Didn't need SEEK to identify this guy.  This is the groundhog that lives at Meeks Park.  We've seen him lots of times, always in the same area.  Usually, though he scoots back into his den.  I guess he was sunning himself, or trying to catch a breeze, because he sat right there while we took 6 pictures, and didn't try to hide.  I don't know scientific names for mammals;  I guess I could look it up, if I needed to know.  OK, here we go...

The groundhog (Marmota monax), also known as a woodchuck, is a rodent of the family Sciuridae, belonging to the group of large ground squirrels known as marmots. It was first scientifically described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758.
 

The groundhog is also referred to as a chuck, wood-shock, groundpig, whistlepig, whistler, thickwood badger, Canada marmot, monax, moonack, weenusk, red monk and, among French Canadians in eastern Canada, siffleux.

 

Groundhogs are true hibernators, spending 4-6 months sleeping in their dens.  They spend the fall fattening up, storing energy to maintain their bodies through the winter.  They can slow their respiration to 1 breath per minute, and lower their heart rate from 110 to 4-5 beats per minute.  They also lower their body temperature from 96 degrees to 40 degrees, just above freezing.  Then, sleep and sleep and sleep.  
 

I love seeing groundhogs in the park, and now I have new respect for their resilient nature.  I'm glad I looked them up.  I learned something new.  I still don't want to see them in my garden or tunneling under my deck.  
 

Maybe you'll get to see him next time you're in the park.  
 

 

HAPPY CRITTER SIGHTING!!!

 

 

Jon opened the basement door yesterday, and look who was there!!!  A Corn Snake.  Not poisonous, and really quite beautiful.  This one is about 2 feet long, and it slowly wandered off.  We took a video, but I don't know how to upload a video onto this site.  Sorry.  I'll work on that....
 

I looked in our Snakes of the Southeast book, and I think they may have used this one for their ID picture.  Their picture looks exactly like this one.  There is another picture showing it constricting a rat, but I'll spare you that photo.  Just so you know, though, corn snakes are also called red rat snakes.  
 

The good news is, when threatened, corn snakes generally try to escape.  This one didn't seem threatened at all; it just meandered along the house wall and out to the woodpile.  We didn't feel threatened either;  we just watched in fascination, and took pictures.
 

Love seeing critters up close.  Also glad Jon was there to identify it.  I might have been afraid, not knowing what it was, just that it was A SNAKE!!!  OK,  I'll get back to garden pictures. 
 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

 

We saw this Praying mantis in the sage today.  Beautiful!!  It was about 4 inches long, and didn't move for a long time, well, long enough for me to go inside, get my camera, come back out to the sage, and take a few pix.

 

We've seen them in the gardens before, sometimes eating our precious Monarch caterpillars.  I don't really love that, but it's the way of Nature.  Everybody has to eat something.

 

I read about Mantises, and learned that there are over 2,400 species in the Mantidae family of insects.  They live all over the world, and got their common name:  Praying mantis, because of the way their forelegs are folded while they remain stationary, waiting to catch and grip their prey.  And I loved this description:  Mantids are "mostly ambush predictors."   That paints a pretty picture, doesn't it? 

 

I hope you get to see one in your garden, they are so pretty.

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

I told you I know very little about the life cycle of frogs.  True....but....

 

I also know that they hatch from eggs.  And this picture is of the empty egg case.  Same holding pond as yesterday's tadpole picture.  Just so you know.

 

HAPPY SPRING!!!!

 

 

 

Have you heard all the frogs' chatter lately?

 

Well, when we walked the loop on Sunday, this is what we saw down by the creek.  Tadpoles!!!!

 

I would love to chat about tadpoles, but I know very little.  Only that they turn into frogs!  ;)~

 

Thought you'd like to see what we saw.  

 

HAPPY SPRING!!!!

 

You heard correctly:  Jon feeds the deer in our front yard.  They stand out there and wait for him to bring the corn. They step off into the woods just a bit until he starts to leave, then they're on it!!!!!  They don't even wait for him to get all the way away.  Who trained whom?  Just sayin....

 

Back to the point of this blog:   Deer will eat just about anything.  No garden is safe.  I've seen lists of plants they don't like as much, but without enough of their preferred food, deer will eat anything!

 

You can see the Rutgers University list of plants rated for deer resistance at https://njaes.rutgers.edu/deer-resistant-plants/

 

We buy dried corn to feed them, hoping they will leave the Forsythia bushes alone.  We plant things that we know they don't like so much, like Rosemary and Sage and Marigolds.  But when they are hungry enough, they'll eat the Leyland Cypress trees and Junipers!!!

 

Mark had a good point about feeding the deer.  Spread out the corn, so that it isn't in a pile. If it sits too long and gets wet, it can mold and kill them.  Turkeys can die from moldy corn too, so let's not do THAT!!!!!!

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!!

 

 

This morning we were treated with the antics of four fawns coming together to hang out in our yard. It seems the moms brought them together to hang in a day care unit.

Here are the four of them mowing my lawn!

And this buck from last year is going to have one heck of a rack!

and not to be outdone, Mr turkey showed up for his share of corn!

 

I didn't take this picture, but this morning on my walk I saw a baby deer exactly this size.  As I came around the curve by the hiking trail, she walked right up to me as if she knew me.

 

She seemed to be by herself, so I called for Momma.  Because Baby had a mind to follow me!!  

 

So, if you're walking, keep an eye out.  If you're driving, GO SLOW!!!!  You might get to see her.

 

LOVE THE DEER!!!

 

Yep, I want to be a cat in this house!!!!   

 

This is Ranger, he is 14 years old, and moves from sunspot to sunspot.  

 

HAPPY KITTY!!!

 

I hope you have checked out the Titmouse nest.  There are four hungry babies, and one very busy Momma bird!!!!!

 

Here's the link:   https://wbu-yorktown.click2stream.com/

 

Go look before they fledge!!  It could be soon.

 

LOVE THE BIRDS!!!