Spider

A few nights ago I went out on the deck and had the lights on. I noticed a moth flying around the light above some sort of funnel web spiders web. Then i turned around and I am glad I saw this guy.

EDIT:(08-24-10) With help from my sis-in-law and the amazing suunto  at wildlifegardeners.org I have discovered this is a Barn Spider most likely Neoscona crucifera. Its an orb weaver. Its very cool looking spider though.

Here is a feeder intruder.

This guy crawled into the "bee-proof" humming bird feeder. He was still alive, i let him out.But he wasent the last to find their way into the feeder.

Here is a Ruby-Throated Hummingbird and another yellow jacket/wasp who lost its life drowning in the feeder.

New Hawk! and other pictures

Well today I had quite the surprise, but unfortunatly i didnt great the greatest of photos, actually they are god awful.  A Goshawk was in my yard! The bird book i have (published sometime in the 1970's) says they hunt grouse, so i dont know why it is here, i have never seen a grouse.

It was exciting.


Now in the last post I had been complaining about not getting any pictures of hummingbirds, or seeing them, well i guess that old saying is true "ask and thou shall receive"  (These I actually took within the hour after the last post, so now i prefer to think " all you got to do is complain and..." )

 

 

 

 

Here is a Yellow Swallowtail Butterfly 

 

I guess the complaining works for Turkeys as well. 

 

The Chipmunk likes worms 

  

Grey Tree Frog 

This guy I tried to take photos of last summer, he sat on a leaf of the menarda for almost 3 days, but blended in so well the camera refused to focus. Today, i got 2 out of 15 attempts. 

Now for some deformed animals. 

first is this grey squirrel, it has some sort of growth on its right cheek area. It does look like it just has nuts stuffed in there, but it's been like that for the past 2 days (that i have seen it) 

 

Day 1

Day 2

I also discovered today where it lives, which is in the middle wood duck house at  the bottom of the hill.  

And Mr. Peter Rabbit, who is getting fat on my veggies, but also is helping weed my garden. 

The beet in that picture i pulled up only to find that half of it had been eaten, either by mr. peter rabbit or mice/voles, or both. 

Just adorable isnt he? 

now for his deformity. I think its an extra paw/leg but Im not sure. I didnt notice it till this past week. I thought it was just fur hanging like it had been attacked by a cat or hawk, but today i realized it looked more like an extra limb.  But maybe i am seeing something that isnt there.

August

August is my favorite and least favorite month. Its awesome because its my birthday month; it also sucks because it means summer is almost over.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird


This summer has been quite different in terms of wildlife than i remember last year. This year I have only seen 2 Hummingbirds, where last year on almost any given day i could see 5. Last summer I could sit out near the Menarda in the afternoon and 3 hummingbirds would be feeding on and off for a few hours. This year its maybe once a day that I catch a glimpse of a hummingbird in the yard.

Last summer we had a pair of turkeys nesting in the neighbors yard and i think 8 babies hatched. This year there is a lone female with one baby that forages in the area. I again have been unable to take a decent photo of them.

Something I know I shouldnt be at all sad not to find in the yard are Cabbage Moth caterpillars. I found maybe 4 at the begining of July; since then i havent found anymore.

A Broadwinged hawk has been enjoying the yard the past few days.

The only thing ive seen it catch was a toad.

I spent one evening outside with the lights on hoping to grab a picture of one of the flying squirrels but I found this moth instead.
I think it is a White-lined Sphinx Moth

Its pretty big, at least 2 inches long

Not sure what kind of moth or skipper or butterfly these are

Some sort of Three-lined Potato Beetle

Squirrel lounging in the shade on a hot day

Here is a better photo of a Spotted Touch-me-not (native)

This i am pretty sure is Evening Primrose (native)

This is velvet leaf, its an invasive non-native from India

Rose (Kashmire)

One last animal i havent seen any signs of are the deer. I havent found any deer scat in the yard or on the hill all summer.