Juveniles of Zootoca vivipara and in the foreground some leafes of Hypericum maculatum.

You would be welcome to share my commonest fauna:

My trail cam picked up a couple of Elk. There is a bull, two cows, and a couple of calves that come through my garden on a regular basis. I see them once in awhile grazing in my neighbor's pasture. Elk are as large as a horse. So far they haven't done much damage, just light grazing. They seem to prefer native foliage. They spend a lot of time along the bluff greenbelt and the 40 acres of woods next to me. I was surprised to see where they have eaten a lot of Ivy growing in one patch there.
Mike

Coming in for a fill up this past summer.

Scouting lunch.

kindly keep your hawk away from my yellowthroat, after all, it's just a baby :)
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You guys are lucky to catch these on camera. I was surprised to see some lizards after turning over some rotting tree stumps and logs. I had seen them EONS ago when I was a kid in the woods near a creek. These logs/stumps made it moist enough for them to be happy in my back yard. I know I have some moles/voles making tunnels in the mulch. Are those bees, floral?

No poaky1 - they're snails. The bane of the gardener's life (along with slugs) over here. We don't have anything like as much wildlife, or so interesting as you do.

El Yunque National Forest in Puerto Rico

Thanks for sharing the pics!

I'm waiting for Dax to bust out some of the bird shots he has.

That hawk is epic, I love those things! Especially when they swoop down to scope up mice and rabbits.

The link below is awesome. I hate rabbits like you wouldn't believe!

Here is a link that might be useful: See ya fur rat!

Appreciate the pics everyone =)

Some of mine

The Rat and the Cat
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Crawdad(mom?) with a Brood of Babies (and an Ash seed) January 10, 2013
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Caterpillar on Q. virginiana May 11, 2012
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Caterpillar's Momma? May 2, 2012
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Visitors on a Harvest Gold Crabapple
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Cool Shelf Fungi on a Large Declining Q. stellata
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Fauna Damage to Flora
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Borer Larvae Getting His Come Uppin's
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Edit: Whaas, I missed that video before I posted. Darn good lesson for the girl (and the Mom it sounds like) about how things really are in the wild! We were overrun with rabbits a couple years ago and then a hawk family began nesting in our woods and wiped nearly all of them out. I haven't had a single plant nibbled on by rabbits this year and honestly haven't seen any for quite a while =))))))))

Here are a few more random pics I found in my dropbox account

Different Species of Caterpillar than Previous on a Green Ash
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Butterfly on Blanket Flower and Wasp on Rudbeckia
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BACK THE **** UP
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Aphids on an Ash Sapling
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Blue Shadow Fothergilla with Visitor
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Wild Rudbeckia with Visitors
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This One is Safe to Touch
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Leave Now and Never Come Back!!
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GIFSoup

I Wonder Who She is Imitating?
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Hmmm...
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This post was edited by j0nd03 on Tue, Dec 31, 13 at 14:10

Bobcat! Just a few minutes ago this bobcat wandered through our property. This is my first sighting of a wild cat. What a special treat.

Wow!
I've been here 35 years and have only seen a bobcat twice.
Both times, no picture. :-(
Mike

Well, we were very surprised to see the bobcat outside our kitchen window, broad daylight and all. Here's another photo.

Yep, late to the party!

Northern Mockingbird on Juniperus virginiana
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Tufted Titmouse
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Male Dickcissel
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Red-headed Woodpecker
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Dax

Jon, is that a native spider in your driveway?

Dax, that red head is looking good!

Sure is, whaas!

I did a little googling after your comment and was shocked to find they are not more widespread in the States. When I was young, a common activity for me and my friends/cousins would be overturning rocks to find tarantulas and scorpions and the occasional snake. One of those nature things I took for granted.

Kind of like the bobcat sitings I suppose. We have them all over out in the rural areas here. My parents see them at their place several times every year. I have only seen 1 rattlesnake in my life in the wild but I'm sure in other parts of southern US, their appearance is much more frequent.

Edit: After typing this up I forgot to mention I accidentally dug up a female tarantula when I was moving some shrubs last fall. I made sure she was unharmed as soon as I saw her and moved her away from the digging so as not to cause further injury or stress.

