ANIMALS & BIRDS AMONG US - Strange Things

Not to worry!!! This spider, although very large, is just not as large as it seems. Jeanne was working in her garden in the back and almost ran into this spider. We estimate it is about 1.5" long so it must be the female.

This is a photograph, as close as we could get, to a Pileated Woodpecker. This bird is about 17-18" tall and you just cannot mistake it when you see it.

Would you believe that Jeanne actually held this Praying Mantis while its picture was taken? Yes, she did. And it is the only one we have ever seen around our home.

Another Skink on the deck sunning itself. They are so afraid it is sometimes difficult to get their picture. Jeanne had a great deal of trouble in the fall keeping the squirrels away from the flowers on the deck. Like this one, they would come up and eat the buds.

This large butterfly was sunning him/herself by the bedroom door. Peanut was fascinated with it so I had to remove it to another location. The tree frog some how climbed up on the window and was sitting there just looking around. The kitties were, again, fascinated with it but, fortunately, there were on the other side of the glass.