Wildlife 2.0

[halfshellvenus]

I managed to avoid running over a snake today, which is a plus. It was around 83F, and they tend to come out in the heat... and then lie on the pavement in the shade. Most of the time, I wind up running over them because I think they're a stick and it's too late to avoid them anyway. :(

This one was not a rattlesnake, thank goodness. And it was a chonk! Wow.

I also saw some turklets. It's that time of year! These were young enough to be cute (which doesn't last long). And I spotted the aftermath of a fish hoping to chomp a black butterfly that was hovering over the river.

Being early May, the wild grape buds are out. They have a sweet, peppery smell that is nothing like actual grapes. The cottonwood trees are also releasing fluff into the air, and that can come and go for a month depending on how often we transition back into winter weather. Soon, squirrel mating season will be running full tilt, and I'll have something else to dodge while biking out there. But in the meantime, I hope the sweetness of spring lingers a little bit longer. :)

Comments

[kizzy]

I wish our wildlife was as varied :( The only variation I have are the spring/summer birds and reports of migrating sea life which never come close enough to spot. This is what happens, I guess, when you live too close to the city :shrug:

[halfshellvenus]

Mostly, I see birds around our house. But the parkway is a strip of more than 30 miles in my part of Sacramento, and it's a wildlife habitat. Fortunately not so much for mountain lions, but there are bobcats and far too many coyotes.

I have NEVER seen a snake in anyone's yard here. Not even a garter snake. Maybe the ground is too dry and hard? IDK, but I used to see garter snakes all the time when I lived in the wet part of Oregon.

[adoptedwriter]

I love all the spring beginnings. Snakes…. Dude, run! lol.

[halfshellvenus]

The snakes should run from me! I only ever see them along the bikepath or in rural/wild areas. On the pavement in the shade is a VERY bad choice with so much bicycling traffic. What's so bad about the dirt off to the side, where there's only the occasional pedestrian?