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This last week, when the nights have gotten much cooler while the daytime temps are still warm, I noticed a change in the various critters around the property. So I decided to take some pictures and share them with you, dear readers.

First up: a snake. Typical garter snake, but I bring it up now because I haven’t seen many snakes all summer but I saw three this last week. I’m assuming the snakes are out now because they need the sun. The nights are getting colder, so the cold-blooded snakes wake up groggy and when they see a sunny patch they go for it so they can absorb some heat.

It reminds me of maple trees in the spring, in that the sap runs when the nights are cool and the days are warm.

Next up: a cricket. I don’t know what caused the crickets to make their appearance recently, but there were a bunch of them. I didn’t get a good picture of them in the grass, but this one posed nicely on a concrete block.

Next up: a frog. Frogs haven’t recently made their appearance after being absent all summer, because I have noticed them since spring when the peepers announce themselves. And after the summer rains when they like to cross the driveway for some reason.

And now: a wasp. I did not get a good photo of this, because it was flying at me and I had been stung by a member of this nest the previous day. It’s the blur in the middle of the photo. The nest is in the ground, under the log. I found it accidentally when I was trying to clean up a log pile. They let me know they were unhappy that I was disturbing their nest. Only one of them stung me. The next day I walked carefully up to the spot and saw where they were flying in and out. They didn’t notice me until I started taking a picture, so just after I snapped this I ran away.

Last photo: a praying mantis. Actually a praying mantis and a wasp, but the wasp doesn’t really count because it is the mantis’ dinner. I was picking blackberries, and heard a buzzing sound to me right. I looked over to see where the wasp was, and I found the wasp in the clutches of the mantis, who was chewing away on the wasp. The wasp was waving his legs, trying to get away, but he was not going anywhere. Smart mantis, hanging out at the food source of his food source.

Honorable mention: hummingbirds. We haven’t noticed them all summer, but now we’ve been seeing them hanging out around our crabapple tree. Maybe just coincidence. I hear them as much as see them, with their loud, low buzzing wings. I don’t even try to get a picture of them, because they’re here and then gone faster than I can get my phone out.

Honorable not-mention: woolly bears. We haven’t seen any woolly bears yet. Should be soon though.

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