Shrimp and Grits

Well, what do you know, it really is “turtles all the way down“!

This is a group of sliders (I think! Someone correct me if I’m wrong) I saw while on the way to work. This group was actually difficult to photograph, for the simple reason that they are incredibly easy to spook. Getting even a little close to them results in them, well, sliding off their log and disappearing into the water.

This is in fact the second time I stopped at this little pond to photograph these turtles. The first time, they were gone the moment I set the tripod down. I suppose if I want better pictures of turtles in the future, I should invest in a better telephoto lens?

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And as always, visit the Friday Ark for more animal friends!

We have a new resident in our yard.

Patty says this is a mourning dove (Zenaida macroura) - a common game bird. This dove has made her*** nest (and laid her eggs) in one of the bushes in our front yard. The nest is surprisingly exposed at the moment - but will probably be more hidden in a few days when the bushes put out more leaves.

But for right now, we have a bird’s eye view of the nest!

***We’re not quite sure whether the dove in the pictures is the male or the female. The pictures were taken during the late afternoon.

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Find more animal friends at The Friday Ark!

Behold Tom, the black hole!  A place so dark that nothing, not even light, can escape!

… until he opens his eyes.

Pet-sitter for hire!  Will work for a bottle of milk!

Of all our cats, Ash is the most laid-back.  Usually, she’s the only one who will allow Cate to pet or otherwise touch her.  Sometimes Cate takes a little too much advantage of this, as you can see above.

I guess Cate hasn’t yet learned that Ash is not a park bench!

Every once in a while, we will hear a cat downstairs scratching madly away at the kitchen window glass. Sometimes, it’s not always obvious what they’re scratching about.

See that? Let’s look closer.

It’s a green tree frog. During the warmer, humid months down here in South Carolina, the windows get covered with these little frogs during the night. During the day, they stay rather well-hidden! At a distance, they’re practically invisible near green stems and leaves.

Want a closer look? Try this 1024×768 image: [Green Tree Frog, 1024×768 JPG]

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For more animal friends, visit The Friday Ark!

We’ve been remodeling the den, which makes for some rather strange things popping up in other parts of the house. This fish, for example, normally hangs in the den - but had to find a new home for a while.

Tom recently took advantage of this poor, deceased fish. It seems that Tom (our Black Cat of Destruction) wanted someone else to take blame for him messing up a nice, antique chair:

Look! That fish! She did it!

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For more animal friends, please visit this week’s Friday Ark!

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(Apparently, I need more sleep. I somehow clicked the wring trackback link over at Modulator’s site … oops!)

We’ve sometimes compared our cat Rusty to a rabbit. She’s light, she’s fast, and she hops around quite a bit. But there’s another reason.

Here’s Rusty

Rusty’s ears are a bit too short, and her tail is a bit too long. But …

Here’s an actual rabbit from our backyard. The lighting’s not ideal, but Rusty and the rabbit have very similar coloration and even similar patterns in their fur.

Neat, eh?

Rusty’s been featured on this site many times before, but if you’d like a better view of the rabbit, try this high resolution image: [Backyard Rabbit - 1400px]

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As always, visit The Friday Ark for more animal friends!

Been beat up and battered round
Been sent up, and Ive been shot down
You’re the best thing that Ive ever found
Handle me with care

— Traveling Wilburys, Handle With Care

(Black?) Swallowtail Butterfly

I think everyone feels like this battered butterfly, sometimes.

Click the link for a high resolution version of this picture: [Swallowtail butterfly - 1400px]

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To see more animals, visit The Friday Ark!

This is the week before fall semester begins, so I’ve been quite busy getting materials ready for my fall classes. So, the blog’s been … slow. But cats are always on the prowl, looking for things outside the window to chase and bat.

This week, the cats have discovered the king of butterflies …

… the Monarch. But wait!  Look closer. This lovely butterfly may look a lot like a Monarch, but it’s actually a mimic called the Viceroy. How can we tell? By the extra black stripe on the wings!

Want a closer look? Try this high resolution image.

[Viceroy butterfly: 1400×1050 JPG]

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As always, if you’d like to find more animal friends, head on over to The Friday Ark!

Our cats love to stare at things through the window and act tough. But who would be the victor in the battle between a house cat and …

… the SPIDER? I believe this particular specimen is commonly called a “black and yellow garden spider” or a “writing spider”.

Want to see this spider every day?  Put it on your desktop with the link below.  Enjoy!

[Black and yellow garden spider - 1024px]

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Want to find more non-human friends? Visit The Friday Ark!