How great to see or read of all your visitors too.
Kristi, I am sorry to hear that your dog has been bitten twice by a snake.
I am lucky that the snake in my garden isn't venomous. Not only that, but it kills rats, which is a bonus.
Funny, but I always find that I am walking through webs that just happen to be at face level too.
Chris, those photos are good. Look at the detail on the hairstreak. Brilliant....and I love the tree frog in the pot...and the green spider.
Floridarose, I have a pot of miniature cyclamen on my garden table at the moment. Every morning, when I sit there with my first cup of tea, a bumblebee wriggles it's way through all of the blooms, looking for nectar. It's like a little forest of stems for him. Sometimes I think he must be stuck, but he always manages to wriggle out.
plantloverkat. Gosh...you have shown me animals that I have never seen in the flesh. We don't have opossums, skunks or armadillos in Crete, or England. The colour of that snake is amazing.
Your dog loves your garden too. He looks very happy nosing through the plants.
The European robin, is very friendly in Britain. I have heard that they are more wary in other European countries. There was one that used to greet me every morning, in the car park at work. He knew that I had a packet of dried apricots in my pocket. He would follow me around at work and enjoy his snacks of apricot. In the spring however, he wouldn't eat his apricot, but would sit on my shoulder whilst I bit off three or four tiny pieces. He would then carefully line them up in his beak and carry them off, to his babies in the nest.
Catsrose. Good shot of the racoon with your beautiful Crepuscle. That is another animal I have never seen. Great eye mask!
Daisy

How nice to see your lovely visitors Daisy and everyone else. I had a bear visitor this summer. We never saw him. He came and ate all the downed apples and whatever he could reach. He trampled one rose that I had been babying. Amazing that he did little other damage.

What a great topic and pictures.

Here is our bumbler
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Love these little bats....they eat bugs from dusk to dawn
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This is the barred owl. They get pretty noisy at night when there's several together.
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This little bear was orphaned, so they tagged it and let it go. Hoping it will survive.
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Our feral cat that can't keep up with the deluge of rodents
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And our sadly missed guardian of the garden and mulch pile.
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What great pictures, rocksnroses. The owl is quite handsome. Although I have seen a screech owl in the dusk a couple of times, we are most aware of their presence because of their call. Our bats are only visible when they come out around sunset so I have never seen one up close.

Wow! What a great thread - combining three of my favorite things: gardening, nature and photography - how can I resist? :) Love all the pics - beautiful stuff! Haven't seen an armadillo in decades, though the possums, skunks and snakes are numerous enough around here. Baby possums are the cutest ugly babies around - ha! Here are my offerings:

dragonfly on catchfly

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chickadee dining at my Sunflower House

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Sunflower House with two of the feral cats in the cat colony of which we are caretakers (think this was Little Mama and her son Osiris - BTW, all of the cats in the colony have been spayed or neutered)

One of our indoor cats, Samhain, taking a dip in the wading pool I built for her (she likes water - go figure!)

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green frog on daylily - these little guys have really LOUD voices

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having lunch on a katydid while sitting on a castorbean plant

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hummingbird on a zinnia - I had to sit a lon-n-n-n-g time to get some of the hummingbird pics

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And I have to include this one, not because of the hummingbird, but because of the cloud behind her which looks a whole lot like a map of the United States, but Texas needs a little work

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another hummingbird, but this one's a moth

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Looking forward to seeing some other pics - hope this thread continues!

I'd love to have an owl in the garden to eat rabbits, love the pretty visitors in everyone's photos but the snake, I'd hit it with big rocks....... :-) Opossum is cute, it's smaller than I thought, it might need 50 of them to make one opossum fur lined rain coat.......

Summerseve, the opossums were quite small - not at all full grown. The armadillo was just half grown as well. I used to be afraid of snakes, but I have learned to know which are the poisonous ones where we live, and the non venomous ones we just leave alone.

samhain10, the detail on your photos is amazing.

This post was edited by plantloverkat on Sun, Jan 4, 15 at 14:08

Summerseve - but snakes are the good guys; they eat all sorts of garden pests. Even the poisonous ones have their purpose, though, fortunately, we don't have to deal with those up here - there's only the one small rattlesnake that is mostly in one area (I've never seen one here, only the BIG ones that live down south... along with water moccasins, copperheads, coral snakes, gila monsters, and black widows the size of tarantulas...just kidding about that last part.)

