Do you mean these little tree frogs?

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I love these little guys. This one spent his days in one or the other of my two phaius. He did his job well, fertilizing, as I've got numerous huge spikes on both plants.

Then there is this little guy who spends his days in between the glass and the screen of one of the guest bedroom windows. I forewarn all guests that they have a roommate but since he's out doing what frogs do at night and eats bugs, he's not so bad.

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Bit of advice, if you let them settle in for their daily nap, you can do anything to them or around them and they just roll their eyes. They are really rather lazy frogs.

I adore my treefrog "guests" and cherish every one of them, when they bless my orchids with their presence.

That is so sappy.

Tuezday, those pictures are terrific. Thank you! Is that little beige colored guy sleeping in some kind of crack? Your little guests are adorable, and they do look lazy and sleepy.

My little green guy looked smooth, but then I was looking at him from about 5 feet up -- he took no chances on me wanting to eat him.

Mehitabel - you are so lucky to have had that green visitor!
Laura those are so cute! I love frogs but the only things we have in the city are pigeons and squirrels. :( I did see a little TINY brown frog when I went hiking in the woods on a farm trip, as well as a cute wood snake though.

I had several exciting 'first-time' visits in my garden this year. In the summer, I saw my first wild hummingbird ever! It was not visiting my orchids, but rather a blooming weigela close by. I also saw a few blue jays and cardinals.

Do you put a hummingbird feeder out in the summer, Calvin? The cheap red plastic ones work just fine. That draws them like crazy!

Absolutely right, Calvin. Thanks for understanding the thrill it was.

I felt very, very lucky. I've been a gardener for over 40 years, and last year a tree toad lived in a clay pot under a mount on my deck, and this year the little green guy in the shade cloth --

first time I had ever, ever seen tree toads or frogs in my garden. I felt very special to merit a visit from them :)

Cj is right -- if you love visits from tiny marvels, you will love hummers, and they're so little trouble. One year when I was growing tropicals I had a wire strung along the deck for a vine to grow on, and they came and sat on the wire for a while each day, surveying the universe. The only time I ever saw one at rest.

On November 15th, I was checking the remains of my hanging baskets that hadn't been frozen yet, and suddenly a hummingbird buzzed past me and drank the nectar from the fuchsias! The Annas Hummingbirds have been moving north with our milder winters but this is the first time I've seen one at our home. It was a magic moment.

He "buzzed" you, Dotty, to let you know that the fuchsias were His! Anna's are very territorial and will often perch nearby, where they can watch over a good nectar source. They move their heads from side to side (in and out of the sun) flashing the red on their throats to telegraph their presence to other hummers. Wonderful creatures...like treefrogs and lizards and toads and spiders and butterflies and....

Sweetcicely

I love all of these little guys too. I grow a lot of broms in the GH to encourage the rain frogs to stay a while. They make homes in the vases in the broms. And lizards and huge skinks. They scamper all over the orchids, and that's a good thing. Many bugs don't stand a chance. I live on the very edge of a huge river swamp reserve .....and have a birds eye view of many wonderful things. I'm grateful for all of it.

baby barred owl, sitting in a tree just behind my greenhouse, waiting on mom to bring the food......
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this big boy spends time in the sun just behind my house........
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the swamp is working alive with this cuties.....
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Maybe I should work on the time stamp on my camera ....eh??

pcan how close to your house is that big boy? Keep an eye on that cute dog you have!

I live in the country so enjoy lots of wild life - some good, some not so good. Yesterday during a heavy rain a big buck deer was laying under the trees in the fence row at the back of the property. He had a big rack on one side but it was half a rack on the other side. I guess he was waiting for the rain to let up so he could continue eating some of my shrubs planted on the outside of my garden fence.

The only thing I saw this year that was interesting, since I don't think snakes are interesting, was a "gekgo" type critter under a hypertufa pot of hosta. These containers sit in the corner of one of my shade beds and I picked the pot up to replant it. My heart jumped but sitting there was this orangey/brownish critter, 6-8" long, glaring at me. Hopefully he was eating his fill of the slugs.

