The secrets in our yard

Half eaten cactus

We discovered where the bites of cactus that end up at our front door came from.

I wrote about a mystery in our yard with bits of plants and cactus ending up on our front door mat HERE.

I’ve had a camera on lookout to spot the creatures. I’ve caught a bunny, a chipmunk and a lizard darting by. It was mentioned by another blogger that it could be our courtyard forms a wind tunnel and it’s the wind blowing the bits and pieces to the door.

Ever since I moved the camera from the backyard to the front door, the little presents stopped. I think the problem is the camera’s light. The camera goes dark at night and when movement happens it clicks on video mode with a bright light. We caught one bunny and after that nothing. I think the light has scared away any critters.

The only videos I get of animals are in the bright daylight.

However, I did spot a half eaten cacti in another part of the courtyard in a pot next to a big rock. I believe bunnies climb the rock and help themselves to a cactus buffet.

Another exciting secret I found in our yard is hidden in this Elephant Feed succulent. Also in a pot:

Elephant Feed in a pot

Elephant Feed succulent in a pot by our garage.

quail eggs hidden in a planter

Isn’t this exciting? I believe it’s quail eggs. I noticed this because as I backed the car out of the garage close to the pot of Elephant Feed, two quails flew away. I hope they come back!

What treasures have you discovered in your back yard or home?

41 thoughts on “The secrets in our yard

  1. Nothing as delightful as your discovery, but while digging deep in the backyard getting ready to plant some grasses, I found an old empty gallon paint can buried, tossed aside by the builder I guess. Trash, sure, but still it felt a bit like a treasure.

  2. Quail eggs! Omg how cool!! Let’s see…when we moved the fridge we discover a bit of rotten baseboard that out building manager promptly fixed….

  3. That’s a lot of eating on a cactus! Somebody is sure hungry. I hope the quails thrive and maybe parking farther away from that side is called for just until they hatch. Five eggs, lots of possibilities for new friends in your yard.

    No real treasures here but I am learning that wildlife is trainable. I put out peanuts and sunflower seeds for the squirrels so they leave the birds feeders alone. I am moving their treats to a different spot. They learn quite quickly!

    • I looked at the quail eggs this morning and there are eight! I’m trying not to look too often! Interesting that you can train squirrels to leave your bird feeders alone.

      • Eight! Wow. Maybe I should clarify the training part…They can learn quickly where the stuff they really like is sitting and go there first but trust me, they will still check the feeders just to make sure I haven’t hidden anything good among the seeds πŸ˜‰

      • Oh yes! These guys are really picky as well- peanuts and sunflower seeds almost exclusively. I read that squirrels like dried corn…not the typical 4 that frequent the yard. They pass it by and look at me with indignation because it happens to be mixed in with the other stuff. I may have to cut them off entirely πŸ˜‰

  4. I have the elephant feed also in our backyard! So neat, the quail eggs. I saw a beautiful hawk this morning near our fence while I was out planting a few new coleus. I bought them last night from a nearby neighbor who had posted them for sale on Next Door Neighbor. It is good to meet those nearby with an interest in gardening.

  5. Ooh, what an alluring post title! How exciting to find the eggs? They don’t put them in a nest?

    Mostly I just find errant nerf gun projectiles in our yard… πŸ™‚

  6. How exciting to have quail eggs! We have magpies nesting near our deck. There is a tree cavity that violet-green swallows used the past couple years. I love seeing the baby birds.

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