cat in Ireland is a shepherd. "If you've ever owned (or met) a cat, the idea of using one like a sheepdog is absurd. Cats hate to be bossed, they're too puny to scare a sheep, and they'd much rather take a sunshine nap than run around doing farmwork. Even though they have evolved to recognize their owner's voices, studies say that they just don't care," yarns Jesse Hirsch for Modern Farmer. "Still, as cat shepherds go, Bodacious is at the top of his field. He's assisted in lamb births, barbed wire sheep rescues and hypothermia resuscitations, to name a few. His owner, Irish farmer Suzanna Crampton, says she could not function without him."

Do your "cotton candy" grapes taste as sweet as cotton candy? Is fruit sweeter now? "Yes, though the longer answer is more complicated. Some of the most powerful evidence that fruit is sweeter than before comes from zoos," reports Bee Wilson of The Wall Street Journal. "In 2018, it was reported that Melbourne Zoo in Australia had stopped giving fruit to most of its animals because cultivated fruit was now so sweet that it was causing tooth decay and weight gain. . . . Among fruit breeders, the word 'quality' is now routinely used as a synonym for 'high in sugar.'"

Where the buffalo roam: Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge.
(Photo by Katie Butts, Fish and Wildlife Service, via the Revelator)

Efforts to bring back the American version of Africa's Serengeti Plain are underway. The project is "a call to protect and restore the northern Great Plains and the biodiversity it once held in great numbers. That includes swift foxes, beavers, river otters, bison, elk, pronghorn, black-footed ferrets, grizzly bears, wolves and numerous species of grassland birds," reports Tara Lohan of The Revelator. "In 2002, Curtis Freese helped launch the nonprofit American Prairie, which aims to establish a preserve of 3.2 million acres in northeast Montana. . . .The group's about halfway to its goal."

Wild hogs in a swamp near Slidell, Louisiana.
(Photo by Laura Prieto, Alamy via The Guardian)

Tired of wild boar committing rampant land destruction? Warm up the golden pipes, sing the ultimate Christmas carol, and then get ready for a feast. Here it goes: The boar's head in hand bring I, Bedeck'd with bays and rosemary. And I pray you, my masters, be merry, Quot estis in convivio ("As many as are at the feast"). "Some chefs, farmers and meat purveyors in southern wild-boar hotspots are bringing feral hogs into the food chain," reports Sara Ventiera of The Guardian. "They're transforming a nuisance species into a sustainable protein for human consumption. Chef Jesse Griffiths, co-owner of Dai Due and author of James Beard-winning The Hog Book and Afield, is one of the hospitality industry's biggest advocates for consuming wild hog." Menu ideas here.

It's raining cats and dogs. Well, maybe not raining, but there's a lot of 'em. "In most states, the percentage of households with pets is higher than the percentage of voters who voted in the last election. Dogs hold the lead in every state but Vermont," reports State Legislatures News. "And the percentages of cats and dogs don’t add up to 100% in any state due to the ownership of other pets that are neither feline nor canine. All those pets cost money, to the tune of $136.8 billion in 2022, according to the American Pet Products Association. Click meow to get the map.