 |
| We never did see his head. He couldn't burry any deeper due to a rock so he just stood really still all day while the dogs pawed at him and woofed his little armadillo ears off. |
 |
| I can't help it - I think they are neat. |
Showing posts with label Critters. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Critters. Show all posts
Monday, April 22, 2013
It's that time again...
The dogs had this poor little guy cornered the other day. Luckily, Fergus didn't get wind of it and by the afternoon, the dogs wandered off and this little guy escaped to freedom!
Friday, August 12, 2011
Yet Another Bug
The list of new, strange bugs is endless here on Buffalo Clover Ranch. The other day, my Dad spotted this weird thing (and I apologize for the fuzziness of my pictures - it was difficult to get a decent close in shot with my phone).
Fuzzy, large (as everything seems to be lately), all black with a few specks of yellow.
At first, we thought it was a fuzzy fly. Turns out it's a Carpenter Bee.
What the heck is a Carpenter Bee? Basically, it is a bee that likes to carve holes in wood. They don't really pollinate anything, they aren't aggressive, they don't serve much purpose far as I can tell. Seems their greatest purpose is to feed the woodpeckers. :)
Ours looked like this one. See how we kinda thought it was a giant fly? They are weird lookin'
You can read more about them here if you'd like.
What the heck is a Carpenter Bee? Basically, it is a bee that likes to carve holes in wood. They don't really pollinate anything, they aren't aggressive, they don't serve much purpose far as I can tell. Seems their greatest purpose is to feed the woodpeckers. :)
You can read more about them here if you'd like.
Monday, July 25, 2011
What's in our jar?
Uncle Matt caught the most fantastic bug on Saturday. And by 'fantastic' I mean 'fantastically evil!'
Meet the biggest wasp in the North American continent!
I kid you not - this thing is like 3 inches long!
We didn't know what it was at first. Just that we've seen a lot of them around the ranch lately. They are pretty docile and keep to themselves, but they are HUGE and sound like a helicopter in flight!
Well, when Matt caught one, we decided we'd better do some research and find out what it is.
So what is it?
It's called a Tarantula Hawk. I'm not kidding. Want to read about it? Click here or here. Want the abridged version? Well, basically this thing kills tarantulas. Don't be fooled - that isn't a good thing around here. We are friends to the tarantulas. They eat a LOT of the nastier bugs that live on our ranch. Also, this wasp has the MOST painful sting out of all the wasps. FUN!
This Tarantula Hawk stings a tarantula which then paralyzes it. It doesn't kill it - just paralyzes it. After that, it injects one single egg into the belly of the spider. Then it drags the spider off to a burrow (we have been seeing a TON of burrows around the ground but had NO IDEA what was going on inside) where it then leaves it for the egg to hatch. Once it does, the baby wasp eats the spider from the inside out. SICK! Talk about something from a horror movie!
The remedy? The ONLY thing that will eat one of these wasps is a Roadrunner! We have the whole circle of life thing going on around here lately! The tarantulas have become scarce around here lately and we didn't know why. We figured it was the drought. At the same time, these weird giant black wasps have been hanging around. And we've been seeing a lot more of our Roadrunner lately. Hmm.
Anyway, if you see one of these, feel free to squish it. Just make sure you use a very very large shoe.
Can't get enough? Check out these videos I found while doing my research:
Part Two:
We didn't know what it was at first. Just that we've seen a lot of them around the ranch lately. They are pretty docile and keep to themselves, but they are HUGE and sound like a helicopter in flight!
Well, when Matt caught one, we decided we'd better do some research and find out what it is.
It's called a Tarantula Hawk. I'm not kidding. Want to read about it? Click here or here. Want the abridged version? Well, basically this thing kills tarantulas. Don't be fooled - that isn't a good thing around here. We are friends to the tarantulas. They eat a LOT of the nastier bugs that live on our ranch. Also, this wasp has the MOST painful sting out of all the wasps. FUN!
