Creepy Crawlies On The Carrell Wildlife Preserve

PLEASE NOTE: If you are squeamish about things that fly, jump or slither, please do not scroll through today's post. There are no pictures of anything fluffy or cuddly.


For the past couple of weeks we've seen quite a bit of animal activity on the property, but it hasn't been in the form of deer, turkeys or Great Danes like it normally is. We've been visited by a plethora of grasshoppers, wasps, ants and other creatures that surely serve some purpose in life, but I really don't want them near the house. Molly loves chasing the grasshoppers around the yard, playing with them like a giant puppy.


This gorgeous praying mantis was on our screen door early one morning. He was easily as long as my hand, and he didn't move even as I opened and closed the door. This is one of the few creepy-crawlies that I don't mind having around. We stared at each other for a while, I took his picture and he went on his way.


One day there was a baby water snake on the driveway trying to beat the other bugs to a meal of cicada. Danny won't kill any snake on the property unless he has to. They're all good, as they keep the rodent population down and take care of some big bugs too. It was just a baby, so it needed something to grow up big and strong. He relocated it to the tall grass a little farther away from the house, which is just fine with me - he can do his job somewhere I won't accidentally find him.

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