# Nature in your backyard: Photo extravaganza! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 30, 2008, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nature-in-your-backyard-photo-extravaganza/465863 "2008-09-30T15:52:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Diz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/87869e/32.png) [@Diz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diz)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2008, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nature-in-your-backyard-photo-extravaganza/465863/21 "2008-10-01T05:57:20Z")
Here’s a shot of a woodpecker I somehow managed to get. Taken out the window of my computer room, from a distance of about 50 feet. [![](https://farm2.static.flickr.com/1390/1384998678_df47cad757_o.jpg) ](https://farm2.static.flickr.com/1390/1384998678_df47cad757_o.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2008, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nature-in-your-backyard-photo-extravaganza/465863/22 "2008-10-01T06:23:12Z")
Pick the pictures you want to see. [A little bit of everything…](http://picasaweb.google.com/Dragon43) ---
**Author:** ![Hokkaido\_Brit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/d26b3c/32.png) [@Hokkaido\_Brit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hokkaido_Brit)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2008, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nature-in-your-backyard-photo-extravaganza/465863/23 "2008-10-01T12:59:46Z")
Lovely photos all! I enjoyed looking at every one of them. Here are some [amazing](http://www.flickr.com/photos/hyotenka_v/2800197578/in/set-72157606965963723/)[caterpillars](http://www.flickr.com/photos/hyotenka_v/2800197812/in/set-72157606965963723/)of a fruit-piercing moth that appeared on my akebi (chocolate vine) this summer. They were as thick and as long as my forefinger and had glittery blue and yellow spots on them. ---
**Author:** ![Mahna\_Mahna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47c2d/32.png) [@Mahna\_Mahna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahna_Mahna)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2008, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nature-in-your-backyard-photo-extravaganza/465863/24 "2008-10-01T13:06:51Z")
> [@Hokkaido\_Brit](#): > > Here are some [amazing](http://www.flickr.com/photos/hyotenka_v/2800197578/in/set-72157606965963723/)[caterpillars](http://www.flickr.com/photos/hyotenka_v/2800197812/in/set-72157606965963723/)of a fruit-piercing moth that appeared on my akebi (chocolate vine) this summer. They were as thick and as long as my forefinger and had glittery blue and yellow spots on them. Wow! Those caterpillars are downright psychadelic! ---
**Author:** ![Hokkaido\_Brit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/d26b3c/32.png) [@Hokkaido\_Brit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hokkaido_Brit)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2008, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nature-in-your-backyard-photo-extravaganza/465863/25 "2008-10-01T13:17:48Z")
> [@Mahna\_Mahna](#): > > Wow! Those caterpillars are downright psychadelic! When I saw ONE on my creeper, I was fascinated by it and took loads of pictures. Then I saw another one… and another and another and then I began to feel really creeped out by them. They were ALL OVER the bush, munching away, and the ground all around was littered with tic-tac sized caterpillar poos. Shudder. I did a bit of reasearch and found that the moths are regarded as a serious pest because they pierce fruit with their proboscis and suck out the juice. This leaves a hole in the fruit which then rots. As we live in a fruit producing neighbourhood, I am afraid that they got sprayed. I felt mean but there were so many they were stripping my vine naked, too. ---
**Author:** ![Cheez\_Whia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d26b3c/32.png) [@Cheez\_Whia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheez_Whia)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2008, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nature-in-your-backyard-photo-extravaganza/465863/26 "2008-10-01T13:49:26Z")
We saw this: [http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w119/ignatz1957/000\_0002-1.jpg](http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w119/ignatz1957/000_0002-1.jpg) before we found this: [http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w119/ignatz1957/000\_0006-1.jpg](http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w119/ignatz1957/000_0006-1.jpg) We have toads, too, but no pictures of them. ---
**Author:** ![Mahna\_Mahna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47c2d/32.png) [@Mahna\_Mahna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahna_Mahna)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2008, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nature-in-your-backyard-photo-extravaganza/465863/27 "2008-10-01T15:51:53Z")
**Girl Hermit** , after doing a little research, it looks like my guard spider is most likely your basic mundane [Barn Spider](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barn_spider). I guess I have my very own Charlotte. 