Creatures in the Garden

It marvels me at what lives in my yard and garden. Being on the edge of the woods, I do get a greater variety of animals, birds, and insects, but it really brings out the science geek in me every time I garden. I trimming back chives the other evening and disturbed a small nest of little white spiders. They weren't mites, but actual spiders. I also came across several nesting sets of earwigs in my flower beds, specifically in the hyacinths. They weren't in the chives or the daffodils. I guess the rent was too expensive. Very interesting. I am a true believer of "God's creatures" so I do not try and disturb as I go along. By the way, I am a bit hypocritical as I still will kill cockroaches, mosquitoes, and the random wasp which singles me out for the kill.  Note to myself, I really must clean my gardening gloves. They still smell of chives four days later. The odor, not that unpleasant, lends it self to a garlicky onion aroma but is hard to get off of me once I have worn those gloves.

I have a bat I named Bob which flies about the yard each evening. I know I am assuming that he is a boy, but I like the name Bob the Bat. He uses the yard as a sort of arena, eating up insects with each circular pass. I thought he whizzed by me tonight, but I think it was just a random bug. It certainly wasn't a cicada. I know they aren't out yet. I was digging up a new fire pit on the edge of the woods and dug up a juvenile cicada. He was clearly disturbed, and not ready to be exposed to the world. I felt kind of bad, so I buried him in a mossy area by one of the flower beds. Hopefully he will live and continue his life cycle emerging in August to keep me awake at night with his songs.

I have at least two chipmunks. I say at least two because I have seen four, two alive, and two dead. One dead one was smashed in the road next to the mailbox and the other was curiously dead out by the far flower bed by the road where we had a magnificent red rhododendron.  There was no sign of struggle or fight, he was just lying there ... dead. I buried him in his flower bed. Poor little guy. We have one in the flower bed nearest the fire pit. He watches me every know and then as I dig or weed. The last one is right by the garage. I see him walking across the driveway, comically at a very slow pace. He is unafraid of me. I figure they must all be related: cousins, brothers, sisters, etc.

Speaking of furry creatures, the other evening I left the water on and cursing silently under my breath, I went out with my flash light at 12 midnight to turn it off. After doing so, I decided to check out the woods in the back of the house. One night I had seen a deer right on the edge of our property. Startling it, it bolted into the woods, scaring me just as much as I scared her. (I didn't not see antlers, so forgive me for the assumption that it was a doe). The evening of turning off the water, I did not see anything in the deep woods but in the tree right in our property line I clearly had disturbed something which screeched at me. I aimed the flashlight up into the tree beside me and what did I see? A flying squirrel! I was so excited! I recognized him from his white underbelly, brown overcoat, and flappy furry skin between his arms and legs. He had these large luminescent eyes, glowing from the light of my flashlight, and a small little puggish nose. He was beautiful, and oh so rare. What a treat! And in an instant, he was gone. I may never see another one and am so lucky so see that little guy!