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Sly as a Fox

© Vickie Ferguson

Things have been relatively quiet in my neighborhood these past couple of months. Oh yes, I have the gigantic possum living under my house along with the teenage offspring waiting in my driveway when I get home from work and the prehistoric frogs are back.

Last night, I swear an albino frog jumped off the roof onto my porch just as I walked through the front door! I heard a "splatpth" sound and when I turned around, there's the frog sitting there looking up at me. Very disconcerting.

Then there's the lime green lizard sitting on the tree right beside my porch that is so bright I had to put on my sunglasses. I said "what the heck kind of lizard is lime green, he stands out like a sore thumb". I mean really, if you're a lizard and trying to stay camouflaged, sitting there like a lime sherbet ice cream cone is not the way to go. He is either very confident or very arrogant. He sat there on the tree trunk for a good 2-3 minutes then leapt to a leaf where he blended in very nicely. I have come to understand he is a chameleon and can change colors at a drop of a hat. Very pretty but way too flashy if he wants to survive in my yard.

I also have the multi-colored 5" grasshoppers visiting again this year. These 'hoppers are absolutely beautiful with the intricate designs and bright colors. They like the hibiscus bushes and they'll take over a whole bush for a few weeks, then disappear. They're so big, I don't think they even worry about the birds in my yard.

I've also seen one black snake sunning himself on my driveway. I looked out of my window and saw what I thought was a stick until he raised his head and just struck a pose and soaked up some rays of sun. I said, oh no, you have to move. I am very afraid of snakes even though this was a harmless black snake. He was about 3' long. I just sat watching and he finally decided to go chase lizards in my flowerbed! I will not be doing any weeding this year.

So, as you can see, life is about the same as usual in my front and backyard habitat but last night at work, I was in for a real surprise.

Ok, you all know that I'm an animal person and have a huge interest in wildlife and domestic animals. Cats, dogs, birds, ducks, raccoons, squirrels, possums, snakes, weird frogs, reptiles and insects all call my yard home (except the ducks) so not much surprises me until last night.

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