Jump to content
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT LOGGING IN ×
  • WELCOME GUEST

    It looks as if you are viewing PalmTalk as an unregistered Guest.

    Please consider registering so as to take better advantage of our vast knowledge base and friendly community.  By registering you will gain access to many features - among them are our powerful Search feature, the ability to Private Message other Users, and be able to post and/or answer questions from all over the world. It is completely free, no “catches,” and you will have complete control over how you wish to use this site.

    PalmTalk is sponsored by the International Palm Society. - an organization dedicated to learning everything about and enjoying palm trees (and their companion plants) while conserving endangered palm species and habitat worldwide. Please take the time to know us all better and register.

    guest Renda04.jpg

Garden Visitors


Daryl

Recommended Posts

Fortunately we don't have drop bears here...they tend to inhabit cooler areas...we do have Koalas in our street though.

1024px-Dropbear.jpg.75b1058a6fbe19efe5e9c3219b93473c.jpg

By Yamavu - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=31676385

 

  • Like 3
  • Upvote 1

Gold Coast, Queensland Latitude 28S. Mild, Humid Subtropical climate. Rainfall - not consistent enough!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We don't have 'em in the Territory..... mind you my kids are/were terrified of them after hearing Dad's tales at bedtime.....:rolleyes:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 7/17/2019 at 2:59 PM, NOT A TA said:

You must really like having chickens Missi! I think I'd get rid of the food source so the bears would find somewhere else to scavenge/hunt.

Yes, I love my chickens! They keep me company when I'm gardening and they're very entertaining to watch. :wub: We have always had bears wander through our lot, even before the chickens. I used to ride my bike around the area around dawn and dusk (when it's the least sweltering) and they would wander out into the street right in front of me. I was more concerned about the stray dogs than the bears. The food source is the fact many of the households in our rural community don't wait until morning to put their trash out, even though they know better. :rant: We live in the middle of Florida's most populated bear country, so we have to adjust our lifestyles accordingly so we can life alongside each other. We're installing a hot wire barrier on the pen very soon.  Once a bear gets its paw or nose zapped, it is quickly trained not to go near the area again.

  • Like 1

Naples (inland), FL - technically 10a but more like 9b in the winter :hmm:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Today while I admired both my Parajubaea tor tor and the Caesalpina pulcherrima in my garden, this hummingbird only had eyes for its next drink. ^_^

Caesalpinia.png

  • Like 4
  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not what you want in your palm garden....hopefully he decides to move on! Brush Turkey's have a love of mulch and do  a lot of damage to garden beds and any palms/roots in their path get destroyed by their digging antics!

DSC_4171.thumb.jpg.58181b1d7b4af3080f5a709df73cbf5b.jpg

  • Like 3

Gold Coast, Queensland Latitude 28S. Mild, Humid Subtropical climate. Rainfall - not consistent enough!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

This little Iguana was watching me pot up Crotons this afternoon. That is, till he/she started digging up the soil in the pot in the pic and I had to shoo it away.

20190825_144042_zpsvcth44lv.jpg

20190825_134906_zps1r6siycl.jpg

  • Like 2
  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's a beautiful Cuban Anole - no idea how to sex them, but if it was digging around, it was probably looking to lay an egg or two. 

You probably see these all day long - I think they are beautiful. 

  • Like 1
  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, santoury said:

That's a beautiful Cuban Anole - no idea how to sex them, but if it was digging around, it was probably looking to lay an egg or two. 

You probably see these all day long - I think they are beautiful. 

I'm obviously no S FL wildlife expert! hahaha The small Iguanas take off so fast this colorblind guy with ole man eyes can't really see them. The old ones don't take off quite so quick and being bigger are easier to see. Anole makes sense of why it didn't scurry away like the small Iguanas.

This little guy watches me when I'm working on my high school landscape project. Patient it is and will watch for hours while I weed etc. around the entrance to it's home. It lives under the concrete directly under where it is in the pic. Locals call these curled tail guys Hatian lizards but I don't know if that's correct.

20190726_191642_zpssqq2ifwd.jpg

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Those baby iguanas sure are fast! They are one of my favorite animals, and usually there's one in my household, but not for a few years now. 

That's a cutie pie right there - and it is indeed a Curly Tailed Lizard. No idea if it's a native of Haiti though! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, NOT A TA said:

I'm obviously no S FL wildlife expert! hahaha The small Iguanas take off so fast this colorblind guy with ole man eyes can't really see them. The old ones don't take off quite so quick and being bigger are easier to see. Anole makes sense of why it didn't scurry away like the small Iguanas.

