Critters Around Us!

As Spring comes and vegetation starts to turn green again, so many critters are coming out of hibernation! Some of them, we really don't mind having. But others are just downright scary! I am so glad our dog is a fierce hunter and protector!

A few weeks ago, we saw a rather deep burrow out where the horses' stables are. We were kinda' worried thinking that snakes might be nesting in there, until I saw this fellow hide in the hole. Mystery solved! It was this turtle who made our yard (or at least a part of it) his home!

By the way, this turtle is NOT slow. I was trying to inch closer to get a better shot, but he darted into his hole faster than I can aim my camera at him!

  
This snake was killed by our dog a few days ago. You can tell that it is a poisonous coral snake (rather than the non-venomous milk snake with the same color markings) because of the pattern of the color. Remember the rhyme "Red and yellow will kill a fellow. Red and black - friend of Jack." To refresh your memory, read this post from several years ago.

It is pretty nerve-wracking to find a snake in your yard, much more a poisonous one. I am always scared for my dog's life. But I have to remember that this is what God made her to be - a hunter. She is just using her God-given skills and abilities. I should be thankful instead that our dog is there to protect us.

 

Here she is, resting in the shade. When she is not patrolling the yard, she is usually lounging around or barking at trucks that go by our street. ;-)

This squirrel is just happily munching on a leaf. Yep, we verified - it was a leaf. This picture was taken in the park - not in our yard. Squirrels don't stand a chance with our dog around.

Hubby took this picture of a swan by the lake. Here in the US, animals are protected, and so they created a special barricade of sorts for this swan that recently laid eggs. I see this every morning on my way to work, but couldn't take pictures as I was always driving. Good thing hubby did it for me!

I am so glad spring is here! I can't wait for my plants to grow again!
   

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Blue-Billed Ducks

I was amazed when I saw these beautiful ducks. One can't help but notice their bright blue beaks. 

They are blue-billed ducks, a native of Australia. But these particular ones actually call "Sea World" home. 

According to this Australian website, the males have the blue bills which is most evident during breeding season. Ah, so even in the animal world, males have to look their best to attract the females. 

Aren't they cute?

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Habanero Peppers

I am excited about these peppers... We initially tried planting jalapeno peppers, but no matter how meticulous we were in caring for it, they ended up dying (we tried twice with the same results). We were gonna throw the remaining seeds away, but as a last ditch effort, hubby sprinkled them on the dirt where my tomatoes used to be. AND he also dumped a pack of habanero pepper seeds in the same pot.

Well lo and behold. After a few days, we saw several sprouts coming up, and within a few weeks, there were flowers! We didn't know what they were until we saw the fruit - it was the habaneros. We don't know why the jalapenos were duds - maybe it was a bad pack. But we are glad the habaneros took off like wildfire!

The pungency or heat factor of peppers are measured in Scoville units. Bird's eye Chili (siling labuyo) measures 100,000 - 225,000 Scoville units, while habanero peppers rate between 200,000 to 300,000. The hottest pepper, Trinidad Scorpion, is in the 900,000 range. Pure capsaicin (the substance that makes peppers hot) is about 16,000,000 Scoville units. So yes, habaneros are hot. A good rule (from Alton Brown) is that the smaller the pepper is, the hotter it is. And that is why you don't get any heat from bell peppers. However, that is RELATIVE. Don't go munching on peppers just because it doesn't look small to you. 

Anyway, we are waiting for our peppers to ripen before we pick it. Technically, it is already edible, though it won't be as hot when you eat it while it is still green. I'm pretty sure it would turn a bright orange when it matures. I don't know what to do with it - the hottest I've ever ate was a jalapeno pepper (wrapped with bacon, nonetheless) and I almost choked and cried because my whole throat stung. What more this pepper? Oh well. Nachos, perhaps? :-)

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Watermelon Surprise

Look what I found growing in our yard...

 A watermelon!

