When I talk about the pond and immediate vicinity I am generally referring to things within sight of the the pond. Sometimes, however, I extend the 'immediate vicinity' to places within a short walk of the pond so the photo's may be of other creatures, plants, and such that we see on our way to the pond or around one of the nearby small streams. A few posts may include photo's from a nearby lake, about a 5 minute walk through the woods, but I would normally identify those if they were of some animal or plant we don't normally see around the pond.
Having said all that I thought I would share with you a few photo's of other creatures we often see here or there. Many of these are fairly common and would be seen in many different habitats of course.
This is the five-lined skink, commonly called a blue-tailed skink. Normally they are found around dark, moist places with old logs or decaying vegetation where they can easily hide and nest. Occasionally they come out in the open to hunt or warm themselves in the sun. But, if you approach too close they quickly scurry for a nearby hiding place. Many people keep these as pets.
Some of you may recognize this one. It's an anole and a rather small one at that. It is common in the southeastern US and the Caribbean. We probably have hundreds of them. This group is often called chameleons due to their ability to change colors to blend with the environment. (The actual true chameleon is quite different and is native primarily to Africa, Madagascar, and a few tropical regions.) The anole is closely related to the iguana. There are over 300 known species of the anole, but it is believed only one (the green anole) is native to North America.
Despite their ability to modify their colors sometimes they just can't quite manage the drastic change as you can see below.
Of course we have soft, furry creatures, too. One we do not see too often is the rabbit. They tend to stay hidden in the underbrush and woods nearby and when we do see them they are generally too far away for a good photo. I did happen to walk up on this one a few weeks ago and I guess he thought he was safely hidden from my view.
3 months ago
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Thanks for sharing Baker. I love to see the creatures that inhabit other parts of the world......and the habitat they frequent....
ReplyDeleteOf course I do have the rabbits!!!
I love those skinks. But I never can remember how to tell whether they're Southeastern or Common five-lined or Broadheads.
ReplyDeleteNo shortage of rabbit sightings in our yard. Half the time, they don't even bother to hide anymore. Even so, I still enjoy them, when they're not eating my garden. 8-}
I have only seen a couple of garter snakes..I have to get out and look more carefully..thank you Baker
ReplyDeleteWow! They are so colorful. I've never seen anything like those. Except for the rabbit. We have one that loves our yard :)
ReplyDeleteCheryl - So good to have you back - We missed you while you were gone - Thanks for dropping by
ReplyDeletesophiemae - I don't think I could tell them apart either when they show the typical 5 lines and blue tail. I think one has to actually check out the scales for a positive ID in some cases. It's possible this may be another type but I have always known it as a common 5-lined skink. Even though we are in the range of the broadhead skinks I don't see many of the prominent males around here. I think they are more common in the coastal plains region just south of us.
And most of these that I see are near places that remain wet or moist all the time. The tree that this one was on is on the bank of a small stream. I understand the common 5-lined skink is more partial to a moist environment while the southeastern may prefer a somewhat drier habitat.
Michelle - We see the snakes from time to time also. I'll have to post a few pics one of these days.
Sandy C. - Thanks for dropping by - It's always a pleasure to have you visit
About the rabbits - I think people see them in suburban type settings more often than we do. With all the woods and brush around here there are just so many places they can stay hidden from view. Often the suburban type settings with yards/flowers/gardens provide a choice feeding ground for them, particularly if they have a good place to retreat to. I think most of the ones seen around here are the regular visitors to someone's flowerbed or garden just like in towns.
Those are some really nice photos!
ReplyDeleteThat first lizard is just amazing looking! Love it!
ReplyDeleteHey niko and cloud - Thanks for dropping by.
ReplyDeleteWayne - That tail is something isn't it? - And like with many lizards and skinks it will break off if grabbed by a predator. It will grow back but not as long as it originally was.