This little guy watches me when I'm working on my high school landscape project. Patient it is and will watch for hours while I weed etc. around the entrance to it's home. It lives under the concrete directly under where it is in the pic. Locals call these curled tail guys Hatian lizards but I don't know if that's correct.

20190726_191642_zpssqq2ifwd.jpg

Yep, Northern Curly Tailed Lizard, leiocephalus carinatus (  Leiochepalidae ) Hard to say whether male or female ( no distinct color differences between the sexes /  dew lap on males, commonly seen in male Anoles / among other iguanid Genera ) but males tend to be a bit larger.  Introduced to Florida from the Bahamas / Caribbean in the 1940s to help control pests of Sugar Cane. Supposedly is spreading through the state and preys upon Brown / Cuban Brown Anoles,  Anolis sagrei. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sugar cane was commercially grown very close, if not on my property back in the 40's and there's still current sugar cane fields just a mile or two inland. Most of my neighbors grow sugar cane in their yards.

Any entomologist types watch this thread? My limited knowledge is from up North in zone 5.   This guy decided to go for a swim in my coffee yesterday when I wasn't looking. I fished it out before it died and set it to dry. Took the pic and it was gone after I put the phone away. I saw another one about a year ago, in the cab of my truck while driving! With my vision I thought it was a Hulk version of a yellow jacket. Pulled over and asked it to get out.

20190825_181523_zpsvtb9i7sk.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

50 minutes ago, NOT A TA said:

Sugar cane was commercially grown very close, if not on my property back in the 40's and there's still current sugar cane fields just a mile or two inland. Most of my neighbors grow sugar cane in their yards.

Any entomologist types watch this thread? My limited knowledge is from up North in zone 5.   This guy decided to go for a swim in my coffee yesterday when I wasn't looking. I fished it out before it died and set it to dry. Took the pic and it was gone after I put the phone away. I saw another one about a year ago, in the cab of my truck while driving! With my vision I thought it was a Hulk version of a yellow jacket. Pulled over and asked it to get out.

20190825_181523_zpsvtb9i7sk.jpg

Not 100% certain, but thinking this might be a local sp. of Mydas Fly instead of a wasp sp. Horse fly- like eye arrangement and  thick, almost cricket like thigh section of the back legs looks similar to this Genus / Family of Flies vs. larger wasps like Ciciada Killers, Paper, mud dabber,  cricket hunter, wasps, or Tarantula / other larger spider Killing wasp sp. with a similar body shape.

Larve of Mydas flies are supposed to be benificial as well, thinking they attack the larve / grubs of various Beetles. 

One or two sp, Esp Gauromydas heros, in the section of the family that resides in Central and S. America are considered the largest " flies" in the world. Big, but not a threat to people. 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Keep in mind that all flies (literally, Diptera) have two wings whereas all other insects have four or none, depending on stage of growth. 

Edited by santoury
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
On 8/26/2019 at 11:50 PM, The Silent Seed said:

Keep in mind that all flies (literally, Diptera) have two wings whereas all other insects have four or none, depending on stage of growth. 

This may be of interest to some:

Diptera (flies) have hind wings that are reduced and modified to halteres, effectively giving them one pair of wings.  Some Diptera are wingless.

Coleoptera (beetles) have front wings modified to elytra (wing covers), effectively giving them one pair of wings.

Stepsiptera (twisted-wing insects) have front wings greatly reduced, effectively giving them one pair of wings.

 

  • Like 1
  • Upvote 1

Tom

Bowie, Maryland, USA - USDA z7a
hardiestpalms.com

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 8/26/2019 at 2:12 PM, Silas_Sancona said:

Not 100% certain, but thinking this might be a local sp. of Mydas Fly instead of a wasp sp. Horse fly- like eye arrangement and  thick, almost cricket like thigh section of the back legs looks similar to this Genus / Family of Flies vs. larger wasps like Ciciada Killers, Paper, mud dabber,  cricket hunter, wasps, or Tarantula / other larger spider Killing wasp sp. with a similar body shape.

Larve of Mydas flies are supposed to be benificial as well, thinking they attack the larve / grubs of various Beetles. 

One or two sp, Esp Gauromydas heros, in the section of the family that resides in Central and S. America are considered the largest " flies" in the world. Big, but not a threat to people. 

This appears to be Mydas maculiventris.

  • Like 2

Tom

Bowie, Maryland, USA - USDA z7a
hardiestpalms.com

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, tjwalters said:

This appears to be Mydas maculiventris.

Tj, Thanks for narrowing down the id. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

I use zero chemicals whatsoever in my plant house, and there are always interesting creatures to be found in there, creating a natural ecosystem and balance. 

Found this the other day. 

