Wild Edibles Part 3

     Some Plants have edible stems, although many are too woody to eat. If they are soft, peel off the outer, stringy parts, slice and then boil. The inner pith of some stem is nutritious and sweet, elder, for example.  In this case the stem must be split open and the pulp extracted.

         Stems produce fewer nutrients for the survivor than the roots, shoots and leaves so put them at the bottom of food choices and exploit their other uses. Fibrous stems, like those of stringing nettles, make good twine.

Good King Henry is spiky, 2 foot tall with dull green triangular leaves, sometimes reddening, and spikes of tiny greenish flowers, common on waste ground. leaves and young shoots are edible raw or boiled as spinach, peel the roots to remove the stringy parts.

Fat Hen or Lamb's Quarters is spiky, 3 foot high with often reddish stems, dull green, mealy, oval to spear shaped leaves and spikes of tiny greenish flowers, abundant on waste ground. cook the tasty leaves like spinach.

Chickweed is a straggling to 1 foot high, with a line of hairs on the main stem, pointed, oval leaves and tiny white, five petal flower, common in waste places. Boil the delicious tender leaves.

Watercress is often found in abundance by fresh running water. It is creeping semi-aquatic, with shiny leaves in opposite pairs and small white four petal flowers. (DO NOT CONFUSE WITH THE WATER HEMLOCK). Leaves and stems are edible raw, but boil if the water looks contaminated.

Rosebay Willow Herb or Fireweed is found in open woods, waste and rocky places. It is about 5ft tall or more with spear shaped leaves in opposite pairs and a spike of brilliant pinkish flowers. Young leaves, flowers and stems are edible raw but taste better boiled. Mature stems have a sweetish inner pulp.

Sweet Cicely grows to around 5ft with slightly hairy and often purplish stems, feathery fern like leaves flecked with white and heads of tiny white flowers. You can find these in open woods and rocky places. (DO NOT CONFUSE WITH HEMLOCK) Roots, stems and leaves should be boiled.

Dead Nettles are smaller than stinging settles, with heart shaped leaves and no stringing hairs with white or pinkish/purplish flowers. Boil the leaves before eating.

Stinging Nettles are abundant for most of the year. Look for the toothed, narrow oval leaves covered in stinging hairs and the spikes of green flowers. Pick young growth or young plants 6-8 inches high. Boil for a minimum of 5 minutes to destroy the formic acid in the hairs. Leaves can be dried and stored for consumption later. You can crush the stems and use the fibers from them as make shift rope.

Plantains can be found in a variety of areas. Ribwort or English Plantain has spear shaped leaves and  much shorter flower spikes than the Greater Plantain. This is a bitter tasting plant and the leaves should be cooked like spinach, and the juice can be used for wounds, and the decoction of the whole plant for chest pain complaints. So over all this is a pretty useful plant to find in the wilderness!!

Bucks horn Plantain can be found in waste and grassy places often near the ocean, and is a small star shaped plant with narrow jagged leaves and shorter flower spikes. This is also a bitter tasting plant and the leaves should be cooked like spinach, the juices can also be used for wounds, and just like other Plantains the decoction of the whole plant for chest pain complaints.

Greater or Rat's Tail Plantain is also found in  in waste lands and grassy places. This plant had broad, oval leaves and distinctive upright spikes of tiny yellowish green and brown flowers. This is also a bitter tasting plant and the leaves should be cooked like spinach, the juices can also be used for wounds, and just like other Plantains the decoction of the whole plant for chest pain complaints.



Thanks for reading and please subscribe or check back for more great survival tips and more!!



Hi Everyone, I just wanted to give a quick update (5/20/15) We have added a New Ruffs Backyard Chicken Blog and a New Ruffs Backyard Chicken Channel If you are interested in getting some Chickens for your Backyard or you already have some please check our New Blog and New Channel out, There is a lot of helpful information on both, and just some everyday things on there we do with our chickens!! If you like them, Please Subscribe, we add new videos to our channel at least 4 times a week, and we add new post to our blog a couple times a week, Don't forget to share them on G+, give them a Thumbs up if you enjoyed it!! Thanks for all the support and if you have any Questions or comments just leave them in the comment area below, we will get back to you as quickly as we can!! Thanks again!! --Karen

Ruff Survival is giving away a Brand New Bear Grylls Paracord Knife

Yes, You have read right. Ruff Survival will be giving away a Brand New Paracord Knife...

So what do You have to do to win this very awesome Knife?? Well, You first need to leave a comment either here on the blog in the comment section Or On our Youtube channel in the comment section under this video... http://www.youtube.com/user/ruffsurvival (that is our channel) and tell us that You want in, and then tell us why you like the bear grylls knife and why you want it. That's all, it doesn't have to be a paragraph, you can wright as much or as little as you want, but just let us know Why you like it and Why you want it and let us know that you want in on the giveaway. That's all you have to do.
The Drawing will be held on June 1st 2013, the winner will be announce on Youtube by Video and also here on our blog.
Don't forget to subscribe so that you can keep up with the contest, we will have several through out the summer.
Thanks to all and Good Luck!!!

