Venomous Animals!!!! of Virginia

I have an upcoming Survival Seminar this weekend to take place in Virginia. It's always best to be prepared for the worst so today I'd like to cover some of the Venomous animals to look out for in Virginia.

It's near the end of October approaching November so luckily the snakes are probably already entering hibernation as well as so they won't need to be worried about but it's always nice to in case someone has horrible luck or disturbs an active venomous snake. The other venomous fiends we have to keep our eyes out for and can be active at this time of year are spiders.

I am a part time park naturalist and would like to express that animals even though some are venomous are just trying to protect themselves and view "you" as the threat. So even though these animals may be dangerous to you would be better off if you left them alone in the 1st place and may just be a chance encounter. You Can Outrun All Of These Guys Listed, but take note so you too can be safe.

First I'd like to point out the difference between Venomous and Poisonous. Venomous is to be injected with a solution that makes you ill and has many affects, but Poison is a substance that when ingested makes you ill.

The Snakes;
First I would suggest taking a look at this link and knowing how to care for venomous snake bites and the snakes located in VA. http://www.virginiaherpetologicalsociety.com/reptiles/snakes/VHS%20Venomous%20Snakebite%20Info.pdf

To make identification easy for the snakes in this area there are general rules to identify venomous snakes.
1. They tend to have a triangular head shape due to having venom glands in their head.
2. They have cat shaped eyes (you don't generally want to get close to find that out)
3. If they are pit vipers(which all 3 of the ones in VA are) they will have a deep hole(heat sensing organ called a pit) located between their eyes and nostril.

Individual Snakes in the area, to ID them.
-Northern Copperhead

As you can see it has hourglass shaped bands placed sideways that run completely down to it's belly, other snakes that have the hourglass bands that aren't copperheads don't go that far down the sides.

-Eastern Cottonmouths

The hollow bands on the back tend to have markings in them, and the Adults have a black tail, also they have a defense that when they feel threatened they open their mouths to scare enemies and they have a white colored mouth that they poof up, hence the name Cottonmouth.

-Timber Rattlesnake

As you know the name helps identifying this snake easily, the rattle! Again you can see the normal venomous snake traits here all taking place in the head. Also take note to the stripe patterns in the copperhead being bands that are spllit at the base of the neck but then become solid. Also as a heads up just because you a slight rattle in the leaves does not mean it is a rattlesnake because other snakes also deter predators by wagging their tails in the leaf litter to emit a rattle noise but the true rattlesnakes will be clear to see the rattle as well.

I hope you guys read into this and take note of these guys, for my people who train in MD we have the Northern Copperhead and the Timber Rattlesnake(which is up north in the mountain areas).

http://www.virginiaherpetologicalsociety.com supplied a good deal of information and helpful photos but a deal of this is also from previous training in nature occupations.

The Spiders:
There are 3 spiders to look out for in VA; The Brown Recluse, The Black Widows, and The Hobo Spider

How to apply first aid for a spider bite:
-if the bite proves to be dangerous or the victim has trouble breathing call 911, keep the bite area below the heart, wash the area with soap and water, put ice on the area, and safely identify the spider for the healthcare provider.(1st aid and cpr manual)

-The Brown Recluse

The Brown recluse can be identified by the violin shaped pattern on the back of the head/chest region(cephalothorax) with the neck going towards the rear. This spider also has 3 pairs of 2 eyes instead of 8 eyes like most common spiders. It's web is very unorganized and has no pattern, it uses it to live in and sets trip wires to be notified when there is prey and pounces it. This spider is very dangerous because it's venom can cause lesions in the skin and the formation of necrotic tissue. 

-The Black Widows

The Black Widow is a easy to identify spider as it is completely black and has a Red hourglass located on it's abdomen. It's web is generally messy but strong, so if you have a stick and apply some light pressure it won't break, and it can tend to funnel near the base of it.The bite of this spider is not intensely dangerous as the brown recluse but it attacks the nervous system and can make you exhibit nausea and several other symptoms but for a middle aged adult it's not too dangerous versus that of a young child or elderly person, but it's best to seek help.

