F. Lynne Bachleda - Wild Chicago: Animals, Reptiles, Insects, and Plants to Watch Out for at Home, at the Park, and in the Woods

Copyright 2013 by F. Lynne Bachleda
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, or by any means electronic, mechanical, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the copyright holder, except for brief quotations used in reviews.

For further information, contact the publisher at:
Clerisy Press
306 Greenup Street
Covington, KY 41011
clerisypress.com
a division of Keen Communications

CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA IS AVAILABLE FROM THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
ISBN-13: 978-1-57860-529-3
eISBN: 978-1-57860-530-9

Distributed by Publishers Group West
Printed in the United States of America
First edition, first printing
Cover design by Scott McGrew
Text design by Stephen Sullivan

Cover photo credits:
( top row ) massasauga snakeWikimedia Commons, Tim Vickers;
northern black widow spider Wikimedia Commons, James Gathany;
Canada geese Wikimedia Commons, Pep1863.
( bottom row ) wheel bugWikimedia Commons, jeffreyw;
white-tailed deerWikimedia Commons, Scott Bauer;
paper waspWikimedia Commons, Bruce J. Marlin

Dedicated to the well-being of all.
And to my friends, who are my family.

Yes, it is a wild jungle out there. But mostly its a fascinating, fun, beau- tiful, mysterious, and safe wild world. I hope that this book helps you appreciate all those dimensions of nature in the Chicago area. The real jungle may, in fact, be in your mind if you harbor irrational fears about what can harm you. I promise this book will help you separate myth from fact and replace fear with respect.

I want to encourage lots of happy, confident engagement with the natural world. Having this knowledge handyin my head and also as a tangible ready referencegives me a sense of assurance. I can also honestly say I think every home ought to have a copy because whats in this book can make your life easier and maybe even save it, too. But take heart, gentle readers. Many of the names in the stories in this book have been changed to protect the guilty. Most of this stuff happened to me. See? It really is hard to die out there. So read, absorb, relax, and enjoy. It truly is a marvelous and miraculous planet.

F. LYNNE BACHLEDA

We often like to forget the fact that we are mammalswarm-blooded creatures with body hair and females with mammary glands that secrete milk to nourish young. You might think that other mammals pose the greatest danger to you, and in one sense you would be dead right about that: we humans are by far the most dangerous mammals on earth. According to the F.B.I. an estimated 14,748 persons were murdered and manslaughtered nationwide in 2010. In comparison there were roughly 50 fatalities from exposure to animals including bats, cats, dogs, foxes, raccoons, rodents, lagomorphs (rabbits and hares), skunks, and other mammals.

That said, it is a very foolish person indeed who engages any wild animal. Dont make friendly overtures toward any wild species, plus dogs you dont know. Even field mice will bite, and they can carry disease and cause infection. So if you are tempted to rescue one from the jaws of your house cat, grab a dishtowel first to shield your hands. The panicked mouse will draw blood if it cana perfect example of how an apparently innocent encounter with a wild animalwhose instincts drive an agenda quite different from yourscan turn nasty quickly.

Basically, Chicago-area mammals can affect you in a limited but powerful number of ways: bites, sprays, disease, and auto accidents.

When threatened or angered, we are all likely to use any means necessary to communicate our needs and passions. Most people can identify with the statement, I just snapped. Other mammals, unable simply to slam a fist on the table in vexation, can snap, too.

Again, we want to stress the extreme unlikelihood of your encounter with the teeth of a wild animal unless you do something foolishand our intent is to minimize that possibility. It is impossible, though, and not even desirable to take the risk out of dangerous or deadly encounters with animals. Such encounters are inescapable in nature. Animal expert Stephen Herrero argues the point about bears, but it applies to all wild animals: Youve got to have some tolerance to risk. You reduce it [risk] to zero, youve reduced the bears to zero, too.

The danger of a close encounter of the fang kind is greatest at home. Our companion animals, domestic dogs and cats, are many times more likely to bite humans than are their wild country cousins. Good Samaritans who are trying to help an injured dog or cat, even if it is their own pet, should be especially cautious. If it can be accomplished safely, injured dogs should be muzzled; otherwise it might be better to wait for animal control assistance.

WILD THANG, I THINK YOU MOVE ME

In nature, its always good to expect the unexpected. Just ask former President Jimmy Carter. You may recall that he was attacked by a garden-variety rabbit while vacationing in Plains, Georgia. While fishing from a canoe in a pond, he spotted a rabbit with a real attitude swimming furiously toward him. Though the rabbits problem was never identified precisely, Carter later speculated that the highly agitated lagomorph was fleeing a predator. Whatever the case, the rabbit was clearly troubled. It was hissing menacingly, its teeth flashing and nostrils flared and making straight for the President, a press account said. Fortunately for all, Carter deflected the frenzied beast with his canoe paddle before the Secret Service was forced to plug the bunny to save the prez. The moral of the story is: Its a jungle out there. En garde!