Ohhhhhhhhhhhh Margaret. Words can not describe. Those ears are sooooo huge! And all the HAIR in them; my goodness. Look at the pretty eyelashes. And, and, and those eyes. They certainly seem to be communicating to you don't they? Like, Hi old friend. I know you. And I sense you mean me no harm. And I'm just as curious about you as you area about me. I love their noses too!
You're right, she is gorgeous; not a mar on her either. I'd like to rub my nose in the hair in her ears.
There are individual animals whom I believe commune with individual people on a level apart from the norm. I believe she is doing just that with you & vice versa.

Thank you Ann, I'm sure there are people that would say I am nuts, but I did feel like we were communicating, It was a wonderful and most unusual experience.

Such trust doesn't exist with the deer here. People shoot them. I know that. So if they could talk, it'd be more like "I like the food around here, I haven't seen you do anything bad to deer, but I don't trust you."

Lets face it , deer hunting is a fact of life, that's just the way it is, and I have no problem with that, I have eaten venison when It has been given to us. But it seems like the deer that frequent the town are almost pets, and nobody seems to bother them.

mcash70 said:Thank you Ann, I'm sure there are people that would say I am nuts, but I did feel like we were communicating, It was a wonderful and most unusual experience.

I know the feeling b/c we had a mama cottontail who for 9 years nested & raised her babies in our yard. I don't care if people say I'm nuts; I know what was being said between us. We communicated just as if we were speaking English words. Heck, I would tell her to get out of my cosmos bed & stop eating them & she WOULD! She hopped up to the back porch & 2 feet from me, stared long & hard, eyes to eyes; telling me she was going to take a break & leave the yard for a while & was putting the babies in my care. We got to watch her nurse her babies. Just like puppies they were; rolling on their backs & sucking for all they were worth.

It IS a wonderful & most unusual experience & one feels so privileged when it happens.

Ann, that must have been a wonderful experience as well, so beautiful that the cottontails trusted you so much to let you witness the raising of the babies and to let you watch over them while she was away.

Love everyones pictures. Looks like we all have our "Critters". Some we do not mind, yet others can be very harmful. I was told that this snake that was on my riverbank is venemous. I garden with my bare hand all the time. Does anyone have a clue what kind it is? I tried to look up snakes for Northern Illinois, but I did not match it up with some of the pictures I saw on the net. I live right on the river. Now, they even find therr way to our back yard. Found one just like this one steeling from the bird nest. Does anyone know where to go on the net where you can load a picture for id and it will find a match? Thanks all. Marsha

Looks like a non-venomous water snake. Not sure exactly which.

doglover, I think the last link is your best bet. You have to scroll down to the snake section. You may have to click on each name to come up with a photo & ID it. I don not believe your snake is a poisonous one however b/c of the size & shape of the head --- but don't take my word for it.


http://www.discoverlife.org/20...

http://www.pitt.edu/~mcs2/herp...

http://www.reptileknowledge.co...

http://www.inhs.illinois.edu/c...

That's what I was thinking Jay. But it's best if doglover looks for herself as photos are only just so good. doglover, also remember the color & shine can be quite different depending on whether the snake has recently molted or is about to molt --- even time of year can make a big diff. If you find something that sort of looks like it then google for more photos & you may see that particular snake at diff. ages & molt status.

There are only 4 species of poisonous snake in Illinois.
http://www.dnr.state.il.us/edu...

Here are links to photos of each.
cottonmouth(Agkistrodon piscivorus)
https://www.google.com/search?...

eastern massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus)
https://www.google.com/search?...

copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix)
https://www.google.com/search?...

timber rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus)
https://www.google.com/search?...

I'm no expert, but it looks pretty similar to the rat snakes we have here. Rat snakes are nonpoisonous. From time to time somebody in the general area will say they saw a rattler or they killed a rattler. I tend to not believe them, since many don't know the difference between the two. I've never seen a rattlesnake anywhere close to where I live.

I have been led to believe that the pupils of a venomous snake are "slits" and non-venomous are round.

This is the Texas version of rat snake Doesn't that look similar?
http://www.houstonherp.com/TxR...

gingin said:I have been led to believe that the pupils of a venomous snake are "slits" and non-venomous are round.

That's pretty much what I read every where I went last night Ginger as well as the "rule" I've heard all my life. And the head on that snake does not fit the poisonous type.

And yes, Linda, there is a strong similarity.

Young 'baby bunnies in our yard!

We have two of them! One hangs out in back yard and one in the front yard!

Here are some pics I took of the one in the front yard. He/she was sitting on the steps of our porch when I took the pics in the evening the other day. The bunny hopped to the edge where our property meets the field in the last two pics.

He/she is an 'itty bitty' bunny! No larger (in size) than the length of your hand!

I was standing on the other side of the porch with a camera and the bunny just hopped out of my garden, so I was fortunate to get some pics. Haven't had the chance to get pics of the backyard baby bunny. The little bunnies 'run like a bat out of hell'! (very, very fast)

So cute!!

Yes, they are!

The one that lives/hangs out in the backyard is a tad darker brown than the one in the front yard.

They're so adorable!

Cutie pies for sure.

Just noticed that Dave added another new emote!