Trina, sending plants out of a country isn't so difficult. But receiving them can become a nightmare. Agricultural/quarantine departments of government can get very agitated when something comes into a country.
Plantladylin, they're extremely common and numerous and so aren't a protected species here. Their nickname is "Fragile Wallaby" from their habit of bounding out in front of cars. Some people hunt them for pet and/or human consumption. I won't allow them to be hunted on my place. I get feral pig problems and have put up an electric fence to keep them out. The fence is low so that the wallabies (even the small ones) can easily get over. There's occasional damage in the garden from them but in my view it's minimal.
Need argument settled what is this?
how about pets then? LOL
Trina: Now, that is what I call cute ... a kitty in a dress! Although I never could understand why people dress their pets, I have seen some rather cute pics of dressed up pets! I just can't imagine even trying to put clothes on a dog or cat, I guess you have to start when they are young sorta like with children! ^_^
Tropic: It is sad to think of any critter being hunted for "sport". I can understand if it is needed for food but killing just for the adrenaline rush is beyond my comprehension. Having them hit by cars is sad as well. We've had a few Black Bears killed by cars this year in my area. We humans have encroached on their land and they pay the price.
A few neighborhoods in central Florida have had bear problems lately and the bears have been trapped, taken some distance away and released in the forest. Authorities tell the people to only put their trash out the morning of pick up, and DO NOT feed the bears, but some folks just don't listen! It was on the news yesterday about a family who left their garage door open, their cars were in the driveway and they found a very large black bear rummaging around the garage, tearing the place up! It tore open and ate a large bag of dog food and drank water from some container sitting on the floor ... then went around to the front door of the house and scratched the door all up, trying to find more food I supppose!
Now Alligator's are another story ... there are way too many of them around! I've heard of folks finding them in their swimming pools! Thank goodness our pool is enclosed! And, Florida also has a problem with non native invasive critters, snakes, iguanas, large lizards and ... SNAKES, BIG SNAKES! I'd probably have a heart attack if I ever came across an 18' python in my yard!
yeah I saw that! and pictures of these big snakes dying because the swallowed an alligator.....because people get them as pets and decide they don't want them any more for what ever reason and instead of finding a proper alternative they just release them into the wild! It's nuts!
I use to think people who dressed thier dogs were nuts, until we got the chupacabra and it's either dress her or carry her around everwhere because she's always cold!
I can see it now
a chupacabra
a gremlin
and a wallaby......LOL
Trina, Isn't the chupacabra a mythical demon? Of if the shoe fits sorta thingy?
Tropic, I was with you up until the toads. Ah, human food?
Hap
What is chupacabra?? I'm assuming some part of that little cutie is chihuahua?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chupacabra
I just LOVE Google.
Hap: I love Google too, can't believe I didn't google it! LOL, so it's actually a legend huh? The Wikipedia description sure doesn't sound like the little one in Trina's picture!
this is chupacabra
and this is the Gremlin...destroyer of aroids!
ROTFLMBO,
Trina, you have your hands full.
Watched about a program on Plantearth, or something like that and it was all about the chupacabra . Most of it was in 'rural/wayback/outback' type of areas where witch doctors/ shamin were abundant. But, dang. that dog looks just what they showed. hehehe
The cat however, I will have to think about. Killing aroids,...not that's a problem.
Nancy
well aroids and passies, she likes to climb up this Passiflora x belotii
and the pothos from above when I don't catch her quick enough.....she looks like jungle kitty climbing up it...the chupacabra on the other hand prefers my EE, the pink princess, the oleander, the ficus elastica, brugs and Dats
Oh trina. how you have made me laugh.
Well Hap I'm glad someone's having a good laugh,
I had to trim my tree roses back so I have all the clippings in a huge stockpot of water, some of the canes are almost 7' long, the Kitty named Chocolate, figured out she can climb up them to get on the counter and then pounce on the puppy from the counter.....although annoying, it is rather funny to watch
I have read that pothos can be poisonous to cats. I'm not sure.
i've never had a cat get sick from one yet
I'm not sure all cats would eat them. I had them for years and the cats didn't touch them. But who knows what cats will touch. That was just kind of an fyi.
