Show your Bugs and Critters

[Manixguy@1994]

Monarch on Sunflower in garden

We had two in yard playing together in the air today , it was beautiful. Hummingbirds are showtime at the backyard with our 15 feeders . Impossible to count . Dan

[Mrj]

Monarch on Sunflower in garden

We had two in yard playing together in the air today , it was beautiful. Hummingbirds are showtime at the backyard with our 15 feeders . Impossible to count . Dan

I haven’t had as many hummingbirds this year. But these Gold Finch have been loving the sunflowers.

[Manixguy@1994]

Found this Hacberry Emperor caught in a spider web struggling, so had to rescue . Dan

[Mushroom]

Found this Chinese Mantis climbing a church on Marthas Vineyard this past weekend.







I let it go in the closest tree.

[Makunochimaster]

[Manixguy@1994]

Found this Chinese Mantis climbing a church on Marthas Vineyard this past weekend.







I let it go in the closest tree.

Great Mantis pics ! We have the Chinese and the Carolina . We have 18 hummingbird feeders up and when a Mantis is hunting bugs near or on one Hummingbirds will not land instinctively fearing of attack because where they migrate they are much bigger and attack them . I take them to a Quince bush on side of yard and release them . Dan

[Manixguy@1994]

Came up from doing some Fall clean up and sat down with the CEO and had friends stop by for a visit ! Dan

[Mad Mac]

Fall Webworm Moth Caterpillar
Virginian Tiger Moth Caterpillar

[Manixguy@1994]

Fall Webworm Moth Caterpillar
Virginian Tiger Moth Caterpillar

Thanks Mac ! Much appreciated . Dan

[Manixguy@1994]

Toad was traveling into a danger zone so moved it to a safe place . Dan

[Manixguy@1994]

Hummingbirds are going crazy , so many at times impossible to count . We have been relocating some of feeders to make them closer and it has dramatically changed activity. We have 18 feeders and refilling around half of them is daily . Dan

[Mrj]

Hummingbirds are going crazy , so many at times impossible to count . We have been relocating some of feeders to make them closer and it has dramatically changed activity. We have 18 feeders and refilling around half of them is daily . Dan

Sadly I found one dead in the garage

[Manixguy@1994]

Hummingbirds are going crazy , so many at times impossible to count . We have been relocating some of feeders to make them closer and it has dramatically changed activity. We have 18 feeders and refilling around half of them is daily . Dan

Sadly I found one dead in the garage

My guess the Hummingbird flew and died of exhaustion. They instinctively fly up when in a garage or even our mini carport . I actually had two trapped in mini carport this afternoon. I used our red broom and eventually they perched and lowered it for them to see outside . We have them fly through all the time in pairs and up to four at Mach 10 , but sometimes they become distracted. Dan

[Makunochimaster]

[Ow!Icutmyself!]

Mountain Lions in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
They took a big hit in the 2020 Fire. But I’ve seen game camera footage of at least two since then. I’ve been a cat person since birth. My earliest memory is of my father pulling a Siamese kitten off my chest - I cried because it was a warm purring thing that made me comfortable.
Cats are “critters” that I get along with.
I’ve held Snow leopard kittens in my arms, and stroked a Jaguars paws so that he spread his paws apart so that I could stroke between them.
All of that in a zoo, of course, as a worker there. I’ve caught and taken the tiniest, and also the largest spiders I’ve caught in my house outside so they could finish their lives as nature intended. But mosquitoes! Don’t get me started!
I’ve spent more energy in one night than 1 million mosquitoes spend in a lifetime trying to swat just one of those little things during a night when it got past the window screens into my bedroom. But, actually, I’m just a “critter” too.
I hope nothing swats me!

[Ow!Icutmyself!]

This one was just watching us one night.

[Manixguy@1994]

This one was just watching us one night.

In Illinois it’s extremely rare to see one . I saw one many years ago at night crossing a gravel road in the bottoms . We have a lot of Bobcat but have never seen one but have heard their cry . I have had Coyotes in yard and Fox in backyard. MG2

[Zipper]

[Ocho]

Came across this little guy while rolling a train by in the desert by the Salton sea. My light has a UV mode which is good for lighting these Little Critters up in the middle of the night.

[Manixguy@1994]

20250915_151015.jpg
Came across this little guy while rolling a train by in the desert by the Salton sea. My light has a UV mode which is good for lighting these Little Critters up in the middle of the night.

Fantastic ! Arkfield ? Dan