🙂 The only weird thing is that Wiki indicates that barn spiders take down their webs during the day (along with most other orb spiders), but ours seems to be hanging out on its web pretty much 24/7. ---
**Author:** ![Emily\_Litella](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emily_litella/32/3370_2.png) [@Emily\_Litella](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emily_Litella)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2008, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nature-in-your-backyard-photo-extravaganza/465863/28 "2008-10-01T17:29:30Z")
> [@Cheez\_Whia](#): > > We saw this: [http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w119/ignatz1957/000\_0002-1.jpg](http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w119/ignatz1957/000_0002-1.jpg) before we found this: [http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w119/ignatz1957/000\_0006-1.jpg](http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w119/ignatz1957/000_0006-1.jpg) > > We have toads, too, but no pictures of them. [Indy] Why did it have to be snakes? [/Indy] Here’s a [Periwinkle](http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2385944530033194010RsuvSQ) aka Myrtle. Here’s some [Azeleas](http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2987037990033194010hUPXTD) Here’s some [Irises](http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2431475320033194010UadRBX) She’s not in the backyard but [in your face](http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2804702400033194010VyNPaz). ---
**Author:** ![Amazon\_Floozy\_Goddess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/779978/32.png) [@Amazon\_Floozy\_Goddess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amazon_Floozy_Goddess)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2008, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nature-in-your-backyard-photo-extravaganza/465863/29 "2008-10-01T17:43:02Z")
> [@TroubleAgain](#): > > [Lizard on a ledge](http://www.flickr.com/photos/troubleagain/2446985580/in/set-72157604441340272/) That’s a female Brown Anole! I had pet anoles of a variety of species for a few years. They’re energetic, inquisitive little things. Female browns are distinguished by the white dorsal stripe, and lack of or very small dewlap. ---
**Author:** ![TroubleAgain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e480ec/32.png) [@TroubleAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroubleAgain)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2008, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nature-in-your-backyard-photo-extravaganza/465863/30 "2008-10-01T18:01:33Z")
> [@Amazon\_Floozy\_Goddess](#): > > That’s a female Brown Anole! I had pet anoles of a variety of species for a few years. They’re energetic, inquisitive little things. Female browns are distinguished by the white dorsal stripe, and lack of or very small dewlap. Cool! I’ve tons of those around my house. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2008, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nature-in-your-backyard-photo-extravaganza/465863/31 "2008-10-02T01:09:07Z")
[Two sets of photos](http://s294.photobucket.com/albums/mm119/badger60/critters/) One was a critter that made its home on my front porch a couple of years ago. The other is a near-complete reptilian skeleton that I discovered. ---
**Author:** ![Girl\_Hermit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b38774/32.png) [@Girl\_Hermit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Girl_Hermit)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2008, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nature-in-your-backyard-photo-extravaganza/465863/32 "2008-10-02T01:53:29Z")
> [@Mahna\_Mahna](#): > > **Girl Hermit** , after doing a little research, it looks like my guard spider is most likely your basic mundane [Barn Spider](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barn_spider). I guess I have my very own Charlotte. 🙂 > > The only weird thing is that Wiki indicates that barn spiders take down their webs during the day (along with most other orb spiders), but ours seems to be hanging out on its web pretty much 24/7. Thanks **Mahna Mahna**. Someone upthread mentioned an orb weaver too and I googled a bit and found this: [this photo of an orb weaver that looks close too.](http://images.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Garden_orb_weaver04.jpg&imgrefurl=http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Garden_orb_weaver04.jpg&h=954&w=1014&sz=185&hl=en&start=22&um=1&usg=__eTJIJuaE7FXeCbS48KEKVSBLDvc=&tbnid=gHLrwWUpnIGTGM:&tbnh=141&tbnw=150&prev=/images%3Fq%3D%2522garden%2Borb%2Bweaver%2522%26start%3D18%26ndsp%3D18%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DN) ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2008, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nature-in-your-backyard-photo-extravaganza/465863/33 "2008-10-02T02:22:32Z")
> [@Amazon\_Floozy\_Goddess](#): > > That’s a female Brown Anole! I had pet anoles of a variety of species for a few years. They’re energetic, inquisitive little things. Female browns are distinguished by the white dorsal stripe, and lack of or very small dewlap. We gave our dad some anoles as a birthday present…to put in his greenhouse for bug control. It was always fun trying to find them. At the San Diego Zoo, anoles are used as Hornbill food. If you have a keen eye, you can see a few escapees scampering around in the foliage outside the cages. ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2008, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nature-in-your-backyard-photo-extravaganza/465863/34 "2008-10-02T04:50:19Z")
Can I cheat a little bit to brag about where I live? It’s only kind of cheating, because the trail to get there literally starts in the parking lot, and after a couple miles you get [quite a lot of nature](http://img150.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p8020017yz5.jpg), and that’s pretty neat. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nature-in-your-backyard-photo-extravaganza/465863.md?page=1)