The Yard
We spent the whole holiday weekend at Claire’s house in Norman. Claire’s goal has been to have all the native plants she can fit in their lot. In fact it was the typical suburban lot when they moved in a few years ago. The front yard now has a veggie garden and native plants in a more neat arrangement. However the backyard is messy. Just like nature likes!
After its ordeal with us we released it back to its home. Apparently we had worked up its appetite. 🙂 Furthermore its head glowed under the UV light! Additionally we found several other of its mates rolled in other leaves of the Croton.
Claire’s restoration (with Paula’s help) of her backyard has taken several years. Furthermore the results have been amazing! In fact with 612 species and counting in her yard I would say the effort has paid dividends for nature. The species list includes: 13 mammals, 52 birds, 3 amphibians, 1 Reptilia, 3 Mollusca (snails), 48 Arachnida, 415 Insecta, 65 Plantae (does not include what she has added), 13 Fungi, and 3 Protozoa (slime molds). And over the weekend we were able to record the Tricolored Bat, her 13th mammal! Indeed amazing! You can follow Claire on her blog, Cast Iron Forest to Skillet.
Kathy wanted to share her sighting of a baby Cope’s Gray Treefrog. So Kathy sat at her “table watching a baby treefrog eating bugs on the glass window. It was just SO cute.” And she included this link for Cope’s Gray Tree Frog so we could learn more about this species. Thanks Kathy!
‘Weird’ dinosaur prompts rethink of bird evolution
Keep looking!
The more you know, the more you see and the more you see, the more you know
Such good pics of the lacebug and aphids. Claire does indeed have an amazing yard. Kathy has an amazing place too.
Thank you for all the seeds and plants and advice you’ve sent! I think the maidenhair fern is going to make it this time…
That messy yard is great – plant it and they will come! So much is attracted to her place. Way to go Claire!
Thanks for all the plants and seeds you’ve sent to help attract the critters!!
You are welcome!🤗
It’s a backyard bonanza of bugs! Woo hoo, Claire! The lace bug is lovely and is very well-named.
Thank you Suzanne!!
Thank you so much for visiting and for saying such nice things about our little prairie and woodland edge. 💙. Also for counting up the various critters, I hadn’t split it out before like that! Very exciting to have the bats with your detector. I think my next frontier for creatures is going to be tinier bugs… there’s got to be some thrips in this place.
Thank you for sharing too. 🤗 Yeah you have lots more. Look for the mites in the hairs of the leaves. I find them quite often! And then there is the soil. So much eh!
Yes I gotta start mite hunting!