This Tarantula Hawk stings a tarantula which then paralyzes it. It doesn't kill it - just paralyzes it. After that, it injects one single egg into the belly of the spider. Then it drags the spider off to a burrow (we have been seeing a TON of burrows around the ground but had NO IDEA what was going on inside) where it then leaves it for the egg to hatch. Once it does, the baby wasp eats the spider from the inside out. SICK! Talk about something from a horror movie!
The remedy? The ONLY thing that will eat one of these wasps is a Roadrunner! We have the whole circle of life thing going on around here lately! The tarantulas have become scarce around here lately and we didn't know why. We figured it was the drought. At the same time, these weird giant black wasps have been hanging around. And we've been seeing a lot more of our Roadrunner lately. Hmm.
Anyway, if you see one of these, feel free to squish it. Just make sure you use a very very large shoe.
Monday, June 20, 2011
The Changeling
Ewww. These things have hatched out all over our place. They are harmless, but super duper ugly. They leave these nasty little body shells all over the place. What are they? I don't know the official name, but we call them buzzy bugs. They sit in the trees and buzz like crazy during the hottest parts of the day - which lately is any time the sun is up.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
What's in our jar?
It's been upgraded to an official bug box now. Sorry the glare is bad on a few of these. I refuse to open the lid to snap a quick photo, so it is what it is. :)
A bright green lizard! These things are fast - we were lucky to snag this little guy out of the smoker box!
A walking stick! One of the cooler bugs we have captured lately. The kids were fascinated with this little guy!
A Texas Spiny Lizard! James caught this with his own hands! It was trying to burry itself under some mulch. He snatched it up by the tail, dumped it in the box and put the lid on! :)
Monday, May 16, 2011
What's in our jar?
Look for this to be a recurring post...... *
One of many....
And THE BIGGEST bull frog I have ever seen in my life!
* All creatures were returned to the wild! (Far, far from the house!)
* All creatures were returned to the wild! (Far, far from the house!)
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Add to the list....
So far, we have: (well, at least this is what we have seen in just the past 10 days)
1. Scorpions
2. Black Widows
3. Fire Ants (although, not many - and these are common everywhere)
4. Tarantulas (Did I forget to blog about those little guys? Well, they are anything but 'little')!!
5. Giant crickets
6. Roaches
7. Snakes (Again, I forgot to blog about that one!)
I don't really have a problem with most of those critters. The scorpions are my #1 enemy at this time. Mostly because they are all too common INSIDE the house. I nearly stepped on one the other day. Grammy and I have devised a plan that we will set into action tonight.
We've armed ourselves with Ortho Home Defense, Boric Acid, Weatherstripping, and caulk. I'm going to seal up, spray, and defend any and every last spot I think those evil things are coming in from. I want them OUT!
Black Widows aren't exactly my friends, but we have only seen the one and it lives in the pump house. Plus, the scorpion defenses are suppose to defend against widows as well. So, we'll count them good (for now.)
Tarantulas and snakes are hideous, but they don't bother me for some reason. I think because the chances of them getting inside and actually doing harm to me and mine are so slim. They are both large enough I'm sure I'd see them pre-strike.
Let's pretend I would anyway. Otherwise I won't sleep. Like ever again.
Friday, May 6, 2011
What was that?
Wanna know what I was doing at 1am this morning? Hunting R.O.U.S.'s! Or so I thought. Turns out, it was most likely an armadillo. Cute and dumpy and dumb as a rock. But, as it turns out, really loud!
Poor Pancho has been an outside doggie since we got here. He was silly enough to get himself covered in stickers the moment we arrived, and I just haven't had a moment to go out, pick them out, bath him, check him for bugs, and then bring him inside. Soooo - he's on guard out there in the night.
