Take a look at this dragonfly's breakfast. It is a small horse fly, plucked from my back as I stooped to take a picture of some fungi. Yes, I do love dragonflies!!
7.30.2006
Why I Love Dragonflies
We went out for a brief walk this morning, taking advantage of the relative cool. The biting flies were, as usual, out in force. Such aggravating critters. Seems like they get some sort of perverse joy out of biting you while you are trying to remain still enough to take a picture. Luckily, this morning I had a winged escort -- and a hungry one, at that.
Take a look at this dragonfly's breakfast. It is a small horse fly, plucked from my back as I stooped to take a picture of some fungi. Yes, I do love dragonflies!!
Take a look at this dragonfly's breakfast. It is a small horse fly, plucked from my back as I stooped to take a picture of some fungi. Yes, I do love dragonflies!!
7.29.2006
Over in the Work Swamp
Another busy week and yet another week without home phone service -- well, not the whole week, just Monday morning through Thursday night :)
I don't have anything ready to share from the home swamp so I am posting a few pictures from the work swamp.
An inconspicuous wildflower from the work swamp...
You have to look closely to appreciate this one. Common anglepod - Gonolobus gonocarpus.
Not so inconspicuous fruit of the coral honeysuckle - Lonicera sempervirens.
I love this road. In fact, it's one of my favorites. What you can't see in this picture are the blackwater ditches on either side and the teeth-rattling holes hidden by the grass. I always drive slowly when I am patrolling this particular stretch. It would be embarrassing to end up in one of the ditches and besides, the bears like this road, too. Wouldn't want to hit one.
A well-used trail beside an enthusiastically marked tree. There's nothing subtle about a black bear :)
I don't have anything ready to share from the home swamp so I am posting a few pictures from the work swamp.
An inconspicuous wildflower from the work swamp...
You have to look closely to appreciate this one. Common anglepod - Gonolobus gonocarpus.
Not so inconspicuous fruit of the coral honeysuckle - Lonicera sempervirens.
I love this road. In fact, it's one of my favorites. What you can't see in this picture are the blackwater ditches on either side and the teeth-rattling holes hidden by the grass. I always drive slowly when I am patrolling this particular stretch. It would be embarrassing to end up in one of the ditches and besides, the bears like this road, too. Wouldn't want to hit one.
A well-used trail beside an enthusiastically marked tree. There's nothing subtle about a black bear :)
7.23.2006
Swamp's Excuses
Sorry to have been neglecting those of you who drop by to see what's shaking in the swamp. July has proven to be a very busy, very hot, very unpredictable month. Work has kept me hopping, family has required attention, the phone line has been giving us fits (plus one lightning hit that took it out completely for a few days) and my back has been out, rendering me incapable of sitting at the computer for any length of time. Most of my pictures have been taken in the work swamp and have been of insects and plants yet to be IDed. (Can I stop now or shall I continue to list excuses...)
Anyway, I will try to be a little better this week. Of course, I have training on Tuesday - won't be home until after midnight, I'll be deep in the work swamp on Wednesday attempting to locate some damaged trees that were spotted during a flyover by forestry, Thursday I'll be in a workshop, and Friday I have meetings all day...and y'all thought all I did was run around taking pictures :)
To tide you over, I have posted three pictures taken down in Wilmington, NC. Treebeard and I went there last weekend to visit Son 1. (The cat in the previous post belongs to our son, so I guess you could say she is my grandcat. Her name is Izzy and she is awesome! Yes, FC, there is such a thing as a great cat -- and don't worry, she is strictly indoors.) The pictures were taken at Greenfield Lake, a city park with a four mile trail that follows along the shoreline of the little lake.
Live oak, Quercus virginiana
Wouldn't it be great to grab a book, climb up into those branches and read for a few hours. Live oaks are one of my favorite trees.
Great egret, Ardea alba
If I had pulled out just a bit, you would have seen the very busy street that runs by this spot. The noise and movement didn't seem to bother this egret though. It just concentrated on hunting up some lunch.
