Other adventures with wildlife

Well certainly in the last two weeks it seems I've gotten a short course in wildlife density and diversity. While Mike was still recovering from his oozing poison ivy encounter (it's just a flesh wound!) we were out picking figs one evening and I stepped upon a wasps' nest and learned right quick about insect defenses. While I was still wimpering, Mike comforted me by telling me that hornets would have been much worse (like being hit with a 2x4). When we returned to the fig tree, I saw I had dropepd my tray of wasps right on top of the burrow, and the angry wasps were buzzing around it like something straight out of a Warner Bros cartoon. The valiant Tar Hell hubby got a rake and gently pulled the offending fruit out of the way... minutes later in the waning light I spotted a slithering snake, which Mike identified as either a plain old rat snake or perhaps a copperhead, though he couldn't get a good look at its head (perhaps because his wife was yanking him at the belt from behind). Then, this past weekend, we were at the beach south of Wilmington, where though the temps were nearing 100, the water was in the wonderful 70s, and we were approached by... a porpoise! At first the fin really startled Mike, until we saw it breech and breathe. I'll leave you with a photo of a moth that came to die on our front porch. Mike's friend Bill identified it as a tobacco moth, which, what can I say, just sounds so Carolina!