What Did You See In Your Yard Today?

[A modeler named mike]

 

47 minutes ago, slusher said:

That would be yellow jackets and my mother would get stung when mowing over their nest..

Usually they are yellow jackets in the ground but there are a few wasp that nest in the ground also. This year I've had an increase of ground nesting yellow jackets. Luckily I haven't been stung by them, but I can't say that about the wasp in the shrubs that I cut a few weeks back. 

Edited September 14, 2024 by A modeler named mike

[TonyK]

I've been stung by yellow jackets quite a few times in my life. All with a story. I can work in the yard with bees and bumble bees within inches of my hands and they're fine. Hate yellow jackets! Strange thing that I haven't seen much of them the last couple of years.

[Mike C]

Well, this was over 20 years ago in a house I used to live in. A horse wandered in.

Edited September 15, 2024 by Mike C

[rattle can man]

Hummingbirds that are getting smarter. One wants the feeder for itself. The others figured out it couldn't chase them both off at the same time. while one is being chased, the other feeds.

Otherwise, just a brown, crispy lawn and garden

[StevenGuthmiller]

There’s been a dragon fly orgy taking place in my yard over the past few days.

Hundreds of dragon flys all hooked together in pairs flying everywhere.

I have to make my wife divert her eyes! ?

 

 

Steve

[Tim W. SoCal]

A Cooper's Hawk screeching as it flew by. It passed by way too fast to get a photo... I LOVE seeing the wildlife where I live!...

Edited September 16, 2024 by Tim W. SoCal

[ewetwo]

16 hours ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

There’s been a dragon fly orgy taking place in my yard over the past few days.

Hundreds of dragon flys all hooked together in pairs flying everywhere.

I have to make my wife divert her eyes! ?

 

 

Steve

I've noticed that at a certain time during late summer. Just before dusk. These tiny white bugs going straight up from the grass. They look like little white angels. When this happens. I'll see tons of dragon flys start flying back and forth over the yard obviously eating these bugs. The in come the swallows and they eat the dragon flies. Quite a sight to see.n

[slusher]

On 9/16/2024 at 4:37 PM, StevenGuthmiller said:

There’s been a dragon fly orgy taking place in my yard over the past few days.

Hundreds of dragon flys all hooked together in pairs flying everywhere.

I have to make my wife divert her eyes! ?

 

 

Steve

Dragon flies eat mosquitoes but we haven’t had many dragon flies.  My dad called dragon flies snake doctors..

[StevenGuthmiller]

4 hours ago, slusher said:

Dragon flies eat mosquitoes but we haven’t had many dragon flies.  My dad called dragon flies snake doctors..

Maybe that's why we also have so many snakes!

 

 

 

Steve

[Falcon Ranchero]

Got the first ten bugs pinned for the assignment I mentioned in a previous post; my friend is supposed to do the other ten as this is a group assignment. That pine beetle (top farthest left) was actually found over 5 years ago; had it in a small clear case but I figured it would be nice in a collection. The next four plus the earwig (second row farthest left) and the beetle (middle second row) were found on campus, but the assassin bug, butterfly and dragonfly were in the yard.

[JollySipper]

1 hour ago, Falcon Ranchero said:

Got the first ten bugs pinned for the assignment I mentioned in a previous post

Looks like you've got a "skeeter hawk" there! They're beneficial to us, as they eat the lesser mosquitoes...... We had to do an insect collection in HS Biology, one poor kid caught a lizard and a frog to add to his! Needless to say the teacher gave him the opportunity to redo it...........

[bobss396]

I had no less than a dozen black birds on my deck rail earlier. Usually I see a few only. Other mornings I have had a similar number of Mourning Doves. 

[A modeler named mike]

I have the one chipmunk that comes daily and sits in the bowl of peanuts on my lap, constantly running back and forth to his hole in the ground with his mouth full. Yesterday two more showed up. One of the new chipmunks actually let me hand it a nut. My daily visiting chipmunk, chip definitely isn't having any of this  competition stuff, so the chases ensue. 

