Tag Archives: Back Yard

Big Frog–Is It Real

I wasn’t sure… I’d photographed around this statue before, mostly flowers and insects…could I have missed a frog as part of the installation?

Frog in Statue Pond
Frog in Statue Pond

I walked around this little pond several times…

Frog in Statue Pond
Frog in Statue Pond

…the frog never moved. The frog was not there when I went back yesterday to see the azaleas, so he must have been the real deal.

Frog in Statue Pond
Frog in Statue Pond

With only a 100mm lens with me I couldn’t get far enough away to get an image of the whole pond.

Heron Statue Pond
Heron Statue Pond

Middleton Place, Charleston, SC
February 15, 2023

Roseate Skimmer, Back Yard, 2

While watching the Roseate Skimmer featured in yesterday’s post I noticed a bloom in one of my pots that was nearly the same color as the dragonfly.

Sometimes if you wait long enough an insect will land where you would like to take its picture.

Roseate Skimmer Dragonfly
Roseate Skimmer Dragonfly

I don’t know the plant, it is a volunteer from one I had a few years ago. It doesn’t look exactly the same, but that fluffy magenta is familiar.

September 3, 2022

Roseate Skimmer, Back Yard

We haven’t had many dragonfly visitors in our back yard this summer. Conditions have been wetter and hotter, with no overnight cooldowns. I have no idea if this plays a part or if there are other forces in play.

Roseate Skimmer Dragonfly
Roseate Skimmer Dragonfly, Purple Caladium Leaves

Today I was quite pleased to spot this Roseate Skimmer perching on a dried hibiscus stem on the patio.

Roseate Skimmer Dragonfly
Roseate Skimmer Dragonfly

I was even more pleased that he was still there after I went in for my camera.

Roseate Skimmer Dragonfly
Roseate Skimmer Dragonfly

He stayed around for quite awhile, with the classic dragonfly behavior of returning to the same perch, giving me plenty of viewing options.

Roseate Skimmer Dragonfly
Roseate Skimmer Dragonfly, Black-eyed Susan

September 3, 2022

Raccoon: Backyard Shenanigans

After finding my backyard bird feeder on the ground two mornings in a row I put up the trail cam.

Ah ha! I had brought the feeder in, but there was plenty of seed scattered around the ground.

Racoon Reaching Up Bird Feeder Pole
Racoon Reaching Up Bird Feeder Pole

A couple of nights later, I discovered the Raccoon had company: check out the pair of eyes on the fence, just to the left of the pole.

Barred Owl on fence watching Racoon scrounge
Barred Owl on fence watching Racoon scrounge

Here’s a low quality 20 second video where you can see the owl’s eyes change as it turns its head.

Update: depending on how you are viewing this post, the video may not play. On Ted’s iPad, viewing through WP Reader, the controls are visible but nothing happens 🙁.

The raccoon came back about an hour later and there was no sign of the Owl. The camera had not picked up his movements coming or going.

I’m identifying the bird as a Barred Owl based on size and regularly hearing one in the area.

GardePro A3 Trail Camera

Spider: Arrow-shaped Micrathena

A tiny creature, and new to me with those serious looking spikes, this Arrow-shaped Micrathena is only about 0.25 inches (6 mm) long.

Arrow-shaped Micrathena
Arrow-shaped Micrathena

A second one was in a more secretive spot in a plant.

Arrow-shaped Micrathena
Arrow-shaped Micrathena

The visible stabilimentum, the zigzagged strand of webbing, seen above the spider in the next image is how I happened to notice the spider as it waved in the afternoon breeze.

Arrow-shaped Micrathena
Arrow-shaped Micrathena

August 13, 2021