Wild Edible Plants, Part 2 Shoots, Leaves, flowers and Weeds

More about Wild Edibles, Young Shoots, Flowers and Leaves...

     PLEASE REMEMBER, DON'T EAT ANYTHING THAT YOU DO NOT ABSOLUTELY KNOW WHAT IT IS!! THIS COULD KILL YOU. IF YOU ARE UNSURE, DON'T EAT IT!!!

     

As in all of our post about Wild Edibles we will include a picture of each

       

      In spring and summer young shoots are tender and easy to pick. Some can be eaten raw, but many are much better when boiled or cooked gently, especially Solomon's Seal, Willow Herb, Cats tail, and bracken. Wash them in clean water, rub off any hairs and boil in a little water so that they cook main in the steam.

      Leaves are very rich in vitamins and mineral. Together with young shoots they are the survivor's easiest source of food. Most will taste better cooked but do not over cook them, as you will destroy all the great vitamins that they contain, Such as Vitamins B, K, E, C, and huge amounts of Vitamin A.

Lets start off with something that Grows everywhere, and most people are very familiar with...

Dandelions

   Dandelions grow in many forms almost everywhere. Look for large, yellow to orange flower head or the rosette of deeply lobed leaves. Eat the young leaves raw and boil the older leaves. Change the water once or twice while boiling to help remove the bitter taste. Boil the roots or roast for coffee. Dandelion juice is rich in vitamins and minerals.

Shepherd's Purse

   Shepherd's Purse or Mother's Heart can reach 2 foot, with a
rosette of lobed, spear shaped leaves and a spike of small white flowers, common just about everywhere, it is a very troublesome weed, so it wont be hard to find. Boil the leaves, which taste like cabbage and mix with other plants. You can also make tea out of this plant, which is know to help different kinds of ailments.

Chicory

Chicory is a common plant or weed, It grows about 4 foot with thick, hairy, deeply basal leaves and leafy spikes of clear blue dandelion like flowers. Eat the young leaves raw and boil the older leaves. Change the water once or twice to get rid of any bitterness while boiling. Boil or roast the roots for coffee.

White Mustard

White Mustard grows 2 foot, with a hairy stem, crinkly, deeply lobed leaves and pale yellow flowers. You can find this weed just
about anywhere, from here in the USA to China. The young peppery leaves and flowers are edible raw. You can eat the whole plant and it's very tasty cooked.

Wild Sorrel

Wild Sorrel is a common weed and gets about 3 foot tall. It can be found in grassy fields, along roadsides, and in waste places. Its found in different climates all around the world. It has arrow shaped leaves and spikes of tiny reddish and green flowers. Wild Sorrel is very Mineral rich, and the leaves are edible raw, but cooking will reduce the sharp flavor. Change the water once or twice during boiling to get rid of the bitter flavor.

Wood Sorrel

Wood Sorrel is a very common weed, looks almost exactly like clovers. It is an incredible thirst quencher and is refreshing to eat. 
The leaves, flowers, and immature green seed pods are all edible having a mild sour flavor almost like lemons.  It can be added to salads, used in soups, sauces and it can also be used as a seasoning. You can make a Wild sorrel tea, and when cooled can make a refreshing beverage especially when sweetened with honey. This plant is very useful, it is cooling and soothing to the stomach and relieves indigestion. (which is a fantastic natural remedy when in a survival situation).



Primroses

Cowslip

Primroses, Cowslips and Ox slip are all variations of one typical plant the Primula. The primrose is a hedge bank flower, loving woods, partial shade, and a moist soil. The cowslip is a pasture Ox slip loves moisture and full sun, so you will usually find these In a grassy field. You can Identify these by their rosette of
crinkly, tapering basal leaves and long stalked, five petal flowers,

Ox slip

which range from pale to bright yellow and in some forms, pink. All
parts of these plants are edible, but the younger leaves are the best part of the plant to eat.
flower, loving a somewhat dry soil and full exposure. The

Buckwheat grows in grassy places, such as fields and Temperate

Buckwheat

parts of the world. Its 2 foot stems are usually red, with spear shaped leave and clusters of small pink or white flowers. Its seeds make a good edible grain.

Curled Dock

Curled Dock (other common names include Curled Dock, Yellow Dock, Yaller Dock, Sour Dock, Bitter Dock, Blood wort, Coffee weed, Garden patience, Narrow dock, Out-sting, Winter Dock) grows between 3-5 foot. You can find the Curled Dock in fields, highway ditches, waste grounds, disturbed soils, riverbanks, and found Coast to Coast in North America. The leaves have a coarse

Curly dock (yellow dock)

texture with long narrow, wavy margin leaves with noticeably curled edges. Small veins curve out towards the edge of the leaf and then back in towards the central vein. The older leaves have a red primary vein. The small greenish flowers grow in dense heads up a spiral. Each Flower has six pedals which are green, white or pink in color. The base of the stalk is a basal rosette of leaves. The leaves grow in a circular pattern and are about 2 foot long, The seeds are dark brown, and are heart

White Curled Dock

shaped or triangular shaped.  Boil the tenderest leaves from young plants, changing the water once or twice to remove the bitterness. The Curled Dock can take two years to reach its flowering point.
This is a very valuable plant to find because of its many other uses...
Curly dock acts as an astringent to treat wounds and bleeding. Application of a dock compress helps with skin irritations and rubbing the leaves on your skin can relieve the itchy symptoms of a stinging nettle rash. A poultice of the roots has been used to treat iron-deficiency anemia for centuries. It's also a blood purifier and liver decongestant because the poultice stimulates the liver to produce bile.