Here is a link that might be useful: Tarantulas

This post was edited by j0nd03 on Thu, Jan 2, 14 at 16:10

Interesting, MO, KS and OK were surprising to see. They creep me out ever since Arachnophobia, how ironic is that? My wife flips when she sees a daddy long legs. She'd certainly fold like a pancake if she saw that critter in our driveway. A fishing spider is probably the largest spider I've seen in WI.

whaas,
I have seen those Tarantulas as big as your fist walking around in the early fall. That is when males are out hunting for females. They are very common in many areas. Like John, for me they were just part of growing up. Same with snakes, hawks, etc.

John,
FYI, the rattlesnakes are there, you just don't see them. Friend of mine was a reptile guy, and would go out and help a grad student friend of his from the UA capture and study native rattlesnakes among others. Turns out they are most everywhere in the area. VERY common. Normally you walk right by them (CLOSE BY THEM), and never know they are there. They captured many in places you would never expect. However, they don't bother people and so nobody really knew they were there.

Arktrees

Nice red-headed woodpecker, Dax. Almost never seen one, but do see (and especially hear) the similar red-bellied woodpecker.

Some from last year

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Wow, I just love the little critters on this thread (well not so much the snails). The bobcat is very cool.

Here are some visitors to my yard last year.

Spring Azure on a Salvia guaranitica seedling.
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Tree frog, which is odd because I live on a dry lot, but I think it lives under the deck.
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Bumblebee on Tilia americana blooms - so fragrant!
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Giant swallowtail - rare visitor in Mass, but they have been pushing their range northward as the climate warms.
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Can you see the critter in this pic??
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Taken in Mid November. Now all covered in snow, brrrrrr.

Cooper Hawk, hosta and Pinus densiflora.

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tj

tj, nice picture and very good composition!
Mike

Thanks Mike. Just wish I could have captured the sparrow the hawk was after. It ducked under the hosta. The hawk dove into the hosta just after that pic was taken.

tj

re: "This One is Safe to Touch" (posted by j0nd03) - that looks like a "spiny oak caterpillar" (Euclea delphinii), a species with spines that can deliver a mild sting.

I'm glad someone noticed, Dave!!! It is VERY similar in appearance to the one you mentioned but it is a different species. The coloration of E. delphinii is not as intense as the species photographed above and also slightly smaller.

I have also encountered the spiny oak caterpillar and it does indeed sting. The sensation is similar to a mild electrical shock. Close to the feeling of sticking both terminals of a 9 volt battery on your tongue but much weaker - maybe 1/10 as intense on a nearly dead battery.

Edit: I suppose it could be the same species and the stinging and less intense coloring could be juvenile traits that it change over time? Seems more likely they are different species to me. Hopefully, someone with knowledge about these things will chime in.

This post was edited by j0nd03 on Sun, Jan 5, 14 at 18:15

A well camouflaged Dragon Fly resting on Pinus palustris

Johnny

Meow rawr

It's dead collecting time! The only redeeming quality winter has is vermin/pest control...

*bonk* Uuugh...

Cardinal eating what few ripe youpon holly berries are left

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From the front deck.
Deer are getting more common here lately. So far they seem to prefer weeds with just some minor browsing on my ornamentals, but then again, I'm not planting deer candy.
Mike
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Hey Mike, I recognize that lizard in the foreground. Now if you could only rig it with a head that swings triggered by a motion detector...

tj

Bam, I like you're thinking! Everything here is considered deer and rabbit candy in the middle of winter.

As much as I hate them, nice pic!

That would be fun!
I titled this one, Predator or prey?
Mike
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Occasionally we get moose.
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We have turkeys year round.
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Garter snakes enjoy our rock walls and come out to warm up in the sun.

Not out in the wild, this one's up on the deck. Do you see it?

Here's a close-up...

I greatly enjoy all of the pics with my heart having an especially soft spot for the reptile and amphibian pics. Kudos to those who are keeping this thing going

Ask and you shall receive.....
Mike
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nhbabs, my brother in northern Idaho gets moose in his yard sometimes too. He also has an occasional turkey. One even adopted him and hung around for a few years until 'Joe' was run over chasing a car.
Here's some tree frogs on grape leaves.
Mike
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My neighbor's army ants
Mike
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Cooper's Hawk let me get real close the other day.

tj