What do you call those lizards?
Don't think the dogs would like them.
Could you bait & trap them and remove them back to the wild?
Tropical Garden #87
OMG! TOO BIG is what I call them! Those are huge.......Is that an Iguana (sp?_)
And they say things get BIG in TEXAS! No thank you!
Jeanne
They're Varanus species. The biggest one I've seen was just about 3 metres long. Got a photo but on film. Didn't have a digital camera then. I was trying to get a photo of a bird, Plains Turkey, when I heard a loud hiss. Turned and saw this massive lizard close by. He was hissing to warn me to keep my distance. They haunch their shoulders and neck and stretch up on their forelegs. A really impressive sight. The biggest I've seen on my place would have only been a bit under 2 metres. But there is a 3 metre crocodile that hangs around on my place during the wet season. And they're not particularly fussy eaters at all. They'll eat cats, dogs, lizards, and even the occasional person.
Yeah.......not too fond of alligators or crocks. We used to have property about fifty-sixty miles from here near the Trinity River. We camped at the campground for years until they had problems with the alligators eating small dogs. Between the alligators and the mosquitos, it was no longer a pleasant experience! If one did not get you the other would.
If you went down at the fishing pier at night you could see red eyes staring back at you.........ooooooh. It still gives me the shivers. In Texas the alligators are protected.
I haven't been camping in years! Hotels and Motels are much more desireable in my old age! HAHA!
Jeanne
Dave, this is your mother speaking - CLEAN YOUR ROOM!
Great pictures, people! HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Dave: Hauoli Makahiki Hou - Happy New Year to you too! LOL, I had to check and double check my spelling with that! A few days ago I was looking though a box of old recipes that had belonged to my aunt and I found a little brochure of "Hawaiian Holiday" Recipes. One page is titled It's Fun To Speak Hawaiian and has a list of words with translation. It says the pronunciation is exceedingly simple. Ha! ... try teaching it to this old southern gal! Of course, reading and hearing it aloud are two different things.
LOL, yep Zach is a great "Tropical" (zone 10) dog, a spoiled rotten 11 yr old yellow lab. My sister and her family are picking up their new puppy next week. They recently lost their 5 yr old, 250 lb. English Mastiff to cancer and are getting another Mastiff puppy, a female this time. Poor Zach will be worn out with a rambunctious little pup in the house.
That doggie in your last photo is too cute! With that face he/she could be a movie star! Great pic of you strummin that guitar, what kind of music?
Texasgal: Your Dusty is sure a handsome fella. How old is he? Princess is almost 15 but sometimes still acts like a youngster although she doesn't like other cats. She was my mom's cat and we took her when my mom passed away six years ago. At the time we had three other cats and she tore into them every chance she got. She wanted to be an only child and now she is as the others were older and have since crossed the rainbow bridge. Princess would like to get out into the yard and chase away strays that come around but she is an indoor only cat because she has no front claws. Her only outdoor area is the screened pool deck that runs the length of the back of the house, and she seems content with that. I just have to watch when neighbor kitties or stray cats are passing through the yard so that she doesn't go through the screen after them!
Zig: Now that's a LIZARD for sure! I don't think I'd want to see one of those guys around my house! I'm okay with the little green anole type because they don't have any teeth ... but those big ones, Yikes! There's a problem with non-native wildlife here in parts of Florida, large Pythons, Iguanas, Monitor Lizards and I don't want to come in contact with any of them. We have alligators and crocs here too, I think every body of fresh water in the state of Florida has alligators and we hear stories of them taking dogs on occasion. It's against the law to feed gators but people still do it and then the gators get accustomed to humans and the problems begin. I'm always hearing of large gators having to be trapped and relocated or sometimes killed. There is a gator hunting season for a short time each year, but only so many permits are issued and there's a limit on how many can be killed.
This is one of the stray kitties that a neighbor has been feeding, along with Raccoons and Opossums and whatever else happens by the wooded lot next to their house...
This is one of the critters I enjoy seeing here in Florida:
Well, my husband left around 9 this morning for an all day motorcycle ride with some of his buddies and I have some errands to run so will say so long for now. I hope everyone has a happy and safe new year's eve, and may you wake to a beautiful beginning of a healthy and prosperous year!
Happy New Year my friends!
Hi Lin, I play mostly rock & blues.
Thanks Kay! I clean fairly regularly. I don't have much space to put things, which is why I'm building an extension. I just finished rust treating the old roof, sealed the new roof, and installed windows. Next concrete fiberboard siding goes up, as soon as it stops raining.
Waiting for the rain to stop can be a lesson in patience. It rains from October through December here. January is usually drought month.