Spider.JPG

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, The Silent Seed said:

I use zero chemicals whatsoever in my plant house, and there are always interesting creatures to be found in there, creating a natural ecosystem and balance. 

Found this the other day. 

Spider.JPG

Agree w/ holding back on chemical use but Black / any and all Widow spiders are where I draw the line, lol..  I usually go around and hunt them down / exterminate  with a long stick, or lighter while still small but occasionally find mama hanging out where she presents a danger to me and/ or my dog. When there's a cat anywhere In sight, Basenji ( my dog's breed) don't care about anything except pursuit of said mangy feral intruder and that includes where he sticks his nose.  In such instances, I'll spot treat.  That said, have noticed that when removed,  Cellar Spiders take over where the Widows would hang out, and when the Cellar Spiders are there, the Widows Don't return.  Cellar Spiders are left to themselves. Resident Med. Geckos take care of them and the ever present giant flying Cockroaches we have here.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Haven't seen a Black Widow (or brown recluse) here thankfully! Very interesting that the Cellar Spiders deter the others from returning. (We have them here too. They often run across my feet working outside. They're cute.) Love roaches! Did you notice the males display like a peacock? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 minutes ago, The Silent Seed said:

Haven't seen a Black Widow (or brown recluse) here thankfully! Very interesting that the Cellar Spiders deter the others from returning. (We have them here too. They often run across my feet working outside. They're cute.) Love roaches! Did you notice the males display like a peacock? 

Yea, interesting for sure though occasionally I'll find both in close proximity, at least smaller widows..  Glad we Don't have Recluse.. or at least Brown Recluse. Theere is a a native sp.  but it stays out in the Desert, Don't think it's venom is as toxic either.

Our biggest creepy crawly issue can be Bark Scorpions, though I've not seen one at the house the entire time living here.. some neighborhoods you find dozens at a time.  A potentially very dangerous situation. They'll get into the house and can easily climb walls.  Other sp. we have don't. The Giant Hairy Scorpion actually eats Bark Scorpions. 

 Not sure I have ever seen our monster cockroaches do anything except scale the block walls around the yard, or scurry underfoot.. or attempt to fly off.  They're tolerated out around the perimeter of the yard, not anywhere they might try and come indoors though.  Regardless, already telling myself if I have them when in San Diego, i'm investing in Tokay Geckos, lol. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mum and Bub...
.there were two but I found one deceased on the driveway this morning. The nest is in this same Date Palm... silly nesting site really due to the wicked spikes on the fronds.... but then again it would keep predators at bay.
70820835_2948605811822835_6204646743783505920_n.jpg.861e5fe26c0950b5ee9a3c0f3e571180.jpg71760075_2948605885156161_7246051608688066560_n.jpg.5e27baeffaf686a702d0eb0a5672a88a.jpg

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, greysrigging said:

Mum and Bub...
.there were two but I found one deceased on the driveway this morning. The nest is in this same Date Palm... silly nesting site really due to the wicked spikes on the fronds.... but then again it would keep predators at bay.
70820835_2948605811822835_6204646743783505920_n.jpg.861e5fe26c0950b5ee9a3c0f3e571180.jpg71760075_2948605885156161_7246051608688066560_n.jpg.5e27baeffaf686a702d0eb0a5672a88a.jpg

You'd be surprised at some of the places various birds nest here in the Desert.  Title for the craziest place has to go to our native Cactus Wrens who somehow manage to raise the next generation among densely spiny Cholla / Cylindropuntia Cacti sp., including both Teddy bear / and " Jumping " cholla and, at least in some instances I'd observed,  never have any issues w/ getting impaled by the spines.  Verdin, a small finch-like bird, will also nest in some pretty intimidating places.  Then, of course, you have sp. like Gila Woodpeckers, Starlings, and Elf Owls who nest in Saguaro.  

On a side note, caught a pair of neighborhood Curved Billed Thrasher plundering some com pots of cacti seedlings / pups I keep on a table under our patio yesterday.  Well known that they will use that sickle- shaped beak to poke around Agave / other stuff in the garden for beetles / other stuff but this is the first time since living here these birds have ventured up close to the house and uprooted ( ..and taken off with.. ) actual plants.

Not sure what they do w/ them but can't imagine they'd try to eat them. Wouldn't be a plesant experience I'd imagine. Anyway, motivated me to move plants I rescued and repotted / those not yet touched into the shade house.  

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Some recent visitors/residents. The snake photo was taken today. Saw it on the branches of one of my live oaks.

1011191618a_HDR.jpg

1006191439.jpg

0929191127k.jpg

  • Like 5

USDA Hardiness Zone 7b/8a

AHS Heat Zone 7

Link to comment
Share on other sites

These guys are getting more lethargic as they sense the approaching frozen tundra!

