After running into a couple of photogenic amphibians the past few days, I'm curious to see what other unexpected animals people have run into this summer while working in their garden.
This first little guy is an Eastern Gray Tree Frog that I spotted at about 3 in the morning sitting on a ground-level window, eating bugs around my container plants.
A Woodhouse's Toad (Staring contest. Me and you. Right now.)
A peacock - no kidding.
a red fox (I think ...for sure was a fox)
an owl
a bunch of snakes but there is such a strong reaction to the sight that I can't tell you if common or rare, deadly or not (probably not).
A deer with only three legs (the 'fourth" was a limp small stump)
Two days ago a praying mantis right on my shoulder - ooooooh weeeeeee
A bunch of these
That photo was from 09 but I have seen these fellas/gals (how do you tell??) on my windows multiple times this summer. They show up in groups.
Looks like you get the gray tree frogs, too! From what I've read online, the Gray Tree Frogs are sexually dimorphic, so they're kinda hard to tell the difference between. Good pic, rosie!
Uh, if I showed my pic, EVERYONE on Dave's Garden would blush!
It's of two lizards engaged in an illicit act on the lid of one of my eBuckets. Just happened to have my trusty cameraphone at the ready (I don't go to the garden without it...)
Imagine my TOTAL surprise at coming upon these two creatures entwined in the throngs of passion!
Nuff said. I hope these "thousand" words speak of one never-to-be-revealed picture!
Linda
This message was edited Aug 30, 2010 10:30 AM
How do you know those two weren't married?
I bet you can sell that photo to a greeting card company!
I bet I could seel that photo to a lot of companies!!!
while weeding, a cute little brown toad visited me. But the biggest surprise visitors (more like residents) is a nest of 5 baby bunnies.
Um, WVgirl,
Where's the pic?
sorry, no pics. don't know how to post pics, even if I had them. This is the first time I've even posted, amazed I managed to do that--Not too computer savy. The toad went on his merry little way, the bunnies, I covered with straw to protect them from the heat. checked on them last evening since there's been no sign of the momma being around them. she must be taking care of them though, they're growing. hubby says they should be getting out on their own in a week or so.
the rabbits are such a pain, eating everything I plant, but seeing a whole nest of little ones, I just can't help but hope they make it o.k.
I guess he's not that unusual around here but interesting for me (being Scottish) and I just like the way he was perching at the top of my bamboo fencing.
Have seen lots of crickets/ grasshoppers including mothers carrying the babies on her back (think I have a photo of that somewhere...), a not unexpected groundhog which was pretty brave and came quite close although he seems to have disappeared, sadly probably road kill around here, and a little rabbit has moved in and he's been a pain in the arse really - even ventured up onto the deck one night to eat some strawberries so we are now barricading the deck every night!!
Found the photo... am pretty sure it's a mother & baby...!
Just recently we have a squirrel (unusual for us), a non poisonus snake, which didn't even scare me ( big surprise), a mouse, and off course our very many lovely birds at our bird feeders every day, which give us much delight.
GREAT PHOTOS
Thanks :)
Here's what I found when I went to put food out for the cats. I'm glad I wasn't standing up straight, I didn't see it until I shut the door I'm glad I was leaning over...if that thing had gotten caught in my hair it would have been all over.
Banana Spider?
We just call them garden spiders they are huge. The female mates, the male dies then she makes an egg sack. Every year I find the same # of dead spiders as I do egg sacks. This one is in a very awkward location. I won't go out that door, I'm afraid I'll forget and walk into it. EEKK...
Heres an interesting visitor, I go to dead head my rose bush and i look down and see this guy in my petunias!
It looks like its having its mugshot taken. That would surprise me for sure.
Petunia are so tasty. And, that fella doesn't look the least bit guilty or sorry!
LOL yeah I think he was sorry! we took him back to the river and everyone was happy he got a free meal and a ride back home.
