Do I Really Need Another Reason??

I gots lots of comments (on the last post) on how wonderful our backyard is. It is a really nice backyard.....to look at. You can't go back there. For a couple of reasons.

Reason #1- We live in Florida. Anyone who lives or has lived here knows that kids pretty much don't play outside a whole lot (and not simply because the grass here feels like shards of glass stabbing into your skin when you touch it...they avoid that by playing in the street..nice, huh?). They especially stay out of the woods. Why? Because of the Florida wildlife. We have fire ants. Never head of 'em? Consider yourself VERY lucky. Ever been stung by a bee? Ok, well maybe that's not a good example because I haven't...at least not that I can remember. Have you ever used your finger nails to pinch a really, tiny amount of your skin really, really hard? YES? Hmmm, maybe you should be spending some time getting some fresh air rather than sitting at your computer reading blogs all day long. Anyways....so the ground is COVERED with these fire ant hills. You are strolling along, minding your own business, when all of a sudden you feel a slight stinging sensation. The stinging begins to get worse. You look down and these little pests are crawling ALL over you. You start to squish and flick them and swat them off, but that just makes them angry and you end up with bites all over your hands as well. It's not abnormal for you to end up with 50 bites in a ten second period when they start to swarm. And they HURT!! The bites turn into these little welts that resemble pimples and itch like 5 times more than a mosquito bite. I didn't have a pic of myself when I was viciously attacked, but I found this pic on another site... Not pretty, huh?? Plus, we have snakes. Big, ugly, "hiding under the brush so you have no idea I am here until you step on me" snakes. Like this guy who decided to take up residence on my lanai. At least I know enough about snakes to know that he was big and black and scary but NOT poisonous. Know what to do if you end up with a non-poisonous snake on your lanai?? Use the hose. My mom taught me that. I just propped the door open and gently sprayed in his direction until he retreated out the door. Know what to do if you have a poisonous snake on your lanai?? Scream and never, EVER go out there again. That's what I would do. And don't even get me started on the alligators here. Oh, and did I mention there are black panthers around as well??

Reason #2- The second reason for not going back into those woods (as if you really need another reason) is that you would be taken out in handcuffs. It's actually a nature preserve back there and, by law, we aren't allowed to step foot in it. And I have to say I have never been tempted to be a rebel and venture back there (refer to reason # 1).

So, yes, it is wonderful to look back there and see the interesting wildlife it brings...such as deer and armadillo and frogs that "sing" (ask one of my children what a frog says and the answer isn't "ribbit." The first few times I heard them singing after a rainfall I thought it was some kind of bird).
I just went and found this on youtube....

They get so loud it keeps you up at night until you get used to it. It's actually really neat for the first 15 minutes or so.....then it tends to get a little old. But anyways...So I wanna know what sort of critters you all have to deal with in your back yards!!