Thanks for reading, please bookmark our blog for more about wild edibles, We will be posting about 10 or more post about this subject alone. This is really valuable information. Print it out, study it, get to know the plants around you. It is so important to know what you can eat if you are ever in a survival situation. Teach your children, show them what kinds of plants are safe to eat.
Don't forget to checkout our YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/ruffsurvival.
Thanks for reading, and if you didn't get the chance to read part 1 of Wild Edibles, please CLICK HERE.
Thanks Eric From Ruff Survival

Wild Edible Plants, Part 1

There are many Temperate edible plants in addition to those illustrated, including wild forms of cultivated plants such as currents and gooseberries. In The Next few Post I will be covering as many edible plants that I can find, I will add pictures of each plant so that you may easily identify them.

I hope that you are able to try at least a few of the plants that I go over here, some are extremely tasteful and fun to try.

Please REMEMBER that although one part of a plant may be edible another part could be poisonous. Test leaves, stems, roots and fruits separately. And get as much information as possible before going out and just eating whatever you find.

So, lets start with some of the basic edible plants that may be pretty well known.

FRUITS


Wild Blackberries

Wild Raspberries

Evergreen Huckleberries

Wild Dewberries

Wild purple grapes

Red Huckleberries

It's always important to be certain of what you're gathering before you eat it, but this is especially true when it comes to wild berries. Some, like wild blackberries, are readily identified and hard to mistake for anything but equally-delicious wild raspberries and dewberries. Huckleberries and Blueberries are also pretty easy to identify.  Others, like wild grapes and rose hips, can be tricky to identify correctly and have toxic lookalikes.





Black Huckleberries

Rose Hips

Wild Strawberries

Wild strawberries are hard to spot but easy to identify. The plants grow in widespread patches low on the ground and have small white flowers. The berries themselves look like miniaturized versions of supermarket strawberries, but are far sweeter and more flavorful. You may not find more than a handful, but they are well worth the time spent.
If you are ever in the UK, Currents and Gooseberries found in woods, scrubs, and waste places are medium sized (about 4.9 foot tall) and are usually bushy shrubs, with toothed leaves


Black Currents

Red Currents

resembling those of a maple, small greenish-white to purple five-petal flowers and red, purplish black or yellow berries. Ripe currents are edible raw, cook gooseberries. Currents where outlawed here in the US in the 20th century. But you may find some still lingering around in different areas.


Red Gooseberries

Gooseberry bush



wild yellow Chickasaw plum

wild red plum

Plums exist in many varieties in scrub and woodland in virtually all temperate areas. Small shrubs or trees, similar to wild cherries, their fruits are larger, downy, blackish-purple, red or yellow; some are too tart to be edible raw.






ROOTS, LEAVES AND STEMS

Horseradish

Horseradish grow to 20 inches in a damp waste place with large, long stalked, wavy-edged oval leaves and clusters of tiny white flowers. Chop up the hot tasting root and add it to stews, the young leaves are edible when boiled.

Common Evening primrose

Common Evening Primrose is a tall plant of drier open areas, leafy, hairy, with spear shaped, crinkly-margin leaves and sometimes reddish flower-stalks topped with large yellow, four petal flowers. The roots are edible boiled, changing the water to ease their pungency. Peel young leaves and treat likewise. The plants overwinter as rosettes.

Lime or Basswood

Limes or Basswoods are tall trees, up to 85 foot high, which like damp woods, with large, heart shaped, toothed leaves and clusters of scented yellow flowers. Young leaves and unopened leaf buds are edible raw, the flowers can be used in tea.



Hops

Hops are climbing plants of woody and scrubby places that have long twisted stems, toothed leaves, deeply cut into three lobes, and green, cone shaped female flowers. Peel, slice and boil the young shoots, brew up the flowers.

Thistle

Thistles have spiny, often ridged stems, oblong or spear-shaped, prickly, deep-cut leaves and large bush like heads of purplish flowers. Remove prickles and boil young leaves. Peel tender shoots and eat raw or boiled. Roots of younger, stemless plants can be cooked and the base of each flower head contains a nutritious nut which can be eaten raw.

Saxifrages grow to 3 foot, usually much less, often liking open,

Saxifrages

rocky country, up into mountains. Most have rounded tapering or long-stalked leaves arcing from the base, often reddish stems and clusters of five petal flowers, usually white. Leaves are edible raw or cooked.

Great Burnet

Great Burnet reaches 2 foot, found in damper, grassy places, with toothed, spade shaped leaflets in opposite pairs and oblong heads of tiny, deep red flowers. Eat the tasty young leaves raw or boiled.

