In May 2016, M. Mace saw a barred owl nesting in a tree crevice on her CT property.
Sean B. saw this redback salamander on his porch in Cromwell in May 2016.
S. Jamieson saw a mink while fishing at Bluff Point in Groton, July 2016. If you look closely you can see the white chin often sported by these members of the weasel family.
J Nicoletti of Sandy Hook had this barred owl perch on her shed in Sept 2016. She opened her kitchen window and got the photo from about 6 feet away.
K. Wakuluk was startled by this American toad. She was sweeping up under her porch and some of the "dirt" moved. She said it was as big as her palm. New Preston, October 2016.
I found this garter snake eating a frog in my front yard. Ledyard, Oct 2016.
K. Kniery had a spotted surprise deposited in his Southbury yard in June 2017. A mother deer will leave her newborn fawn alone in what she believes is a safe place as she doesn't want predators to follow her to her baby. She returns to nurse her fawn when all is quiet and often moves it to a new spot. The baby lies very still and has little body odor at this age. The spotted coat can help camoflage the fawn. Such fawns are often mistakenly thought to be abandoned, but mama is near! One shouldn't touch these babies as human odor can cause them to be abandoned. In a few days the fawn will be able to travel with the mother.
I looked out my kitchen window in July 2017 to see this 5-6 ft rat snake clinging to a tree. There is a nesting box (unused by birds this year) a few feet above it's head. I think it must have climbed up to check out the box for eggs or mice. It's on its way back down. Rat snakes can climb up to 40 feet. Their body muscles can use notched scales along their belly edges to cling to rough bark. Ledyard.
L. Somoza photographed this grey tree frog, (Hyla versicolor) right at the doorstep in Southbury, CT in July 2017. These frogs can change color to match their background, this one seems to be deciding between green and grey at the photo moment.
Even the most ordinary wildlife can be entertaining. I caught this grey squirrel dozing on the peak of my garden shed roof in July 2017. It made me laugh. Ledyard, CT
There were two very large female broad-necked root borer beetles (Prionus laticollis) on the tree trunk in my yard in July 2017. One knows they are female because of the ovipositors, from which they lay eggs, extending behind them. The eggs are laid at the base of a tree such as this oak. The larvae will feed on tree roots. Ledyard, CT
K. King photographed an annual cicada emerging in her yard in Bristol, CT in the summer of 2017. The famous 17-year cicadas emerge en masse every 17 years, but there are always annual cicadas every summer. They can be heard buzzing in the trees in late summer.