Some of the photos in the backlog, all local, all from a period of… I was going to say, “Several days,” or list the actual dates, but it seems they’re all from the 28th and 29th. We’ll start with the very post-modernistic moth, or maybe it’s the concept model that will look nothing at all like the subsequent production version.
I’ve said it before, but while BugGuide.net is a great resource, its image search function is sadly lacking, relying only on keywords from attached text rather than any tags or descriptions, so I had to find this one through reg’lar image searches and confirm the ID through BugGuide; this is a tersa sphinx moth (Xylophanes tersa,) looking far too much like it was crafted from forest scraps to look like a moth, albeit a stylized one. Body length better than 50mm, this one was present on one of the yard sculptures all day long, but disappeared overnight.
Very sleek-looking, and apparently the adults drink from deep-throated flowers, of which there are few choices around here. I think we found this well past when the Brugmansia had bloomed, but I do know that somewhere well up in the canopy on the far side of the pond, trumpet creepers grow; we’ve never seen the plants themselves, but fallen blossoms can be found in one particular spot from time to time.
The following night, I managed images of a couple of things I’d been trying for and hadn’t achieved, like this American bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus):
The key part here wasn’t the frog itself, it was getting my foot next to it for scale, which I’ve attempted several times in the past without success. We have at least two about this size, and this one routinely sits onshore at night near the kayak dock, its eyes reflecting the headlamp from a good distance off so I usually know when it’s there. To get this, I narrowed the beam down to a spot and kept that shining just off the nose of the frog, hopefully blinding it while not shedding any light on my foot, which I very quietly placed in position, and it finally worked. In fact, the frog remained in place after I got the photo and backed away.
Another lucky one:
Every once in a while, we spot a North American beaver (Castor canadensis) at night up to get a share of the corn, but they usually slip into the water as soon as they suspect we’re near. This one was more complacent; also, big. See that root/stump to the far right, that’s kind of L-shaped? I measured it, and it’s 10cm in height, so you can get a faint idea anyway – I don’t think any of the beavers are gonna let me plunk them onto a scale or anything. You might remember (of course you do) the passing mention of a fallen cluster of trees in the pond, and we can report that the beavers are indeed working on them – at least, if the gnawing sounds we’ve heard a couple of different nights are any indication, but it all occurs on the far side from shore so no visual confirmation yet – you should see some pics soon, hopefully.
Of course, if we have any collection of pics at all, anoles and frogs will be in there, since they own the property.
The numbers of juvenile Carolina anoles (Anolis carolinensis) have been steadily increasing since we’re passing through, or have just passed through, the birthing season, and while I haven’t tried to maintain a count like last year, there are plenty around, often appearing on new sleeping perches each night. This one had chosen the rosemary plant out back, a first I believe. No, I did not capture it going anywhere – this was exactly how it was sleeping, though it opened its eyes on hearing me nearby, which happens about half of the time. The next one looked even more awkward.
I made sure the camera was level so you could see exactly how this one was sleeping on a Japanese maple leaf. There’s something to be said about the ability to hang like this with no fear of losing one’s grip, remaining motionless all night long.
Meanwhile, the frogs weren’t motionless, and we also have plenty of those newborns, or at least, those newly-emerged-from-the-ponds.
Another one of the green treefrogs (Dryophytes cinereus) with my fingers for scale. We have a collection of these (up to four) that hang out on the kitchen window at night chasing moths and gnats attracted to the light, so we’ve been leaving the light on to make a buffet for them – we can actually see them getting larger, not to mention witnessing the occasional capture in action.
Nearby, one the same size, but not the same species or age.
This is instead a spring peeper (Pseudacris crucifer,) but this is likey an adult, because they’re this size when full-grown. I took a moment to circle this one trying different perspectives, and made a slightly fartsier composition for the portrait angle, Frogs from this angle always look so stoic, and while those great big eyes should give us that big-eyed-baby feeling, the horizontal pupils instead suggest this weary tolerance of life. Or maybe that’s just me.
Okay, that’s a few down, we can switch to a recent outing soon. “Soon.”