DH has been taking the tiny torts out to the tall grass every sunny day the last month or so, and they have prospered by this. Milagro, always the best eater, is three times the size of her next closest little brother, well, her only surviving clutch mate. They both have brown eyes.
Dusty likes to eat these (photo below) and Dandelions while his giant sibling, seizing the main chance, eats only mallow and Dandelions.
We have only two green eyed Torts, Poko Ono, the mother, and Lucky, her son, who is now 22 years old. He was born in September of 1991. Lucky is now big enough to fight back when attacked by his father, Churchy, who gave him a devil of a time the last 20 odd years. Churchy still tries to intimidate his son, but the Big Birds (DH and I) have always picked him up and gentle tossed him away - or we turn him over on his back for awhile - so that Lucky can scurry off. Lucky and his mother get fed roses together because they can share without fighting but, since Churchy would rather fight than eat, he is forced to eat alone in a far flung corner of the acreage.
We've decided that since baby tortoises are so hard to raise to maturity, and that it is incredibly sad to have them die, we are not letting the mother keep her nests in the Roses. Five of these little bulldozers is enough for any urban yard, they will probably all outlive us, and if someone doesn't take them, the five of them will excavate the whole back 40 within three years if they are let run riot. They are California gopher tortoises and very well named!
Today it's supposed to rain, actually it was supposed to start last night. Early rains are good for the wild tortoise population as rain helps re-hydrate their bodies. Our torts sleep until it's warmer overnight, so we soak them when we wake them up. I expect they will arise in early March, so they can eat the mallow and other favorite wild herbs before those are gigantic.
And now, a picture of SoCal's harbinger of spring. The Carolina Cherry Trees are blooming!
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| Milagro, in the lead, is investigating an interesting but probable "fake" tortoise Dusty watching and waiting, likely thinking, "Shouldn't we run?" |
Dusty likes to eat these (photo below) and Dandelions while his giant sibling, seizing the main chance, eats only mallow and Dandelions.
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| Macro of Belly flower (Bad Photo) |
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| Macro of Heart shaped pods and a much better look at the flower. This plant is tiny. |
We have only two green eyed Torts, Poko Ono, the mother, and Lucky, her son, who is now 22 years old. He was born in September of 1991. Lucky is now big enough to fight back when attacked by his father, Churchy, who gave him a devil of a time the last 20 odd years. Churchy still tries to intimidate his son, but the Big Birds (DH and I) have always picked him up and gentle tossed him away - or we turn him over on his back for awhile - so that Lucky can scurry off. Lucky and his mother get fed roses together because they can share without fighting but, since Churchy would rather fight than eat, he is forced to eat alone in a far flung corner of the acreage.
We've decided that since baby tortoises are so hard to raise to maturity, and that it is incredibly sad to have them die, we are not letting the mother keep her nests in the Roses. Five of these little bulldozers is enough for any urban yard, they will probably all outlive us, and if someone doesn't take them, the five of them will excavate the whole back 40 within three years if they are let run riot. They are California gopher tortoises and very well named!
Today it's supposed to rain, actually it was supposed to start last night. Early rains are good for the wild tortoise population as rain helps re-hydrate their bodies. Our torts sleep until it's warmer overnight, so we soak them when we wake them up. I expect they will arise in early March, so they can eat the mallow and other favorite wild herbs before those are gigantic.
And now, a picture of SoCal's harbinger of spring. The Carolina Cherry Trees are blooming!
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I’m going through some stuff but I will peek in now and then and will be back when it’s over..