Anhinga, Anhinga anhinga
We watched this anhinga for a while. It is fun to watch one hunt - all you can see is the long skinny neck and head above the water, the rest of the body is submerged. They have sharp bills that they use to spear fish. Unlike most other waterfowl, anhingas have no oil glands to keep the water from soaking into their feathers so they must spread their wings to dry when they come up out of the water.
Anyway, I will try to be a little better this week. Of course, I have training on Tuesday - won't be home until after midnight, I'll be deep in the work swamp on Wednesday attempting to locate some damaged trees that were spotted during a flyover by forestry, Thursday I'll be in a workshop, and Friday I have meetings all day...and y'all thought all I did was run around taking pictures :)
To tide you over, I have posted three pictures taken down in Wilmington, NC. Treebeard and I went there last weekend to visit Son 1. (The cat in the previous post belongs to our son, so I guess you could say she is my grandcat. Her name is Izzy and she is awesome! Yes, FC, there is such a thing as a great cat -- and don't worry, she is strictly indoors.) The pictures were taken at Greenfield Lake, a city park with a four mile trail that follows along the shoreline of the little lake.
Live oak, Quercus virginiana
Wouldn't it be great to grab a book, climb up into those branches and read for a few hours. Live oaks are one of my favorite trees.
Great egret, Ardea alba
If I had pulled out just a bit, you would have seen the very busy street that runs by this spot. The noise and movement didn't seem to bother this egret though. It just concentrated on hunting up some lunch.
Anhinga, Anhinga anhinga
We watched this anhinga for a while. It is fun to watch one hunt - all you can see is the long skinny neck and head above the water, the rest of the body is submerged. They have sharp bills that they use to spear fish. Unlike most other waterfowl, anhingas have no oil glands to keep the water from soaking into their feathers so they must spread their wings to dry when they come up out of the water.
7.22.2006
7.09.2006
Pennywort Forest
Pennywort, Hydrocotyle verticillata
Sometimes, if you lay down on your belly on the boat dock and stick your head over the side, you get a different view of things. Small plants look bigger somehow and you start to notice the little things...
...like spiders carrying eggcases...
...or an anonymous damselfly, resting for a bit...
...possibly a male velvet ant, looking for love in all the wrong places...
...or a cryptic message left by some sort of leaf miner.
Or, you could just end up with a dirty shirt and dried duckweed in your hair.
7.08.2006
Wandering The Edge
It's true what they say, you know, the best laid plans do often go awry. For instance, this morning I had planned to go along on Treebeard's monthly Saturday morning paddle on the pond. He had five canoes signed up and I figured I'd go along for the ride -- afterall, I wasn't on duty at my park this weekend. When I go on these paddles I usually act as look-out, scanning ahead as Treebeard talks to the participants. That way I can alert him to any wildlife or plants of interest and he can concentrate on answering the questions of the visitors without worrying about missing something. My plan was to paddle as little as possible, do a lot of looking, and take some pictures to share with you. Alas, twas not to be.
Since these Saturday morning adventures are conducted at a leisurely pace on flatwater, Treebeard does not require that the participants have any prior paddling experience. Still, it is rare that he gets a boat that is occupied by two absolute novices, but even when he does it is usually not a problem. He will just spend a few minutes going over the basics and offering tips before the boats head out. We are both certified canoe instructors and can usually size up a paddler pretty quickly once we are on the water. It didn't take us long to determine that this particular boat was not going to be able to keep up with the group.
I like for everyone who ventures out onto the pond to have a good experience. I also like for everyone to feel like a successful paddler since, for me, canoeing is such a rewarding and pleasurable activity. It is particularly important to me that first-time female paddlers feel successful because I want them to feel secure and confident on the water. Sexist? I don't think so. ;) Anyway, after a brief conference with Treebeard, I offered to "drive" the canoe that was having a problem. The boat's occupants readily agreed and got a quick lesson in musical chairs, canoe-style. The young man got into Treebeard's canoe and I got into the stern of the other boat, shifting the young woman to the bow seat.
The point of my rambling? Just to let you know that even though I was unable to take pictures on the pond as planned, I did spend a short while wanderering along the edge of a little peninsula that juts out into the pond. So here are some pictures from the edge...
A bed of netted chain fern, Woodwardia virginica.