What you look for is what is looking

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Caught this big bird hunting for lunch today. Yesterday I'd disturbed some snakes that decided to live under some plywood I'd laid down to kill off grass where I'm making a planter bed when I moved the wood and dug up the area. Tall bird, over three feet but I don't know what it's name is. Apparently the bird thinks my yard is like a take out pick up window as it flew away immediately with the snake.

20191014_130158_zps6aculs5j.jpg

20191014_130217_zpsxw5dytzb.jpg

20191014_130239_zpsa3run71u.jpg

 

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Daryl,

Your Koala picture defies some common thoughts about these critters. The belief is that they are sweet and placid. Those fangs speak contrariwise. Are those truly running the streets? Are they aggressive?

What you look for is what is looking

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 10/14/2019 at 9:23 PM, The Silent Seed said:

Looks like a Great Blue Heron - a staple here. 

What kind of snakes were you finding? 

Squiggly ones! AHAHA...... Sorry, I have no idea what they are. I'm from up North and moved into a neighborhood of immigrants from other countries who use broken English as a second language so even if they did know what kind of snakes they are they probably couldn't tell me in English.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hahaha - well, they weren't squiggly for long. :) Those herons eat anything, and everything - they are pigs! 

People hate them for this reason (for example; they are the bane of people who have koi ponds) but I love them. They are so majestic. 

Up North, as in here (MA?) 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For some reason, I thought the Roseate Spoonbill was extinct or virtually non-existent. I was wrong but they are still out of the ordinary...B390C86C-5B78-458B-B72E-721930DFC608.thumb.jpeg.e064caf509395cbbad28beec7b94183e.jpeg

  • Like 1

What you look for is what is looking

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, bubba said:

For some reason, I thought the Roseate Spoonbill was extinct or virtually non-existent. I was wrong but they are still out of the ordinary...B390C86C-5B78-458B-B72E-721930DFC608.thumb.jpeg.e064caf509395cbbad28beec7b94183e.jpeg

Maybe you were thinking about Flamingoes?  Spoonbills are common enough, though a more weary around people. That said, there were a couple times one would be searched on my fence when I'd walk out into the backyard. No clue what it was looking for. 

As for Flamingoes, they're apparently making quite the comeback across Florida, even showing up as far north as Alabama, west towards Texas.  At least according to recent observer data on iNaturalist. 

Believe it or not but Spoonbills sometimes show up in golf course / retention ponds here in AZ. and every so often near the Salton Sea, and spots closer to the coast in San Diego.  Same with Wood Storks, and White Ibis. Not long ago, a Flamingo mysteriously appeared in various parts of San Diego Bay. After checking in with Sea World, the Zoo  / Wild Animal Park, other places who might be keeping them, no one knows where it came from, and it might still be hanging around there.. Did for quite some time after it was first observed  anyway.. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Is this a Spoonbill? There's a lot of these here. Old ones have long necks in proportion to the body compared with the younger ones. Their favorite sport is hunting lizards in the gardens. They do a slow neck roll kinda thing then snatch the unsuspecting lizard.

wildlife033.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 minutes ago, NOT A TA said:

Is this a Spoonbill? There's a lot of these here. Old ones have long necks in proportion to the body compared with the younger ones. Their favorite sport is hunting lizards in the gardens. They do a slow neck roll kinda thing then snatch the unsuspecting lizard.

wildlife033.jpg

Great Egret, Ardea alba.  Love lizards, snakes, and fish, Inc. Koi. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Love lizards, snakes, and fish, Inc. Koi. 

I've seen them get snakes but haven't caught them on camera.

We get a lot of these guys too. Seems to me if you see groups of them hitting the same lawn every day there's probably a bug problem.

20190712_120339_zpsvzkd1dfv.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, NOT A TA said:

I've seen them get snakes but haven't caught them on camera.

We get a lot of these guys too. Seems to me if you see groups of them hitting the same lawn every day there's probably a bug problem.

20190712_120339_zpsvzkd1dfv.jpg

Yep, White Ibis. Posted pics of a flock that used to roam our front yard from time to time in Bradenton. Like Herons and Egrets, they'll take small snakes/ lizards, and frogs,  but like beetle grubs / earthworms, shellfish best. When they're around,  "June bugs" ( chafer beetles )  in the lawn are being kept in check.  We've got Glossy and White Faced Ibis here in the West. White Faced are becomming more common across parts of California over the last decade or two as they continue to expand their range north and west.

Interestingly, Glossy Ibis are recent immigrants to the Americas, after flying across the Atlantic from Africa. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now



  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...