Redleg or Lady's Thumb reaches 2 foot. With reddish mature

Lady's Thumb

stems, narrow, spear shaped, usually dark-spotted leaves and spikes of tiny pink flowers. Often common on waste ground. Young leaves are edible raw or cooked like spinach.

Wild Rhubarb

Wild Rhubarb found in open grassy places and margins from southern Europe to China, resembles cultivated rhubarb, but its leaves are more ragged and dissected. The large flower stalks are edible boiled, other parts are NOT EDIBLE, ONLY EAT THE STALKS.



Bladder Campion

Bladder Campion grows to 18 inches in grassy places, is gray green, with pointed oval stalkless leaves, cluster of white flowers with a swollen balloon like base. Boil the young leaves for 10 minutes.

Field Pennycress

Field Pennycress grows to 18 inches in open grassy places, with broad, toothed, spear shaped clasping the stem, a head of tiny white flowers and distinctive, notched, coin like seed pods. Leaves are edible raw or boiled.

Red Clover



plain clover

Clovers are abundant in grassy areas, recognized by theirdistinctive trefoil leaflets and
dense rounded heads of small
flowers, ranging from white to greenish cream to even shades of red. Leaves are edible raw but better boiled. (everyone should know what a clover looks like)

Stork's Bill

Stork's Bill reaching 1 foot, found in open grassy areas is hairy, often pungent, with fern like, twice cut leaves and heads of tiny, five petal pinkish to white flowers whose fruits form a long, twisting "bill'' Eat leaves raw or boiled.



Burdocks

Burdocks, medium to large, bushy plans of open waste areas, have floppy oval leaves, often arching stems and many purplish thistle like flower heads that develop into clinging burs. Eat leaves and peeled stalks raw or boiled. Boil pitch of peeled root. Change the water a few times to remove bitterness.

Violets are small flowers found in many areas, including damp and

Wild purple Violets

wooded ones. Veined, crinkly, often heart shaped leaves rise on long stalks  with flowers in
shades of blue-violet, yellow or white, made up of five unequal petals. Cook young leaves. Violets are rich in vitamins A and C.

Wild White and Purple Violets



Corn Salad or Lambs Lettuce

Corn Salad or Lamb's Lettuce grows to 4-8 inches in bare rocky and grassy places. Well-branched, with oblong, stalkless leaves and clusters of tiny lilac bluish flowers; its leaves are edible raw or cooked like spinach. A particularly useful plant to know because it grows from late winter on towards summer.

Ox-Eyed Daisy

Ox-eye daisies often common in open areas, average about 3 foot tall, with narrow dark green, lobed leaves, the lower ones rounded, and large white and yellow daisy like flowers. Overwinters as a rosette. Eat young leaves, the lighter green ones, raw.

Cuckoo Flower or Lady's Smock  Found mostly in the UK, and grows on a damp ground up to

Lady's Smock or Cuckoo Flower

20 inches, with many small leaflets in opposite pairs, roundish on the basal ones which form a rosette, and clusters of lilac or white, four petal flowers. Young leaves are tasty raw, older leaves are a little peppery.

Brooklime

     






Brooklime    grows in shallow water and swamps. Its creeping to upright stems carry pairs of thick, oval, toothed leaves, from the stalk bases of which spring 3-10 inches spikes of four petal blue flowers with two prominent stamens. Eat young shoots before flowering and leaves after. Slightly bitter, eat like a watercress.





Thanks for Reading, Please bookmark this blog/page for future reference, We will be posting more about Wild Edibles over the next week or so. There is a lot of things that we still have to talk about and show, so stay tuned. And don't forget to visit my YouTube Channel for other great tips and videos, http://www.youtube.com/user/ruffsurvival. Thanks again, please feel free to leave any questions or comments below!!

Eric from Ruff Survival

Dangers Of The Seashore and Deserted Island, What to look For...

     Although this post is related to the last few posts... "Finding food on the Seashore and Deserted Island", "Surviving On A Deserted Island" , and "Seashores And The Survivor", doesn't mean that it wont apply to you, even if your not in a survival situation.

     Let's just say for instance, that you are planning to visit the Islands of Fiji, Hawaii, Caribbeans, or maybe your just planning on going to the beach for a week for a family vacation.  This article is just as important to you as it is for someone that may become stranded (or if you and your family become stranded). You could use this Valuable information to keep you and your family safe while fishing, going out on boat rides, Canoeing, skydiving, scuba diving, or just hanging out on the seashore. So that being said, Lets talk about...

The Dangers of the Seashore and Ocean... What to look for... What to Stay Away From... and What To Do If you encounter any of these dangers.

    We all love to play in the ocean, and some of us go out pretty far, But unless you are in water no higher than your thighs, the water is usually much to murky to see through. Which means that you are risking stepping on something unpleasant, painful or poisonous, waves sweeping you on to rocks or coral, or encountering a dangerous fish that you don't want to have the pleasure of meeting, which I will explain in just a moment.

