LMAC turned 50 this week! A very young 50, with a bright future ahead. I enlisted some gophers and prairie dogs to help the community celebrate.
Gophers and Prairie Dogs
One reason to write about gophers and prairies is, I get to look at a lot of cute animal pictures. And I get to share these pictures with my readers. Here's a picture of prairie dogs kissing.
Yes, they actually do kiss, and cuddle.
Image credit: Brocken Inaglory (Photograph edited by Vassil). CC 3.0 license
Here's a great shot of a gopher coming out of its burrow.
Image credit: Leonardo Weiss. CC 3.0 license
These pictures illustrate a major difference between gophers and prairie dogs. Gophers are solitary animals and prairie dogs are social. As a matter of fact, you're not likely to find a prairie dog alone, and you're not likely to find a gopher in the company of other gophers.
Oh Dear, Prairie Dog Infanticide
While prairie dogs are excellent parents...the mother cares for the pups and the father protects the burrow...apparently they cannot be trusted with the pups of others in their community. Infanticide by males and females of others' pups apparently does occur. This usually is done to give a competitive advantage to one's own offspring.
Image credit: USFWS Mountain-Prairie. Licensing on this mentions both CC 2.0 and public domain (?).These pups are playing outside a burrow. One is apparently practicing 'jump yipping'.
A Youtube video of prairie dogs jump yipping:
When one prairie dog starts jump yipping, others in nearby and far away burrows will join in. One researcher suggests this is a kind of roll call, but no one knows for sure why prairie dogs do this. One thing is certain: prairie dogs are great talkers and have a complex system of communicating through different kinds of vocalizations.
Gophers Protect Their Territory and Their Young Ferociously
As solitary creatures that spend most of their lives underground, gophers are not easy to spot. However, their burrows may extend great distances in underground tunnels.
They come together to breed and then the mother raises the young on her own. According to Live Science, the mother stays with her pups for a few weeks and then the pups go off to build their own burrows.
Youtube of a gopher digging a burrow:
Image credit: Kim Flotlin, US Fish and Wildlife Service. Public domain.
This is a Mazama Pocket Gopher and in certain parts of Washington State (USA) the gopher is considered endangered. This is true, even though some people consider the gopher to be a pest. Its massive network of tunnels can actually make the ground unstable to walk on (remember Caddyshack?). According to Wikipedia, gophers are such voracious plant consumers that they sometimes can leave an area "denuded of soil".
However, the gopher has its supporters. According to Wikipedia, the gopher's tunneling and stashing of material can lead to "deep fertilization of soil".
Enough about gophers and prairie dogs, cute though they may be. I want to write about #LMAC. This is a party, after all.
LMAC
I'm a very mature lady. Some may be surprised to read this because of my very fanciful collages. LMAC is like a virtual Salon with no admission requirement. Everyone is welcome.
@shaka created the community. He does all the work. I don't know how he manages everything.
We have a school now. Notice, please, how I say 'we'. That's because @shaka has created more than a contest. Each of us has a role. That role isn't just to create collages. It's to support others who create. Some of the contestants are artists, and some are rank amateurs--like me. The doors are open to all. Everyone has a shot at winning a prize. Of course, the real prize is participating.
The rules for the contest and this week's entries may be found on @shaka's blog. Please check it out.
Happy Birthday LMAC. Happy Birthday @shaka. Thank you for what you have created. You can see from my birthday collage today that my imagination is unrestrained. Isn't that a wonderful thing for a very mature lady?
My Collage
I saw the stripped land in the foreground and thought of prairie dogs and gophers.
@shaka's Picture, the Template From Which We Were to Make Our Collages
I could imagine burrows under the ground, with little animals scurry hither and thither. These critters were going to help us celebrate LMAC's 50th birthday.
Elements
Gopher in the foreground: Unsplash
Lollipop: Paint 3D
Prairie dog with balloons: Pixabay
Balloons: Paint 3D
Three prairie dogs on the right, wearing hats: Pixabay
Prairie dog on the motorcycle: Paint 3D
Motorcycle: Unsplash
Parachuting prairie dogs: Paint 3D
Parachutes: Pixabay
Ribbons, presents, hats, birthday cake, trianHappy Birthday sign: Paint 3D
