A Few Lights and Some Critters

Since the days are getting noticeably shorter, Ivy decided it was time to string the lights through the pine trees next to the patio. Last year I forgot to take them down and they stayed up through Christmas. So far, it appears they're still working! 

These two trees are inhabited by a bossy family of squirrels who have been doing their best to be annoying ever since we moved in. Usually, they stick to the regular squirrel stuff, like digging around in the planters and raiding the bird feeders but lately they've upped their game. Currently they are feasting on the acorns in the oak trees by the garage. The incredibly loud noise they make while eating and their constant chattering isn't so bad but the mess they make rivals a tropical storm. Just how much they actually consume became painfully apparent when I thoughtlessly walked across the driveway barefooted.

Speaking of noisy!

(This is totally off the topic but doesn't this cicada look a like a pug?)

Fortunately, there are a lot of other critters in the garden that aren't so annoying. The butterflies have begun to migrate so Yellow Swallowtails and Monarchs pass through daily. They're very energetic this early in the season, His Madness got this photo with his phone, in a lucky moment. They're almost as hard to photograph as the hummingbirds! 

There's usually lots of dragonflies around thanks to our overabundance of mosquitoes. From a couple of feet away, the markings on this one's wings made it look like a little black butterfly. All the better for sneaking up on those pesky little blood suckers.

In early June, I was walking past this pot I'd recently planted with petunias and thunbergia and noticed these little yellow specks, 

Upon closer inspection it turned out to be hundreds of minuscule spiders! Eeek!

Could one of them have grown up to spin this giant web?

Getting back to cute and fuzzy, I can't forget the bees! 

Then there are the plastic critters. What garden is complete without fake flamingoes?

They always put a smile on everyone's face.

Okay, maybe not everyone's face. The squirrels always make Spenser grumpy.

Happy Humpday!

Take care of yourselves and thanks for stopping by.