   For a survivor, it's important to wear shoes when foraging in the water, Something with a sole is best, If you are having to improvise footwear, Cloth wrapping is not enough to protect from spines, coral reef, or dangerous fish. It is best to look around the seashore for washed up garbage, you can often find flip flops, tennis shoes, and other various rubber or thick material that you can use to make some sort of shoe. Remember trash is treasure when surviving.

   When vacationing, it's a good idea to have some water shoes to protect your feet when playing in the ocean, especially if you plan on going out in deeper water, exploring coral reefs, or if you are not familiar with the area. Stepping on a sea urchin or jelly fish can be extremely painful, but if you have some sort of water shoe or other kind of shoe's with a sole, then you are less likely to become injured. It's always best to play it safe and enjoy your vacation, then be hurt and have to spend the rest of your vacation suck in your hotel room.

Jellyfish... Often jellyfish are swept ashore after a storm. Sometimes you will even see them while walking down the shoreline after high tide. Some, especially in the tropics, stings are very severe. The Box Jellies or Sea Wasps of northern Australian beaches, are the most dangerous. The bell shaped body of the largest Box Jelly reaches only 10 inches but its tentacles can reach  30 feet. Almost transparent, and difficult to see, each tentacle is armed with millions of stinging cells. Although their venom is one of the most deadly known and high concentrations cause skin lesions and death, usually only a very high dose is fatal to humans.
Some Jellyfish are not venomous, but that doesn't mean that the sting still wont be extremely painful, causing skin lesions, blisters, or an allergic reaction. Small or large, size is not an indication of potency, if you happen to get stung by any kind of jellyfish, DO NOT pull the tentacles off or wipe the slime away with your hands, you will just get stung more and cause yourself more pain, and spread more poison across your body.

Follow these steps if you are stung by a jellyfish...

1.    Stay Safe. As always, safety is the most important step. Jellyfish tentacles (nematocysts) may still be on the skin. Follow universal precautions and wear personal protective equipment if available.**If the species is known to be box jellyfish  or Irukandji emergency medical help immediately. For box jellyfish stings, vinegar may help (see tips).
2.    Rinse the tentacles off. Rinse away the tentacles using hot water if possible (see step 5 for how hot). If heated water isn't available, use salt water rather than fresh. Fresh water may worsen the stinging pain.
3.   Peel off the tentacles. Remove any remaining tentacles with a gloved hand, stick, shell, seaweed or tweezers. Be careful not to get the tentacles on yourself or on clothing. Jellyfish tentacles can still sting even after they've been ripped from the body of the jellyfish. If you use bare hands to pluck tentacles off, you'll most likely get stung on the fingers. That's also why it's so important to remove them. If you don't the victim will keep getting stung until all the nematocysts are used up.
4.   Watch for anaphylaxis. Anaphylaxis is a severe allergic reaction that can result in: itching, hives, shortness of breath, wheezing, tightening of the throat, flushed skin, weakness, dizziness.                                                                                                                        ****Anaphylaxis can also cause a drop in blood pressure known as anaphylactic shock.****                                                                                                                                                   
5.  Immerse the stung area in hot water. How hot is hot? There isn't much evidence that water under 102 degrees is going to help, and a lot of evidence that water over 122 degrees is extremely effective. Since it's unlikely you'll have a thermometer to accurately gauge the temperature of water in a shower or a hot bath, the general rule is to have the victim either shower or immerse the sting in the hottest water he or she can stand. Work up to the heat and be careful not to scald (burn) the victim.
6.  Ibuprofen and acetaminophen will help relieve pain. Ice or heat may also help. Mild itching may be helped with diphenhydramine.

PORTUGUESE-MAN-OF-WAR
The Portuguese man of war looks like a jellyfish but is actually a colony of polyps. It can have tentacles of 30 feet long, and its stigs may cause irritation for several days, they are rarely fate. Treat as you would for a jellyfish.

WEVERFISH
The weaverfish  lie buried in the sand off the shores of Europe, West Africa and  the Mediterranean. Their spines a venomous. Apply very hot water to sooth spine wounds.

STINGRAYS
You can just about find stingrays inshore everywhere, but especially in warm waters, and electric rays in warm to temperate zones. Superbly camouflaged, they don't only hide in the sand, some like rocky and pebbly places. Play safe, prod the bottom with a stick as you go. Stingray wounds can be soothed with very hot water.

MORAY EELS
Moray eels may be found in shallow water. They have a savage bite and guard their holes tenaciously. Keep clear of any you see and do not put your hand into their crevices!

GIANT CLAMS
Giant clams on tropical reefs can be big enough to tram a limb if they snap shut on you.

FISH WITH VENOMOUS SPINES
You can find fish with venomous spines in very shallow waters. Most common and most dangerous, in the tropics. A few occur in the temperate waters. Bottom dwelling kinds are almost impossible to detect and are often superbly camouflaged. Zebra fish are easier to see, but equally dangerous to contact. Stone fish are very hard to see, they lay on the ocean floor and look like a rock, Step on one of them and you will definitely know it. Use a stick to stir up the sand and rocks in front of you.