-The Hobo Spider

This spider is best identified by the males having large forceps in the front(Palpi) that are bulbed and resemble that of boxing gloves. The females palpi are smaller but they have bigger abdomens. They are identified as well by Chevron(rowed V patterns) along the abdomen. Their web is funnel shaped as they come from a funnel spider family. The effects of the hobo spider's bite is a swelling into a blister and eventually oozing out the liquids which turns the blister into a form of ulcer. It's not extremly dangerous but definitely something to be warned of.

I hope you guys enjoyed the intel gathering, and that it may help you in the long run.

Through the Blades of Grass in the Field of Kusa Fly...Shuriken

Shuriken, a weapon of the ninja that people know so well. Or so they think.

Shuriken are portrayed as great throwing weapons utilized by the shinobi in many media aspects of Japanese culture. They originated from tools just like many other weapons any any culture, but just as any weapon they had their purpose.

My main question; What were some of the origins of all the different variations of the Shuriken floating around throughout history?

Do you think you can fill in some of the blanks in The Field of Kusa???

Time for The Field of Kusa to; Listen

Throughout my time of doing stealth training I always found one sense extremely important and reliable, and that was sound. When trained correctly and diligently you can identify where a target is, whether you are being followed, and the sounds of nature both the norm and unfamiliar.

Recently my group and I have stumbled upon a deer corpse within the woods identifying that there was something to eat and remove these remains that are geographically close and native. I came to the conclusion that there are foxes in the area. Then the next session of training as it approached twilight we heard an odd sound, it was the sound of a fox doing it's consecutive barks. Personally I think it resembles the sound of a monkey call, but take this time to become familiar with the sounds of one of the creatures of the night. The Fox.

It's good to know the sounds of nature and how animals communicate with one another because that is when they will also be communicating with you, you just need to take the initiative and be aware.

Mission!: Takagi Yoshin Ryu

Takagi Yoshin Ryu is a very powerful system focused on joint manipulations and prevention of escape from techniques by other martial artists. 

Mission; Locate, research, and redistribute information based on the art of Takagi Yoshin Ryu here for discussion so that we may confirm or deny information, and learn as much as possible. You can find things such as what weapons did they utilize, philosophies, it's origins, just stay open minded and begin looking.

Things to keep in mind;

1) Don't be afraid if you may have something wrong, something is better than nothing and we will do our best to confirm or discuss it so we may grow and learn from it. You also learn more when you do something wrong than if you do it right.

2) Don't just copy and paste, write it in your own words so that yo have the opportunity to digest what you read and so that the information is passed in a manner that we may relate to. You can still source and such, just use it as an opportunity to learn.

3) Have fun and don't stress out about it. The Field of Kusa is a place to grow and prosper with information. You can just begin typing, you're bound to get better at it as you begin exchanging information with people who are already good at it. Just try. 

Open Your Eyes and the Benefits of Doing It.

When I say open your eyes, I don't mean for you to blatantly stare with your eyes almost popping out of your head. I mean to take in as much information as you can to see what the world really is and then step back to really see what's in front of you. To know that each molecule in something cannot be destroyed or created tells you alone that it has existed since the beginning of time it b itself has a whole story of history that it has experienced and so does everything else that you see. Once you can see like that you can tend to take appreciation into the things that surround you and to notice the small things, which make you more aware of your environment and in tune with nature. This will give you a new perspective on things and realize the importance of even small things and give you the ability to learn something new within every experience because nothing will always be exactly the same.

Within this picture what do you see? A forest filled with snow, or a story?

You can see that the location is down a hill and that there are trees that seem for the majority relatively young and some small undergrowth, which means that the plants in that area have been there for maybe 10 or so years besides the bigger trees which you know have been there longer, you can take samples to find out, but that and the structures in the back tell me that people probably use this area.

You can also tell the direction that the wind was blowing the snow if you see how it resides on the tree trunks. You can tell where the sun may be strongest during the day due to how the plants have adapted to grow and absorb their efficient amounts of sunlight. The list goes on.

You can use these clues and such to realize what is around you and the natural flow of things, then finally hone in on what is abnormal to this flow. Broken branches, compacted snow, parts of the snow on the tree trunks knocked loose and so on. These signs can give you the ability to track. It can also give you the ability to stay hidden, by knowing the natural flow around you. You can learn to blend with it and minimize the amount that you would normally disturb.

So Open Your Eyes, and see what's around you acknowledge it, and absorb it, and blend with it, but most of all appreciate it.

