moth balls

NN4505 Earl Plato
It’s over. For some seven years I paced off the fields on the west side of Gorham Road in Ridgeway. Why? That “purple plague” Purple loosestrife ( Lythrun salicaria ) was growing in that area each year and progressing into the wetlands. My records show that it had grown from over ten paces starting at the roadside to over 700 during those years. Now it’s over. A huge building development wiped out the aggressive alien weed. No more Purple loosestrife there but look around the town. It’s still here and increasing in number along our ditches ans into fields. Once established it is hard to remove. Any plans to control it? Remember it displaces good plants that are necessary food sources for many of our animals. ***
Amazing Helen Glendenning of Queenston! As of July 23rd, 2005 she turned ninety. Born in 1915 in Toronto of Scottish parentage she wrote me a four page letter recently. We should live to that age with such a clarity of word and penmanship. Amazing! Helen has written me before about nature observations. I share a portion of this letter. “ One of my family gave me a present of binoculars and a Peterson Bird guide which set me off on a lifetime of pleasure. ... I wanted to tell you of a curious happening this week. I had set out moth balls amid branches at the foot of my Blue spruce to deter raccoons from dropping loads of feces at the base of the tree. It didn’t work. .... The mothballs had evaporated into smaller balls and scattered about. I first noticed a grackle acting strangely. He picked up a ball and tried to stick it into or under his wing. He kind of toppled sideways in order to do this. The next day there were seven or eight of them doing “it” to get her. They would split the mothball into parts and run and pick it up. Right now there are two grackles fighting over a moth ball. I didn’t think any creature would even touch them because of the strong odour. They must not be very good for them. I have heard of “anting” and this could be about the same behaviour.”
Writer’s Note: Any readers identify with Helen’s unusual “moth balls and birds” incident? Let me know.