 SEA SNAKES
Sea Snakes often occur in some numbers close in shore in the tropical pacific and Indian Oceans. They are inoffensive and bites are rare. But their venom is the most toxic of all snake venom. Keep clear of snakes in the water. Found on shore, pin them with a forked stick, they will make a good meal.

CORAL
Many Corals are sharp and can easily cut you. Some, such as the fire corals, sting on contact. Always approach a reef with caution. Exploit other sites for food first. Both the reef and its inhabitants, which may include cone shells, can present danger.

SHARKS
Although most sharks feed mainly in deep waters, some species frequently swim in shallow waters and swim up rivers and any might come onshore looking for and easy meal. Most shark attacks on humans occur in very shallow water, So watch for them.

LAGOONS
Reefs are often formed around tropical islands or out from the shore, making a breakwater which leaves still waters in a lagoon. Fish in the lagoon are often of the poisonous varieties. Barracuda and Red Snapper, which are edible in the open sea, should be avoided if caught in lagoons, their eating habits cause them to become toxic. Fish from the reef on the seaward side.

Thanks for reading, be sure to leave any comments or questions below.
All plus ones, shares on FB and Twitter are greatly appreciated.
Don't forget to check out Our YouTube Channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/ruffsurvival

Eric from Ruff Survival

 

 

Suriving The Jungle and other Tropical Regions

EVERYTHING THRIVES IN THE JUNGLE...

The jungle is crawling with all forms of life... Including disease. Germs and Parasites bread at an alarming rate. Causing the slightest cut to become infected if not token care of properly.  At night the jungle floor literally moves, with crawling insects, snakes, rodents, and other creatures. That is why it is so important when building a shelter in the jungle to build it OFF the ground. If not, you will have all kinds of creatures biting you through out the night, such as spiders, scorpions, ants, snakes, and lizards. Nature provides water, food, and materials for making shelters. Which makes it possible to survive for long periods of time in a jungle. There are so many different kinds of things to eat. Things that help cure infection and cuts. You can even collect water from certain vines in the jungle.  Indigenous peoples have lived for thousands of years from hunting and gathering, but for the outsider it can take some time getting used to the conditions and the ever moving activity.

Native people wear little, except as ornament, but an outsider,  unaccustomed to insects and leeches and unfamiliar to moving through dense jungle growth, needs to keep as covered as possible. Clothing may become saturated by perspiration but it's better than being stung, scratched and bitten all over. Do not remove wet clothing until you stop. And with humidity at 80-90 percent, there is no point in hanging them up to dry, unless you can put them directly in the sun, or by the fire. Clothes saturated regularly by sweating profusely will rot in time. Moving through the jungle is almost like putting on a sauna suit and then sitting in a sauna and exercising vigorously.
  Except at high altitudes, both equatorial and subtropical regions are characterized by high temperatures, heavy rainfall, and oppressive humidity. At low altitudes, temperature variation is seldom more than around 50 degree's Fahrenheit and is often around 98 degrees Fahrenheit. At altitudes over 5,000 feet ice will often form at night. The rain has a slightly cooling effect, but, when it stops, the temperature soars.
 
Rainfall is heavy, often with thunder and lightening. Sudden rain beats on the tree canopy, turning trickles into raging torrents and rivers rise a an alarming rate, but just as suddenly as it started, it is gone. Violent storms may occur, usually towards the end of the summer months. Hurricanes, cyclones and typhoons develop over the sea and rush inland causing tidal waves and devastation. In choosing camp sites, make sure you are above any potential flooding. Prevailing winds create variation between winter and summer with the dry season, which is rain once an day, and the monsoon season, which is continuous rain. In southeast Asia, winds from the Indian Ocean bring Monsoon, but it is dry when the winds blows from the landmass of China.
  Tropical Day and Night are of equal length, darkness falls quickly and daybreak is equally sudden.

EQUATORIAL RAIN FORESTS
The climate varies little in these forests, spread across the equator in the amazon and Congo basins, parts of Indonesia and several Pacific islands. Rain of 60-138 inches is distributed evenly throughout the year.  Temperatures range from 86-68 degrees Fahrenheit at night.
  Where untouched by man, jungle trees rise from buttress roots to 200 feet, bursting into a mushroom of leaves. Below hem, smaller trees produce a canopy so thick that little light reaches the jungle floor. Seedlings struggle beneath them to reach light masses of vines and Laina's twine up to the sun. Ferns, mosses and herbaceous plants push through a thick carpet of leaves and a great variety of fungi grow on leaves and fallen trunks.
   It's fairly cool in this PRIMARY JUNGLE, with little undergrowth to hamper movement, but visibility is limited to about 170 feet. It's easy to lose a sense of direction and also difficult to spot anyone from the air.

RESCUE SIGNALS
Smoke is diffused by the tree canopy and may not be seen, especially if there is mist about as well. Set signals in a clearing more often found near river bends, or better out on rafts on the river itself.


