TexasEscapes.com 
HOME : : NEW : : TEXAS TOWNS : : GHOST TOWNS : : TEXAS HOTELS : : FEATURES : : COLUMNS : : BUILDINGS : : IMAGES : : ARCHIVE : : SITE MAP
PEOPLE : : PLACES : : THINGS : : HOTELS : : VACATION PACKAGES
Texas Escapes
Online Magazine
Texas Towns by Region
  • Texas Hill Country
  • Central Texas North
  • Central Texas South
  • South Texas
  • East Texas
  • West Texas
  • Texas Panhandle
  • Texas Gulf Coast
    Texas Towns A - Z
    Over 2600 Towns

    Texas Ghost Towns
    Over 700 Ghost Towns

    Book Hotels
  • Texas | Animals

    Dove Key Ranch Wildlife Rehabilitation - Animal of the Month

    Turtle Tip of the Day - 2

    Top ten ways Texans can help our turtles and tortoises
    Tip 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10

    by Bonnie Wroblewski

    2. Reduce or eliminate your use of pesticides and herbicides.

    Herbicides and pesticides do not affect just the species consumers intend to annihilate with their usage. Everything from slug pellets to rat and mouse poison to weed killers eventually end up in the food chain. Turtles and tortoises that do not die from direct exposure to herbicides and pesticides may succumb to their effects after consuming vegetation, insects, or other critters that have been poisoned. Animals that ingest the treated plants and “pests” are themselves eaten by other animals who are eaten by other animals all the way up and across the food web. As apex predators die, the damaging chemicals their bodies contain are redistributed by decomposers, only to be reabsorbed by growing vegetation and the predators of decomposers, starting the cycle of poisoning all over again.
    Three-toed Box Turtle
    A three-toed box turtle enjoys a pesticide- and herbicide-free yard

    Pesticide and herbicide exposure may not kill chelonians outright, but may weaken their immune systems, making them more susceptible to diseases that will kill them or make them more vulnerable to predators. Birth defects and hormonal imbalances have also been tied to synthetic pesticide and herbicide contact in a wide range of animal species, including humans. Furthermore, chemical applications destroy the food supply for turtles and tortoises. Whether delicious slugs, mineral-rich “weedy” dandelions, or delectable marsh rice rats are the target of chemical-wielding human ire, they are also the sustenance for box turtles, Texas tortoises, and snapping turtles among other wildlife. So, next time you feel your irritation mounting when encountering “weeds” or “pests” on your property, try and see them from the point of view of Texas’ native wildlife: as savory specials on the daily menu. If you still can’t come to terms with the slug munching on your tomatoes, try some non-chemical alternatives, such as those prescribed at http://www.herbicides-pesticides.com, or foster a more natural environment that encourages the free, long-term pest control services of turtles and other wild neighbors.

    See Top ten ways Texans can help our turtles and tortoises
    Tip 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10

    © Bonnie Wroblewski
    http://www.dovekeywildlife.org
    May 25, 2011
    More "Animal of the Month" Series

    Related Topics: Texas Animals |
    Texas Towns | TE Online Magazine | Texas
    Custom Search
    ALL ABOUT TEXAS:
    Texas People
    PEOPLE
    Texas Places
    PLACES
    Things - Texas Attractions
    THINGS
    TEXAS ESCAPES CONTENTS
    HOME | TEXAS ESCAPES ONLINE MAGAZINE | HOTELS | SEARCH SITE
    TEXAS TOWN LIST | TEXAS GHOST TOWNS | TEXAS COUNTIES

    Texas Hill Country | East Texas | Central Texas North | Central Texas South | West Texas | Texas Panhandle | South Texas | Texas Gulf Coast
    TRIPS | STATES PARKS | RIVERS | LAKES | DRIVES | FORTS | MAPS

    Texas Attractions
    TEXAS FEATURES
    People | Ghosts | Historic Trees | Cemeteries | Small Town Sagas | WWII | History | Texas Centennial | Black History | Art | Music | Animals | Books | Food
    COLUMNS : History, Humor, Topical and Opinion

    TEXAS ARCHITECTURE | IMAGES
    Courthouses | Jails | Churches | Gas Stations | Schoolhouses | Bridges | Theaters | Monuments/Statues | Depots | Water Towers | Post Offices | Grain Elevators | Lodges | Museums | Rooms with a Past | Gargoyles | Cornerstones | Pitted Dates | Stores | Banks | Drive-by Architecture | Signs | Ghost Signs | Old Neon | Murals | Then & Now
    Vintage Photos

    TRAVEL RESERVATIONS | USA | MEXICO

    Privacy Statement | Disclaimer | Contributors | Staff | Contact TE
    Website Content Copyright ©1998-2011. Texas Escapes - Blueprints For Travel, LLC. All Rights Reserved