My Gardens - SNOW 2/11

A lovely "winter" feel in Texas.  Snow is rare and doesn't usually last through the day, so I took the photos of the glistening white in my gardens early in the a.m. 

CAMOUFLAGE

Camouflage in nature gives protection to the prey, as well as an advantage to the predator.  I am absolutely fascinated by the perfection each of these species has adapted to blend in with their surroundings.  I was simply lucky to see any of them and getting the photo was a thrill.  Here are a few...

 Praying Mantis with butterfly wing.

 Grasshopper.

 Striped Garter Snake just finished shedding skin.

 Walking Stick moves back and forth, as if the wind is blowing it.

 Tiny baby grasshopper.

 Lacewing ... how perfectly matched to the underside of the leaf.

 Caterpillar on Honeysuckle vine.

 Lacewing larvae sneaks up on prey like a wolf in sheep's clothing.

 Tiny spider waiting patiently on a sunflower.

 Tiny, tiny caterpillar on very small wildflower.

 This tiny caterpillar attaches small flowers to his back to blend in with whole flower.

Small white spider blends easily with white rain flower.

LADY BUG BEETLES

Lady Bugs are small beetles.  Most of us are familiar with pictures and drawings of the cute round red-orange one with black spots.  This was the extent of my awareness when I first began my gardens.  I even bought a bag of them from a plant nursery.  I learned they were a natural predator of smaller insects, so helped in keeping a healthy balance in the garden.  I later began to meet many of these small lady bug beetles of different colors, who were with and without spots.  Once again, my small garden was a classroom of discoveries.  I am excited to share some of them here...

SQUIRRELS

Tree Squirrels are one of the few four legged furry critters to adapt to city and urban developement.  Trees being the key, for the most part, in helping them safely raise their young.  They are a delight to watch as they mischieviously taunt our dogs, chatter daringly at our cats and steal food from the birds.  They enjoy simply "plopping" down on a limb and hanging their feet loosely, completely relaxed and in the moment.  They play chase in the tree and roof tops.  Many people seldom notice them, as they camoflage seamlessly in the landscape.  I love the winter, because only when all the leaves are gone can you clearly see their large "nests".  From the ground they look like large bird nests and many people think they are.  A rarer sight to behold, is the Spotted Ground Squirrel.  Since their natural habitat is tunneling and nesting underground, they do not usually survive human developement.  My backyard wildlife habitat connects to a city nature park, where many less common creatures still hold on in small numbers.  I treasure each time I am blessed with even a brief sighting of one and delighted when I get a photo to share.  Here are a few...

 Completely relaxed on a limb.

 A little tiny baby tree squirrel, barely keeping his balance while eating a nut.

 The same little squirrel all grown up.

 This little guy was on my back fence, mouth stuffed full of a plastic bag to pad his nest.

 Two squirrel nests in a tree close to my house.

 Spotted Ground Squirrel tunnel opening to his underground nest.

 Spotted Ground Squirrel.  Notice the ears and tail are not so prominent as a tree squirrel's.

 Ahhh, LOVE is in the air for this little Spotted Ground Squirrel couple.

Well, Hello there!

LIZARDS (Anole)

I am delighted by the antics of my resident Anole Lizards.  They are intelligent, acrobatic and love having their picture taken.  I have learned they are territorial and do not hesitate to chase off new young lizards trying to find their own personal area.  They are as fierce in battle, as they are in love.  The males can be very macho in showing their dewlap (the red skin of their throat).  Intense at listening when you talk to them and very curious about what you are doing.  There was one young female, whom I named "Lizzie", who watched me work outside for several hours.  I stopped and took some nice still photos, for which she posed graciously...smiling sweetly.  I worked another hour or so and she was still there.  I finally asked her, "What do you want Lizzie?  Do you want to play?" ...and she did just that.  I put the camera on video and she played as close to kitten-like as a young lizard could.  I was amazed as we played.  As I said "I'm going to get you.." over and over, pointing my finger so close I touched her tiny foot a couple of time...she would shake her little head, stamp her tiny feet, raised her long tail in the air, turned quickly side to side...then she moved a few inches and we played hide-n-seek.  She never ran away and was still there when I finally went inside. 

 LIZZIE with her sweet smile and trusting innocence.

 This little guy fell in love with HIMSELF in the mirror!  Kiss, Kiss.

 Showing off his dewlap and flexing his muscles for the camera.

 One of their many comical acrobatic moments.

 I always wondered where they sleep at night.  Now we know.

 Finding a flower to sleep on at night in the winter required opting for a silk one.

An intelligent and intense listener.  The eyes are the windows of all living souls.

THE MOUSE

"EEEEK" is the response from most adults when you mention a mouse.  Yet humans constantly create them as adorable animations for children's stories.  At what point does an adult lose the affectionate humor associated with them they had as a child?  Maybe when we learn they nibble on our food if they get in our kitchen and leave little "signs" they have been there. This little guy was rescued with a humane trap and relocated to a natural habitat.  The photos give an up close and personal experience with this tiny creature.  I put him in an empty white dishpan with a clear glass cover on top.  Try and try again was his motto for escaping.  I wondered if he was thinking "If I just jump a little higher, I know I can get out..." but each mighty leap ended in a THUMP, as he bumped against the invisible shield keeping him prisoner.  Then, from time to time, he would simply stop and take a little cat-bath.  Grooming, licking his fur, fluffing it out, wiping his little ears, cleaning his long tail...the last photo seems to be a moment when he realized he was being watched as he bathed.  "EEEEK!"

"EEEEEK!!!"

"CHARLOTTE" - The Green Lynx Spider

"Charlotte", the Green Lynx Spider was named after the movie "Charlotte's Web".  I spent months observing her from baby to proud and protective mother.  I was fascinated and inspired by her maternal dedication.  Her normally green body camoflaged pink like the flower she was on when she was pregnant.  She ate like she was eating for a 100, while her babies' eggs formed inside her tiny womb.  When it was time, she gently placed her eggs into the silk sac she made.  Never leaving it, she would go without food for long periods of time, patiently waiting.  Finally, the nursery sac burst open with many tiny baby Charlotte's!  They quickly camoflaged in reddish brown color, like the dead leaves around them.  They would all shed their first little skins together as they grew out of the old ones (seen in last photo below).  Charlotte was always there, ever vigilant, so no harm would come to them.  Then one day... they were all gone.

(Young Charlotte)

(Ahh, the lovely pink gentle glow of pregnancy.)

                                (Whoa...do NOT get between a pregnant female and her food!)

(Notice the stretch marks, I felt so much better knowing all mothers can get them...smile)

(The joy of a noisy, busy nursery...does the young mother look a little 'crazy' in the eyes to you too?!  Guess the romanticism of having children has worn off, ya think?)