BUG NOTES: Perhaps there is a market for our vast quantities of
ladybugs.

Mary Ann Hannon of Grand Junction, Colo., writes: “Here in the
high desert, ladybugs are scarce. I have to go to a garden center
to order a packet of them for my roses. My brother in Texas has a
plethora of them.”

On another RTS subject, she writes, “I was a patrol girl from
Custer City School. Jim Cousins was the bus driver. We covered
quite a bit of territory on that bus. When we went to Washington,
D.C., we rode on a train from Port Allegany. We also rode on a boat
on the Potomac River to tour Mount Vernon. The trip was a good
experience!”

THAT SOUND: Marcia Neil of Stuart, Fla., writes to us about
that nostalgic sound we told readers about recently:

“Whip-poor-wills can be heard in the night-time here in Martin
County, Fla., very near the St. Lucie River. They can also be seen
during night-time walks near pocket-sized inlet and retaining pond.
Just as blue jays sound out when a cat is coming into an area, the
whip-poor-will may sound its special cry when a different sort of
creature ‘joins the pool.’ This condominium complex where I am
staying also is a crossing-ground area for cats, opossums, snakes,
toad/frogs, polecats, lizards, and occasional pigs and deer.”

SWEET SUBJECT: Skip Riekofsky writes on another nature subject:
“Has anybody noticed that there are a lot of honey bees so far this
year? And I realize that they are more active at this time of year.
I’ve noticed a lot here in Kushequa and even though I get ribbed
about it being so isolated the increase in bees may be due to the
fact that Kushequa is a ‘sweet’ place to live.”

With so many hives victim of “Colony Collapse Disorder” last
year, let’s hope Skip’s observation holds true.

NOT SO SWEET: A reader passes along a precautionary note to
anyone who read our column which suggested that skunk cabbage may
have some healing properties. “Please be careful when suggesting
the use of skunk cabbage for medical purposes! I believe that the
mixture of blood pressure medicine and ingesting skunk cabbage
caused the death of a friend. More research needs to be done before
suggesting such things!”