The little guys

I've become enamored of the idea of taking pictures of all the creatures that live in my yard and currently I'm focusing on the smallest of my neighbors. These little tree frogs have been hanging out on a plant in a half wine barrel just outside my kitchen door on the deck. I've been spending a lot of time each day I'm home seeing what kind of creatures live on this flowering plant and have found it to be a whole little ecosystem. There are three of these frogs spending time there, they vary between 1/2 and 3/4's of an inch long. I'm assuming

that they are waiting for insects to come close so they can have a bite to eat. I haven't seen them catch anything but they seem very patient. Bees, wasps, various flies, moths, butterflies, and many unknown little bugs visit these flowers each day.

I've seen four different types of spiders so far and they are very successful hunters like this jumping spider with a bee. 

It was late evening when I got this image of a hummingbird, It seemed like it might have been tired and perhaps cold. It let me get up to within a couple of feet to take pictures and it's feathers were fluffed out. Someone told me that they fluff out their feathers to help create more of an insulating layer around themselves to help conserve body heat when they are cold.









                      
I like the way this images shows the wasp bridging the two flowers.












I was driving down the street in Ft. Bragg when I saw a raven on this railing out of the corner of my eye. I like the color of the banister and the building as a backdrop so I stopped and got out to try and capture some pictures but it was scared away by someone walking by. I got in the van to drive away, disappointed at missing the shot but then it came back and I was able to get a few shots. Just after I took this one it flew away.