I know this was from a long time ago.... It IS caterpillar scat that has rehydrated from the water in the bowl. cater pillars "launch" it either 4 or 40 times their body length. I can't remember which. This is thought to be done to keep predators like wasps from finding their nest and larvae. I had one bounce off my head and land on the patio table. I thought it was a squirrel pellet till I noticed the lobed, extruded look to it and searched till I found what it was. Probably will not harm the animals.... It's plant matter.

I saw these tracks in NE Texas in Cass County TX in a timber property looking for our dog. The rain was 2 days prior and a clear print the size of my hand like in earlier pictures here. The track was strolling down the road through the property. The stride isn't wide, say compared to a human or deer. The impression was from a larger animal with a defined claw. We've seen a lot of animals out here but nothing like this. I read one article that they saw it looking back at them but couldn't define what it was they were looking at. Keep posting maybe we will get a thermal imaging of this critter/animal/unknown species.

Sorry to disagree with you, Linda. I know about "foo dogs" (which are actually a Chinese representation of _lions_) but a) this carving doesn't have any of the Chinese style of carving that westerners call a "foo dog" and b) none of the other carving on the chair looks remotely Asian, so why would there be this aberrant animal?

According to this map, they haven't been recorded in Roanoke county yet, but that's not saying they aren't around. :) Another option is the Fisher. Evidently its back in va! I believe these are bigger than mink. Otter would also be bigger.