Plantloverkat - thanks! I have an older Nikon digital SLR camera. Photography, as I mentioned, is one of my loves. There's more where those came from. :)
Oh, and baby skunks are even cuter than baby possums, but I'm not going to bring any home.

- Alex

Tonight as family was coming in the front door, two sparrows flew out of the evergreen Christmas wreath from beneath the large red bow. When they left, another sparrow flew out. The temperature is dropping rapidly tonight with light snow flurries. Maybe the glass of the front door transferred a little more heat to the area. I really do not know how those tiny birds survive the cold winters here. Another of life's little miracles.

Cath

Cath -

1 degree F here this morning and 6 " of new snow from yesterday. Our sparrows apparently have flown down to your place for the winter. What's left, aside from the larger predators like hawks and owls and the occasional eagle, are lots and lots of blue jays, plus chickadees, juncos, cardinals and nuthatches. The jays are loud and raucous, but I like them because they tell the other birds when I've thrown scraps on the compost pile. I see them coming from far away, calling as they come. They seem to know when I've been out, though I don't know by what sense. It's not like I put out the scraps on a regular schedule. I used to feed the birds before we took on the care of all these cats. But they still get things to eat - including the feral's cat food!

Wow, Daisy, you have a whole zoo of visitors in your garden!

Wow... you guys have some amazing critters in your garden! I need to spend more time looking for these guys with my camera.

My most memorable visitor was a toad, who stayed for several weeks in my garden, hopping out from behind plants and startling me.I never caught a picture of him though. He would only make an appearance when I was without my camera. Was sad when he stopped coming by.

My favorite visitor last year I caught on camera:
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Ok plantloverkat & Alex, I will take it easy on snakes. :-) Getting some snow tomorrow, right now is 10°F (-12.22°C) with 22mph wind, and it will be down to 5°F(-15°C) in the morning......
samhain10, 1 °F! That's pretty ice cold there, I hope you got a coyote coat. :-)

Summerseve - yep, pretty cold here! No more snow worth mentioning since yesterday, but the temps are still in the single digits - around 5° right now and will stay low for the next several days apparently.

So - Daisy in Crete - is it raining there and in the 40's as the internet suggests? What's everyone else enjoying today weather-wise?

In spite of our zone 7 designation, we've managed to have two Arctic blasts, one in November, and one we just came out of two days ago. Temps got down to between 1 and 9 degree lows. Right now, it's back to normal (highs in 30s and lows in 20s) with fog and inversions and some slushy snow on the ground. Altogether not very nice. Lots of black canes to see (I don't protect).
I love the visitor photos so much, every one of them, and Alex, your photography shows patience, care, and real excellence. I've fallen in love with a little green frog. Diane

Alex, the past few days have had the worst weather that I have known here on Crete. Rain, snow and hail, with thunder and lightning and very strong winds...oh and earthquakes...oh, and power outages. As I sit here and look out at the normally placid, blue, Mediterranean Sea, it is grey and whipped up with lots of big, white horses.
The feral cats that I feed, would normally never come in the house, but at present, they are coming in to the kitchen to eat. They are spending most of their time curled up together, in a box in my shed. I leave the window of the shed open for them all the time.
Your photos are exceptional. I only have a point and click camera, but your photos show what a difference there is with a good camera and a good eye.

thegardenat902 That is another great photo. Thanks for sharing it. Great colours.

Cath. I loved your story about the sparrows. Most of the birds that use my feeder are in the loquat tree. It is evergreen and dense enough to give shelter.
Daisy

All these photos are wonderful. If they were in a book I would run out and buy it.

Daisy - yikes! Sounds like you're getting blasted there. Still 5 degrees here, but no earthquakes thank goodness! That's nice that you are letting the ferals in to eat. Wish we had a shed for ours, but instead we have built a straw fortress on our porch. You can see part of it out the window where Fearless, one of the indoor cats, formally feral, is sitting. Wanted to get a better exposure, but she jumped down immediately after.

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Thanks, folks, for the kind words about my photos - still working at it - a never ending process, just like gardening!

