Taming the jungle

It takes a lot of hard work to clear out the garden.Jacob has been cutting and clipping back the weeds.
He discovered that someone was eating the Virginia Creeper.

I wonder what kind of caterpillar this is. What sort of butterfly will it grow up to be?

The elusive turtle

When I look out the window I can see something moving on the side of the pond.

I hurry out to see it close up. but all I see is a tail as it slides into the water and vanishes.

Maybe if I hold still and watch it will come back out.
I am staying very still. I see something on a lily pad.

It's a tiny frog.Then I see another tiny animal.

It is a little tiny turtle.

I think this is a Painted Turtle -see the little scallops of color around the edge of its shell?

I didn't know the pond had baby turtles!

Frog legs for dinner

Uh-oh. Look up in the tree by the pond. Someone is waiting for dinner. Wasn't he here yesterday, too? Hawk, are you back again? Do you think this is a restaurant?
"Don't bother about me," says the Hawk. "I'll serve myself"

"I just fancy some frog sushi for dinner"

Hide-and-seek

Someone is hiding here. Can you see who it is?
The ears give it away.

I spy you, Bunny .

"Go away" says Bunny, "Can't you see someone is trying to get some rest here?"

Two in the tub

Someone is not alone enjoying the hot tub. He has company. Do you see the tree frog?

The Chenille Plant

What a strange looking plant is hanging in the pergola! Are those bright red furry caterpillars crawling out of it?
Those fuzzy things are flowers, long funny-shaped flowers.
Will thought the flowers looked like " Muppet dreadlocks". I think that would make a fine name for the plant, but that's not what it's called.
Because the flowers look like fluffy pipe cleaners this is called the "Chenille Plant".

Raccoons

I forgot to take my camera out with me this morning.
Silly me! Of course there was something I wanted to show you.

My excuse is that I was thinking about catching pillbugs – but that’s another story.
I started to fill the first bird feeder and I heard a noise. Something was in the bush by the garage.
Something jumped out of the bush and hissed.
It was a BIG raccoon. She was looking at me as if I was a Big Problem.
Then I heard a squeaking. A baby raccoon staggered out of the bush. It was clearly a toddler, just learning to walk. Its head bobbled around. This little raccoon couldn’t run away from me. No wonder the big Raccoon was worried. No wonder I was a Big Problem!
Mother Raccoon straddled the baby and kept staring at me. I backed up so she wouldn’t think I was going to hurt the baby. Then she grabbed the little one by the back of its neck and picked it up.
I didn’t think she could get it off the ground – but she managed to lift it up. The baby hung limply and stopped crying. Mother Raccoon waddled off as fast as she could go carrying that little one.
And I didn’t have a camera! Oh, I wish I could have taken a picture to show you how cute that little Raccoon was!

Here's a picture I took the other day of the mother Raccoon. You will just have to imagine the little one.