Wild Visitors for Blooming Friday

Actias luna

One morning in July I found this lovely pale male Luna Moth sleeping on the clapboards next to the front door of my house. I carefully lift and carry this beauty into the studio, for he would surely have become lunch for a Chickadee had I not eyed the moth myself. He can continue dreaming of a mate more safely indoors on this plant. (If you have time here is a great video of the Luna Moth life cycle.) He continues dozing until dusk, then I hold him out into the night and watch as he awakes, quakes and using my hand as a flight pad . . .  takes off . . . his ghostly wings uniquely flapping side to side rather than up and down like most other moths and butterflies. I have only ever encounter them in May never seen one this late in the summer. I felt like I was given a gift. 

What a life . . . having no mouth . . . no need for food . . . a Luna Moth simply sleeps all day and  flies about all night, with one goal . . .  finding a mate. They have one full week of life in this manner. In my garden, the female may lay her eggs in groups on leaves in the Shagbark Hickory tree.

Male Luna Moth . . . the wide full antennae are the giveaway. 

Luna Moths are so incredibly beautiful. Someday I will post about a spring, when nearly thirty come to visit over a period of a couple weeks. I imagine my human visitors may have left their outside light on during the night, which attracted this moth. Birds appreciate the mistake and feast on sleeping Saturniidaes. I have seen the hunt and try to wake the moths, but mostly they just fall to the ground . . . this is why I began bringing them inside to have a safe place to sleep. I try to remind guests to turn off their outside lights. I will not deny that in this case I am not upset about the remiss. 

White-tailed Deer  Odocoileus virginianus

Oh, I see you little one! I have often called my farm 'Flower Hill Fawn Care'  for sometimes a doe will leave her babies to sleep in the flower borders or hidden within the shrubberies, while they roam further to forage. I was lucky once to see one doe at pick-up time. Remarkably the Deer do very little damage to my gardens. We have an understanding most of the time.

This Virginia Opossum Didelphis virginiana

This creature cannot seem to make up its mind . . . going up . . . or going down?

Bobcat Lynx rufus

One of my most amazing visitors . . . you can see my earlier post on this Bobcat along the side bar. He takes my breath away!

Coyote Canis latrans

I am happy to finally see this fellow in the light of day. We have known each other in the garden at night . . . he or she growling at me, when suddenly realizing I was nearby. The frightful sound pierces my solitude and I do not feel quite welcome, as I jump out of the hammock . . .  from my quiet moon watching meditation . . .  shouting towards him while clapping my hands. I can see a form running away, but that night I did not have my flashlight. 

I would like to think that my presence just makes her uneasy, as I am so quiet and the wind may be blowing in the wrong direction for my scent to be detected. We have another encounter the next night in a different part of the garden. Perhaps she is just caught off guard and her growl is more from fear. Equipped with my light this time . . . I can see her form more clearly . . .  with those eyes lit up staring back at me. Wild creatures such as Coyotes and Bear run away when frightened then stop and turn around . . . looking back at what it was that scared them off. Finding this rather disconcerting I always walk with a quick step . . . not running. . . back towards the safety of my house. Alas, I have given over the night garden to the wildlife. Most likely this Coyote would not harm me, but it is a wild creature and I respect its right to be here too. Often there is a pack howling and carrying on in the garden. Their chilling calls are thrilling. This one seems to be a loner. This gardener/farmer greatly appreciates their skills at hunting rabbits and voles. I worry for the little fawns and yearlings, while knowing there is a balance at work here. Coyotes are native and have been wandering the land for millions of years.

 Least Weasel

I am very grateful for this little critter too. I only wish he or she would not raid bird nests. Weasels do enjoy dining on rabbits and voles as well. There is the danger with all these predators . . . for the larger ones to kill the smaller predators. I think Weasels and Ferrets might be better at controlling Rabbits. I hope they are more clever than the Coyotes. 

Catbirds are rather brazen at times . . . here they challenge the Least Weasel. 

I love that my gardens and land are home to so many different wild creatures. I do sometimes wonder just who is the visitor here. It is Blooming Friday over at Katarina's  Roses and Stuff  be sure to visit to see other garden visitors from around the world. 

A Thrilling and Most Unexpected Guest

I am fortunate to know small miracles and to hold them in the palm of my hand. 

I often see and expect to see many colorful wings of butterflies, birds and bees flitting about in the gardens and trees. Each seem like a small miracle to me. This north corner of my garden is a setting for a most unexpected guest. I shall never look upon it . . .  or walk within it . . .  quite the same again. For it seems to me . . .  a miraculous encounter of a very large order occurs here.

It is about midday . . . I am sitting at my computer editing, when suddenly I hear a small animal scurrying . . .  stirring dry leaves. I reach for my camera and take a look out the barn studio doors. A large brownish body of stealthy movement fills my eyes. I immediately know this is not a regular guest. 

I quietly open the screen door and it moves out into air and garden, allowing me a clear view of this magnificent creature, who stands not ten feet away from me. I stand in awe holding my Nikon SLR to my right eye . . . I am wearing a long skirt that falls to my ankles. This incredible chance sighting begins with an equal stare from me . . .  to the Bobcat and back again for sometime . . . enough time for me to take forty nine photographs. Clearly I am more of a curiosity than a threat . . . my face is not visible . . . nor any true human shape, since I am hidden behind lavender and blue folds of cloth. One knows this is a very shy animal . . . we are in rare time here.

I am overwhelmed by the beauty of this Lynx rufus. Equally amazed at him not running away. How boldly he displays his intricate markings.

I stand silent . . .  motionless, with the exception of the clicking of my camera, which seems to interest the feline. He moves in inquisitive and cautious ways, to further see the odd looking Cyclops of a thing gazing and clicking at himself.

He begins to back up. 

Scoping out the scene . . .  before he continues . . .  

stepping backwards, while his wide amber eyes hold me frozen . . . except for my index finger and left hand movement turning the lens in and out.

Then he turns around . . . seems to get lower to the ground and peeks over at me from behind a clump of  Hosta leaves.

So I think . . .  now he will bolt or at least walk away. Not so fast . . . he is not ready to give up on the stare game we are playing. His bobbed tail is expressive and if I knew how to read it, I might understand what is going on in his mind.

He has had enough and slowly turns around.

 Gorgeous Lynx! 

Gazing back . . .  through the Crabapples. I wish I understood tail language.

Now with a swift pace, he takes leave of me. 

One last look.

Then gone . . . as a Rose of Sharon stretches and senses wow! what was that? . . . Hosta seed pods shake, while Milkweed and Goldenrod sigh . . . that's a wild thing like us. How can I go on with my editing? I am too excited, but not sure I wish to go outside. This feline is much more in size than that of two domestic kitties . . . rather more like a very large dog. I call him a he because the male Bobcat is the larger of the sexes. I respect his space and leave the garden to the natives. I so hope you enjoy sharing this once in a lifetime experience with me. As I write this story, it is dark . . . the moon has not yet risen . . . Coyotes are howling and calling out in the lower garden . . . a frenzy that makes me fear for deer  perhaps eating fallen apples . . . their voices pierce the cool night in an exciting and blood curling way. Living so close to all these wild beings is inspiring, stimulating and keeps me inside more at night. Bobcat tend to dine on rabbits, field mice and many other small mammals. I have more concern for this one's cousin the Mountain Lion . . . though it has not been confirmed by biologists . . . several neighbors say they have seen these much larger human predators nearby.  If you would like to learn more about the solitary Bobcat you can visit here.