Little Cute Nature

 

Last summer, we found this cute little turtle in our backyard.  We named her Little Cute Nature.  We know that it's her because she has 3 crowns on her shell.  She visits our yard every now and then.  This time, we found that she has a hole by our patio!  One of the times that we saw her this summer, we measured her.  She was 4 1/2 inches long on the bottom of her shell and 9 1/2 inches around the middle of her shell.  She is still little!

Cool Bugs in My Backyard

 

Check out the cool bugs in my backyard.  This morning, I looked out my window and saw a stick bug!

This is a Bush Cricket.  When we were eating lunch one day, we saw this bush cricket (Katydid) on our patio door.

This is a Clouded Sulphur.  One day in our backyard, we saw him and he flew all around us!

Check out this cool grasshopper!

These bugs are called sow bugs, pill bugs, but we like to call them rolly pollies!  These little bugs are pretty cool.  They roll up into little balls and you can even throw them as far as you can!  My sister, brother and I wanted to keep some as a pet and guess what?  We brought them into the house, kept them in a cage and played with them until Mom found them and took them back outside!

American Dagger Caterpillar

American Dagger Caterpillar

This is an American Dagger Caterpillar.  We found him on a hike today.  I'm glad that we didn't touch him because he can give you a rash if you touch his spikes!  Do not touch this guy because he is poisonous!  He will turn into an American Dagger Moth.  

https://www.insectidentification.org/insect-description.asp?identification=American-Dagger-Moth 

 

 

Frogs and Toads

Picture:  An American Toad (big) and a Spring Peeper (little)

What is the difference between a frog and a toad?

A toad has lumps (or warts) and drier skin.  They also prefer to crawl or climb rather than hop.  Frogs have longer legs for hopping and smoother, wetter skin.  

We often find toads in the grass or wood chips and the frogs near our fountain.