Diane - so sorry about the black canes. Actually, I'd forgotten this was the Antique Roses forum - I just came on because I wanted to see the visitor pics - I'm nosy that way. :) But since I'm here, can anyone give me a good suggestion for a hardy rose suitable for our frigid climate - maybe a climber, preferably something with a pink blush to it? Can't be too prima-donna-ish, since, even though I'm a fairly good gardener, I haven't had the best of luck with roses. Right now I only have one that has stuck with me through hard times. It's a smallish bloom - no more than 2 - 2-1/2" in size on a smaller bush. Very hardy and not too much problem with disease. Easy to propagate from cuttings, too. Chafer beetles are it's only bane. I keep it trimmed down pretty low since it's in a well- trafficked area. Haven't a clue what it's called, as it was a gift from a friend years ago, and she didn't remember at the time or never knew herself.

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Anyway, I'd like to try my hand again at another rose if there was one of the antiques that was beginner-friendly. I love the cabbage rose look that one sees in the David Austins, but I've always figured I'd just kill it, so I haven't made the venture.

- Alex

Daisy, I love the story about the robin. They're not friendly here. The closest I can come to that cute story is my hummers fly outside the screen porch and fuss in their high-pitched little voices when the feeder is empty.

I would love to have some tiny bats to keep our mosquitoes under control. I think all bats are adorable, but the only cute possums are baby ones. The adults that come in my garage to steal cat food are UUUGLY--and they hiss at you.

I also prefer to leave all nonpoisonous snakes alone, but it was quite the battle when I had chickens. I can't count how many chicken snakes we caught and hauled off--DH says they probably beat us back home.

Our temps are going down to mid 30s tonight, but it's nice and sunny during the day. I forgot to put my flannel sheets on, darn it. All of you in the cold zones, just remember all of the varmints and bugs we have to deal with down here, and it will make you feel a little better.

These all are such lovely pics. I've really enjoyed all of them.

I love all the photos!

It reminds me that I need to bring the camera and take photos of all of my end of the day friends.

I think my favorites are the California Towhees, they are basic brown with some hints of orange and no special call. But I love watching them kick around under the plants checking on bugs and my work.

I also love the tiny little guys who come to clean the roses of aphids.

I am not enjoying the bobcat who seems to have moved in to the neighborhood and is not that scared of us and loves chickens for lunch.

Daisy!!! What an enchanting thread (well -- maybe not the skunk)! And the photos are amazing -- all! Samhain 10 -- wow!

We have lots of creatures at Humpty Dumpty House. I'm stranded without most of my photos, but I'll see if I have any to share.

jannike

Marvelous photographs, everyone. Kippy, it can put a kink in your day when the the plumber who was supposed to get your water back on, turns around and heads to the beach when he sees a bobcat sunning itself in front of your house.

I'm stranded where I don't have most of my photos, but here are a few of the many visitors at Humpty Dumpty House:

One balmy evening I spied this Leopard Frog perched on a rocky outcropping, gazing out over the pond singing "Somewhere Out There". It broke my heart.

Playing possum.

Kissing koi.

"Honey-nut treats and potted plants with berries? Whadaya mean, I have to go back out in nature?" Yes, wild birds occasionally break into the aviary.

Must be the neighbors' pets.

"Don't even think of telling us we gots ta leave."

Okay, just kidding about these two.

Wow...these are just gorgeous pictures. I don't know if I've ever seen a possum look so beautiful. The little possum's mother would want a copy of those pictures. Same for the little green tree frog, red and blue bugs, and many others.
Here's a moth:

My favorite frequent garden visitor, Jack:

Beetles:

Here's my dog looking sad because I was in the greenhouse and ignoring her. Her mother is peeking in at the bottom right!
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Florida rose - oh yeah, grew up in TX - I know about those bugs and varmints. We get them here, but they're mostly concentrated into our 3 months of "non-winter" - LOL.

Kippy - a bobcat! Cool. Have seen one once in our area - they're pretty reclusive, I think.

Sow what - (hee hee, nice id) - love those blue guinea fowls! And your captions had me chuckling. No aviary here, but we do have a 100 sq ft cattery for the indoor girls and boy. Here are some early pics the year we built it:

Sleeper on the catwalk before it was completely finished. 2011

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Samhain and the newly sprouted oatgrass, plus a catnip plant. Later, I transplanted some grass from the yard in big plugs. The catnip didn't last long. :)

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Samhain on the completed catwalk

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Samhain on the "tree" we cut and lugged in to the cattery. It was so heavy that once we managed to drop it into the hole we dug, it sort of toppled over and wedged itself against the side of the house. I'd thought I was going to stand it upright to be more aesthetically pleasing - ha! No moving that behemoth afterwards.