Flowers of the Beauty-berry, Callicarpa americana, also known as French Mulberry.
Grape tube gall, Cecidomyia viticola. So what makes these impressive looking tubes? A little gall fly, known as a midge, lays an egg in the grape leaf. The grape leaf responds by producing this growth and the midge larva develops inside.
Sawfly boogie! These aren't caterpillars, they are sawfly larvae. Sawflies are in the same order (Hymenoptera) as ants, bees, and wasps. One distinction: sawflies don't sting. I'm not sure which sawfly this is -- still working on a positive ID.
Everybody dance now...
The sawfly larvae assumed defensive positions when I got too close. If you look closely you will note that they have 6 pairs of prolegs - the little stumpy legs behind the 3 pairs of true legs near the front. Caterpillars have 2 to 5 pairs of prolegs and each bears a little hook that is absent from the sawfly's prolegs.
Paper wasp (Polistes sp.) hard at work gathering wood fibers for nest material. It will make a little pulpy spit-ball, carry it back to the nest, and use it to build a new cell or add to an existing cell.
As I reached the end of the trail I spied a little brown eye peering at me from the underbrush -- one of the many rabbits inhabiting the point this season. With all the great horned owls, barred owls, bobcats, and grey foxes we have around here this little rabbit better watch its step!
Since these Saturday morning adventures are conducted at a leisurely pace on flatwater, Treebeard does not require that the participants have any prior paddling experience. Still, it is rare that he gets a boat that is occupied by two absolute novices, but even when he does it is usually not a problem. He will just spend a few minutes going over the basics and offering tips before the boats head out. We are both certified canoe instructors and can usually size up a paddler pretty quickly once we are on the water. It didn't take us long to determine that this particular boat was not going to be able to keep up with the group.
I like for everyone who ventures out onto the pond to have a good experience. I also like for everyone to feel like a successful paddler since, for me, canoeing is such a rewarding and pleasurable activity. It is particularly important to me that first-time female paddlers feel successful because I want them to feel secure and confident on the water. Sexist? I don't think so. ;) Anyway, after a brief conference with Treebeard, I offered to "drive" the canoe that was having a problem. The boat's occupants readily agreed and got a quick lesson in musical chairs, canoe-style. The young man got into Treebeard's canoe and I got into the stern of the other boat, shifting the young woman to the bow seat.
The point of my rambling? Just to let you know that even though I was unable to take pictures on the pond as planned, I did spend a short while wanderering along the edge of a little peninsula that juts out into the pond. So here are some pictures from the edge...
A bed of netted chain fern, Woodwardia virginica.
Flowers of the Beauty-berry, Callicarpa americana, also known as French Mulberry.
Grape tube gall, Cecidomyia viticola. So what makes these impressive looking tubes? A little gall fly, known as a midge, lays an egg in the grape leaf. The grape leaf responds by producing this growth and the midge larva develops inside.
Sawfly boogie! These aren't caterpillars, they are sawfly larvae. Sawflies are in the same order (Hymenoptera) as ants, bees, and wasps. One distinction: sawflies don't sting. I'm not sure which sawfly this is -- still working on a positive ID.
Everybody dance now...
The sawfly larvae assumed defensive positions when I got too close. If you look closely you will note that they have 6 pairs of prolegs - the little stumpy legs behind the 3 pairs of true legs near the front. Caterpillars have 2 to 5 pairs of prolegs and each bears a little hook that is absent from the sawfly's prolegs.
Paper wasp (Polistes sp.) hard at work gathering wood fibers for nest material. It will make a little pulpy spit-ball, carry it back to the nest, and use it to build a new cell or add to an existing cell.
As I reached the end of the trail I spied a little brown eye peering at me from the underbrush -- one of the many rabbits inhabiting the point this season. With all the great horned owls, barred owls, bobcats, and grey foxes we have around here this little rabbit better watch its step!
7.05.2006
Track Maker
Here's the little fellow that made the tracks in the post before last. I needed some toad tracks for an exhibit, but I couldn't find any "wild" ones. No problem. I mixed up a mud pie and added one toad. Unfortunately, the mud had a calming effect on the toad -- it just sat there. Guess it thought it was at a toad spa or something :)
After I gave it a little nudge,it hopped and I got my tracks. Toad returned to the wild and I saved my mud for future use.
