Unexpected guest!

[your_comforting_company]

Late yesterday evening I had an unexpected guest at my back door!
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg184/your_comforting_company/nature%20shots/DSCN5066.jpg

I kindly relocated him to the flower bed where there were plenty of toads and rainfrogs and crickets to eat. I thought about inviting him in for a bite of chicken and rice, but my wife has a phobia of snakes, so she wouldn't go for it.
I hope he grows up to be a big strong rat-eater. I just love nature!

[rwc1969]

Looks like it could use a rat or twoo, kinda skinny.

[your_comforting_company]

He was a baby. cute little baby RAT EATER!! hehe. I love my frogs, but I love harmless snakes more, since they clean up the critters that plague us. Hopefully he will find plenty of food in the flower bed.

[Rick]

If people understood how much vermin a snake will take care of they would do everything they could to NOT run over them. Snakes and bats do us so much good and they are so misunderstood.

[Justin Case]

If people understood how much vermin a snake will take care of they would do everything they could to NOT run over them. Snakes and bats do us so much good and they are so misunderstood.

I agree,, Its sad really..

[Camp10]

If people understood how much vermin a snake will take care of they would do everything they could to NOT run over them. Snakes and bats do us so much good and they are so misunderstood.

Yup! Snakes, bats, dragonflies, bees....there are quite a few misunderstood friends out there working for us.

[Winnie]

I found a tiny Toad in the veg garden the other day, his family are welcome to join him.

[your_comforting_company]

Winnie, If you have any of the small plant pots, you can put them out there, laying on their side, and bury them about halfway with dirt. It will shelter the frogs from the sun and most predators. I use the ones that are biodegradable. They'll usually last a season.

[Aurelius95]

Late yesterday evening I had an unexpected guest at my back door!
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg184/your_comforting_company/nature%20shots/DSCN5066.jpg

I kindly relocated him to the flower bed where there were plenty of toads and rainfrogs and crickets to eat. I thought about inviting him in for a bite of chicken and rice, but my wife has a phobia of snakes, so she wouldn't go for it.
I hope he grows up to be a big strong rat-eater. I just love nature!

What kind of snake is it? I assume it's a rat snake, but you know what they say when you assume.

[Winnie]

Thanks for the plant pot idea, YCC. I'll certainly do that. I need to put a small pile of logs out too, for hibernating fellows to use.

[your_comforting_company]

Aurelius, It's a white oak snake. They eat rats when they are bigger, but stick to crickets, roaches, and frogs when they are this size.
I got bit by one when I was a teen, trying to relocate him. They are totally harmless. Just had to get a teanus shot.

[your_comforting_company]

Had another guest this evening. what we call a "possum snake". If you mess with them, usually they play possum! Here's a picture of one doing so.
http://www.reptileeducation.com/mkportal/modules/coppermine/displayimage.php?album=4&pos=27

and heres the little fella. He musta smelled a rat, he was on a trail. I kindly relocated him to a different area of the yard than the white oak. They have two defenses, they spread their head like a cobra, and they play dead. This one was actually very cooperative. They have little gripper teeth and could probably cause an infection if they bit your finger, but that is very unlikely.. they usually just play dead.. kinda funny for a snake lol.
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg184/your_comforting_company/nature%20shots/DSCN5079.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg184/your_comforting_company/nature%20shots/DSCN5080.jpg

snakes are on the move folks. make sure you wear your leggings, boots, and chaps if out hiking. and even in your own yard, watch your step. Fall is in the air and they know it!

[Justin Case]

cool ! never seen one like that before !

[your_comforting_company]

and one more for your viewing pleasure. He visited my grandmother and she brought him to me. He stayed with me for quite a while, and then flew to a nearby cherry tree. I don't know much about moths, but I believe this one is called a swallowtail?.. can't really say.
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg184/your_comforting_company/nature%20shots/0917001741b.jpg

Isn't nature just wonderful?

[Rick]

I think that's a luna moth. They get pretty large. I found the caterpillar for one a couple of years ago and it was gigantic. I'll look through my pics. I think I have a pic of the caterpillar somewhere.

[Rick]

I finally found the pic but it's not a luna moth. It's a hickory horned devil. It's becomes a Regal Moth once it pops out.

http://i348.photobucket.com/albums/q348/safe_zone/hickoryhorneddevil.jpg

[Batch]

We call em hog nose snakes.

[your_comforting_company]

That's one wicked looking worm!

[your_comforting_company]

http://www.insectidentification.org/insect-description.asp?identification=Luna-Moth

indeed it is a luna moth.

[Rick]

Completely harmless. But they are huge rascals.

[Justin Case]

Like those worms that eat tomato plants,, Or is this one even bigger ?

[Rick]

It's about 4 inches long and about 1 inch around.

[Batch]

We were closing up shop a while ago and had a giant moth fly into the shop. After googling images I believe it was black witch moth.

Thing looked like a bat when it was flying.

http://www.nps.gov/pais/naturescience/insects.htm