I didn't plant it. I don't even know how it got there... from the bird feed, perhaps?

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Butterfly Season

This is a Zebra Longwing butterfly. It is, by far, the hardest to stalk! It probably took me two weeks before I got some decent pictures of this beautiful insect. But I can always trust my Cosmos flowers to attract the  butterflies. 

I have noticed that most of the butterflies I see in our yard are somewhat in the yellow family. I always see the Cloudless Sulfur butterfly but I don't even bother to attempt taking a snap of it as it wouldn't stay put! However, hubby got lucky as he was taking random pictures of my Cosmos.  And of course, the Passion Butterfly is a perennial favorite.  

I have only seen this butterfly once in our yard, and I was lucky that it stayed long enough for me to run in the house and grab my camera. It is a Giant Swallowtail butterfly. Beautiful as it is from that angle, the underside is even prettier.

Firebush

Peacock Flower (I thought it was the flower of our Chocolate Mimosa!)

Funny how Florida seasons differ from almost every other state in the country. It is now mid-Fall but flowers are still blooming. Our trees are still green, and they would start changing colors by January (when the rest of the country is coming out of winter). I don't mind, though. I love Florida weather (except when it gets really, really hot that it burns your hands just to touch the steering wheel of the car). 


Weather is getting cooler, though. In the Philippines, this usually marks the start of Christmas season. It is one of my favorite holidays as it is the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ. I am missing Philippine Christmas so much that I made Parol (lantern) cards.

Have a great day!!!

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Fall Fever

What a beautiful Fall day! I woke up to a nice 50°F and it was gorgeous! Ok, maybe that was a tad cool for us Floridians, but still gorgeous! The weather warmed up as the day went on, and even at mid-noon, the breeze was still cool. I wish it was like this EVERYDAY.

I decided to bake some muffins (from a box, of course) and decorate it with some Fall cupcake toppers. I also used some Fall-themed cupcake liners to complete the look. (By the way, those were chocolate chip muffins).

Here are some pictures that son took from our backyard:

Click on the image to see the beautiful insect on the leaf

Yes, that is a tomato!

Happy Fall, y'all!

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Ducks on a Tree

Ducks on a tree. Preposterous! 

The first time hubby told me he saw ducks on our tree, I just dismissed it and thought he might have seen a bird that resembles a duck. After all, ducks on a tree sounded ridiculous, right? (Sort of like snakes on a plane - but that's another topic!). But when hubby hurriedly dragged me (camera in tow) out of the house one morning, I was stunned beyond disbelief (and mildly amused) because there were INDEED ducks on our tree!

On a side note, let me tell you that the "woodpecker-tenants" of that tree were making atrocious sounds and that ruckus attracted the attention of my husband. Apparently, they were not very happy about these uninvited guests. ;-)

So I took several shots (while chuckling) and reined in my dog while she tried to scare the poop out of the misunderstood poor ducks.

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Research told me that "ducks in a tree" are not uncommon at all. These ducks are called Black-Bellied Whistling Ducks, and are very fond of perching on trees, hence earning the nickname "Tree Ducks." They are very beautiful - with their reddish bills and brown plumage. I was kinda' sad to see them go (I bet the woodpeckers were very happy, though!)

Click for larger image

I want to end this post with this video from Sesame Street Classic. I couldn't help but sing this after that tree duck episode. Do you remember this skit?

 

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Count the Birds!

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How many birds can you find? ;-)

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Real Life "Angry Bird"

Look at the size of that tummy!

We saw this cardinal bird chomping on our bird feeder. Our first thought was "wow, can that bird even fly?" It was massive - probably the biggest cardinal we have ever seen. It reminded us of the "Angry Birds" app.

We can only surmise that the cardinal is pregnant - or it has been gorging itself with the seeds on the bird feeder. Either way, I hope it can fly fast enough to dodge predators around. Could it be the same bird from this post a few weeks ago?

 

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