SECONDARY JUNGLE
Growth is abundant where sunlight does penetrate to the jungle floor, mainly along river banks, on jungle fringes and where primary jungle has been cleared by man for slash and burn farming. When abandoned, this is reclaimed by a tangled mass of vegetation, look out for cultivated food plants which may survive among the others.
   Grasses, ferns, shrubs, and vines of secondary jungle reach heights of 7-10 feet in a single year. Moving is slow, often hacking away with a machete or parang, hot work, with visibility of only a few yards. Jungle vegetation seems to be covered with thorns and spikes and bamboo thickets can be impenetrable barriers
   In Some area's of the world, jungle trees are low. Light is able to  reach the fertile ground, producing abundant undergrowth even in primary jungle.

SUB-TROPICAL RAINFOREST
Places such as Central and South America, Madagascar, western India, Vietnam, Southeast Asia, Burma, and the Philippines, have seasonal reduced rainfall and drought in their forests. The Rain comes down in cycles, like monsoons. There are more deciduous trees because of the marked seasons, making it where more sunlight reaches the forest floor making undergrowth dense.

Montane  Forests
When altitude becomes higher, the climate becomes cooler, this is because of lower air pressure. Like the Ruwenzori Mountains in Africa, known as the "Mountains of the Moon" the characteristic of Flora and Fauna in the mountain changes because of the elevation in climate. Montane Forest occur between the Sub alpine and Submontane zones. The higher altitude of the Montane forest is typically known have a much harder terrain, with sharply contoured slopes making a crater like landscape covered in moss between ice-capped peaks. In the lower elevation of the Montane Forest Plant growth is known to have sparse trees and distorted, Their branches are low, and are difficult to walk under. Nights are cold and day temperatures are high with lost of mist, That is why a Montane Forest is more known as a cloud forest. Survival is difficult in this terrain. Don't stay long, make your way back down the mountainside to the tropical rainforest's where you will have much more opportunities for foraging and gathering food and water, and a much better chance of survival until you can become rescued or self rescue.

SALTWATER SWAMPS
Where coastal areas are subject to tidal flooding, mangrove trees thrive. They can reach heights of 40 feet and their tangled roots are an obstacle both above and below the waterline. Visibility is poor and passage difficult, it may take 12 hours to cover 3,000 feet.  Sometimes channels are wide enough to raft, but generally progress is on foot.
    There are mangrove swamps in West Africa, Madagascar, Malaysia and the Pacific Islands, Central and South America and at the mouth of the Ganges. The swamps at the mouths of Orinoco, Amazon and Rivers of Guyana consist of stinking mud and trees which offer little shade. Tides can rise as much as 40 feet.
   Everything in mangrove swamps seems hostile, from water leeches and insects, to cayman and crocodiles. Avoid them if you can. If forced there by mishap look for a way out. Where there are river channels intersecting the swamp you may be able to make a raft.
    You wont starve among the mangroves. There is plenty of fish and vegetation. At low water crabs, mollusks, catfish and mud fish can be found. Arboreal and aquatic animals include water opossum, otter, tapir, armadillo and on firmer ground, peccaries.
  Inland of the mangroves, nipa palm swamp is common, all of the nipa palm's growing points are edible.
    If forced to stay in a swamp, determine the high-tide level, by the line of salt and debris on tress, and fit up a raised bed above it. Cover yourself for protection against ants and mosquitoes.
    In any swamp a fire will have to be built on a platform. Use standing deadwood for fuel. Decay is rapid in a swamp so choose wood that is not for from decay.

FRESHWATER SWAMPS
    Found in low lying inland areas, their mass of thorny undergrowth, reeds, grasses and occasional short palms makes going difficult and reduces visibility to only a few yards, but wildlife abounds and survival is easy. A freshwater swamp is not such a bad place once you get used to it. It will often be dotted with islands and you are not chest deep in the water ALL the time. There are often navigable channels and raw materials available from which to build a raft.

SHELTER
There are ample materials for building shelter in most tropical regions. Where temperatures are very high and shelters directly exposed to the sun, make roofs in two layers with an airspace in between to aid cooling. Much of the heat will dissipate on striking the upper layer, and with the air passing between this lowers the temperature of the layer beneath. The distance between should be 8-12 inches. Double layers of even permeable cloth will help keep out rain if well angled.

FIRE
   Everything is likely to be damp. Take standing dead wood and shave off the outside. Use that to start your fire. Dry bamboo makes excellent tinder (be sure to store some, it always good to collect items that you could use later along the way), so does a termite's nest.

FOOD
A large variety of fruits, roots and leaves are available. Banana, papaya, mango and figs are easily recognized. (Papaya is one of the few plants with white sap that is edible.) The large, thorny fruit of the Duran, of southeast Asia, smells disgusting, but is good to eat.
    Palms provide an edible growing point and manioc produces massive tubers, though they must be cooked before eating. Taro, wild potato and some kinds of yam must also be prepared to remove poisons before they are eaten. You may also be prepared to remove poisons before they are eaten. You may find the wealth of tropical foods hard to identify, if you're not sure, don't risk eating them.