He's taken to ranch life pretty well actually. The other evening, he chased a Coyote. He's also rustled up some deer, a few squirrels, and heaven forbid a mocking bird try to land near him! But this..... this had him puzzled.
There's a screen door just off the master. It's been so lovely at night, that we've left it open. I love to hear the crickets and the wind in the trees - but I didn't exactly plan on this particular noise. It started as a rustle off in the distance. Pancho (who has taken to sleeping in front of the screen door so I can hear him pouting) immediately took off running and barking.
A few minutes pass. Nothing. Pancho returns - but he's dazed and looking a bit bewildered. Pretty soon there are some major loud noises coming from under the deck that connects to the back of the house. I figured it was Fergus, so I got up to yell at him. I nearly jumped out of my socks when I stepped out the screen onto the deck and something moved under my feet. And then a second later, another something moved just to the side of me. I squealed, jumped back into the house, and stared calling to JL. :)
His first response was - it's probably cats. But then the noise got louder and louder. It sounded like something was fighting with a plastic bag under the deck. Turns out - it was digging. Digging through a layer of dead leaves that crackled and rustled like a bag. Soon, dirt was flying up through the slats in the wood decking. At this point, we're thinking possum or raccoon. Thing is, the intruder isn't afraid of us at all. We're standing right atop of it, and it's not bothered at all. I would guess a possum would hiss or a raccoon would make their raccoon noise. But we got nothin' from this beast.
I stared thinking bunnies or (heaven forbid) skunks, but the thing seemed too large to be either of those things. So.... I grabbed my laptop, JL grabbed a flashlight and Grandma. I visited this site. We felt confident now, so we got brave....
JL approached the corner of the house where the dirt was flying and the noise was coming from and shined the flashlight right into a slat. At the same time, Grandma inched further out of the screen door to get a better look. Funny thing - our screen door needs to be oiled. Like really bad. So when you open it - it makes a terrible squealing noise. You should have seen the 3 of us jump! HA!
After we gathered ourselves, we tried to see the creature again. Suddenly there was a huge burst of running, digging and then silence. Whatever it was had gone deep underground and wasn't coming back out again. Infact, we didn't hear from our friend again until dawn. At that time, Pancho woofed, a rustling noise was heard, and then nothing. I don't know if it left, if it decided to ride out the daytime in the hole, or what. But you can bet we'll be hearing from it again tonight.
Anyone have any suggestions for getting rid of our fine friend? Any tested and true methods?
UPDATE (6:42am 5/7/11) - I just saw the little guy. Or should I say the little gal. Looks like a mom dillo and her babies. I was able to count 4 little ones until Fergus came over and scared them all back into the hole. He stood there and woofed at them while they kicked dirt up in his face. :) Pancho just observed.
UPDATE (5:30am 5/8/11) - There has been an incident. The great Dillo massacre of 2011. Turns out my old, arthritic Malamute Fergus loves a good dillo chase. He was able to take out 3 of the 5 this morning. Nothing like scooping up dillo's on Mothers' Day morning!
We took the opportunity to stuff moth balls down the hole under our deck just in case those cute (but stupid) remaining ones try to return. (As far as I can tell, the mom and one baby are still alive.) Shortly after clean up, the mother came back from hiding to look for her kids. Pancho and Fergus met her instead and she ran for the woods. Something tells me after this morning, the dillos won't be taking up residence again under our deck.
Poor Pancho has been an outside doggie since we got here. He was silly enough to get himself covered in stickers the moment we arrived, and I just haven't had a moment to go out, pick them out, bath him, check him for bugs, and then bring him inside. Soooo - he's on guard out there in the night.
He's taken to ranch life pretty well actually. The other evening, he chased a Coyote. He's also rustled up some deer, a few squirrels, and heaven forbid a mocking bird try to land near him! But this..... this had him puzzled.