Ice in the eyes of Kusa

Okay guys well winter is doing it's thing and making it cold and constantly below freezing now, yet there hasn't been that much of an accumulation of snow, but there is Ice! Ice can be a great hazard, if you don't know how to handle it that is or even utilize it for your benefit. First of all be sure that you are comfortable with your rolls and break falls they will save you on and off the ice :) . Second, wear some shoes that have traction. I like to get in the mind frame that you should always be able to react whether it be fight or run in what you're wearing at all times that way when the time comes you're set.

As shinobi though we want to use the ice to our advantage;
For ice to happen you need water and a temperature of 32 degrees Fahrenheit or lower.
So to know where ice may occur you have to know factors that can affect temperature and the amount of water in an area.

Some of those factors being;
1) Elevation, because it gets cooler as you go higher, hence the ice on the tops of mountains and so forth.
2) Wind, there is wind chill due to winds coming from the north where the isn't as much absorption of heat from the sun because of the axis it rotates on can be very cold and aid in the cooling of temperature arrival of ice. There is also the situation as on bridges where there are winds traveling over and under the bridge cooling it from multiple sides and allowing ice to form on it earlier than on other parts of roads and such.
3) Exposure to the Sun, I believe this is very important because you can then be aware of areas that are shadowed over the course of a day and if you ever needed to use it for a strategic advantage you now have known spots where you could lure pursuers or an attacker to escape or use as a way to enhance your abilities.
4) Surface type, ice will form on some spots faster than others because some surfaces will give off heat absorbed from the Sun for a while after it has set and others have been bouncing back the rays all day and haven't absorbed a thing. Dark colored objects absorb the most heat whereas light objects actually reflect them, you can learn more about this as it is an objects albedo. Some objects may also absorb the water instead of allowing it to settle at the surface and form ice. With this knowledge you an plan routes based on types of surfaces and lighting to minimize your chances of slipping or risking injuries on a mission.

Uses;
1) You can use it to prolong the amount of time before food spoils.
2) A way to cover area without leaving tracks, but if you break it you defeat the point.
3) You can apply it to injuries to soothe pain and help swelling go down.
4) If thick enough and at the edge of a river you are trying to cross you can cut a section from it and use it as a raft to get to the other side. (Military FM 21-76 Survival Manual)
5) Utilize it's reflection from the sun as metsubushi
The list goes on :)

Some tips;
1) Train on it! If you become familiarize yourself with it then you will be less afraid.
2) Learn the attributes of ice, it is a tool and readily available.
3) Learn to find out how deep ice is
4) Know what to do in case you were to fall in ice and make it so that you don't freeze.
  Hint: C.O.L.D. -Cover, Overevertion, Layers, Dry -Check it out give some feedback
5) Actually try this stuff don't just read it!

Again you guys are welcome to add what you can to help the knowledge on the topics we cover grow and expand, as the mission in the field of the Kusa is to grow and absorb as much as we can to make us better warriors and people.

Just a Heads Up! Devil's Walkingstick (Aralia spinosa)!!!!

This item I have come across one too many times during night hiking, and it can cause immense pain if you grab onto it or run into it and even worse if you try to climb it. It is known as Devil's Walkingstick (Aralia spinosa), it has thorns that go around in circles every few increments. It is found in the North-East areas in the deciduous forests so it can blend in sometime with other saplings until you hit it haha. 

This plant just takes a bit of imagination to think of uses for it and such. 

First off all this plant can be planted around your house or in areas that you would like to prevent burglars or trespassers of entry because as stated before this plant makes it's point. The plant can also cause irritations or rashes to some people.

Here are some of my ideas;

It could also be used for survival animal traps to pin the animal for retrieval.

You could cut the tree into sections and use for caltrops.

You could even strategically plant it in the perimeters of your property to make it so that people would stray from even the general direction of your facilities.

It would provide a good place of concealment and function as a deterrent for someone that you may be hiding from.

You could also shave off some of the spikes and utilize it as a metsubushi

This is only the Tip of the Devil's Walkingstick, there's plenty more that can be done.

*Important note: this plant is not to be consumed because many of it's parts are poisonous unless properly cooked, so it's best not to try.

Now's your turn to shed some light in the field of the kusa; like what areas that it may like to grow in in the forest such as in lighting or soil and other details?