"delphiniums when a mysterious carrier pigeon lands in her yard. Nancy contacts the registry for the carrier pigeon. Meanwhile, housekeeper Hannah Gruen takes a fall and must be treated at the local orthopedist's office. Her attending physician, Dr. Spires, confides to Carson Drew and Nancy that he was forced to tend an elderly woman for her shoulder under peculiar circumstances: the driver of a car blindfolded him when they drove him there, so he wouldn't be able to guess her location, but the doctor believes their destination might have been someplace called Larkspur Lane. Events led him to believe the"
"is about two centimeters long. Larkspurs have long been associated with livestock-poisoning in North America, and ""D. glaucum"" (under the name ""D. brownii"") is a species that has caused problems in the rangelands of Alberta, in western Canada. The earliest phytochemical research on ""D.glaucum"" (then known as ""D. brownii"" ) was that of Richard Manske, working at the National Research Laboratories in Ottawa, Canada, in 1938, who isolated an alkaloid that he was unable to purify adequately, and the common plant-sugar, mannitol. A few years later, John Goodson, at the Wellcome Chemical Research Laboratories in London, England, isolated what he"
"below). The lark bunting (""Calamospiza melanocorys"") is an American sparrow. The Lapland bunting (""Calcarius lapponicus"") is also known as Lapland longspur, and is considered under longspurs, and also placed in a separate family Calcariidae. Clade A - ""Emberiza"" species: ""tristrami, variabilis, chrysophrys, aureola, pusilla, rutila, rustica, sulphurata, spodocephala, schoeniclus, pallasi, yessoensis, elegans,"" with """"Latoucheornis"" siemsseni"". Clade B - ""Emberiza"" species: ""leucocephalos, citrinella, stewarti, cirlus, hortulana, caesia, buchanani, cia, godlewskii, cioides, jankowskii, fucata,"" with """"Miliaria"" calandra"". Clade C - ""Emberiza"" species: ""melanocephala, bruniceps"" with """"Melophus"" lathami"". Clade D - ""Emberiza"" species: ""striolata, tahapisi, impetuana, capensis, flaviventris, cabanisi"". Buntings not yet tested"
"and livestock. Many species of larkspurs are known for being poisonous, and as hazards to livestock. This species is notorious as one of the toxic plants most commonly responsible for livestock death, especially cattle fatalities on the rangelands of Colorado and Utah. Sheep are much less susceptible. Up to 15% of a cow herd can be lost to poisoning in areas where this larkspur and its hybrids are common. The cost to ranchers is in the millions of dollars. Abundance of larkspur has persuaded ranchers to remove their animals from some areas of rangeland, or use the land only at"
"Consolida regalis Consolida regalis, with the common names forking larkspur, rocket-larkspur, and field larkspur, is an annual herbaceous plant belonging to the genus ""Consolida"" of the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae). ""Consolida regalis"" is native to: The plant is found growing on sandy or chalky soils. It is present at an altitude of above sea level. It is common in dry weedy places and roadside ditches, and in cereal crop fields. The plant has become quite rare in central and southern Europe because of the increased use of herbicides and intensive soil cultivation. This species is grown as an ornamental plant. ""Consolida"
"Lapland longspur The Lapland longspur (""Calcarius lapponicus""), also known as the Lapland bunting, is a passerine bird in the longspur family Calcariidae, a group separated by most modern authors from the Fringillidae (Old World finches). The English name refers to the long hind claws. The genus name ""Calcarius"" is from Latin ""calcaria"", ""spurs"", and the specific ""lapponicus"" refers to Lapland. The Lapland longspur is a robust bird, with a thick yellow seed-eater's bill. The summer male has a black head and throat, white eyestripe, chestnut nape, white underparts, and a heavily streaked black-grey back. Other plumages have a plainer orange-brown"
"Methyllycaconitine Methyllycaconitine (MLA) is a diterpenoid alkaloid found in many species of ""Delphinium"" (larkspurs). In common with many other diterpenoid alkaloids, it is toxic to animals, although the acute toxicity varies with species. Early research was focused on identifying, and characterizing the properties of methyllycaconitine as one of the principal toxins in larkspurs responsible for livestock poisoning in the mountain rangelands of North America. Methyllycaconitine has been explored as a possible therapeutic agent for the treatment of spastic paralyses in man, and it has been shown to have insecticidal properties. Most recently, it has become an important molecular probe for"
"of identifying the compounds responsible for its toxicity. These researchers again found methyllycaconitine and browniine in the plant, but also a closely related alkaloid, browniine-14-acetate, as well as the alkaloid magnoflorine, belonging to the aporphine class. Of these, methyllycaconitine was found to be the most toxic. Delphinium glaucum Delphinium glaucum is a species of ""tall"" larkspur known by the common names Sierra larkspur, mountain larkspur, and glaucous larkspur. Although Ewan, in his survey of North American ""Delphiniums"", treated ""D. glaucum"" and D. brownii as two separate species, some taxonomists now seem inclined to treat ""D. brownii"" as a local form"
