I was descending the cellar steps last night when I saw a flash of orange in the beam of my flashlight. I stopped and returned the light to see this Cave Salamander engaging an insect in political discourse. I was surprised to see this beautiful amphibian out in the cold falling mist, but I’m quite naive.
Here’s a lovely apple pie for after supper.
This little fellow was at the mailbox yesterday evening. He never seemed overly concerned about me, though he did coil up and shake his tail vigorously for a few moments. He was only about twelve inches long, so probably not even a full grown pygmy rattlesnake. Made my day to see him.
Today in 1982, Grandpa and I were watching the news. The KY3 lady was interviewing somebody inside the War Eagle Mill about that year’s fair. Behind the person being interviewed, Granny opens the door and peers inside pensively at the television cameras. She cautiously enters, followed by my mother carrying my sister.
I exclaim, “Look, it’s Granny!”
Grandpa does not respond.
Yesterday evening, the neighborhood Master Naturalist borrowed my communication device to take this photo. This fellow was crossing the county road, undoubtedly on his way to visit a lady. Always a gentleman, he will tap the ground outside her borrow with his foot, awaiting her response. If she is unimpressed with this potential suitor, she’ll most likely ignore his polite knocking. If she dislikes him, she’ll come out and beat him up or possibly kill him. So he anxiously awaits from her a friendly response, tapping his foot and hoping for the best.
Strolling through the woods with the neighborhood Master Naturalist, we crossed a small dry creek bed and she spotted this salamander hiding in the layers of an ancient vine that died during our recent extended drought.
I stopped briefly on the ridge road to take this picture. It would have been better had my headlights been off, but it still shows the interesting moon and the thick white mist on the Kings River.
It has been a miserably hot September after a relatively pleasant August. So it was most enjoyable today when the temperature was even more unexpectedly mild than predicted. While driving during the hottest part of the day, a local radio station still said we’d top out at 87 degrees when it was actually only a very pleasing 67 Fahrenheit outside.
I stopped to look at yesterday’s mushrooms and it’s amazing what one day can do. They sure don’t look as healthy today.
Near the top of the ridge where the short-leaf pines tend to grow, I spotted these two bright white mushrooms pushing up through the pine needles.
I came upon something black blocking the road yesterday evening while driving down into the hollow.
Unsure of what I was seeing I disembarked the vehicle and proceeded on foot.
A long skinny strip of black reptile. Up close it held up its pretty white chin and studiously ignored me. I know several of the snakes closer to the house, but not this one. I suppose it’s obviously a western rat snake, but it’s so squiggly and skinny that I felt unsure. For years, I’d see a six footer in the bottom of the hollow, but it was a thick, heavy bodied thing. Perhaps this one is just much younger? It never flinched as I stood inches from it nor when I drove towards it and carefully around it.