There's a screen door just off the master. It's been so lovely at night, that we've left it open. I love to hear the crickets and the wind in the trees - but I didn't exactly plan on this particular noise. It started as a rustle off in the distance. Pancho (who has taken to sleeping in front of the screen door so I can hear him pouting) immediately took off running and barking.
A few minutes pass. Nothing. Pancho returns - but he's dazed and looking a bit bewildered. Pretty soon there are some major loud noises coming from under the deck that connects to the back of the house. I figured it was Fergus, so I got up to yell at him. I nearly jumped out of my socks when I stepped out the screen onto the deck and something moved under my feet. And then a second later, another something moved just to the side of me. I squealed, jumped back into the house, and stared calling to JL. :)
His first response was - it's probably cats. But then the noise got louder and louder. It sounded like something was fighting with a plastic bag under the deck. Turns out - it was digging. Digging through a layer of dead leaves that crackled and rustled like a bag. Soon, dirt was flying up through the slats in the wood decking. At this point, we're thinking possum or raccoon. Thing is, the intruder isn't afraid of us at all. We're standing right atop of it, and it's not bothered at all. I would guess a possum would hiss or a raccoon would make their raccoon noise. But we got nothin' from this beast.
I stared thinking bunnies or (heaven forbid) skunks, but the thing seemed too large to be either of those things. So.... I grabbed my laptop, JL grabbed a flashlight and Grandma. I visited this site. We felt confident now, so we got brave....
JL approached the corner of the house where the dirt was flying and the noise was coming from and shined the flashlight right into a slat. At the same time, Grandma inched further out of the screen door to get a better look. Funny thing - our screen door needs to be oiled. Like really bad. So when you open it - it makes a terrible squealing noise. You should have seen the 3 of us jump! HA!
After we gathered ourselves, we tried to see the creature again. Suddenly there was a huge burst of running, digging and then silence. Whatever it was had gone deep underground and wasn't coming back out again. Infact, we didn't hear from our friend again until dawn. At that time, Pancho woofed, a rustling noise was heard, and then nothing. I don't know if it left, if it decided to ride out the daytime in the hole, or what. But you can bet we'll be hearing from it again tonight.
Anyone have any suggestions for getting rid of our fine friend? Any tested and true methods?
UPDATE (6:42am 5/7/11) - I just saw the little guy. Or should I say the little gal. Looks like a mom dillo and her babies. I was able to count 4 little ones until Fergus came over and scared them all back into the hole. He stood there and woofed at them while they kicked dirt up in his face. :) Pancho just observed.
UPDATE (5:30am 5/8/11) - There has been an incident. The great Dillo massacre of 2011. Turns out my old, arthritic Malamute Fergus loves a good dillo chase. He was able to take out 3 of the 5 this morning. Nothing like scooping up dillo's on Mothers' Day morning!
We took the opportunity to stuff moth balls down the hole under our deck just in case those cute (but stupid) remaining ones try to return. (As far as I can tell, the mom and one baby are still alive.) Shortly after clean up, the mother came back from hiding to look for her kids. Pancho and Fergus met her instead and she ran for the woods. Something tells me after this morning, the dillos won't be taking up residence again under our deck.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Weekend Report
We've been on the ranch now 4.5 days. I'm happy to report that it is better than I even imagined! It is so quiet here - no sirens, no motorcycles, no loud trucks. Just birds, and squirrels, and deer (not that they make a noise...) and rustling of leaves. And with no neighbors around, I am free to leave the blinds and windows open at all hours of the night. This allows me to gaze at the stars from my bed and hear the crickets. I LOVE THAT!
For the first day, I felt like I was camping. I kept thinking - wow we scored big time with this spot! It is nice! And then I'd realize that this is actually where I get to spend my days, and my stomach would get all excited as it all set in.
The kids absolutely love it! For them, it is like being at a huge park every day. They dig, they play in the treehouse, they play basketball, they run around chasing animals, they play cowboys/Indians. You name it - they play it. Meanwhile, I sit back and relax because the security gate keeps them tucked inside the safely zone.