Brooke

pcan, I love your pictures! I cannot wait to move farther away from the city of Tampa and have acres of undeveloped land (before the developers bought it all) and tons of wildlife!

My hubby finally built me a shadehouse, after a few years of asking (nagging)...I have already seen tree frogs in it :) I also put broms under the shelves for lizards and frogs to hide out :)

Olya

p-can,I hope your cute pup has reverence for the big guy!!Large predators scare me!! Great wildlife photos!!

Pcan, those pictures are really wonderful. The one of the turtle is pretty artful.

I agree with the others' warnings about owls. I'm always afraid for my cats when they're on the deck without me there. I've seen owls and what look like hawks perched in the tops of the tall trees from time to time. A cat or a small dog would just be breakfast.

Sheesh, you'd think they could keep ahead of the rabbits, but they don't.

Brooke, I've seen deer tracks in snow here sometimes. Some critter here can graze a big perennial to a stub in one night.

Dottie, what does an Anna Hummingbird look like? I've only ever seen the ruby-throated.

Pcan I had no idea you were hiding in my backyard. How fortunate for you to have the owls where you could see them. They blend in to the Spanish moss so well it's hard to spot them. A couple of years ago a neighbor was taking his evening walk, on the road, when an owl attacked him defending it's nest. It's pretty cool living in old Florida, isn't it?

For Me its discovering who my real friends were and realizing i can grow orchids (Within Reason). And Discovering i Have some okay talent in Photography. I take pics mostly of nature and plants and im working on getting good at taking pictures of people. Here Are Some nature Pics for you all, I really hope you enjoy them!!!! ;), they were taken on a hike and the one with the blu sky with the sun peering at me through the trees is at my house. but the majority were on hikes and of sunsets on those hikes.And People Say that New York Is Devoid of Natural Beauty!!! Ha what do they know,LOL. I suprized myself with the photos. my friends love them.
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I hope you all can see them im sorry for the size and amount of photos. I hope you can see them. Please Tell me what you think. Thats my suprise this year I discoverd some hidden talent(TOOT TOOT)!!!!!

Samuel

Hi, Sam. Good to see you :). I was afraid you had gone. I'm very glad to see you back.

Your photos are absolutely breathtaking. Thanks very much for sharing them.

The third and last ones (pictures of trees and sky) are the ones I love best. I love to see sky. But they are all lovely.

Yes, you do have a talent for photography. But you have an even better gift than that, Sam. You have the gift of being able to *see beauty*, and because of that you can give other people the gift of letting them see it, too.

Thank you for the gift.

I hope you'll post more of your pictures here, and also on the Orchid Gallery (see the clicks for the Gallery just above the messages). On the gallery, you get lots and lots of compliments for photos.

Mehitabel/CJ - that's a fantastic idea! I have seen those on sale, but I was always skeptical. But what's the harm in trying! I would love to have more hummingbirds this summer!

Pcan - WOW. I'm speechless - Such amazing wildlife in your backyard! I would love to see one of those owls! I hear them sometimes (I think they're owls) but I've never seen one before in the wild. I did see an eagle this summer!

Samuel - beautiful photos! My favorite is the one with the power line going off into the distance - that's really nice composition! Just a suggestion for future photo postings - you may want to resize your photos in a program like photoshop prior to uploading them. Alternatively, I *think* flickr automatically resizes photos for you when you upload, but I'm not sure. I mention this just because some people (not me, thankfully!) have dial up connection so loading large pictures for them might be quite slow.

Brooke: This guy (my husband says it a "girl" but we won't be checking that out any time soon ;0) is about 150 foot behind my house.

Olya: You sound like you will enjoy it "out there" ......one of my favorite things is to go into the swamp, sit by a large tree and wait, and look and listen.....and learn. I've lived here all of my life. It never gets old or boring. It's always somehow new, and fresh, alive. There is much to learn if you are a willing student.