I know I've a german shepard get sick from one and a stubborn cat who would look at me and pull leaves off on purpose....this littly kitty is just content to climb it and the passionflowers and munch on various cacti and succulents, puppy only likes the oleander, dats, brugs, and EE's. and any spicy pepper you're not getting because she already ate it when you weren't lookig, especially habaneros and scothbonents
lol She likes a bit of heat in her food, then?
yeah it would seem that way....she got mad at me when I caught her in the habanero's and took her out
Aroids such as Epipremnum pinnatum contain Oxalic Acid. It irritates the skin and gastrointestinal system if exposed to the toxin.
If an animal such as a cat chews on the plant once, that will probably be the last time, as the critter will have a bad experience. It would burn and irritate the mouth and throat so bad (worse that any Chili Pepper) that the animal would not do it again.
I guess there are thousands of plants that are toxic or will cause sensitivity to different extents. I had heard that a few Aroids contained Oxalic Acid but didn't know that Epipremnum was one of them.
Trina: Does your little pup try to chew or eat any of your plants? One of our cats used to love African Violet foliage. She wouldn't touch any other plant except those! Another of the cats used to like spider plants and anything that was grass or reed like! I have hundreds of plants and used to have to watch that cat like a hawk to keep her from chewing on something she shouldn't be chewing on. I finally started growing them their own little kitty grass garden. I would buy the seeds at Pet Smart, I think it was a combination of rye grass and some other kind. The cats loved munching on that and left my plants alone. They love cat mint too and whenever I go through the produce section at the grocery store I buy a little pot of cat mint (cat nip) just for them! They would devour a plant in minutes if I let them but I had to start putting it up on a high wall shelf out on the deck where they couldn't reach. One of the cats knew exactly where that pot of catnip stayed. If I was out on the deck, she would walk over and stand under that shelf, looking up and then looking at me and just howl! We are down to just one kitty in the family now and she doesn't mess with any of my plants.
The Nerium Oleander plant is extremely toxic. People with children and pets should be very careful when growing this plant. http://www.oleander.org/toxic.html
and the last paragraph here: http://www.floridata.com/ref/n/nerium.cfm
When I first moved to Florida in 1967 I heard about the toxicity of this plant and still see articles in the paper with warnings about this plant. When pruning, the pruned branches should not be burned as the smoke it produces is toxic. I've always been told to wear gloves when handling this plant and to wrap the pruned branches in newspaper for discarding. I have three large Oleanders in my yard and am very careful with them.
Brugmansia's and Datura's have toxic qualities as well. There was a major problem about 15 years ago with teenagers making a tea with the blooms of one of those ... acts as a hallucinogen or something and the kids were wanting to get high. Well, a few ended up in the hospital and I've heard of deaths from it as well.
This is a great article Palmbob wrote for DG awhile back, very interesting and informative: http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/499/
I am happy to report that all toxic plants are out of the chupacabra's reach, however the evil gremlin has decide hiding in the ficus benjimina and jumping on people or the chupacabra is her new form of entertainment
Kittens are so much fun! Every time I go to the local Humane Society to take donations it's all I can do not to bring home a puppy or a kitten (or both!) We are down to one kitty now, from 5 elderly gal's that have gone to kitty heaven the past couple of years. We haven't had a canine in the family for a long time but hope to adopt another in the not too distant future! The cat remaining cat we have was my Mom's and we inherited her when my Mom passed. She wants to be an only "child". She doesn't like other animals at all and I think she just tolerates us humans who feed her! LOL. No, really she is one spoiled rotten cat and we love her and continue to spoil her! My husband used to say our house was ruled by cats and that's been the case for quite a few years!
here's our new addition her name is Chocolate
So sweet. Is her fur as soft as it looks?
Hap
yes actually it is...and she's very lovable, starts purring the second you pick her up