Wildlife around the Mystery Hole

Western Terrestrial Garter Snake Thamnophis elegans
in Horsetail Equisetum hyemale

On a hot August afternoon in 2005, the pond was visited by this garter snake—the only snake sighting in my yard in at least 20 years. Haven’t seen one since then.

House cat Felis catus

Boo c.1994-2009

"The domestic cat is a recent addition to the Felidae, evolving about 7,000 years ago probably as a relative of the African wild cat. Domestication coincided with [human’s] shift from nomadic life to permanent settlement around 5000 B.C. The resulting agriculture and subsequent storage of grain attracted rodents which in turn attracted cats. Cats are known to have been domesticated in Egypt by 2000 B.C."
The above specimen was named after Boo Radley of To Kill a Mockingbird, due to her shyness. Boo was free-roaming for an unknown period before settling in at the Mystery Hole in 1997 for the rest of her life.

American Robin Turdus migratorius

This is what she’s sitting on:


Return to home page