Check the Dunny

I haven't seen so much wildlife in my house since I lived in the woods in Maine.

The other night, I spotted a possum family on the telephone wires in front of the house. They were just sitting above a treeling, tails hanging down. I probably startled them when I came outside. Yes, there are possums in Australia, quite a few, actually. And they seem to get along nicely in an urbanized environment. The last time I spent any time with possums was when I lived in Eugene, Oregon. There was a family living in the trees in our backyard then. And, I seem to have a couple of rowdy families that hang out in the trees around my house.

I'm blessed by three mango trees on the property, along with two stands of palm trees and some form of gum/eucalyptus tree in the front yard. I've already mentioned the hedges. Plus, there is some sort of bush that looks somewhat like a willow, and a waxy-leaved one next to it. Anyway, I think the possums like to climb around on the mango trees, wander about the roof, and I've even found some possum scat in the ground level/garage. They're a bit noisy at night, from time to time, especially when they are climbing on the roof -- which is corrugated galvanized steel.

That same night, I ran into a lizard that had gotten into the house, and was climbing around the walls. After following it carefully, I noticed it was near what had been a spider web. I'm guessing the lizard decided to take on the spider and the pod of young'uns it had left.

Not thirty minutes later, I went into the kitchen and saw something scurrying along the floor. I do have a problem with crickets getting into the house, but this was moving way too fast. I looked a little closer, and discovered it was a red back spider. These are notoriously shy, and also poisonous, so I was really, really surprised. I gave it a very wide berth, and watched it until it moved back outside. I sincerely hope it was not disturbed by the lizard and seeking a new home. I do not need a poisonous spider nesting in the house. Nevertheless, it was interesting to see the famed red back as close as I care to see it. There's a saying in Australia: Check the dunny. Which means, check for spiders when you raise the lid on the toilet. Apparently, a fair number of people get bit when they sit down and disturb a spider. Red backs are absolutely notorious for spinning webs in toilets...mostly in Western Australia and the Outback, but it could be anywhere, really. I'll definitely be checking the dunny before use now that I've seen a red back in the house.

The other night, when I was doing my laundry, I found a tree frog hopping around the ground level. It moved away when I started working. But, it was back by the time I checked on the laundry and worked on folding sheets. Eh, frogs aren't really a problem, at least, most of them. The only ones I really have to worry about are the cane toads, which are mildly poisonous -- mostly to small mammals -- have no natural predators in Australia, and multiply like crazy. They are the rabbits of the 21st century in Australia. I'm told they're easy to kill, but I hope they don't show up in the neighborhood.

I may just have to get a sizable gecko to keep the insect population down in the house. If all this animal life is attracted to or living in the house, I have to start discouraging them. So, a cat and a gecko might just be on the list for practical animals to keep around. This is a possible downside to living in a subtropical climate next to an open space.

For all the drama, though, I have to say I really don't mind it very much. So far, nothing has been really troublesome, and living in a place with a thriving garden and local wildlife has a lot going for it. The possums are really a minor nuisance, all things considered. So long as they don't come inside the house or raid the garbage cans, I have no problem with them so far. I remember living in Maine, we had some trouble with raccoons raiding the trash and tossing everything around...I used to have to clean up after them, and was I ever pissed. I have no problem with lizards in the house. Crickets aren't troubling, and most spiders are perfectly harmless and very beneficial in keeping the flying insect population down. So, all in all, a busy day and night getting acquainted with the fauna that want to share my house.