Our daily critters...

When describing to folks the various creatures that live in my yard,

the question invariably comes up, "You live in the city?" Yes, indeed.

This morning for example I came across our opossum friend, who we

usually see on the fence every night, but for some strange reason he, or she was out and about in the morning light, browsing among my orchids.

There are lots of Western Lizards living in the garden and I often find them in the aviary

looking for eggs. Don't worry.. I catch them and release them back into the garden.

One day I was hosing fallen debris off the blue spruce leaves and one clump of leaves just

wouldn't budge. It was then that I realized that it was not a clump of leaves but a lizard that had been

sunning himself up in the tree and he'd been hanging on for dear life while he was blasted with water. Sorry about that fella! 

Every night, especially in the summer, the Raccoon family comes to visit. They play in the pond looking for the frogger that lives there, and we've even seen them indulging themselves by

swimming in the spa. This youngster was having a grand time away from his parents and climbed up on the fence and was peeping in the living room!

California being a desert climate, you'll find Black Widow spiders in abundance.

I happened to spot this one not far (but outside) the sliding glass door. Boogery!

This is a young grasshopper. The last couple of years the grasshoppers have had a field day

in the garden and in particular, are enjoying my roses.... silly monkeys!

I'll close with the Trumpet Vine or Bower Vine.

This plant was a gift from my Grandma. It was merely a bare twig 4 inches high when it arrived in the mail 20yrs ago, and now it's a vibrant plant that climbs the pine tree and graces the garden with brilliant color every year as a beautiful reminder of her.

The Humming Birds in particular love this flower.

Hope you enjoyed the tour of our menagerie!