I was blessed by an assortment of critters this weekend (and due to Memorial Day it is not yet over). First a Carolina Box Turtle (or as I am more likely to call it a tortoise, as far as I am concerned turtles live in water, tortoise live on the land, be damned the American misnaming of stuff). He was happily sat in the tree bed in the front under the bird feeders stuffing his face with sunflower seedlings. I am pretty sure that he spends his day there in the shade and then stuff his face on the slugs etc., that come out to feed on the bird food. He didn't seem to be bothered by me and of course I named him "Fred" whereupon my husband, when hearing of him, harumphed and christened him "Thomas", he is very pretty, regardless of what we named him.



On one of the canna in the back a lizard (I am sorry but I refuse to call them anoles, I mean if I was such a creature I would much prefer "lizard" to "anole") was flashing his flashy thingy, I am not sure if he was trying to attract a female or threatening a rival, or perhaps threatening me with his obvious awsomeness, whatever it was he was very impressive.



Out front on the Baptista a Silver Spotted Skipper was feeding, there will soon be tens of these, once the Lantana blooms, they are such gregarious and fearless little butterflies that they never fail to fascinate me.



Meanwhile this rather acrobatic lizard was trying to make the skipper lunch. Look at those pecs! (I think he might have ended up with a leg, which he chewed for a while and then spat out in disgust).



Meanwhile, in the pond, Jeremiah did what Jeremiah does best, chillin'



Not pictured, a large (I think full adult size, about four feet long) Black Racer Snake which scared the ever loving treacle out of me when I went outside to hang out laundry. I am sure he was more scared of me than I was of him but when I first came across him sunning himself in the grass it was impossible not to say "eeeeek". He sped off under the holly tree and I spent the next twenty minutes trying to hang out laundry while watching over my shoulder just in case.