One of my customers, Dr. Johnson-Delaney, just sent me this adorable photograph of her pet possum. Since she is a veterinarian, she knows how to take good care of these little marsupials. Normally short lived (they are lucky to make it to 2 years!) she has raised them to the ripe old age of 4. Dr. Johnson-Delaney and I met up (for probably the 10th time) at the recent veterinary conference I attended in St. Louis.
I have my own opossum guests in the back yard from time to time, and once I caught one in a trap set for a feral kitty. (The possum was indignant, and hissed and growled at me-all bark and no bite, for sure) When I opened the cage, she lumbered out with as much dignity as she could muster
This little girl’s name is Daisy, (I think a perfectly fitting name) and she is now represented by a Magic Zoo silver possum pin! Makes me proud, indeed.
I’ve been told we have coyotes in our neighborhood.
Although I’ve never seen one, my neighbor assured me that they wander around the local golf course, and sometimes howl along with the emergency vehicles that go up and down Ft. Harrison Avenue at night. I’ve heard that they are mainly a danger to feral cats and small, unprotected dogs.
But I’d still be thrilled to see one. (Not too close, though)
Of course I have seen alligators in Florida. Right smack dab in the local parks, for gosh sakes (At least the parks that have lakes) It’s a little bit surreal: Picnic area, children’s play area, lake brimming with alligators.
And who hasn’t come upon a fat raccoon or possum in the back yard here? Mysterious critters. I have no idea where they hang out during the day light hours. Well, I’m happy (for the time being) to live in a town that hosts coyotes, alligators, raccoons, opossums, flying squirrels and hundreds of lizards. Right up this animal lover’s alley.
Ed and I were driving home from a Veterinary Conference in Denver (yes, I had a booth there displaying my animal jewelry-I love vets and their staff!) when we stopped for a little break. Ed found a GLORIOUS orange moth fluttering next to our van. To be perfectly honest, I don’t know if this photo is of the same species or not, but it’s at least the same shade of orange!
Big Orange Moth
I have got to get myself a good camera. Every time I see an amazing critter (this includes my grandchildren) I kick myself for not having a camera I can easily use. We have an old one that takes floppy discs, and I don’t even want to go there. So, one of these days…
Summer is certainly the time to observe some amazing animals, and for me, this has always included bugs. Just ask my siblings. Yep, I go back a long way with bugs and other creepy crawlies. – Merry
Of course I have no way of knowing for sure if the cardinals I see every spring are the same two birds, but I like to think so. I love their chirpy little voices, and the flash of brilliant scarlet from the male. I haven’t seen a nest, but in my jungle-like back yard, it would be well hidden. 
Although I miss my kitties, there is this one advantage of no longer entertaining feral cats…no worry about the nestlings.
Redbirds (as my Kentucky-bred mother called them) remind me of living in Ohio as a child. And an image of a bright red bird against snow… although I thought they flew south for the winter? But there it is, a mental picture I cannot deny.
What birds have you seen in your backyard this spring?
We recently took a trip to Denver, and had a rare free afternoon before the show began. We drove outside the big city for a few miles, up to a small mountain town. As we rounded a bend in the road, we were treated with the appearance of a large herd of elk casually grazing right by the road!
If only the ants would stay outside. Like this pair. I suppose I should be used to their yearly visit, usually in the middle of the rainy season, but it’s a bit upsetting every time.
It’s not too hard to imagine pythons slithering through the tropical Everglades in Florida, but they are certainly not meant to be there!
I love watching birds. Yesterday a motherly (or perhaps it was fatherly) dove tried for at least two minutes to grasp an over-sized bit of straw in its beak to take back to the nest. It seemed like a pretty light-weight load, but I suppose to a hollow-boned bird it might have been hefty.
One of the nicest things about living in
is the profusion of winter guests. No, I don’t mean the “snowbirds,” though I
know they’re important to our economy.
I should’ve been more prepared for the grasshopper invasion. Last year they started out as cute little yellow and red hoppers, and ended up as 5 inch gigantic green monsters.