"the Lapland longspur, or Lapland bunting, is also found in Europe and Asia. The species are: The genus name ""Calcarius"" is from Latin ""calcaria"", ""spurs"". Longspur The longspurs, genus Calcarius, are a group of birds in the family Calcariidae. The name refers to the long claw on the hind toe of each foot. The genus formerly included the McCown's longspur, ""Rhyncophanes mccownii"", which is now placed in a separate genus. These are chunky ground-feeding birds with long wings which are usually seen in open areas. Males declare ownership of a territory by singing during short flights over it. The male's"
"with numerous cultivars in shades of pink, blue, purple and white. In seed catalogues it is usually described as ""larkspur"", with ""delphinium"" reserved for its perennial relative. All parts of the plant are toxic to humans, especially the seeds. Selected species include: Consolida Consolida is a genus of about 40 species of annual flowering plants in the family Ranunculaceae, native to western Europe, the Mediterranean and Asia. The common name, larkspur, referring to the spur-shaped calyx, is shared with the closely related perennial delphinium. ""Consolida"" differs from ""Delphinium"" in the flower structure, with the flowers in an open, loose, often"
"Longspur The longspurs, genus Calcarius, are a group of birds in the family Calcariidae. The name refers to the long claw on the hind toe of each foot. The genus formerly included the McCown's longspur, ""Rhyncophanes mccownii"", which is now placed in a separate genus. These are chunky ground-feeding birds with long wings which are usually seen in open areas. Males declare ownership of a territory by singing during short flights over it. The male's breeding plumage is much brighter than his winter plumage. These birds gather in large flocks in winter. The longspurs are all found in North America;"
"Delphinium tricorne Delphinium tricorne, known by the common name dwarf larkspur, is a flowering plant in the buttercup family. It is native to the eastern United States, where it is the most common ""Delphinium"" found. It is found in rich mesic forests, often over calcareous rocks. It a perennial that sends up long, stringy thin stems with few leaves and bears attractive flowers in shades of blue. The diterpenoid alkaloids lycoctonine and tricornine (otherwise known as lycoctonine-18-O-acetate) have been isolated from ""D. tricorne"". The toxicology and pharmacology of lycoctonine have been quite well studied, but there is only limited information"
"seeds ripen from June through September. All plant parts are poisonous in large doses, especially the seeds, that contain up to 1.4% of alkaloids. Consolida regalis Consolida regalis, with the common names forking larkspur, rocket-larkspur, and field larkspur, is an annual herbaceous plant belonging to the genus ""Consolida"" of the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae). ""Consolida regalis"" is native to: The plant is found growing on sandy or chalky soils. It is present at an altitude of above sea level. It is common in dry weedy places and roadside ditches, and in cereal crop fields. The plant has become quite rare in"
"the same color, and two upper petals which are usually white. The spur is up to two centimeters long and curves down at the tip. Delphinium hutchinsoniae Delphinium hutchinsoniae is a rare species of larkspur known by the common names Monterey larkspur and Hutchinson's larkspur. It is endemic to California, where it is known only from Monterey County. This wildflower reaches a meter in height but is usually shorter. The leaves are divided into lobes which are further divided into smaller lobes, and they are mostly located low on the plant. The top of the thin, erect stem is occupied"
"also called by a number of alternative English names, including ""English sparrow"", chiefly in North America; and ""Indian sparrow"" or ""Indian house sparrow"", for the birds of the Indian subcontinent and Central Asia. Dialectal names include ""sparr"", ""sparrer"", ""spadger"", ""spadgick"", and ""philip"", mainly in southern England; ""spug"" and ""spuggy"", mainly in northern England; ""spur"" and ""sprig"", mainly in Scotland; and ""spatzie"" or ""spotsie"", from the German ""Spatz"", in North America. The genus ""Passer"" contains about 25 species, depending on the authority, 26 according to the ""Handbook of the Birds of the World"". Most ""Passer"" species are dull-coloured birds with short,"
"Delphinium glaucum Delphinium glaucum is a species of ""tall"" larkspur known by the common names Sierra larkspur, mountain larkspur, and glaucous larkspur. Although Ewan, in his survey of North American ""Delphiniums"", treated ""D. glaucum"" and D. brownii as two separate species, some taxonomists now seem inclined to treat ""D. brownii"" as a local form of ""D. glaucum"". However, the matter does not yet appear to be completely resolved. This wildflower is native to western North America from Arizona to Alaska. It grows in moist mountainous environments, such as riverbanks and meadows. This plant sprouts one to several tall, stout, pale"