Great turtle pic! I actually saw a turtle in the road the other day and (thinking it was a box turtle) stopped to move it out of the road. When I got too close, it whipped its long, scaly tail around and snapped at me (it was an alligator snapping turtle). Needless to say, he wasn't too keen on accepting help from me. I found an inch-and-a-half thick branch to kinda direct him out of harm's way, and he broke the stick in two!
Wow we had about the same experience with an alligator snapper, we stopped and knew what it was right away. He was a pretty good size and he would hop snap at us (My husband and I). Well we couldn't leave him there here in this part of Ohio our neighbors like to eat turtle so I didn't was that to happen Jon distracted him with a piece of cardboard and i got my hands around him in the no bite zone. We stuck him in a cardboard box and took him to the river, he was quite far from any water. And again another happy turtle.
I luv to hear about other people who (help) out wildlife and animals in general. I have done this so many times then swear I won't tell anyone.
I wonder if the animals feel like they have been abducted by aliens?
I haven't had a good turtle soup since I was a little kid...
When I was five, and my uncle brought home this HUGE turtle to cook. All I remember was standing on the turtle's back after his head had been cut off. I was little enough and the turtle was big enough that he walked with me on his back....
^^_^^
LOL I have never had turtle soup I would like to try it but not with a turtle I have bonded with. hehe! You know I wondered the same thing you know what they are thinking. I'm almost sure its not "hey these people are helping me" Maybe something like " oh no oh no what do i do" lol
Well, the eastern gray tree frog has returned to my back porch (this time to the water bowl I leave out next to the jelly glasses and peanuts for the orioles and blue jays); since the orioles have gone back south and the blue jays rarely (if ever) use the water bowl, it's good to see the tree frog thinks it's a spa and something is getting use out of it.
Another pic showing the bright yellow coloring of the underside of their rear legs
Haha I like these! Is he coming out of a flower pot?
It's an old dog food bowl that I use as a small bird bath... and (apparently) a frog spa.
No kidding! LOL i think a frog can make almost anything look comical.
The top pic is exactly how he looked when I spotted him: Head hanging over the edge of the bowl, his body submerged, and the one foot holding him up, like he was in a hot tub.
Back to the helping animals thing - suppose you find a tortoise in the middle of the road staring straight down the center line, which side of the road do you return him to? I always wonder if I'm helping or actually setting them back on their journey! I usually go for the "lush" side of the road. A pasture, over the woods, something like that.
Years ago we had a garden pond, back in the early '90's. Three summers in a row we had a snapper turn up in our pond! We're probably a half a mile, at least, from moving water so that was quite a hike for him! They're tenacious!!
Move him to the lush side and hope he's forgotten that he was going anywhere :)
I'm in Northern California, those little frogs sure get around. I've got bunches of them, whatever kind they are I don't know. I'm not into frogs, or reptiles period. They are piled on top of my window frame and hopping all around the yard. I am tired of walking on them, having them jump on me and being a nuisance in general. How do you get rid of them?
As for other wildlife, many coyotes, racoons (huge), haven't seen the skunk but I know he was here, rattlers (have not seen one this year - yeah!), only 2 black and yellow stripped garden snakes (striped the length of the fellows. Nice colors but, I am petrified of snakes), we have only a few deer that only show up when I've got my eye on a lovely tomato - the next morning it may have been munched.
Bunches of birds from hummming birds and the tiny little finches to magpies and redheaded woodpeckers and hawks and buzzards.
The only thing I enjoy more than my yard and my 2 dogs and 4 cats is my 2 year old grandson. He enjoys them all with me.
Aint life grand!
How come people always get nutty when they have grandkids. I think the only reason my parent's had me was to have 2 grandsons. lol
Gottcha! Why did you have yours?
It certainly is a good reason isn't it?
I forgot to ask - does anyone have a zucchini bread recipe they are willing to share with me? I've got one of those runaway zucchinis staring me in the face. Help.
I have a meatloaf recipe that uses 2 cups of shredded zucchini. I thought it turned out well. I am willing to share if anyone is interested.
