There’s lots of activity here in Oysterville among the critters of the “lower orders.” The moles seem to be on the march in every direction. Each morning we awake to new signs of their industrious, underground activity. Their hills pop up from one side of the garden to the other and, of course, no matter how quickly we scoop up that nice, rich soil, there is a scar left behind on the lawn or an unsightly bare spot in the flower beds. It looks like the garden has the measles.
Yesterday as I was deadheading dahlias and fantasizing about yet another battle against those moles, I caught a flash of green go whipping by. A tree frog had apparently taken a liking to my garden bucket and had attached himself to its side. There he stayed as it and I moved around the garden, slowly making his way to the rim at the top. Apparently satisfied that there was nothing of interest in the bucket, he leaped away again, but not until he had hitchhiked free of charge from one end of the yard to the other.
I’m not exactly sure where those sweet little tree frogs come from. They just sort of appear. I know they don’t enter the garden the same way I do, by going across the porch. I know that because no matter when I make my exit or entrance and no matter which end of the porch I approach, there is invariably a wall of cobwebs that I destroy along the way. I’m sorry about that. I like the job those spider ladies are doing –trapping insects and all. Plus their webs are beautiful. It’s just that as my sight becomes dimmer, those lacy constructions become less and less visible.
The wooly bears haven’t been so visible this year either, but I don’t think that’s my failing eyesight. Perhaps it’s too dry for them. The only ones I’ve seen (mostly orange and I can’t remember what that means) have been panting on the sides of the road, looking as though they are about to die of thirst. Of course, it’s hard to tell with wooly bears.
All in all, it’s pretty friendly feeling around our place. Everyone is out getting ready for winter. And, as pesky as some of those critters are, I’ll miss them during those long, dark and rainy days which I know are bound to come… eventually.
I hope you’re right about the rain. It’s wonder all the critters haven’t died of thirst! I am only a fan of the frogs, Sydney, but you can cut down on the mountain of mole hills with some mole spikes. You can get them at Fred Meyer or Home Depot. They are battery operated and emit a soun the moles don’t like. They make solar ones, but having tried both, we like the battery operated ones better. You drive them into the ground, but you have to remember where you put them (so next year you can change the batteries) and don’t hit them with the lawn mower. This year I got some bigger ones at Fred Meyer and put them in flower beds instead of into the lawn like Dave had so I wouldn’t hit them when mowing.
Stephanie, do those work? In the past I’ve had good luck with the castor oil-based repellents, but if it’s been dry and I fail to water the lawn enough (like now!) the reminders pop up around the yard.