Tew Boys Outdoor Life

09/11/2025

Outdoor Women of Wiregrass

Registration is OPEN for the 2025 Becoming an Outdoors-Woman (BOW)!

Ready to try something new, build your skills, and connect with like-minded women? Whether you're a total beginner or looking to level up your outdoor game, BOW is a 3-day workshop packed with over 50 hands-on courses, from fishing to photography, archery to camp cooking and everything in between🏕️🎯🧭

Don’t wait, spots fill fast! To register - https://www.outdooralabama.com/programs/becoming-outdoors-woman

09/08/2025

Pygmy Rattlesnake (Sistrurus miliarius)

09/07/2025

Read Dothan, AL news. Get the latest on events, sports, weather, entertainment, lifestyles, and more.

09/07/2025

When people think of late summer wild grapes, Muscadines (Muscadinia rotundifolia) are typically the first plant that comes to mind. There are several native grapes across the southeast, though, including Frost Grape (Vitis vulpina). This grape grows across the eastern United States in woodlands, where it climbs up trees, shrubs, and fences. It produces clusters of small black berries in late summer and fall that are a good native food source for migratory birds and other wildlife. The fruits have a tart flavor until they are exposed to the first bout of freezing weather, hence its name - Frost Grape.

09/07/2025

Native Plant Spotlight:
Arundinaria gigantea (River Cane)

Family: Poaceae (Grass family)
Life Cycle: Perennial, clumping bamboo
Height: 8 – 20 feet

Did you know that Alabama has a native bamboo? Arundinaria gigantea, commonly called River Cane, once formed vast, dense canebrakes that stretched across the Southeast. These ecosystems were so significant that they shaped local cultures, wildlife communities, and even the way rivers and soils functioned. Tragically, today only about 2% of these historic canebrakes remain.

💚 Wildlife & Ecological Value:

~Habitat Diversity: Canebrakes provided critical cover and nesting habitat for over 70 species of wildlife.
~Butterflies & Moths: River Cane is the larval host plant for several rare and specialized species, including:
~Southern Pearly Eye (Enodia portlandia)
~Creole Pearly Eye (Enodia creola)
~Lace-winged Roadside-Skipper (Amblyscirtes aesculapius)
~Reversed Roadside-Skipper (Amblyscirtes reversa)
~Carolina Roadside-Skipper (Amblyscirtes carolina)
~Birds & Mammals: Canebrakes once supported game species, songbirds, and even large mammals that relied on the thick cover.
~Soil & Water Benefits: Dense cane stands protect streambanks from erosion and improve water quality.

Cultural Significance: River Cane has long been used by Indigenous peoples for basketry, mats, arrows, and other traditional crafts.

🌎 Gardening & Conservation Notes

River Cane is slow to establish but incredibly long-lived once a colony takes hold. It spreads by rhizomes and prefers moist bottomlands, stream edges, and floodplains. Planting and protecting this species is an act of cultural and ecological restoration, helping bring back a vanishing ecosystem that was once central to the Southeast.

09/07/2025

09/07/2025

09/07/2025

Some wise words...

"There will be countless moments in life that will tempt you to switch your character. People will disappoint you, situations will test your patience, and struggles will try to shape you into someone you are not. In those times, do not lose yourself. Stay rooted in your truth, hold on to your values, and remain the person you were meant to be. Because at the end of the day, the world needs your genuine soul, not a version created by pain or pressure."

— Chamod Senevirathne
Grow up ©️

09/07/2025

09/07/2025

📢Blue Springs State Park-Alabama is hiring!

We’re looking for someone to join our team in Maintenance. This is a part-time position with the potential for full-time. Must know how to service equipment, operate a zero-turn mower, and possess knowledge of electrical and plumbing systems.

If you love the outdoors and enjoy a friendly work environment, this could be the perfect fit for you!🌞🌲

👉Apply in person from 8 AM to 4PM at the Park Office.

09/07/2025

Native Wildflower Spotlight:
Melanthera nivea (Snow Squarestem, Salt & Pepper)

Family: Asteraceae
Life Cycle: Perennial
Height: 3 – 6 feet

Melanthera nivea, known as Snow Squarestem, is a tall, branching wildflower native to the Southeastern U.S. Despite its name, its blooms are not showy “snowy” petals but clusters of small, white, star-like disk florets that attract a remarkable diversity of pollinators. Found in open woods, roadsides, and coastal hammocks, this plant thrives in both disturbed and natural areas.

🐝 Wildlife & Ecological Value:

~Pollinators: A magnet for native bees, wasps, flies, and butterflies that rely on late-season nectar.
~Birds: Finches and other seed-eating birds forage on its small seeds.
~Habitat Role: Provides late-summer and fall resources when many native wildflowers have finished blooming.

🌿 Landscape Value:

~Garden Use: Best suited for wildflower meadows, naturalized areas, or pollinator plots rather than formal landscapes.
~Bloom Season: Summer into fall.
~Soil & Light: Tolerates sandy to loamy soils; grows best in full sun to partial shade.
~Growth Habit: Tall, often sprawling, with square stems (hence the name).

💚 Gardening & Conservation Notes:

~This plant is incredibly adaptable...often thriving in tough sites where other natives may struggle.
~Because it can grow tall and somewhat weedy in appearance, it’s best planted in wild or back-border areas rather than front-yard beds.
~Its abundance of blooms makes it a powerhouse for pollinator support, especially in late summer when food sources can be scarce.