Sorry I can't give you a complete scientific name on this fine amphibian. It belongs to the genus Bufo, but as to species...I just don't know. It has the characteristics of several species, so perhaps it is a hybrid.
You can lead a toad to mud, but you can't make it hop...unless you goose it.
After I gave it a little nudge,it hopped and I got my tracks. Toad returned to the wild and I saved my mud for future use.
Sorry I can't give you a complete scientific name on this fine amphibian. It belongs to the genus Bufo, but as to species...I just don't know. It has the characteristics of several species, so perhaps it is a hybrid.
You can lead a toad to mud, but you can't make it hop...unless you goose it.
7.04.2006
Yummy
Sweet blackberries, sun-warmed and freshly picked -- just the way I like 'em. I never have understood why some folks want to put sugar on them and chill them or bake them up in a cobbler. Why would you want to mess with something that is perfect just the way it is?
Berries from Rubus argutus.
Berries from Rubus argutus.
Tracks
He went that-a-way! The question is: Who is he?
Do you know?
Would it help if I mentioned that if he had wings he wouldn't bump his butt when he hops?
(Blogger hates me lately. I have been trying to post this silly thing since June 26th. I was seriously considering just deleting both blogs and hanging up my blogging hat. But, since Blogger let me post to SwampStuff earlier today I figured I give SwampThings one last try. Guess I just need to learn to be more patient with the virtual world.)
6.25.2006
6.24.2006
6.22.2006
Reassuring Numbers
Way back in May of 1978 I made my first ever trip to the millpond. I didn't know then that it was going to become my home, I was just coming to see that cute guy I had met at the beach that March. You know that cute guy as Treebeard. But I digress...this is not a post about love at first sight :)
This is a post about snakes. Back in May of 1978 there seemed to be a snake in every tree and bush out in pond. I should know, Treebeard canoed me under or by just about every single one of them -- and was greatly pleased when I didn't scream or squeal. He was even more pleased when I wanted to see them up-close (hehe, little did he know his bachelor days were numbered. Whoops, there I go again...)
Anyway, sometime in the 80s we began to notice that the number of snakes we saw on the pond had decreased by quite a bit. To some people this may not seem like anything to worry about, but to us it was cause for concern. It got to the point that it was remarkable if we even saw a snake while we were out on the water. We never were able to determine why our snake populations decreased. No study was ever done.
Over the past three years, however, we have noticed something of a comeback. It is not unusual to see twenty or thirty snakes during a day on the water. Sometimes we see significantly higher numbers. It is very reassuring.
I can offer no valid explanation for the decline and seeming recovery, I'm just glad to see it.
Below are pictures of eight of the 30+ snakes we saw last weekend. The majority of the snakes were brown water snakes, Nerodia taxispilota. You might notice that most of the browns are quite fat. Could be that the majority of snakes we saw were carrying young. Brown water snakes give live birth and can produce from 15 to 60 neonates.
black rat snake
brown water snake
brown water snake 2
brown water snake 3
brown snake 4
brown water snake 5
brown water snake 6
brown water snake 7
This is a post about snakes. Back in May of 1978 there seemed to be a snake in every tree and bush out in pond. I should know, Treebeard canoed me under or by just about every single one of them -- and was greatly pleased when I didn't scream or squeal. He was even more pleased when I wanted to see them up-close (hehe, little did he know his bachelor days were numbered. Whoops, there I go again...)
Anyway, sometime in the 80s we began to notice that the number of snakes we saw on the pond had decreased by quite a bit. To some people this may not seem like anything to worry about, but to us it was cause for concern. It got to the point that it was remarkable if we even saw a snake while we were out on the water. We never were able to determine why our snake populations decreased. No study was ever done.
Over the past three years, however, we have noticed something of a comeback. It is not unusual to see twenty or thirty snakes during a day on the water. Sometimes we see significantly higher numbers. It is very reassuring.
I can offer no valid explanation for the decline and seeming recovery, I'm just glad to see it.
