While walking out to the ditch to turn in the irrigation water at 2:00 am under the Harvest Moon, I saw a critter scurrying my way. Skunks don’t see very well, so it got pretty close to me before it stopped and we had a brief stand off — long enough for me to sweet talk it into letting me get a couple of photos. The skunk wasn’t sure what to think about a giant troll talking to it in the middle of the night — it stomped its front feet and stepped from side to side trying to decide whether to scurry past me, spray me or retreat. It finally decided on a compromise and ran into the tall grass on its right. Fortunately, it turned out to be an uneventful encounter, but I had a difficult time getting a clear shot of the nervous little skunk as the shutter speed was only 1/5 of a second at ƒ/1.4. On the other hand, it was easy to get a clear shot of the spider that had built its web on the irrigation gate. It held perfectly still.
Off Center & Not Even 
One of our Stinklesby’s southwest cousins! I love these little smelly fellows. Always had a soft spot in my heart for them. Our little Stinklesby has been out and about under the super-moon, passing by under our window in the night. Sometimes leaves his business card, which wakes me up. Love that spider photo too! I’m having a good chuckle picturing you out there at 2:00 AM talking to that skunk, Laurie waiting with a can of tomato juice…. 🙂
Thanks, Lavinia! Laurie says she so used to me being out talking to skunks at two in the morning that it seems completely normal to her, but your comment made her realize the absurdity of it. It’s interesting that unless they perceive you or another animal as a threat or are looking for mates, skunks usually don’t spray. They are very active at night in our yard, but rarely spray. Every morning I see where the skunks have turned over the mulch, digging up grubs.
Our place is a like an airport at night with all the comings and goings of various creatures. I’m not sure which culprits are involved in irritating Stinklesby into perfuming under the windows, but they seem to aggravate him/her a lot based on the odor out there.
The mulch around plants does get dug up a lot, which could well be Stinklesby. Sometimes unearths whole plants, so I have put brick and rock around the base of my eggplants, which sufered a lot this summer from nocturnal diggings. I found Quail rooting in there during the day once. Well, healthy soil has lots of worms. As long as I can stay head of these guys…. 🙂
That shot of the web is incredible.
Thanks, Jenni!
No problem I always enjoy interesting photographs but I’m a shocking photographer so I just have to enjoy the one others take. 😀