What interesting creatures live in your garden?

Pulsegleaner

Garden Master
Joined
Apr 18, 2014
Messages
3,549
Reaction score
6,977
Points
306
Location
Lower Hudson Valley, New York
I unfortunately don't have a shot of it (I went to get my camera, and when I came back it was over) But I did have an interesting sight this moring as I looked out the window to my back patio. Below the patio is a grarled mostly dead crabapple tree that we keep meaning to take down before it falls over and crushes the cars in the driveway (it's short enough and far enough back that the Village tree comission doesn't need to sign off on it, if we want it down, we can take it down whenever we want).
Anyhow I looked out this morning and saw an incredible sight in the tree. On a branch near the top there was a small, and very loud bird of unknown type. Some branches below there was a red-tailed hawk (looked like the male from the pair that nest in the wooded part) . Mr. Hawk was looking up at the bird with what I only can describe as complete bewilderment, as it he could not BELIEVE that a small bird would not only perch so close, but would actually be screaming in his ears. As I said, pity they flew away before I could get back with the camera, that would have made a GREAT caption photo.
 

annageckos

Deeply Rooted
Joined
Mar 17, 2011
Messages
214
Reaction score
30
Points
163
Location
Outside of Philly, PA
That snail is so cool looking. We get all kinds of critters around here. Deer, fox, skunk, raccoon, groundhogs, squirrels, flying squirrels, chipmunks, shrews, voles, deer mice. Birds of all kinds, some that I've seen are blue jays, song sparrows, chipping sparrows, white throated sparrows, baltimore oriole, wrens, morning doves, slate juncos, downy woodpeckers, hairy woodpeckers, red-bellied woodpeckers, flickers, ruby throated hummingbirds, great horned owls, bald eagles, coopers hawks, turkey vultures ... among others. Also american toads and some sort of salamander. I've seen the eggs but not the adults. I've heard the spring peepers but haven't seen them. For such tiny little frogs they are very loud. Bugs, too many bugs to list. My favorites are the dragonflies and praying mantis. One of the prettiest moths I've seen, other then the lunar moth is called a leopard moth. We get tons of butterflies too, mostly eastern tiger swallowtails, black swallowtails and spicebush swallowtails. A few monarch butterflies also come through most years.
 
Last edited:

TheSeedObsesser

Deeply Rooted
Joined
Sep 17, 2013
Messages
1,521
Reaction score
683
Points
193
Location
Central Ohio, zone 5b
Nyboy, by "fisher cat" do you mean the one in the same family as weasels, or an actual cat? Whatever it is I hope that it does more than well.

Last I've hear the beavers, bears, otters, and bobcats are slowly making a come-back to central-ish OH. I don't know if regulations are in place or anything, but I really hope that the hunters aren't too harsh on them.
 
Last edited:

catjac1975

Garden Master
Joined
Jul 22, 2010
Messages
9,020
Reaction score
9,145
Points
397
Location
Mattapoisett, Massachusetts
My only interest in moving would be to finally get rid of all the junk. My kids won't let me throw away the trophies but won't take them just yet. I met one of the great daylily hybridizers who moved from Florida to North Carolina. He moved 10,000 daylilies. Now that's moving!
 

sumi

Rest in Peace 1980-2020
Joined
Sep 26, 2013
Messages
921
Reaction score
1,556
Points
237
Location
Ireland
I unfortunately don't have a shot of it (I went to get my camera, and when I came back it was over) But I did have an interesting sight this moring as I looked out the window to my back patio. Below the patio is a grarled mostly dead crabapple tree that we keep meaning to take down before it falls over and crushes the cars in the driveway (it's short enough and far enough back that the Village tree comission doesn't need to sign off on it, if we want it down, we can take it down whenever we want).
Anyhow I looked out this morning and saw an incredible sight in the tree. On a branch near the top there was a small, and very loud bird of unknown type. Some branches below there was a red-tailed hawk (looked like the male from the pair that nest in the wooded part) . Mr. Hawk was looking up at the bird with what I only can describe as complete bewilderment, as it he could not BELIEVE that a small bird would not only perch so close, but would actually be screaming in his ears. As I said, pity they flew away before I could get back with the camera, that would have made a GREAT caption photo.
It would've! I also had a "wish I had the camera handy" moment today. Saw (probably the same?) Egyptian Goose sitting on the other side of the road this time as we drove past. We were barely 4 feet from it this time as we drove past. Beautiful, beautiful bird.
 

sumi

Rest in Peace 1980-2020
Joined
Sep 26, 2013
Messages
921
Reaction score
1,556
Points
237
Location
Ireland
The radio reported this morning a fisher cat is living in the Bronx. A few people have spotted it. Should do really well main prey is rats.
In the Bronx? I wonder how/why it ended up there?
 

sumi

Rest in Peace 1980-2020
Joined
Sep 26, 2013
Messages
921
Reaction score
1,556
Points
237
Location
Ireland
My only interest in moving would be to finally get rid of all the junk. My kids won't let me throw away the trophies but won't take them just yet. I met one of the great daylily hybridizers who moved from Florida to North Carolina. He moved 10,000 daylilies. Now that's moving!
Tell me about it. With a 7yo in the house in the house it's surprisingly easy to gather junk. That sweet child o' mine is forever finding "interesting" things. He then drags it home and then will not let me throw any of it away. Luckily he's at a party now, so I'm taking advantage of his absence to do some clearing out.
 

Ridgerunner

Garden Master
Joined
Mar 20, 2009
Messages
8,229
Reaction score
10,062
Points
397
Location
Southeast Louisiana Zone 9A
My only interest in moving would be to finally get rid of all the junk. My kids won't let me throw away the trophies but won't take them just yet. I met one of the great daylily hybridizers who moved from Florida to North Carolina. He moved 10,000 daylilies. Now that's moving!

A couple of years after I graduated from college and had finally settled down Mom told me if I didn't come get my stuff she was going to throw it out. She was tired of having all that junk piled up. So I took a few vacation days and drove from New Orleans to upper East Tennessee to get my stuff, before the interstate system was finished that was an 11-1/2 hour drive one way. Neither she nor me could find anything that was mine. I already had it all, what there was.

We do have a coupe of boxes for each boy stored here with trophies, school papers, drawings and such. They are up in the attic and out of the way. My wife keeps saying she is going to give them to the boys when they re ready to appreciate them, but that will be after we die.
 
Top