Below are pictures of eight of the 30+ snakes we saw last weekend. The majority of the snakes were brown water snakes, Nerodia taxispilota. You might notice that most of the browns are quite fat. Could be that the majority of snakes we saw were carrying young. Brown water snakes give live birth and can produce from 15 to 60 neonates.
black rat snake
brown water snake
brown water snake 2
brown water snake 3
brown snake 4
brown water snake 5
brown water snake 6
brown water snake 7
6.21.2006
You Don't Always Get What You Want
When I headed out to work this morning I had two goals: 1) find some deer scat and take a picture of it, 2) find a toad and get it to leave tracks in some substrate I had prepared. Yes, these were actual work goals. I need the photo and tracks for an exhibit over at the work swamp.
The home swamp is more easily accessible at the moment than the work swamp, deer are everywhere and toads are not scarce, so I figured I would have what I needed in a couple of hours at most. Ha! As a matter of fact, make that a double "Ha!"
Had I been looking for turkey I would have been delighted - I saw two hens and six poults, plenty of fresh droppings, a dust bath, and numerous tracks.
Had I been looking for snakes I would have been happy with the black racer sunning on a stump and the cottonmouth I nearly stepped on.
Had I been looking for raccoon sign things would have been just peachy. I found tracks and fresh scat full of blackberry seeds.
Had I been looking for rabbits I would have been giddy with joy - three adult rabbits and four "teen-age" rabbits.
And then there were the warblers, the herons, the ducks, the spiders, the box turtles, the yellow-bellied sliders, the lizards...you get the idea.
Sure, I found actual deer. Even followed them for a while -- no poop. I pushed my way through some wicked blackberry brambles and found a narrow deer trail. You'd think there would be poop. Nope. I found a spot where deer had bedded down and scouted around. No luck.
As for the toad, the only one I found was about the size of my thumbnail. Not much good for making tracks. (Sunday when we went out walking I found three adult toads within about fifteen minutes - of course I wasn't looking for toads on Sunday).
It was hot, it was muggy, the mosquitoes, ticks and biting flies were out in force, the brambles and briars were full of thorns but there was no poop, and there were no toads. Guess you could say Ranger Swamp got skunked -- but you know what? I had a great morning at work :)
Cottontail on the boardwalk.
Same cottontail in the brush, munching on a piece of grass.
The home swamp is more easily accessible at the moment than the work swamp, deer are everywhere and toads are not scarce, so I figured I would have what I needed in a couple of hours at most. Ha! As a matter of fact, make that a double "Ha!"
Had I been looking for turkey I would have been delighted - I saw two hens and six poults, plenty of fresh droppings, a dust bath, and numerous tracks.
Had I been looking for snakes I would have been happy with the black racer sunning on a stump and the cottonmouth I nearly stepped on.
Had I been looking for raccoon sign things would have been just peachy. I found tracks and fresh scat full of blackberry seeds.
Had I been looking for rabbits I would have been giddy with joy - three adult rabbits and four "teen-age" rabbits.
And then there were the warblers, the herons, the ducks, the spiders, the box turtles, the yellow-bellied sliders, the lizards...you get the idea.
Sure, I found actual deer. Even followed them for a while -- no poop. I pushed my way through some wicked blackberry brambles and found a narrow deer trail. You'd think there would be poop. Nope. I found a spot where deer had bedded down and scouted around. No luck.
As for the toad, the only one I found was about the size of my thumbnail. Not much good for making tracks. (Sunday when we went out walking I found three adult toads within about fifteen minutes - of course I wasn't looking for toads on Sunday).
It was hot, it was muggy, the mosquitoes, ticks and biting flies were out in force, the brambles and briars were full of thorns but there was no poop, and there were no toads. Guess you could say Ranger Swamp got skunked -- but you know what? I had a great morning at work :)
Cottontail on the boardwalk.
Same cottontail in the brush, munching on a piece of grass.
6.20.2006
Muskrat Sally...
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...or maybe Muskrat Sam. I didn't have a chance to determine gender.