T-bred: I was born and raised here on the banks of the St. Johns River. These predators are part of life here. There are rules, a long list of no-no's. The danger is real, believe me. My property is double fenced from the swamp proper. We use a very small but strong mesh fencing. It keeps my little dogs in and Mr. (Mrs) Alligator out. Baby turtles do get threw, I scoop them up and take them "home" into the swamp.

Mehitabel: I think they were worried about the gator?....LOL.....but yes, the owls (especially the Greater Horned Owl) are a danger to small cats and very small dogs. My three little dogs all weigh about 12/13 pounds (to much for an owl to lift)......but I really have to be careful with a small puppy.

tuesday: Old Florida....yes....the first picture here is just for you......

Calvin: We have eagle nests all around in the swamp, what beautiful creatures!! 3d picture - just for you ;0)

Thank you all for your kind comments..............

shore line looking north.......
Taken with my OLD camera last year....not good quality ...but, here they are........
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gator sunning........
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barred owl ....fishing........
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Samuel: Your pictures are just BEAUTIFUL!!! I really mean that too. You DO have talent dude!! Keep it up!!

Thanks all....Pat..............

thanks everyone for the pictures. when i read these threads and see the pictures, i usually show them to my husband too. he always remarks on not only that you are all talented and creative in growing your orchids, but also in photography. this year we also had a surprise visitor. for the past couple of summers we have been plagued by grasshoppers eating the leaves of everything. this summer we had a skunk in the neighbourhood and therefore we enjoyed foliage on my outside plants which was very nice. i never thought i would ever be grateful to a skunk!
sue

I couldn't get my camera ready fast enough to get the picture I wanted. This green anole (Anolis carolinensis) was licking the extrafloral nectar from the tip of a C. walkeriana flower bud.

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Anglo, he's beautiful! And that "stitching" on his back, never saw that. What a thrill. Thanks for the pic.

LOL, pcan, I never even saw the gator! Shows you how well they hide. I'm a tenderfoot, wouldn't last a day there I bet. Grew up in the desert, know all about sand, cactus, rattlers, javalinas and horney toads. :D

These are all such wonderful pictures, everyone. Thanks for sharing them. Still smiling, just thinking of them.

Hey, I'm just a half a mile from the St. Johns on a lake that feeds into it.

We also have this in the backyard. The eagles chase the osprey trying to get the osprey to let go of the fish. Then the eagles try to catch the fish before it falls back into the lake.

{{gwi:134103}}We also have these living in the lake. Manatees.

Last weekend I had the privilege to kayak with these guys. Unfortunately, every time I see dolphins, they are always feeding and not interested in sticking their noses out of the water to say "hi".

I love livin' in old Florida. Pat's right, just sit still for a minute and you never know what you will see. The cool stuff more than makes up for the creepy crawly things we have here.

Sam nice pics. Just practice, practice, practice and be glad we don't have to pay to process film anymore.

Laura

Hey, littlem, I couldn't agree more about the photography.

As for skunks-- hey, whatever works for eating up grasshoppers. Those nasty grasshoppers can eat up a whole yard in one afternoon if there's nothing to stop them. :)

I've had a couple chomp on oncids (the thin leaves), and chasing them doesn't do it, you have to kill them. Ugh.

Laura - tell me you were not the woman in Lowes the other day with all the "good orchids" in her buggie were you??? If you were, did you notice a small woman making not so nice faces at you?!?!.....LOL........

Dang girl I am in your back yard!!!

BEAUTIFUL Pictures!! I hope I can get thaty good with a camera some day......
Pat.....

Hey, I've got the best revenge for grasshoppers. My parrot loves to rip their heads off and gut them for a snack. We have these huge grasshoppers, about 5 inches long, that are bright yellow with green and red stripes. When I find one, I just give it to the parrot.

