Let's see your yard critters

I just did a computer backup for a fellow who has a beautiful pond. He put a rumpled wire fence around the edge of the pond - the kind of hardware cloth type with 4" spacing - leaning in a bit towards the pond. He said the herons would not go near the pond after that. Even though the pond was big enough to for them to come in and out without touching the fence. The idea is that they are afraid of getting tangled in the wire. He had some of the most gorgeous koi I have ever seen - really big with unusual coloring - and the fence looked a bit unattractive around his fabulous landscaping but he said he had not lost a fish since.

I love the bug too! Don't they call those 'walking sticks'?

-- Vicky

That's a preying mantis. Sheila-definitely a fly. Was it hovering over the flowers? You know - kind of staying in place? There are hover flies (syrphid flies) that hover, and eat nectar and pollen, but they lay eggs among aphid colonies and their babies eat the aphids. There are also tachinid flies (beneficial) and bee flies. My first guess would be the hover fly. Great photos!

ceejaytown, you must be a naturalist! LOL! You're good at this -- thanks for the names. I always like to know the right name for plants, animals, people....

-- Vicky

Although I have no need to try this,I have it from a good sourse,that if you string coard across the pond ,the heron will not get in it.Worth a try.

Thanks CJ, I looked at the links and think you could be right. Odd little bugger to watch though, he didn't really hover, just moved slow like a bee from flower to flower.
About the heron attack..... We and our neighbors netted the ponds for about two months. I gradually took it off of the shallow areas and didn't see him return. After another few weeks we removed the net all together. So far so good. I think it was because of the drought here. Their feeding grounds at the lakes have been disrupted. Now they have found another spot maybe?....time will tell. Oh, the neighbor also bought a couple of flamingos too! LOL!
I read that you could do the wire or fishing line at 6-8" and then another at 12-14" high and they wouldn't bother it. But I have a shallow shelf and thought he might land there, so we chose the full net. We could see them fine and still feed through it too.
Had a problem with frogs and birds entering near the waterfall and getting caught under the net, so that is when I started rolling it back.

for those that follow on the daylily forum, I started a thread called "GOT FROGS?" It really turned out to be something I couldn't wait to see each day, so if you haven't seen it - here is an example ( and I invite ya'll over to see it ! ) :

Took me awhile to find him!

Cute! He's not like any frogs we have here.

Can you zoom in on the frog for a better look? That is a great pix!

Shelia, the flower actually makes the ''fly'' pretty! BTW, what is the flower?

The plant is my Crown of Thorns. It is potted and sits in full sun in our Texas Heat all day, and blooms it fool head off. lol!
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/57723/index.html

It's pretty!

Ooh. I just bought what the salesperson called a thornless Crown of Thorns. Same flower. Same genus - different species, though. I'll have to go and look it up. But, I'd like to know how you grow it. I understand it isn't hardy, so I am presuming yours is in a pot and that you take it in each winter? Does it bloom in the house? Any special soil or suggestions?

I just treat it like my cactus. Water minimum and a sandy based soil. It does great in full Texas sun, but won't do well outside here in our area through the late fall / winter. I bring the potted monster in each year. I have had it for about 7 years. Each winter a lot of it's leaves turn yellow, and drop, but as soon as it is allowed outside again, it bounces back. If you had a greenhouse or sunny spot to put it in, it may do better. I have the solar screens on my house, so it basically goes dormant.

I bought a couple of the newer Thailand varieties of Crown of Thorns last year. They grow more compactly. I'm very happy with them -- they have bloomed continuously with really large flowers. Mine are out in the full Florida sun in pots. They do have thorns tho! LOL. I've started a few cuttings that have already rooted. I left mine outside all last winter and they did fine. It may be colder in Ft. Worth though....

-- Vicky

This message was edited Jul 25, 2006 12:09 PM

Oh yeah, a lot colder! lol!

I had a lot of reading to catch up, here. lol
Great pics and pleasant conversation, throughout.
The Crown of Thorns was one of my first indoor plants, in grade school. Great plant.
We have no Skinks up here, cool looking though.
We have Herons. Super pic, Sheila.
I spotted 3 small Mantis in some Day Lilies this morning, one was eating a small fly. I hope they stick around.
When I read about Hover Flies I thought of this pic. It sure hovered, lol.

Andy P

Great shot of a hover fly!!!!

CJ, is that what it is? I suspected as much.
That's one of a few of that bug on the Agastache.
They are kinda cute.
Here is a Dragonfly from yesterday.
Andy P

Oh my!!! You are getting wonderful pictures!!! How are you doing that?! These things want to move when I try!!

CJ, This one was drying the dew from it's wings in the morning. I snapped a bunch of shots without it moving once. (See Photos "Golden Dragonfly")
Andy P

Will do!! (Durn! Morning, eh? Not a real good time for me....have to quit staying up so late!)

BTW, does the agastache have any aphids? The hover fly might be laying eggs among them...That would be way cool to watch.

CJ, I have never seen aphids on the Agastache. I think the flies come by for the nectar.
So many insects and birds visit this plant that I'm about to start a thread to feature them. I've been taking pics around that plant for a week now. I'm not sure which forum to post it in, Perennials most likely, maybe here in Garden Talk.
I hope you join in there to identify some of the critters. lol
Andy P

Oh the adult flies are definitely there for the nectar. Watch them and see if you observe any of them flying around leaves, and then raising their little tush and planting an egg on the underside of a leaf. Neat to watch....

Those photos are great! I wish I could do that with my camera. Is that what macro is?

-- Vicky

Sarahskeeper - Personally, I think Garden Talk is the place for the thread...

And where is the Golden Dragonfly again? Is there a forum called Photos that I have just overlooked?

VCB1 - Yep. You can get up real close and personal with a macro lens. If the critter will hang tight for you.

Vicky, Yes. My 2 pics above are Macro.
CJ, you are the second person in a week to ask about the Photos forum. I think it got lost in the shuffle. Here is the link http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/630736/
OK, you convinced me, Garden talk is where I'll start that Agastache thread. Give me a few minutes.
Andy P

Definitely not my favorite garden guest.

Great critter pictures!! Luv the markings on the turtles. I caught this butterfly as it went round the flower.
:) Donna

Definitely the peskiest and one of the most fun to watch. Good thing the stucco has some texture to it. I makes getting to the bird feeder hanging from the eaves much easier. I have been tempted to get a Yankee Flipper http://www.yankeeflipper.com/droll/index.cfm

Since they're such fun to watch, why would you want to deter them? Squirrels gotta eat, too. We never try to foil them, and they eat right along with the birds and enjoy the bird bath, too. We keep them so well supplied that they leave plants alone. The birds don't seem to mind their presence either.

Great pics...Andy...that is an amazing dragonfly shot. I love the gold in it's wing. Absolutely breathtaking!!!

No shortage of critters here. My girls have a great time playing in the yard!

Crayfish.

Easter bunnies. How corny huh? LOL These are our first "farm animals". They are about triple this size now.

Bad day to be a cow. :( We found this in the field behind our barn.

A most ferocious yard beast!

This is Libby (short for Liberty), the Chocolate Lab.

She who steals fallen apples as the sun goes down.

Some kind of vulture or buzzard looking for mice, snakes and anything else after the field was bush hogged.

Don't know what type this is but they are fast!