There's always gardening to do, rain or shine.
The Taro is developing nicely!
It's ok, Dave - I'd move in with you any day!
Anadenanthera colubrina in flower.
Bidens hawaiiensis
Nice extension to your house Dave! I'd love that room with screen all around it! Nice photo of your tropical jungle even if it is raining! Oh how I wish you could send me some of that rain! Winter is our dry season and we've been pretty dry all year. We are currently under extreme drought conditions here in my part of the east coast of Fl: http://www.drought.unl.edu/dm/DM_state.htm?FL,SE There's a large 13,000 acre wild fire in a conservation area in the next county to the south of us. News reports stated it was due to the extreme drought conditions. It caused a complete shut down of I-95 a couple of times but last I heard it was now 90% contained. A shame it's in a conservation area ... many plants and wildlife displaced. Love that Anadenanthera ... a new one to me. I looked in PF but couldn't find a listing.
I have a couple of Holiday Cactus that are blooming, this is one of them:
I'm not sure how to get this rain to you Lin, but you're welcome to it!
Hello Everyone, Great thread!
Metrosideros, thanks, I have enjoyed all of your posts! The amazon lilys were blooming when I bought them. I too, have a few that are several years old that have beautiful foliage but no flowers.
Love the view from your new addition, it seems to be well constructed.
You would fit in very nicely around my place, my boys are always talking or playing music. Here they are, jamming to Dizzy Miss Lizzy.
plantladylin, I love those kind of surprises. The foliage on your Hoya are very attractive, the blooms are nice as well.
We had a bit of fun recently trying to catch one of those green lizards that came with a e-bay purchase from Florida, it bit my dh on the finger.
This is a old bromeliad basket, with one bloom. I can't wait to see it with a few more.
Texasgal77, Happy belated Birthday!!
RachelLF, this is a new Philo. Lynette. It does not look very healthy, but I can hope for improvement for its next showing.
Happy New Year to Everyone!!
Remember to eat your black-eye peas.
Oooh, somebody had a birthday and I missed the party? Happy belated B'day wishes Texasgal, hope you had a wonderful day!
prita: I've never heard of that Philo Lynette ... nice, and the brom basket too! What's the lovely in your last picture?
Aaah, Black Eyed Peas, sounds soo good ... I haven't had them in years! My husband doesn't like them so I don't usually make them just for myself. My sister down in South Fla makes a huge pot with a ham bone every New Years day even though she and her husband are the only two who will eat them. Their kids are pretty picky eaters, even at the ages of 41 and 28.
Well ... speaking of food, I have a chicken poppy seed casserole in the oven for dinner tonight that I need to get out. We are eating late tonight because my husband just got home. He's was out riding his motorcycle with some buddies today and one of our friends broke down about 5 O'clock when they were on their way home, so my DH came home to get his motorcycle trailer to go pick him and his bike up to transport them home.
Have a safe night everyone!
Thank you for the birthday wishes. I had a great day!!!!!
Dusty is five years old ???? I have lost track. They are indoor cats however they still have their claws. They are the two biggest babies. They cannot go to sleep at night until Ma has tucked them in. They are very needy to be cats.....of course, I don't think they know they are cats. haha!
This is Dusty's brother Rusty. They have beds plus they are allowed on the sofa. Why he decides to curl up here.......oh well.
Jeanne
Happy New Years everyone!!!!
Happy New Year everyone! We are having glorious weather for the first day of January ... currently 74º and sunny. I've moved a lot of plants back outside and I know they are happy to get some fresh air and sunshine ... now to water thoroughly!
Texasgal/Jeanne: Rusty is a cutie! They do like to sleep in unusual places sometimes! He reminds me a bit of our "Cookie" that we lost last year.
Ok .. if someone will start a new January "Tropical Plants" thread I'll try not to hijack it with pictures other than plants!
:)
I hope y'all don't mind, I started a new thread for the new year ... follow me here:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1147229/
She does look like Rusty, Lin! It has been pretty here also, but we are supposed to get an Arctic Blast on Tuesday and Wed. I sure will be glad when it is April.
Jeanne
Oh, I sure hope that Arctic blast doesn't make it down to Florida! We had the coldest December in history which was enough winter for me! I really don't want to have to move plants back inside again. Our house is real small and our tiny guest bedroom is where I store my orchids and other smaller plants that absolutely must come inside when temp's drop! We have company coming down from N.Y. in two weeks and I won't be able to put plants in that bedroom while they are visiting. Guess I better pray for it to stay warm enough for everything to remain out on the deck!
I see your name is my middle name, I'm Linda Jeanne. :)