moth

A sunny late-summer afternoon at the edge of the woods . . .  this White-lined Sphinx Moth Hyles lineata joined the butterflies scouting nectar from the various blossoms.  At first we mistook it for a hummingbird; it gracefully flexed its body and "tail" as it moved among the blooms. 

garden buddies

 

The veggie garden at the edge of the woods has a mesh fence around it.  Although the deer walk over the fence and help themselves to my crops, the rabbits cannot get in.  They amble around the perimeter every morning, nibbling grass while longing for access to the lettuces.   

The chipmunks can go up, down, and around any obstacle except the feeder pole encased in a “slinky”.

small den

Now that the snow has melted, we can find the small dens and hiding places of critters in the woods.

would-be thieves

The wild woods is home to many Gray squirrels and a few Red Squirrels.  This little guy tries every day to jump from a branch to the bird feeder.  But so far, no success. 

The squirrels do try to climb straight up the poles to the bird food, but the "slinky" toys suspended on each pole are too scary from below.  The squirrels stand at the bottom, climb a bit, reach up, and touch the bottom of the slinky, but run away as soon as it jiggles.

dusk visitor

An opossum Didelphis virginiana came out of the wild woods at dusk to savor the leftover peanuts scattered on the patio.

hunting cat at the brush pile

This neighborhood cat, often seen scouting the edge of our woods, sat for a long time this afternoon staring at the holes in the snow beneath the bird seed feeder where the red squirrels come out from their tunnels under the brush pile. The cat finally stalked off, disappointed at the lack of activity. Soon after, a squirrel popped his head out to give the "all clear" . . .

. . . and later, another squirrel returned after enjoying seeds below the feeder.

Boxelder breakfast

The grey squirrels nibble on the seed pods hanging in the Boxelder tree. When he leans out to where the branch is too thin to support his weight, the squirrel becomes a gymnast to reach breakfast.

frosty

Heavy frost on the grass this morning . . . this gray squirrel sat on a snag tree in the sun with toes around the branch, eyes not fully open, tail up wrapped along his back extending to his ears. Cozy.

tiny toad

We've seen toads of all sizes this year. But this one, shown in my hand at the base of my fingers, is the smallest so far.

toad - good citizen in the wild woods

This 3" American toad Bufo Americanus was hopping around today while I was working in the garden.
There are plenty of frogs and toads like this in the yard, especially in the wet swale and the grassy quiet dark places. They are important in the food chain -- they help control many insect populations and they are food for other creatures. The DNR web site has good information about amphibian species in this area. http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/reptiles_amphibians/frogs_toads/toads/american.html