wandering the well-worn paths...

this weekend we needed to take a break

from

working on the bathroom, laundry, raking winter's leaves, trimming dead limbs,

and all the other chores that fill up your time...when you're off work.

so while the burn barrel was smoldering

we put on our boots and headed out back...

wandering the well-worn paths.

well-worn by us...and all the other little critters that share the land.

milo follows us on our hikes...

making her way through the underbrush and climbing the downed trees.

at the edge of the wooded area we spotted the strangest

and coolest

looking caterpillar!

Catocala Badia

look at those cute little legs!!  and little pincers on it's tail end!

(underside) Catocala Badia

i had no idea the name of this caterpillar.

after looking online and through my Butterfly field guide...i was unsuccessful at ID'ing it.

it was time to send the pic's to my friend on FB who is a Moth expert.

*Genus: Catocala.  an Underwing moth!!*

time to carry a big stick...

to keep from walking face first into spiderwebs.

Crab spider

the woods out back are a mix of Pines, Oaks, Maples...

ferns, thorny blackberries, Virginia Willow, Fetterbush...

and so many other trees and plants that i wish i could name, but i can't.

i spotted this fuzzy caterpillar dangling from a fern.

 a not so lucky Tussock moth caterpillar

upon closer examination...it was being eaten by some smaller bugs.

the forest floor is so packed with peat moss that it's spongy.

peat moss, tree roots, downed trees and lots of thorny brambles...

makes for a sometimes difficult trek.

a jelly-like fungus on a downed tree limb

a huge yellow mushroom. at least a foot across!

sam spotted this nest, hanging from a limb on a small tree...about 5 feet off the ground.

peeking inside...one small lightly spotted egg.

we walked back out there just before dusk...hoping to see the mother bird.

we hid behind some trees...across the clearing...but it started to get too dark to see...

so we headed home.

i looked in my bird book, and think it might be a White-eyed Vireo.

they build these hanging type nests, 1-8 ft above ground...

and they like to hang out in thick brushy tangles, forest undergrowth and blackberry thickets.

grasshopper nymph...i think...anyone know for sure?

>>>i've said before...i'm not an expert at IDing stuff...

but biobabbler  thinks this little guy might be a katydid nymph...

not a grasshopper.  sounds good to me!!  thanks! :)

Polyphemus moth cocoon

in this same clearing where we saw the nest...we also saw some poop.

scat.  full of fur...and some small bones.

i may collect owl pellets...and dissect them for bones...

but the owl pellets are coughed up...that's ok.

i don't collect ANYTHING that comes out the OTHER end...

whether it has bones in it or not!!

i just take pictures.

possibly Coyote...or maybe Gray Fox scat.

in the early 1900's...in this area...in these woods...

they collected sap from the pine trees...for the turpentine industry.

we've come across the clay collecting pots while wandering the woods before.

i get SO excited when i see a portion of a clay pot sticking out from under the leaves and peat.

i spotted another one!

it's pretty rare to find one UNbroken.

i've even glued a couple of them back together...when all the pieces can be found.

not so lucky with this one. but we collected what we could unearth.

i'll put the larger piece in one of the flower beds.

(i did a post in Aug. of 2010 about these pots : ...into the woods )

we spotted a couple of areas where the deer bed down...

where the thickets are smashed down...and smoothed out.

other evidence of the deer...

White-tailed deer pelleted scat

we hear...and see...woodpeckers all the time.

the Pileated, Red-bellied, Red-headed...

but once in a while...we'll spot this little guy.

sorry for the blurry picture.

male Downy Woodpecker.

part of a snake skin on the ground

small pile o' mushrooms

the hummingbirds are back!

we've heard them buzzing around...and seen them dive bombing each other

for nectar competition.

i haven't taken any pic's yet, but i will.

the dragonflies are showing their cute little faces too!

this is the FIRST one i've seen this year!

more fungi 

well, it's ALWAYS nice to take a break from life's hectic times.

getting outside...breathing the fresh air...smelling the scent of nature...

swatting the mosquitoes, plucking off ticks, getting bit by yellow flies.

no, really...it's worth it.

i could EASILY give up everything. no phone. no computer.

sell the trailer. sell everything.

but then what?  it's not really feasible.

not nowadays.

you still have to have $$.

so i guess it's just a waiting game.
i hope social security still exists by the time we can retire.
i also hope i live that long.

Nature is the great nurse for tired minds. Let her have her way with you, and all will be well.  

~Herbert Pryke 

TWO Phaon Crescent butterflies on the tiny flowers of a Fleabane weed.

stay cool & be safe.
laura

*see you in blogland as i catch up during the week*

critters, 'shrooms, and a pile of poop!

 this past week it's been cooler in the mornings...in the 60's.

aaaaaah...perfect weather for wandering around 

and traipsing into the woods out back.

no mosquitoes, gnats or ticks.

the hibiscus is still blooming.

 

and the little grasshopper nymphs which i've posted pictures of before...

are munching away...and growing!

 baby Anoles are all over the place. they're pretty skittish...

so you have to be very stealthy when trying to get a picture.

 

here's a Six-lined Race Runner.

i always thought these were the Five Lined skinks.

silly me. i never counted the lines.

they just LOOKED like the adult Five-lined skinks...without the blue tails.

 

here's a Five-lined skink...the blue tail means it's still a juvenile.

anyway, i'm out back...following our path to the wooded area...

 and i see some weird mushrooms!