According to Mammals of the Eastern United States, by Whitaker and Hamilton, c. 1998, muskrats get their name "...because of the musky odor produced by the preputial glands...These glands emit a yellowish, rather pleasant-smelling secretion into the urine...The scented urine is then deposited on lodges, along travel routes, in defecation areas, and at other places throught the home range of the lodge owner, as a means of advertisement."
6.19.2006
Up on the Roof
The five inches of rain that Alberto dropped on us caused a substantial rise in the water level in the millpond. When the water rises, the interiors of the beaver lodges that dot the pond and swamp become flooded and the beaver have to climb out onto their rooftops. This family of five was snoozing away until we paddled by and disturbed them. You can see the little ones all lined up in classic nursing position. Sadly, my memory card hit full with this shot. I wish I had had just one more - then you could have seen the startled faces of all five ;)
6.18.2006
Who Cooks for You?
While we were out paddling on Saturday we heard the cries of immature owls. We did a little squeaking and soon had three young barred owls and their mom peering down at us. (Strix varia)We often hear barred owls calling in the day time out in the swamp. Their "usual" call sounds like Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you-all? But they also have what we term the monkey call and a rather hair-raising scream. When several of them get together and start having a conversation it can get pretty loud.
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6.17.2006
Now That's a Spider
While this Dolomedes tenebrosus was happily munching on some sort of unfortunate bug, I took the opportunity to photograph her. She's a beauty. By the end of the summer she will be even larger and more impressive.
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You can click on the picture to enlarge it if you'd like a closer look. I would have preferred to post it using Hello, but the software wouldn't cooperate today.
I put my not-so-petite finger beside her to give some scale to the picture. (Apologies to FloridaCracker for the close proximity - not trying to creep you out, FC.) She was quite calm about the whole thing.
I really need to learn the proper way to pick up one of these spiders - without hurting the spider or getting bitten myself.
I really need to learn the proper way to pick up one of these spiders - without hurting the spider or getting bitten myself.
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Saturday On the Pond
Treebeard and I spent the morning and early afternoon out on the pond. Below you will find a list of some of the things we saw while we were out. We weren't looking for anything in particular and didn't go to any great lengths to notice things other than whatever was immediately obvious. I'll try to post some pictures later.
Birds
Great blue heron
Green heron
Great egret
Common moor hen
Wood duck
Mallard
Kingfisher
Osprey
Red-shouldered hawk
Black vulture
Turkey vulture
Pileated woodpecker
Red-headed woodpecker
Red-bellied woodpecker
Northern flicker
Hairy woodpecker
Downy woodpecker
Bobwhite
Barred owl
American crow
Fish crow
Bluejay
Northern cardinal
Red-winged blackbird
Grackle
Cowbird
Kingbird
Great crested flycatcher
Acadian flycatcher
Pee-wee
Purple martin
Chimney swift
Carolina chickadee
Tufted titmouse
Towhee
Chipping sparrow
Field sparrow
Prothonotary warbler
Yellow-throated warbler
Northern parula
Prairie warbler
Pine warbler
Hooded warbler
Ovenbird
Woodthrush
White-breasted nuthatch
Blue-gray gnatcatcher
Yellow-throated vireo
Red-eyed vireo
White-eyed vireo
Eastern bluebird
Summer tanager
American Robin
Orchard oriole
Northern mockingbird
Brown thrasher
Canada goose
Ruby-throated hummer
Yellow-billed cuckoo
Mourning dove
Indigo bunting
Blue grosbeak
American goldfinch
Mammals
Beaver (16)
Muskrat
Gray squirrel
White-tailed deer
Cotton rat
Cotton-tail rabbit
Feral cat
Reptiles
Brown water snake (23)
Red-bellied water snake (3)