[Ace-Garageguy]

Little white-and-black kitten I rescued after its mother abandoned it (shortly before she got squashed in the street in front of my house) absolutely hated me for almost three months, hissing and scratching every time I went near its cage to feed it, or took it out to try to get it used to people.

Over that time it grew big enough to let it go (the local Humane Society wouldn't take it, saying they're already swamped with rescue kittens), and has now decided to be my friend, running to greet the truck when I pull in (with it's cousin, another feral whose mother got squashed and is full-grown now), letting me scratch it's head, and trying to get in the front door every time I open it.

My indoor cat, a feral kitten rescue himself, is the grandfather of these two, and I'm kinda thinking about seeing if they can all get along inside. I really don't want 3 cats, but I'd hate to see anything bad happen to any of them either...and the recently-arrived local drive-bys seem to actively TRY to hit animals lately, 3 cats smashed flat in front of my house in the last 6 months.

[mk11]

Every year, a few bumblebees get into a friends farmhouse. He usually finds them after they've wandered about til they're exhausted or starved but sometimes catches them alive and puts them outside to live another day.

I scooped up one in the kitchen that was pretty weak and put on the bench outside. Nudged it to see if it had any life and it just fell on it's side. While wondering how I could give it some sustenance, I spotted a dandelion and put it right in front of the poor little guy. Well, it was on that thing like a hobo on a ham sandwich and you could see the flower moving as the bee vacuumed the moisture out of it 

[bobss396]

I haven't seen the woodpecker lately, the male shows up now and then.

I have 2 female cardinals. 1 must be a juvenile. They were here for breakfast.

Another one that also was in attendance was a catbird. They are interesting birds, in the mimid class. They are fairly friendly and will sit on the fence jawing at me.

[NOBLNG]

On 9/20/2024 at 5:30 PM, Ace-Garageguy said:

3 cats smashed flat in front of my house in the last 6 months.

You need to build a catwalk in front of your house.

[bobss396]

I was in the pool yesterday skimming off acorns and leaves. I rescued a bumble bee that was not doing well.

The bee crawled up my hand and sat on my wrist until I was done. I let it go near a flower bed.

[slusher]

On 9/20/2024 at 5:30 PM, Ace-Garageguy said:

Little white-and-black kitten I rescued after its mother abandoned it (shortly before she got squashed in the street in front of my house) absolutely hated me for almost three months, hissing and scratching every time I went near its cage to feed it, or took it out to try to get it used to people.

Over that time it grew big enough to let it go (the local Humane Society wouldn't take it, saying they're already swamped with rescue kittens), and has now decided to be my friend, running to greet the truck when I pull in (with it's cousin, another feral whose mother got squashed and is full-grown now), letting me scratch it's head, and trying to get in the front door every time I open it.

My indoor cat, a feral kitten rescue himself, is the grandfather of these two, and I'm kinda thinking about seeing if they can all get along inside. I really don't want 3 cats, but I'd hate to see anything bad happen to any of them either...and the recently-arrived local drive-bys seem to actively TRY to hit animals lately, 3 cats smashed flat in front of my house in the last 6 months.

It won’t live long outside Bill, let it stay with grandpas and sleep…

[Bugatti Fan]

What did I see in my back yard?   WATER ! 

 Nearby small river burst its banks after we got a month 's rainfall in two days. Touch and go whether my house got flooded, but thankfully the water started to recede just in time. A couple of nearby houses, not so lucky. Lived here for over 40 years and never seen it get as high before.

The weather patterns are definitely changing worldwide. I'm no eco zealot but we cannot ignore climate change causing extreme weather fluctuations world wide.

[Mike C.]

Big old fat groundhog.

 

[A modeler named mike]

Northern Flicker.. I've seen these guys in the yard many times. They prefer ground hunting but will also peck at insects infesting trees. They've been known to have a life span of up to 9 years. Their rapid head movement reminds me of a Metallica concert head banger.

[Mike C.]

Saw that same fatty groundhog again. This time I was quick enough to get a picture even though it's not that great.

 

[Mike C.]

[A modeler named mike]

10 minutes ago, Mike C. said:

Hey, I've seen that guy before. I think he was in that movie with Bill Murray.. ?