...and a colony of assorted fungi growing all over an old rotted stump.

the ground is still covered with so many previous years fallen leaves.

the ground is soft with peat...it feels spongy.

some of this years fall colors are already scattered about...

there are so many hidey-holes...and downed trees (mostly from past hurricanes)...

so many places for the nocturnal critters to call home.

i spotted a Long-tailed skipper...

 

and then a Giant Swallowtail...

i saw a chewed up bone...looks to be from a deer...

and a hollowed out...half of a body...Cicada.

a cocoon from the Polyphemus moth...

and what i believe to be Gray Fox scat (berries & fur visible)

here's a picture from back in january...of one of our Grey Fox visitors...

in the back yard.

this post is definitely long enough...i hope i didn't tire you out.

i could do this all day...and when the temp stays cool all day...

this is where i'll be on the weekend!

this NEXT weekend...sam and i (and milo) are going camping

at Suwannee River State Pk.  a much needed get away. 

they have really cool trails there...and we thought we might rent a canoe for the day

since this park is located where the Suwannee & Withlacoochee Rivers meet.

~I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, 

to front only the essential facts of life, 

and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, 

and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.~ 

~Henry David Thoreau, 1854

 OH yeah, when i came out of the woods...Milo...yard manager...was waiting for me!

"uh...did you pay the toll...no, i didn't think so. toll=treat. remember that"

back in february...we found a dead 'possum behind our shed.

we held a nice burial for it.  i wanted to dig it up later...for the bones!

do you remember that? i did a post on it.

first-bloom-critters-both-breathing-and-not

well, i went to dig it up over the weekend...was going to include it here...

but this is long enough.

something to look forward to??!! 

have a safe journey & enjoy the ride.

laura

mushroom with morning dew

fickle weather

all of a sudden, it's cooler here. in the 30's at night and low 60's during the day. 

BUT it's supposed to warm up during the week.  

this kind of weather confuses the trees...the critters.  

the leaves are asking themselves if they should continue to fall off the branches...

leaving the limbs bare and shivering.

some of the little critters are wondering if they should go into hibernation mode. 

and the flowering plants...they're trying to decide  if it's worth the effort...should they show their spring colors?? or conserve energy and stay dormant for now?

for the most part...here in our yard...the ground is blanketed with fallen...dry leaves. 

and acorns. 

when you wander through the back yard...squirrels throw acorns out of the trees...

like bombs.

 you have to dodge them constantly. 

well, at least they're not throwing each other out of the trees. 

but i did get hit in the head with an acorn the other day. yeah, finally.

 i was wondering when that would happen. it was only a matter of time. 

and, man! did that hurt!

most of the trees on our property are oak and pine...

with some azalea bushes scattered around...

not much going on with the brilliant autumn shades....

The day I see a leaf is a marvel of a day.  

~Kenneth Patton 

...except for the Oakleaf Hydrangea. the leaves are curling at the edges...

and showing hints of red...orange and brown.

because of the cooler weather, i'm not seeing as many 

frogs, butterflies, dragonflies...or other insects.

the Anoles are still hanging out...soaking up the sun during the day. 

i caught this one in the midst of changing from brown to green.

Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you.  

~Frank Lloyd Wright 

the owls and the hawks will stay with us through the winter.

((even the owl's trying to get used to the time change...))

o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o

i've found a few of these cocoons lately...on the ground out back.

it seems they're from the Polyphemus caterpillar. 

after secreting an enzyme that helps dissolve a flap in the cocoon, 

the emerging Polyphemus moth wiggles its way out. 

awesome looking moth. large wingspan, from 4 - 6 inches across. 

large 'eye spots' on the hind wings, to scare predators away.

o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o

besides the bugs...which are starting to seek refuge from the cold - 

by moving indoors - doing their best to remain inconspicuous...

i thought i might quickly introduce our other family members.

you may have already met Milo. 

indoor/outdoor...around 14 yrs old. loves to climb trees. 

sneaks up on lizards...squirrels...snakes...

anything that's smaller than her...and moves. 

(milo trying to get used to the time change too. ha!)

o~o~o

Monty. ball python.

 i did a post a while back showing him devouring a rat. 

monty's been in the family for about 13 yrs. 

he has found his way out of his tank a couple of times. 

fortunately...found within a few weeks.

o~o~o

and lastly, Ozzie...the oscar fish. we adopted him about 8 months ago.

he's a fast growing...messy & voracious eater.

and we love him!

he gets a kick out of rearranging the plants and bigger rocks in his tank.

he likes to push the heater sideways.

he smacks the top of the water when he wants attention...or food.

 time to upgrade...to a bigger tank. 

o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o

before i go...here's an update on the owl pellets. 

if you happened to read my last post, 'the tiniest bones', 

then you'll know i found a couple of pellets...dissected them...

and cleaned all the bones found within the pellet. 

the bones are so fragile. some of them breaking apart as i try to pick them up with tweezers.

anyway, thought i'd post a picture of the bones after cleaning. 

look closely...you can see a couple of very small jawbones...

one still has teeth in it!!  

wow!!  

and the little claws...legbones...skull parts...

'til next time...

keep wandering. be safe.

stay cool. 

laura  :]

Nature has no mercy at all. Nature says, 

"I'm going to snow. If you have on a bikini and no snowshoes, that's tough. 

I am going to snow anyway." 

~ Maya Angelou