Key to Garden Residents
| Koi: |
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| Cat: |
The domestic cat was probably first tamed in Africa, but the earliest known records of domestication date back to 1500 BC in ancient Egypt. The domestication of cats most likely came about when cats began to protect the Egyptian granaries from rodents. After that domestic cats spread to other cultures. The first record of domestic cats in Britain dates to 936 AD when a law was passed in Wales for their protection, and by the mid-18th century they were present in the United States. |
"George" was the garden's 3 legged cat |
| Red Eared Slider: |
The red-eared slider is named for the broad red or orange stripe behind the eye, which may extend onto the neck. Otherwise, the head, neck, and legs are greenish with yellow stripes. The olive or brown carapace usually has yellow and black longitudinal bands and stripes. The plastron is yellow with a dark, rounded blotch in each scute. Males are slightly smaller than females and have longer claws on the forefeet. Sliders enjoy basking on logs, rocks, or stumps near the water. Sometimes you can see sliders stacked on top of each other three high. The name "slider" refers to the quick retreat from their basking site into the water when they feel even the slightest bit threatened . Sliders will sleep at night underwater, usually resting on the bottom or floating on the surface, using their inflated throat as a flotation aid. Sliders become inactive at temperatures below 10°C. They will often hibernate underwater.Emergence occurs in early March to late April . Scientific Name:Trachemys scripta elegans |
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Key to Common Garden Insects
| Monarch Butterfly: | Monarch Butterfly Scientific Name: Danaus plexippus Wing span: 3 3/8 - 4 7/8 inches (8.6 - 12.4 cm). Identification: Upperside of male is bright orange with wide black borders and black veins; hindwing has a patch of scent scales. Upperside of female is orange-brown with wide black borders and blurred black veins. Both sexes have white spots on borders and apex. Life history: Adults warm up by basking dorsally (with their wings open and toward the sun). Females lay eggs singly under the host leaves; caterpillars eat leaves and flowers. Adults make massive migrations from August-October, flying thousands of miles south to hibernate along the California coast and in central Mexico. A few overwinter along the Gulf coast or south Atlantic coast. Along the way, Monarchs stop to feed on flower nectar and to roost together at night. At the Mexico wintering sites, butterflies roost in trees and form huge aggregations that may have millions of individuals. During the winter the butterflies may take moisture and flower nectar during warm days. Most have mated before they leave for the north in the spring, and females lay eggs along the way. Residents of tropical areas do not migrate but appear to make altitude changes during the dry season. |
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| Firefly: | The firefly (also known as the lightning bug) is a common firefly
in North America. This partly nocturnal, luminescent beetle is the most
common firefly in the USA. The Firefly's Glow: At night, the very end (the last abdominal segment) of the firefly glows a bright yellow-green color. The firefly can control this glowing effect. The brightness of a single firefly is 1/40 of a candle. Fireflies use their glow to attract other fireflies. Males flash about every five seconds; females flash about every two seconds. This firefly is harvested by the biochemical industry for the organic compunds luciferin (which is the chemical the firefly uses for its bioluminescence). Anatomy: This flying insect is about 0.75 inch (2 cm) long. It is mostly black, with two red spots on the head cover; the wing covers and head covers are lined in yellow. Like all insects, it has a hard exoskeleton, six jointed legs, two antennae, compound eyes, and a body divided into three parts (the head, thorax, and abdomen). Diet: Both the adults and the larvae are carnivores (meat-eaters). They eat other insects (including other fireflies), insect larvae, and snails. Classification: Order Coleoptera, Family Lampyridae, Genus Photinus, Species pyralis. |
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| LadyBug: | Everyone knows the ladybug, but do you know the Ladybird Beetle?
This is the true name of this beautiful insect. Ladybug is just a
nickname. |
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| Earthworm: | Earthworm is a common name referering to a segmented worm, phylum
Annelida, class Oligochaeta, order Opisthopora. There are over 2,200
species known worldwide, existing everywhere but Arctic and arid climates.
They range in size from two centimeters (about one inch) to over three
meters (eleven feet). A common type of earthworm is brownish red, with
one thick band of flesh, and a total length of a few centimeters. Earthworms live by burrowing underground in soil containing organic materials, which they help to decompose. The worm eats soil as it burrows. The soil is ground up, digested, and the waste deposited behind the worm. This process aerates and mixes the soil, and is often considered greatly helpful by gardeners and farmers. Because a high level of organic matter is associated with soil fertility, an abundance of earthworms is a happy sight for a gardener. Earthworms are hermaphrodites, but cross-fertilize, and lay cocoons, from which small but otherwise adult earthworms are born. Various species of earthworms are used in vermiculture, the practice of feeding organic waste to earthworms to decompose (digest) it, a form of composting by the use of worms. One often sees earthworms come to the surface in large numbers after a rainstorm. They are not leaving the ground to escape drowning as the popular misconception holds, for earthworms do not drown easily. They come to the surface to mate. |
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| Honey Bee: | Honeybees have dark brown bodies with dark bands toward the rear
of their reddish-brown abdomens. They have a stinger but can only
use it once to sting. Once the stinger has been imbedded in something
– or someone – when the honeybee attempts to remove it,
the stinger is left in the victim. It is not long until the honeybee
dies. Scientists began to understand how honeybees live in the mid-
1800s. Improvements in the breeding of captive honeybees occurred
between 1850 and 1890. There are three types of honeybees within a
hive: the queen, the drone and the worker. The queen is a large female.
She is the only one in the hive who will breed and lay eggs. She can
lay up to 1,500 eggs per day or 200,000 eggs per year. The drones
are male bees that mate with the queen. It is their only job. The
worker honeybees have the hardest jobs of all in, and out of, the
hive. |
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Key to the Common Bird Species
