Gilbert and Mac

  Under the front arbor that surrounds the French doors, there is a number of plants both hanging and on stands.  There is also a number of critters that dwell there.  When I take my morning coffee out before dawn, the critters are either settling in after a busy night or are just waking to start their day.  I get the best of both worlds.

  This afternoon, the critters were doing just the opposite.  The daytime critters were starting to call it a day and the nocturnal ones were coming out of dreamland.  One that caught my attention first was the green tree frog that I dubbed Gilbert.  Gilbert lives in the tall pole lamp that sits in the far corner of the arbor.  It is actually an old streetlight that I repurposed into an upright lamp.  The basketball sized globe now sits upturned in its once shade.  Gilbert thinks the area is his personal space.  Every day, he and I visit.  He has become quite accustomed to me and will crawl from deep within the lamp to sit next to me.  

  As I was visiting Gilbert, a slight movement under the awning caught my eye.  Ahh, the lovely green anole that lives in the "roof" of my arbor!  After first poking its head out to see if all was safe, the lizard soon crawled out enough to visit with us.  This is a male anole so he has been named Mac. He had been snatching bugs off of the night blooming cereus plants before making his way back under the awning. Mac and Gilbert are good company when you have no other.  Too bad they cannot talk.  Yep, this isolation is beginning to wear thin.  Thankfully, I have my critter friends....even if our conversing is merely one sided.  It could be worse, I guess.  I could be talking to the wall!

Finding Gilbert!

   A while back, I literally made friends with a frog.  "Gilbert", the Green Tree Frog, would often climb out of his perch in the light globe to sit next to me on the steps.  The first time was quite the surprise and I figured that the frog did not realize that I was there since I was sitting still watching the birds.  Then, the frog came again.  This time, I moved slightly to see if he would go back up into the light.  Nope.  Gilbert sat next to me on the steps.  After this went on almost daily for a couple of weeks, I decided to "pet" Gilbert.  The frog loved it!  So much so that he would sometimes fall asleep while I was stroking his little head.  Wow.  Who says critters don't have feelings??

  Lately, I have not seen Gilbert.  It saddened me to think that perhaps the rat snake had gotten my friend.  My coffee time in the mornings was not the same without my little buddy sitting there staring at me with his big orange eyes.  You know, one can grow attached to frogs.

  Well, this morning, I found Gilbert!  He had moved from the light globe to the large philodendron plant near the pond.  I was elated that the snake had not eaten my friend!  You are probably thinking "How does she know that this frog is Gilbert and not one of the million or so in the yard?"  I actually had doubts so I reached out and petted the frog.  It did not shy away from my hand and seemed to enjoy the attention.  So either this IS Gilbert or all frogs like to be petted which I highly doubt is the case.  If it is not him, I guess all Green Tree Frogs on the Bayou will just have to be named Gilbert.

Just "Hanging" With Gilbert

  It seems that the green tree frogs love the place.  I have never seen quite so many as there have been for the past few years.  The numbers are growing quickly, too.  It also seems that we have a good number of other frogs calling the place home.  The back of the Bayou and the creek are filled with their nightly symphony making the yard a loud place after dark.  I do not mind as the frogs are free pest control.  However, it is a bit concerning just where some of the critters are starting to claim squatter's rights.   Under the eaves of the house is fine.  In the orange trees is fine.  The greenhouse is fine.   In the walls of the Little Bayou House??  I am concerned.  In the outdoor light fixtures???  Has me worried.  Under the hood of my lawnmower?  Ok, enough is enough!  (That, only because I have to check before cranking the mower. Sure do not want to hurt one.)

  This afternoon, Gilbert, the frog living in a light fixture, came out to visit for a spell. (Just a note of interest here. Gilbert is what I have named all green tree frogs.)  I was cleaning the outside area around the front steps when I first noticed that Gilbert had climbed out of the globe light.  In fact, he had hopped onto the top step to watch me work.  Gilbert and I have a quirky relationship.  He likes me to talk with him while I work and will allow me to pet him occasionally.  So, I talked then reached over stroked his little, green head and went back to work.  I am not sure what startled Gilbert but he jumped from the top step to my shoulder then leapt to the arbor post.  There, he sat in the most hilarious position!  Ok, so froggy, you just keep clinging to that post and I will be through here in a bit!  Gilbert did, I was and all was well.

The Perils of being Gilbert!

  I try to arise early in the morn simply because I feel better when doing so.  Pop always used to quote old Ben Franklin with "Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise."  I don't know about the wealthy and wise bit but I do, indeed, feel a lot healthier when I am up out of bed with the sunrise. This, also, gives me the added benefit of doing a good many chores before the day warms to an uncomfortable temperature during the summer months.  Things can get a tad humid during the middle of the day here on the Bayou.  So, my day starts early and starts with the "mandatory" mug of coffee!  Here lately, I have had the neatest little visitor join me as I brew the pot of coffee.  A tiny green frog climbs up the wall and sits on the screen of the kitchen window.  There he will stare at me with his big eyes as I putter around the kitchen.  I make sure to talk to him and even "tickle" his belly through the screening.  He seems to like this so it has become sort of a morning ritual as the coffee pot does its magic.

  This morning, I noticed that Gilbert (yes, I named the frog!) had not gravitated toward the window screen.  He stayed on the wall and just stared at me. Hmmm?  Since Gilbert was not coming for his belly rub, I pondered what could be wrong.  Oh, my!  Perhaps I offended him in some way!  (Just joking there, folks.  I really don't go around worrying about offending frogs.  Not often anyway!)  I decided to investigate why Gilbert just sat plastered to the wall.

   I slipped out the back door just in time to see a small Black Racer slip under the Montbretia leaves.  This plant grows from corms that multiply rapidly so the clump of leaves completely hid the snake.  Poor Gilbert must have been chased from those very leaves minutes before I came to the kitchen!  At least the froggy was able to leap to the wall and clamber up before the snake made breakfast of him!  I shooed the snake away from the house and on toward the blackberry patch.  There the snake was sure to find plenty to eat and could do a fine job of protecting the berries!  Gilbert, though, refused to leave his spot on the wall so there would be no belly rubs this morning!