ANIMAL FOODS
   Deer, pigs, monkeys and wide range of animals can be hunted and trapped according to location.
In primary jungle, birds spend most of their time in the tree canopy among the fruit and berries. Place traps in clearings and lure birds with fruit. Some, Such as the Asian Horn bill, also feed on lizards and snakes. Near rivers, traps can be baited with fish or offal for Fish Eagles and similar species which patrol rivers for prey.
   Parrots and the relatives around in the tropics, their mad screeching makes their presence known from early morning. They are cunning, get them used to asking bait before setting the trap.
   Snakes are easier to catch, go for the non poisonous constrictors, and very tasty. Catch them by using a forked stick.

FOOD FROM RIVERS
  Rivers support all kinds of life: Fish, plants, animals and insects. If you have no fishing tackle small pools can be dammed and then emptied with a bucket or container, fish and turtles in surprising numbers can be found in the mud. Try constructing traps or crushing certain roots and vines to stupefy or poison the fish. (I will explain in a later post)
   Fish are easily digested and have good protein content. Many jungle people depend on them for nourishment, but in the tropics they spoil quickly. Clean thoroughly, discard entrails and eat as soon as possible, o not preserve them by smoking or drying. Fish from slow moving water are more likely to be infested with parasites. If you suspect  any at all, boil the fish for 20 minutes. In areas where locals use the water as their sanitation system, fish may carry tapeworms and other human parasites and the water itself could be infected with amoebas which cause dysentery. Always boil water before drinking it.
  Rivers can bring dangers too. Piranha may be found in the Amazon, Orinoco, and Paraguay river systems of South America. A similar fish is found in Burma. Electric Eels are slow moving and not aggressive, but they can grow very large and discharge 500 volts or more. Stingrays also occur in some tropical South American and West African rivers. Look out for crocodiles or alligators and water snakes and take care in handling catfish, which have sharp dorsal fins and spines on their gill covers, the Electric catfish can also deliver a powerful shock.

DANGERS

COVER YOUR FEET!!!!
Good footwear and protection for the legs are essential, they are most exposed to leeches, chigger, and centipedes. Wrap bark or cloth around the legs and tie it to make gaiters or shin guards.

INSECT ATTACK!!
Slashing your way though jungle you may disturb bees, wasps, or hornets nests. They may attack, especially hornets, whose stings can be especially painful. Anywhere left bare, including your face, is vulnerable to attack. Run!! Sunglasses would help protect your eyes.
   Perspiration is a problem, insects desperate for salt will fly to wettest parts of your body, However, they will also sting. Protect armpits and between the legs. (If you are a lady, protect under the breast and in other private areas, same with men, keep your private area protected)

BEWARE OF INVADERS
   Keep clothing and footwear off the ground, then scorpions, snakes, and other creatures are less likely to invade them. Always shake out clothing and check boots/shoes before putting them on and be wary when putting hands in pockets. On waking, take care. Centipedes tend to curl for warmth in some of the more private body regions.

BEWARE CATERPILLARS TOO!!!
  If mosquitoes and leeches sucking you blood, painful bites from centipedes and the risk or scorpion and snake bites are not enough look out for hairy caterpillars. Be careful to brush them off in the direction they are travelling or small irritant hairs may stay in your skin and cause you an itchy rash, which may fester in the heat.

MOSQUITO PROTECTION
Wear a net over your head, or tie a tee-shirt or a bandanna of it, especially at dawn or dusk. Better, take a strip of cloth long enough to tie around your head and about 18 inches deep and cut it to make a fringe of vertical strips hanging from a band that will hang around your face an over your neck and saturate your clothes and bags, and anything else that you have with repellent.
   At night keep covered, including your hands. Use bamboo or a sapling to support a little tent of clothing plus large leaves, rigged over your upper half. Oil, fat or even mud spread on hands and face may help to repel mosquitoes. In camp a smoky fire will help keep insects at bay. If you are bitten make sure you don't scratch (which is almost impossible because it itches so bad) as this may let infection in.

LEECHES
Leeches lie on the ground or on vegetation, especially in damp places, waiting to attach themselves to an animal (or person) to take a meal or blood.  Their bite is not painful but they secrete a natural anti-coagulant that makes it messy. Left alone, they drop off when they have had their fill, but if you are covered in them you must do something!! Do NOT pull them off, There is a risk the head will come off leaving the jaws in the bite, which would turn septic. Remove with a dab of salt, citric acid from fruit, alcohol, or an ember from a coal, or a flame. They will then back themselves out like a tick would.

BEWARE THE CANDIRU!!!
     This tiny Amazonian catfish, about 1 inch long, very slender and almost transparent, sucks blood from the gills of other fish. It is reported to be able to swim up the urethra of a person urinating in the water. It then gets stuck by its dorsal spine. The chance of this happening is remote but the consequences could be dire!!! Cover your genitals and DON'T ever urinate in the water or even above it. They are even known to swim up the urine when just you could be standing on the river bank, not even in the water and get up in your urethra. So don't do it. Just don't. That would be one of the most painful, awful, and embarrassing things to happen. And there is no telling what they would have to do to have it removed...

Thanks for Reading, Please leave any questions or comments below. I tried to cover as much as I could about Tropical Regions as I could. I will go over more about different subjects in future blog post. Don't forget to Plus one, share (on facebook, twitter, digg, and where ever else)
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