This afternoon as I was pulling weeds from the garden out on the road was a family of skunks: Poppa (whose more yellow that white stripe may have been responsible for that fragrance we pick up on every so often), slightly smaller Momma Skunk and their four skunkettes. Just a family out for a stroll, not at all aggressive, just out for a walk below the David Austin beds. They do keep close together almost looking like one long undulating black and white scarf.

Then came dusk and the lightening bugs came out.
Our hay hasn't been cut yet, but the weeds in the hay don't have much pollen. My roses do have a lot of loaded anthers and the density of lightening bugs was the most I've seen in the bed areas ever.

So, maybe drought makes wildlife appreciate my roses.

My boss has been getting nightly visits from 3 skunks, he has a desk in the garage he can smoke cigars at, they have taken to rub themselves on his ankles.....yikes

Anne

Here she is adorned with some sort of Hairstreak during her short blooming period.

My newest visitor is a wild turkey. Those guys are huge! I may have scared him away walking too near him. We'll see.

This year's garden theme is Black Rat Snake, apparently, though. I've seen more of those than my usual chipmunks, etc. Woops. I love them, too, so it's cool with me really.

Except I got cornered on the toilet by an unfamiliar, brown-patterned small snake (stationed on my boot left by the wall in the bathroom)! Knowing we have copperheads on down in the woods, I proceeded to Red Alert. The terrifying thing didn't make it out alive, and then research showed he was just a baby Black Rat Snake. Poor little guy! OTOH, wildlife just shouldn't corner you on the toilet anyway, lol.

nobody’s here--

only skunks, that search
in the moonlight for a bite to eat.
They march on their soles up Main Street:
white stripes, moonstruck eyes’ red fire
under the chalk-dry and spar spire
of the Trinitarian Church.

I stand on top
of our back steps and breathe the rich air--
a mother skunk with her column of kittens swills the garbage pail
She jabs her wedge-head in a cup
of sour cream, drops her ostrich tail,
and will not scare.

If I drive out away from the city/suburbs, I see more of them, but apparently not nearly as many as there used to be. Still, it is magical!

I do like the birds except for the crows, and I plant things that will encourage them. And we have planted lots of bee plants. As a result our garden just hums with bees. We set up traps for the yellow jackets which are not welcome here.

All in all, with the exception of pets, wild birds, and beneficial insects, I'm actually not so crazy about animals. I much prefer plants.

Probably why I am a gardener and not working in the field of animal care.

Folly