Black rat snake
Yellow-bellied slider (tons)
Eastern Painted turtle
Florida cooter
Musk turtle
Mud turtle
Spiders
Dolomedes tenebrosus
Dolomedes triton
Long-jawed spider
Grass spider
various Jumping spiders
various Wolf spiders
various orb weavers
Orchard spider
Amphibians
Bullfrog
Green frog
Southern leopard frog
Carpenter frog
Green treefrog
Cope’s gray treefrog
Northern cricket frog
Southern cricket frog
Pickerel frog
Dragonflies
Eastern Amberwing
Eastern Pondhawk
Prince Baskettail
Great Blue Skimmer
Slaty Skimmer
Blue Corporal
Blue Dasher
Assorted damselflies
Butterflies
Tiger swallowtail
Red admiral
Questionmark
Silver-spotted skipper
Plus
honeybees
bumblebees
assorted wasps
numerous fly species
various beetles
Flowers in Bloom
Swamp rose
Buttonbush
Pickerelweed
Spatterdock
Leatherleaf
Birds
Great blue heron
Green heron
Great egret
Common moor hen
Wood duck
Mallard
Kingfisher
Osprey
Red-shouldered hawk
Black vulture
Turkey vulture
Pileated woodpecker
Red-headed woodpecker
Red-bellied woodpecker
Northern flicker
Hairy woodpecker
Downy woodpecker
Bobwhite
Barred owl
American crow
Fish crow
Bluejay
Northern cardinal
Red-winged blackbird
Grackle
Cowbird
Kingbird
Great crested flycatcher
Acadian flycatcher
Pee-wee
Purple martin
Chimney swift
Carolina chickadee
Tufted titmouse
Towhee
Chipping sparrow
Field sparrow
Prothonotary warbler
Yellow-throated warbler
Northern parula
Prairie warbler
Pine warbler
Hooded warbler
Ovenbird
Woodthrush
White-breasted nuthatch
Blue-gray gnatcatcher
Yellow-throated vireo
Red-eyed vireo
White-eyed vireo
Eastern bluebird
Summer tanager
American Robin
Orchard oriole
Northern mockingbird
Brown thrasher
Canada goose
Ruby-throated hummer
Yellow-billed cuckoo
Mourning dove
Indigo bunting
Blue grosbeak
American goldfinch
Mammals
Beaver (16)
Muskrat
Gray squirrel
White-tailed deer
Cotton rat
Cotton-tail rabbit
Feral cat
Reptiles
Brown water snake (23)
Red-bellied water snake (3)
Black rat snake
Yellow-bellied slider (tons)
Eastern Painted turtle
Florida cooter
Musk turtle
Mud turtle
Spiders
Dolomedes tenebrosus
Dolomedes triton
Long-jawed spider
Grass spider
various Jumping spiders
various Wolf spiders
various orb weavers
Orchard spider
Amphibians
Bullfrog
Green frog
Southern leopard frog
Carpenter frog
Green treefrog
Cope’s gray treefrog
Northern cricket frog
Southern cricket frog
Pickerel frog
Dragonflies
Eastern Amberwing
Eastern Pondhawk
Prince Baskettail
Great Blue Skimmer
Slaty Skimmer
Blue Corporal
Blue Dasher
Assorted damselflies
Butterflies
Tiger swallowtail
Red admiral
Questionmark
Silver-spotted skipper
Plus
honeybees
bumblebees
assorted wasps
numerous fly species
various beetles
Flowers in Bloom
Swamp rose
Buttonbush
Pickerelweed
Spatterdock
Leatherleaf
6.16.2006
Big Bird?
We had our suspicions. We'd fill the platform feeder at sunset so the early birds would have breakfast waiting the next morning - but we'd noticed over the past couple of days that the seed mysteriously disappeared overnight.
Now, our dog has been known to clean off the feeder - the dog is nuts for seeds. And of course there is that opossum that visits the feeder from time to time...
Today, as the afternoon waned, the truth was revealed...
Bambi's mom has been helping herself to our birdseed...
Is she sticking her tongue out at me? What nerve! (Those lumps at the base of her left ear are engorged ticks - Yikes!)
Now, our dog has been known to clean off the feeder - the dog is nuts for seeds. And of course there is that opossum that visits the feeder from time to time...
Today, as the afternoon waned, the truth was revealed...
Bambi's mom has been helping herself to our birdseed...
Is she sticking her tongue out at me? What nerve! (Those lumps at the base of her left ear are engorged ticks - Yikes!)
Fat and Sassy
Phidippus otiosus, Canopy Jumping Spider, enjoying a tasty caterpillar. She never took her eyes off me as I moved around to take her picture. Jumping spiders have so much personality, you just gotta love 'em.
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