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Supposed to go into the minus temps tonight. Someone post some warm-looking pics quick! Brrrr...

- Alex

Kippy-the-Hippy, Do you have a picture of bobcat? Some of them have pretty spots on them like lynx.
What kind of blue birds are those? Those pretty blue feathers can be used for hats.
No warm looking pics here, 3°F(-16°C) tonight...... :-)

I just happened to click on this post because it was listed in the "recent posts" box on the right side of the page. I am so glad I did. Everyone's photos are fabulous.
I live in a fully developed suburban area so I was surprised to see this visitor on my front porch.

That's a pretty red fox! :-) Nice photo!!

Badgergal - what a lovely visitor - and she looks healthy. If I were a believer in omens, I'd take that as a good one. Oh, that's right - I do believe in omens - ha!

- Alex

Absolutely awesome pictures.

For some reason she likes Badgergal's house! May be he got chickens in the backyard, or someone was cooking and smelled really good. :-)

It's just above freezing and raining here (which is always a good thing in Texas!), so these pictures are a very welcome sight to my eyes this morning.

I'm a lurker here, and love learning about roses from all of you, but I have to say thank you for sharing these wonderful wildlife and pet pictures. (And thanks for all the rose info, too.)

Sally

Sally, glad you're here. These photos are adorably heartwarming, aren't they? Samhain, your cattery looks like fun! Since we're adding pets to the mix, I thought I'd post two of mine: Orville and Wilbur ravaging the allium. These pets are easy to keep happy. Just plant scads of pretty flowers and convince close neighbors to stop blasting with roundup and pesticides.

Alex, can I suggest you start a new thread for your rose hunt?
There are a lot of helpful people here, but they might not see your enquiry on this thread. I am in a different climate, so I wouldn't know what to recommend.
Thanks everybody for so many great photos. I love the Leopard frog, the cat's playground, the kissing koi, the aviary visitor, the moth, Jack, the fox, the allium with visitors and Kaboehm, the look on your dog's face, speaks volumes.
Daisy

Thanks for the advice, Daisy. It was kind of a spontaneous thing; I should really give it more thought as to exactly where I'd want to plant it - then do the post.

- Alex

I had to revisit this thread to share some of the shenanigans going on at Humpty Dumpy House during my absence. After midnight in the Poison Apple Garden, dragonfly striptease:
. . .

Facebook for Humpty Dumpty House

https://www.facebook.com/HumptyDumptyHouse

I agree. What a delightful post! Not sure how I missed it the first time around. Love everyone's wildlife.

Here are some of my visitors - Swallowtail butterflies love the Valerian, and I feed the crows every morning - they come when I call them.

Jackie

Stunning!

. . .
Visits to Humpty Dumpty House on facebook are much appreciated during
this difficult time. If you like what we do, please give us a page
"like". This simple act can help us get the gardens and our work back up
and running during my absence due to an injury. ~Thank you!

Facebook for Humpty Dumpty House

https://www.facebook.com/HumptyDumptyHouse

Just wondering if anyone having issues with rabbits ( unwanted visitors) in the garden?

Yes, we have rabbits. They like to eat the smaller, tenderer canes of newer roses. They tend to leave more mature plants alone. I put a cage of sticks around younger roses. Maybe the rabbits try to take a bite out of a stick and give up. Some of the neighborhood cats kill little rabbits occasionally .

I love to see everyone's visitors. Wish we had frogs. The possums would eat them though. Snakes don't worry me. If they aren't poison snakes. The little ones are soft and give delicate brushes with their tongues to see who you are. How can they go so quickly without any legs or feet? We have hummingbirds now. I found a young one on the ground and gave it sugar water and made it a nest out of moss. I put it in a hanging basket in my bottle brush tree. It called all morning for its mother and I kept my eye on it. By afternoon the mother was flying around my nest and by sunset the baby was gone.

Rabbit is eating my roses in this ice age, I think there is only one living underneath my garden shed. I am trying to kill it to save my roses. After years trying everything to protect my roses, it's time for him to go, I had enough.

Thank you for starting this thread, daisyincrete, and thanks to everyone who contributed. I love all of them. When the weather is depressing and I wish for spring, I come here.