"July). The birds often catch insects in mid-air, but do forage through vegetation when climatic conditions prevent the insects from flying. Longspurs can consume between 3000 and 10,000 prey items (insects or seeds) per day, depending on their energy needs. Dipteran larvae and adults form the major part of their insectivorous diet. Lapland longspur The Lapland longspur (""Calcarius lapponicus""), also known as the Lapland bunting, is a passerine bird in the longspur family Calcariidae, a group separated by most modern authors from the Fringillidae (Old World finches). The English name refers to the long hind claws. The genus name ""Calcarius"""
"Delphinium hesperium Delphinium hesperium is a species of larkspur known by the common name foothill larkspur. It is also sometimes called western larkspur and coastal larkspur, but these names are less specific since other species share them. It is endemic to California, where it grows in woodland and grassland in the northern half of the state. This wildflower generally reaches one half to one meter in height. It has deeply lobed, prominently veined leaves, mostly located near the base of the plant. The inflorescence may hold very few to over 100 flowers, each on a long, thick pedicel. The flowers"
"cardinale"" does not seem to have been associated either with folk-medicinal usage or livestock-poisoning, it has been the object of only limited chemical study: in 1966, Mike Benn of the University of Calgary in Canada isolated the following diterpenoid alkaloids from the above-ground parts of ""D. cardinale"" plants collected in California: browniine; dehydrobrowniine; hetisine; dehydrohetisine and lycoctonine. There was also good evidence for the presence of methyllycaconitine, but this was not isolated. Delphinium cardinale Delphinium cardinale is a species of larkspur known by the common names scarlet larkspur and cardinal larkspur. This wildflower is native to California and Baja California,"
"are generally known as the ""crimson rosella"", with the alternate names ""Red Lowry"", ""Pennant's parakeet"", ""Campbell parakeet"", ""(blue) mountain parrot"", ""(blue) mountain lowry"" or just plain ""lowry"" occasionally heard. Cayley reported that the first two alternate names were most common in the early part of the twentieth century. On Norfolk Island it is called simply ""red parrot"". The ""yellow rosella"", also known by a variety of alternate common names including ""Murrumbidgee lowry"", ""murray rosella"", ""swamp lowry"" and ""yellow-rumped parakeet"", was described as ""Platycercus flaveolus"" by John Gould, who gave it the last common name mentioned. It was reduced to subspecies"
"upper petals. The sepals are usually curved back, the trait which gives the plant its name. Delphinium recurvatum Delphinium recurvatum is a species of larkspur known by the common names Byron larkspur, recurved larkspur, and valley larkspur. It is endemic to California, where most of its historical range is in the Central Valley. The grasslands of the valley have been mostly claimed for development and agriculture, so this species is now uncommon. This wildflower reaches a maximum height of about half a meter. Its deeply lobed leaves are mainly basal, with those located further up the dark purple stem being"
"blue or rarely white. The lower petals are the same color, while the upper are often white. The spur is one or two centimeters long. Delphinium nuttallianum Delphinium nuttallianum is a species of larkspur known by the common names twolobe larkspur and Nuttall's larkspur. It is widely distributed across western North America from California to Alberta. This wildflower has a white to pink erect stem usually not exceeding half a meter in height which may branch several times. Deeply lobed leaves are located mostly about the base of the plant. The inflorescence occupying the top end of the stem has"
"Delphinium cardinale Delphinium cardinale is a species of larkspur known by the common names scarlet larkspur and cardinal larkspur. This wildflower is native to California and Baja California, where it grows on coastal, inland, and desert chaparral slopes, such as the Colorado Desert, and the Peninsular and Transverse Ranges. The presence of diterpenoid alkaloids, probably including the highly toxic methyllycaconitine, in the above-ground parts of ""D. cardinale"" plants means that they are likely to be toxic. This tall larkspur grows on an erect stem which often exceeds two meters (~6 ft.) in height. The leaves are divided into many narrow"
"to many of the other species in the genus ""Mirafra"". The alternate name of ""cinnamon bush lark"" is also an alternate name for the flappet lark, and the alternate name of ""singing bush lark"" more commonly refers to the species of the same name, ""Mirafra cantillans"". Other alternate names for Horsfield's bush lark include the Australasian bushlark, Australasian lark, Australian lark, Eastern bush lark, Eastern lark, Eastern singing bush lark, Horsfield's lark and Javan Lark. Morphologically, the family Alaudidae constitutes a well-defined group, whose members share unique features of the syrinx and tarsus. The syrinx lacks a pessulus, which is"
"snake, pine snake, racer, rattlesnake pilot, thunder-and-lightning snake, thunderbolt, thunder snake, wamper, wampum snake. Also In North Carolina it is called the pied piper. ""L. getula"" is found in the United States in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, portions of Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, south and southwest Illinois, southern Indiana, southern Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, southern and western Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, southern Ohio, southeastern Oklahoma, southern Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, southern Utah, Virginia, and West Virginia. It is also found in northern Mexico, including all of Baja California. It has"
