Critters & Creatures

In addition to all of the amazing plants and yummy veggies this summer, the garden has also been literally PACKED with really fascinating creatures big and small. Some are really fascinating and some are extremely annoying, but I guess its like most things in life. You take the good with the bad!

Here are just a few of the non-plant highlights from September that I've been delinquent in posting. (I was out of town for a whole week, so give me a break!!)

This guy was a really beautiful leopard patterned slug that was randomly hanging out near one of the bed. He was about 6 inches long when fully stretched out. If you open the full photo and look closely you can actually see the "slime glands" open on the side of his body right under what looks like it could be his shoulders. Very fascinating to watch. Unfortunately he's also very destructive so sad to say he's no longer crawling or slime-ing any more. Circle of life and all that...

Speaking of the circle of life.... Ms. Spider whom I featured in an early post has recently relocated her web to the other end of the bed and is currently incorporating the rosebush as one end of her marvelous creation. This change of location seems to have paid off in a a HUGE way for her. Yesterday she caught the BIGGEST flying insect I've ever seen. A cicada I think, but easily the size of a small humming bird. The thing but

up QUITE a fight, but amazingly the web held strong. I was actually in the kitchen making dinner and heard it buzzing and flapping all the way inside the house. I went out to see what was going on. In the picture

to the right you can see the underside of the bug and one of his wings. Up in the upper right you'll see Ms. Spider just waiting it out. About an hour later and the fight was over, as you can see from the left. Ms. Spider moved in for the feast. She still had him wrapped up and was apparently feasting again this morning, but by this evening she had taken down the used web and there was no sign of him. She had a new preliminary web tacked out, but was no where to be seen, I'm guessing that after a meal like that, she's probably sleeping it off somewhere! I checked in on her two egg sacks that she made several weeks ago, so far no changes. No sign of any new little spiders... so we'll see what happens!

Last but not least an adorable photo of Grant enjoying the sunshine on this last weekend of Summer. He begs and begs every day to go outside and check things out. It's his own private garden paradise. (Or so he thinks!)