No Pat, the only orchids I buy from Lowes are terrestrials, when I can find them. One of these days I'm going to put in a flower bed of terrestrial orchids. Right now I'm experimenting with different mixes, while they are still in pots, and have put cuttings and backbulbs in neighbors gardens to get feel for varying cultures.

wow, some beautiful pictures, everyone

tuezday, the huge nasty hoppers that like to eat amaryllis and crinums have poisons/irritants in them (lubber grasshopper) - might be dangerous to birds...

Terrestrial orchids rock - recently, found 3 gallon Spathoglottis unguiculata for 4.99, and yellow Spathoglottis plicata in one gallon for 1.98, on the clearance rack...I guess, I could add this to "surprises this year" That, along with angraecum, zygo and c.intermidea cross - never thought I would find these at Lowes :)

Olya

Here is one of my little guys on patrol.............
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The pictures are incredible. Thank you. Last spring I was potting orchids when 2 hummingbirds flew into the GH. They were flying into the plastic at the top of the ceiling and I was afraid they would hurt themselves. They seemed determined not to dip low enough to exit thru the door or the ceiling vent. I went and got a broom which I hoped I could use to gently guide them out. They didn't want my guidance! One eventually landed on the bristles of the broom. I brought it down to head level and walked outside. Off he went. The second hummer decided the bristles were evil. I had heard that hummers have to rest about every 20 minutes. It's the price they pay for being so hyper. He soon landed on a nearby orchid. I picked him up with my garden-gloved hand and took him outside. He didn't even say thank you! They stayed nearby all summer to sup at my feeders, but never came in the GH again.

Our antique shop faces a sidewalk in a courtyard that runs between two streets. We have a seed feeder and a hummingbird feeder near the front window. One morning a Cardinal had perched above the feeder to look around. A Ruby-throated hummingbird flew up close to him and zigzagged up and down all 360 degrees around the Cardinal looking him over closely. I think he was looking for a port to drink from. The cardinal just watched the hummer with curiosity and maybe a little concern. How I wish I could have taped it. Sherlene

Mehitabel, the Annas Hummer is an iridensent (sp?) green with a red flash on its throat. They overwinter by augmenting their nectar with insects. Guess they need the protein for energy in the wintertime. It's amazing that these tiny creatures can stay warm enough.
What wonderful pictures and stories everyone is sharing.

Around here, the temperature has been in the low 20s the last few nights, so our hummer feeder has been frozen solid in the mornings. We find the resident Anna's hang around waiting for us the thaw it out... and impatiently chit chit chit and scold us when we bring it back out. I don't know how the little guys manage the cold but they do!

I found a hummer one cold fall night perched on the front porch light. He had found a warm place to rest. I left the light on for him to make sure he survived.

I always leave the annuals I grow for them until a hard frost kills them. I always have a few doing the hummingbird wars around feeders or favorite flowers during summer, but I get lots of migrating birds each fall. I want to be able to feed them for the long trip south.

I felt very sorry for them the year of the bad hurricanes. Two in FL and one in LA/MS had to make the available food for them a little scarce that year. They need lots of energy to fly to South America.

Brooke

Laura, OMG, I'm drooling so much over those Florida pictures that I'm practically shorting out my keyboard. Isn't St. Johns already being heavily developed? Any affordable, unspoiled land left?

A friend and I were going to buy a farm up here in NJ or NY, but I'm still being pulled by the call of sultry old Florida. Gators and owls and eagles and manatees and lord knows what else. And lots and lots of green. Can it get any better?

John

I meant Laura AND Pat!

J

Yes, John, there is undeveloped land left (Pat and I are proof). Unfortunately, it can rival midtown for prices but....

I'll email you soon. Come for a visit, you will never go home. I had a friend I met through this forum, come visit 2 weeks ago, she has lived her whole life in Toronto. She's already bought a plane ticket to come back in January. I'm fortunate to have temporary custody of a little piece of heaven and I don't for a second take it for granted. We actually saw that comet the other night. Can't see that in midtown, I'd bet, but I'm only 30 miles to d/t Orlando. Course an armadillo also scared the crap out of me whilst looking for the comet but hey, such is life. You know I grew up in Jersey, but what we've got here....