"certain times of the year. The plant contains many toxic alkaloids. The alkaloids barbinine and barbinidine were first isolated from this species. The most hazardous are called methyl succidimido anthramoyl lycoctomine (MSAL) diterpenoids. About two kilograms dry weight of the plant is estimated to provide a fatal dose of alkaloid. Paralysis occurs and death is caused by respiratory paralysis. Toxicity reactions in animals, sometimes called larkspur toxicosis, can be treated with physostigmine. Ranchers sometimes attempt to kill this larkspur with the herbicide tebuthiuron. Glyphosate and picloram have been effective in research trials, but these chemicals kill nontarget plants as well,"
"the mouse, and the LD for nudicauline is ~3 mg/kg, i.v., in the mouse. Delphinium nudicaule Delphinium nudicaule, known by the common names canyon larkspur, red larkspur, orange larkspur, and canyon delphinium, is a flowering perennial herb in the Buttercup Family (Ranunculaceae). It is native to the low elevation canyons and slopes, foothills, and mountain ranges, of California from the Sierra Nevada to the California Coast Ranges, and of Oregon. It grows below . The plant sends up thin and long stems with finely dissected leaves. It bears attractive larkspur flowers in shades of red and orange. The flowers generally"
"Delphinium recurvatum Delphinium recurvatum is a species of larkspur known by the common names Byron larkspur, recurved larkspur, and valley larkspur. It is endemic to California, where most of its historical range is in the Central Valley. The grasslands of the valley have been mostly claimed for development and agriculture, so this species is now uncommon. This wildflower reaches a maximum height of about half a meter. Its deeply lobed leaves are mainly basal, with those located further up the dark purple stem being much smaller. The flowers are generally blue, with the sepals and lower petals darker than the"
"Delphinium hutchinsoniae Delphinium hutchinsoniae is a rare species of larkspur known by the common names Monterey larkspur and Hutchinson's larkspur. It is endemic to California, where it is known only from Monterey County. This wildflower reaches a meter in height but is usually shorter. The leaves are divided into lobes which are further divided into smaller lobes, and they are mostly located low on the plant. The top of the thin, erect stem is occupied by an inflorescence of not more than ten flowers. Each flower has sepals which are brilliant purple or blue to lavender, two petals which are"
"ingestion. Death occurs due to neuromuscular blocking effects as well as cardiotoxic effects. Delphinium scopulorum Delphinium scopulorum, commonly known as the Rocky Mountain larkspur is found dominantly in upper elevations of moist meadows. It is a non-woody plant and has a perennial duration, indicating a yearly growth. ""Scopulorum"" means ""of the mountains. ""Delphinium scopulorum"" is found in a floral region in the lower North America. It is specifically found in the states of New Mexico and Arizona. Its growth habit is forb or herb. Its Native Status is L48 (N), with a National and Regional Wetland Indicator Status of (FAC)"
"blue sepals each about a centimeter long which generally roll up and extend forward, with a spur about a centimeter long extending back. The fruit is up to 2 centimeters long. Delphinium inopinum Delphinium inopinum is a species of larkspur known by the common name unexpected larkspur. It is endemic to the Sierra Nevada of California, where it is known mostly from rocky areas in open temperate coniferous forest habitat. ""Delphinium inopinum"" is a perennial herb with one or more erect, waxy stems usually exceeding a meter in height. The leaves are located mainly toward the base of the stem,"
"of above sea level. Delphinium brunonianum Delphinium brunonianum, common name musk larkspur, is a species of larkspur belonging to the family Ranunculaceae. ""Delphinium brunonianum"" can reach a height of . It has a strong musky smell (hence the common name). The leaves are palmately lobed, petiolate and alternate. This plant produces racemes with 5 - 10 blue to purple cup-shaped flowers. Tepals have slender white hairs on both sides and spurs are short. They bloom from July to September. This species is native to Central Asia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tibet and the Himalaya. It can be found in stony mountain slopes"
"pink. There are no lavender varieties, unlike with rocket larkspur (""D. ajacis"" or ""consolida"") and ""elatum"" plants. Unlike those two species, this one is typically purchased by gardeners from nurseries rather than grown from seed, unless the gardener already has plants and collects seed or lets the plant reseed. Rocket larkspur seed is much less expensive and spike-type delphinium seed is more widespread for purchase. Nursery-grown ""grandiflorum"" plants are readily available in the United States and can be found at stores such as WalMart, Lowe's, and Meier. Dwarf and normal height varieties are available but even the normal height plants"