Texas Critters - What's Your Favorite? (Meadow: house, quiet, moving)

[case44]

Originally Posted by Kellypink

Texas' bugs are what do me in....

I am new here, and one time in the summer my 4 yo daughter comes in and says "mom? is there such thing as a frog with wings?"

"what?" I say
"let's go see"

sure enough There was this dragon fly type bug, that looked like a frog body, dragonfly wings and cricket legs....

CREEPY!!!

I would think that would be what we call a horned frog, but I'm not real sure. You can find some unusual creepy crawlies and small reptiles around here. And there are probably some we don't know about or have never heard of.

[CurrentlyinSanAntonio]

Originally Posted by lilypad

Horny toads, which have become almost extinct. We grew up with them, would catch and hold them, stroke their bellies. I think they liked that!

Same here. I used to catch them all the time in our back yard as a kid. It's been years since I have seen one

[lonestar2007]

Originally Posted by case44

Have any of you ever seen a wolf or a coyote up close?? Maybe you were hiking or camping and perhaps have seen one in the distance or nearby. Has that ever happened to anyone?

A coyote was in my flower bed right by my front porch the other morning and it's buddy was about 10' away in the yard. We have a couple of little banty hens with our chickens that are virtually impossible to keep in the pen and these two varmints were after one of them. They are the biggest nuisance around here. At night we hear them yelping and it is nerve racking. We also have a family of redtailed hawks living right by us. They can be hard on chickens too, but I still like seeing them gliding through the skies above. About a year ago I saw a couple of little red foxes playing in the pasture and about 6 or so years ago, we had a silver fox that we saw occasionally.

I remember a problem with wolves down at Wolfe City and surrounding areas when we were kids. They had a bounty of $5.00 per set of ears at the time. You had to be careful when out walking in the wooded areas because the landowners had planted little 'bombs" (small cylinder explosives) throuhout the area.

As far as favorite critters, for me it would be the roadrunner and horny toad. I don't know if you could classify a bullfrog as a critter, but if so, add him to the list. There's nothing better to listen to than a bullfrog at night.

[JamesAbilene]

Lots of creatures come into Texas cities. From the Pampa Daily News online:


Fox peeking through

Pampa News photo by MARILYN POWERS

A gray fox surprised an onlooker Monday afternoon when it jumped up into a tree and nestled among its branches in the back yard of a home on Evergreen Street.

[case44]

Originally Posted by JamesAbilene

Lots of creatures come into Texas cities. From the Pampa Daily News online:


Fox peeking through

Pampa News photo by MARILYN POWERS

A gray fox surprised an onlooker Monday afternoon when it jumped up into a tree and nestled among its branches in the back yard of a home on Evergreen Street.

Very, very good post and good pics, James.

[MissDaisy]

Originally Posted by tstone

Word on the street is they carry leprosy.

Are you serious???

[tstone]

Originally Posted by MissDaisy

Are you serious???

Look:

armadillo+leprosy - Google Search

[case44]

Originally Posted by lonestar2007

As far as favorite critters, for me it would be the roadrunner and horny toad. I don't know if you could classify a bullfrog as a critter, but if so, add him to the list. There's nothing better to listen to than a bullfrog at night.

I think bullfrogs do count here, lonestar. That's about as Texan as it gets, really.

[movingtohouston]

Originally Posted by tstone

Look:

armadillo+leprosy - Google Search

I have to say the armadillo under my neighbors shed is nocturnal. Never see it during the day when the kids are outside. Only reason we ever noticed the thing was it would set off the motion sensor lite on the neighbors house. So I don't worry to much over it.

[Diamond Dee]

Horn Toads! and Frogs out of the local run-off pond.as kids we played with them and other critters.brings back fond memories of simpler times.