Ourenchantedgarden @ MindSay

I've compiled a few items to share what I love about two creatures that are rarely even noticed and are often considered pests. They can be beautiful - sometimes it's just how we perceive them that makes them seem ugly!
The first little creature to feature is the common garden toad;


This video is more audio than visual, sit back, put your feet up and enjoy a serenade from the toads that live in the garden....

And here's a short video of one of the toads in daylight; (the audio may seem hokey - well it is, I'll admit it!) I took the clip for my almost 3 year old grand daughter Vanessa to enjoy!



I also managed to get a few nice close up still shots of this fellow, I took them just prior to shooting the video!



Here's a profile shot that shows how their eyes are situated, making them excellent silent hunters;



It's very easy to provide habitat for toads, in fact they probably already live around your yard and you just haven't noticed them. They usually hide from the hot sun and are very shy. They are also incredibly tough - our canine companion, Keisha, has often tried to play with the toads and usually she just gets a sour taste in her mouth for her efforts - the toad will lay down as flat as he can get and secrete a milky substance that discourages most predators from gobbling him up!



Keisha the Toad Hunter learns a lesson!


Close-up of the secretions!

Here's a shot of a toad house we tucked away in a safe place in the garden;

It's actually this easy to provide protection and habitat for garden companions. Toads need a cool moist hiding place, where they'll hang out most of the day. Sunrise and dusk are their main hunting times, when bugs and worms are active. Toads aren't quite as selective as some other gardening "helpers". They'll eat good bugs like ground beetles and earthworms, they'll also eat mosquitoes, and they'll eat other pesky destructive critters like june bugs and earwigs.
Keisha, the dog part of our family, has yet to learn how to tell our "pesky" visitors from our "friendly" ones but hopefully she'll clue in! She is learning, the hard way, that their skin doesn't taste good at all and fortunately no harm has been done to either!

I've one more critter to feature but it might be best to make a separate entry so it doesn't take forever and a day to upload for those interested in viewing the photographs.

Enjoy! Offered with much love... from the garden, and the caretaker! ;)

I don't know what the Sparrow said to the Cardinal, but everyone else in the shot sure looked interested!
 


(ooops! sorry if you viewed this earlier and wondered what was up - I DID forget to load the photo before I headed in to work - but here it is now!)

I thought this photograph might top off the bird entry quite nicely and it's a shot I was thrilled to capture - the cardinal is a very shy bird and it's not always easy to get close enough for a decent image!


I've been gathering together some images of our other garden creatures, even a couple of short videos, hopefully you'll enjoy that entry - as soon as I can get to it that is!

What a gift we received last weekend! We noticed on the very special day of; 07-07-07, our enchanted garden had been visited by our largest guest yet! This "critter" is well over twenty feet long and has given us a good dose of the giggles!

I've joked over the past couple years about the "lucky dragon" in the garden, it's really in reference to my partner John who, by certain astrological standards is a "Lucky Dragon" (he's a Gemini born in the Chinese year of  The Dragon).

The discovery of this dragon shape in our grape vines over the past week has been a real treat.
Now I'm playing with the shots in PhotoShop to see what I might create with such an interesting image!



Here, (above...) the Dragon crouches along the wall.
Is he waiting to pounce or simply guarding the flowers and vegetables?

 
So far we have found him friendly and quiet. He doesn't seem to eat much even though he grows a bit bigger every day and the other animals in the garden seem to like him just fine!  Even Keisha, our Jack Russell terrier, has accepted his presence, lucky dragon! ;)

As promised, let me share a few lucky shots I captured of the osprey that live near town at a reservoir called Guelph Lake. Several nesting poles and tall trees are available  for nesting sites around the shallow marsh side of the lake. This Family though seem bent on nesting on this electrical pole, they've been nesting here for several years. It's possible  they like the view of the lake from the top of the pole.
As we drove past Guelph Lake a week or two ago John and I decided to stop and watch the nest a while with hopes we might catch a glimpse of the adults or their young, it wasn't long before we spied one of the adults circling nearby;

Almost a week ago I suggested I would share some shots of lilacs and osprey... Guess I got a wee bit distracted!
I'm not surprised that time seems to be moving much more quickly. Six months ago several friends and I were given forewarning that such a thing would become apparent and may become the norm. As if things don't already move too fast for many people, the pace quickens still. So if I don't "keep up" with my scheduled postings you'll know it's just time moving a bit more quickly than I can muster to keep up with on the physical plane! He! He!

The lilacs have already finished their beautiful display here in Guelph. I was lucky on one afternoon to come across a lovely hedge of lilacs growing on the edge of one farm property on the outskirts of town.
 

I wrote this caption;
Hedges of Lilac work well on large properties. Though their show of blooms is short lived, the leaves can provide a wonderful privacy screen throughout the summer.

I also captured a few close-up shots;