Shibataea kumasaca, Ruscus Bamboo

     I'm not even sure how I got this plant. . I don't think I bought it, or did I? No, I think I would remember if I had bought a dwarf clumping bamboo, because it's very cool -

now that I know it's not a weed trying to take over the lemon tree. 

     Indeed, bamboos are cool. I have another larger grass that I quite enjoy because it's beautiful and grows well. And more importantly, it's edible to the rabbits.  These grasses can be very helpful in their ability to displace weeds. They are also easy to harvest and bring to the rabbits.

Ilex verticellata, Winterberry

     This beauty was growing at the Aripeka entrance of the Weeki Wachee Preserve. It looks similar to Brazilian Pepper, so I wasn't about to touch it. Which is a good thing, because as I read about it sounds like there's not too much use for this plant medicinally. That being said, the berries supposedly contain caffeine and theobromine, a caffeine metabolite that has some unpleasant effects. It is also the reason why chocolate is poisonous to dogs. It sounds like it would be difficult to isolate that perfect amount of berry that would grant a caffeine boost without also granting theobromine poisoning to humans, which causes seizures and death.

     That being said, hollies are beautiful in the winter.

Why I Switched Credit Cards Like Leaving a Bad Job Behind, and Haven't Looked Back

     Not long ago I did something I never do, specifically, I got a new credit card. Previously for most of my adult life I had been using credit cards that gave reward points, which I had used to buy Christmas presents with. 

     Fueled by a head spinning with ideas about travel reward hacking, I decided that it was silly to get reward points. I don't travel much, but the idea of shopping around for cards is a good one. 

     So I applied for a credit card that gives 1.5% cash back. I know that's pretty common, but the credit limit on this card is about 10 times higher than on my previous cards. More importantly, this 1.5% is deposited into an investment account, which I could transfer to my checking account to pay for Christmas presents with. Or could invest the money.

     If you are interested in this card, email me, and I will send you a link to it. Tentance  at gmail.

Duck Potato, Sagittaria platyphylla, Delta Arrowhead

     I once stole this plant from a ditch at the community College. No really,  I really did do that. I wasn't arrested either. It almost tops the time I took cattail from the ditch at the hospital. I wasn't arrested then either. 

     Actually I didn't know what this was until it made a pretty white flower, and now I love it. I had wanted to buy duck potato because I had read that it's edible to, well, ducks. Possibly rabbits? Not sure. But now that I have this plant, all I have to do is propagate it, and I will have unlimited duck food! Mwa haha.

     Supposedly the underground tubers are eaten by ducks and snapping turtles. It sounds like a great plant to grow. Supposedly it can be propagated by transplanting the tubers. Also supposedly, it was a major food source for the Native Americans that lived in the Okeechobee area.