Oklahoma Wildlife

Twenty minutes ago, Mary came streaming through the back door (" Look out - be more careful - WET PAINT MARY!!") ran through to the front door, with her gum boots still on and screamed, while giggling: "Rattlesnake!". All manner of chaos ensued, as all members of the family suddenly headed for the hills. You see, in my family, if someone yells "rattlesnake!" it is a mad scramble toward the said reptile.

I finished playing Ashokan farewell.

Then I got a camera and mosied (sp?) out behind the pond to see what I could see. What I saw: three kids being really dumb. Andrew has his BB gun, Mary armed with fly spray and her horse lunging whip, and Sam has fished out a spade (would be my weapon of choice) as well as dad's 4-10, which of course, no one knows how to use so therefore I forbid anyone to use it. I think a rattlesnake in a field is less dangerous than a kid with a gun who has no idea how to use it. Mom calls our very Oklahoman neighbor, Delbert. He's not home, Sweeny our other neighbor isn't either but he sends out his son-in-law, who takes care of the "rattler"for us. Pow. I guess dad's gun works.

Turns out he's only a bull snake, which though, ugly, aggressive they are not so bad as rattlesnakes (the bite hurts like hell but not poisonous). But it was some nice adrenaline for a couple of easily excited kids. I was just disappointed because I was looking forward to keeping the rattle tail.

Anyway, while I was out there, I tried to capture some of the other available wildlife.
No really, there is a big snake in this picture...it just camoflages really well
Okay, so you can kinda see it here. I wasn't daring to get too close so this is no National Geographic photo.


I'd be so happy, I would be so glad if you could start behavin' around my pad....Remember that song? Good ol' Raffi.

Can you believe I have been swimming in there? Yuck. But I would do it again.

Fishing spiders. Though rather large, these are quite a bit smaller than the tarantula that Mom sees when she mows by the pond. They are called fishing spiders for a reason: they eat unsuspecting little minnows.

Notice the wild turkey at the center of the picture?

Rosalie, we have a north pole too, see?

Lily pads turned up on our pond two years ago. Cassidy?? The first year there were five. Last year, a good 25. This year, they are covering half the pond. Its fun to watch the baby turtles on them - if the turtle is small enough it makes a nice little floaty. I was trying to catch a picture of a bullfrog, but he wasn't cooperating. Oh, and by the way, I actually SAW a guy hunting bull frogs with his bow and arrow the other day.