Portrait of a Toad

The girl wanted me to take a photo of her critter while he was outside getting some "hop around" time. We've enjoyed watching him eat crickets :)

A Girl & Her Snake - Snake Identification Needed

Click to enlarge.

This morning we took a walk to the park. The girl brought along her insect/critter cage "just in case".

We were just about ready to leave the path from the park when the girl shouted "A SNAKE!"

She then tried to figure out a way to capture the critter. She was successful. She was very happy.

Zig-Zag, as he's been named, is now residing with us...temporarily...pending identification (he's much thinner and smaller than appears in the photo).

So if you think you might know what kind of snake this is - let us know.

Introducing Yoda - Pet of the Day

Yoda was acquired last evening. Rather ironically, this praying mantis was found outside our church (good to know that he's a Baptist!).

Yoda was so named due to the fact that he was "small and green".

You can tell he loves having his picture taken - he's got a great big grin!

He sure loves riding around in his Playmobil police car.

Sunshine - Our New Family Pet

On our walk today we found a new pet. He didn't seem to belong to anyone, no collar on him... and he was small enough to fit inside of an empty Slurpee cup.

His (or maybe its a her) name is Sunshine. The perfect name for a bright yellow, fuzzy caterpillar!

We think it is a Banded Tussock Moth Caterpillar A.K.A. Pale Tussock Moth.

A few years ago dd found a Wooly Bear Caterpillar and he lived with us for about 3 months...surviving various episodes of being lost, only to be found clinging for dear life on a quilt or the girl's sweater.

Anyway Sunshine is joining our family. The kids would love a dog. Or even a hamster. A caterpillar is more my speed. They can be contained in a small area, are easy to care for (no fences to purchase, no electronic collars to keep them in, no annoying barking, no messes to clean up), and do not cost anything to maintain.

I have been so surprised at the love my children have for dogs, in spite of my dislike of them (dogs not my children).


When we were out at my sister's cabin, dd fell in love with their little dog. I'm hoping they will get their "dog fix" while visiting family and friends (their American grandparents also have a dog and cat). Yes, I know they would love to have a dog - but I'm not ready for one. Perhaps someday if we live out in the country and have a large yard - we could have an outdoor dog. But I'm not promising.

So for now - Sunshine will have to do.