The boxes are going away. Slowly but surely they will be gone soon. Grandma has set up my kitchen, so the heart of the house is full functioning. This is highly important when you have 3 little ones who demand food constantly. It's nice to know where stuff is again and be able to provide for them. I don't think I've had that feeling since before our old house went on the market!
The beds are all set up.* The boys are in their bunks, and there is nothing cooler! James LOVE LOVE LOVES being on the top bunk. And Wyatt is tickled to death to have a big boy bed that is right below his idol! It's fun to sneak in there late at night to see them both crashed out asleep. I smile every time. Isabel got her new, girly furniture and she is on cloud nine. She also got a pink flower lamp/nightlight that she is terribly fond of. She's right at home in her new setup.
The dogs took a day or two to adjust. For the first little bit, they wouldn't stray from the house. I think the new smells/critters were a bit much at first. But now they roam freely and seem to be doing a fair job of keeping the deer from totally eating all our plants.
Speaking of critters...
This city girl can't quite come to terms with one little pest that seems to be popping up a whole lot.
That's right. These little buggars are only about 2 inches long and terribly frail looking, but I can tell ya - I HATE THEM! They just look so ... icky! Ick Ick Ick! I don't want them anywhere near me or my gaggle! Supposedly, they are no worse than a bee sting, but it doesn't seem that way when you are trying to chase one down to squish with the butt end of a drill.
And then there was the discussion I had to have with my 4 yr old about never picking one up again. EVER EVER EVER! They don't seem aggressive, thank goodness, but it's the principle of the matter! ICK ICK ICK!
Ok, I'm over it. Now back to relaxing on the patio.
*Pictures are on their way. I have yet to un-box my camera cable!
For the first day, I felt like I was camping. I kept thinking - wow we scored big time with this spot! It is nice! And then I'd realize that this is actually where I get to spend my days, and my stomach would get all excited as it all set in.
The kids absolutely love it! For them, it is like being at a huge park every day. They dig, they play in the treehouse, they play basketball, they run around chasing animals, they play cowboys/Indians. You name it - they play it. Meanwhile, I sit back and relax because the security gate keeps them tucked inside the safely zone.
The boxes are going away. Slowly but surely they will be gone soon. Grandma has set up my kitchen, so the heart of the house is full functioning. This is highly important when you have 3 little ones who demand food constantly. It's nice to know where stuff is again and be able to provide for them. I don't think I've had that feeling since before our old house went on the market!
The beds are all set up.* The boys are in their bunks, and there is nothing cooler! James LOVE LOVE LOVES being on the top bunk. And Wyatt is tickled to death to have a big boy bed that is right below his idol! It's fun to sneak in there late at night to see them both crashed out asleep. I smile every time. Isabel got her new, girly furniture and she is on cloud nine. She also got a pink flower lamp/nightlight that she is terribly fond of. She's right at home in her new setup.
The dogs took a day or two to adjust. For the first little bit, they wouldn't stray from the house. I think the new smells/critters were a bit much at first. But now they roam freely and seem to be doing a fair job of keeping the deer from totally eating all our plants.
Speaking of critters...
This city girl can't quite come to terms with one little pest that seems to be popping up a whole lot.
That's right. These little buggars are only about 2 inches long and terribly frail looking, but I can tell ya - I HATE THEM! They just look so ... icky! Ick Ick Ick! I don't want them anywhere near me or my gaggle! Supposedly, they are no worse than a bee sting, but it doesn't seem that way when you are trying to chase one down to squish with the butt end of a drill.
And then there was the discussion I had to have with my 4 yr old about never picking one up again. EVER EVER EVER! They don't seem aggressive, thank goodness, but it's the principle of the matter! ICK ICK ICK!
Ok, I'm over it. Now back to relaxing on the patio.
*Pictures are on their way. I have yet to un-box my camera cable!
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