Little buddies.

Living out way out here, Phil and I get to enjoy lots of wild critters, and have admired many "helpers" who live in and around the house and gardens.  There's a little grass snake living under the house who's been here since we put in the flower beds near the back deck...he's not so little any more, so he must be doing his share of varmint control.

Checkered Garter Snake, living under broken planter trays I put out for "wildlife hidey spots"

There are always little anoles in the jasmine and on the turk's cap bushes.  They crack me up when they hold still, thinking I don't see them.  There are banana spiders who eat grasshoppers, wasps who eat lots of things, mantises and birds and frogs everywhere. Not sure if Waylon (Schultz's foster cat) counts as wild-life, but he's not exactly tame.

Banana Spider...she's about 3 inches from front toes to back.

Waylon and The Schultz, kung-foo fighting.

This morning we smelled skunk, so we had to go with the dog and escort him back in after his business.  He doesn't know any better than to go say "howdy" and in the dark it's hard to tell if that skunk is in or out of the fence.  Gotta take the good with the bad when it comes to wild life, I guess. 

This little lizard is a regular at our house.  Every morning, (we get up around 4:30 or 5:00) this little fellow (fella?) hangs out on our kitchen window screen.  There's a motion sensing security light over this window, and the swaying Japanese Yaupon sets it off often enough to attract night bugs.  It's like an IHOP for lizards.  I like his little transparent belly...sometimes you can see his teeny heart beating.

Our breakfast buddy on the kitchen window screen.

Well, that's all I have for today.  And now back to your regularly scheduled Wednesday.