With temperatures barely above freezing and mostly cloudy skies, it was a chilly survey for our three volunteers this time. While we rarely see mammals, there are sometimes clues to their presence. The lower jaw (mandible) of an Opossum was one such find. As a marsupial, its teeth differ significantly from placental carnivores; for instance, foxes, raccoons and skunks have only 3 incisors where this jaw has 4. The bone is from an animal that died when it was about 4 months old, deduced by the presence of 5 premolars+molars. A 5-month-old would have 7 while a 3-month-old would have only 2. Select Photos and Complete List of Sightings: hoarfrost on leaf edge photo by Val Bugh Zenaida macroura (mourning dove) photo by Val Bugh Hemidactylus turcicus (Mediterranean gecko) photo by Val Bugh Didelphis virginiana (Virginia opossum, mandible) photo by Val Bugh Unknown sp. (gall wasp) photo by Val Bugh Unknown sp. (root maggot fly attacked by fungus) photo by Val Bugh Unknown sp. (gall midge) photo by Val Bugh Unknown sp. (mosquito) photo by Val Bugh Schistocerca sp. (bird grasshopper, nymph) photo by Val Bugh Eritettix abortivus (Texas short-winged slant-faced grasshopper, nymph) photo by Val Bugh Unknown sp. (gall-like scale) photo by Val Bugh Unknown sp. (wolf spider) photo by Val Bugh Eurema nicippe (sleepy orange) photo by Val Bugh Birds: American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) Spotted Towhee (Pipilo maculatus) White-winged Dove (Zenaida asiatica) Yellow-rumped Warbler (Dendroica coronata) Mammals: Eastern Fox Squirrel (Sciurus niger) Virginia Opossum (Didelphis virginiana), mandible Coyote (Canis latrans), fresh scat White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus), fresh tracks Reptiles: Mediterranean Gecko (Hemidactylus turcicus) Insects & Spiders: order family genus/species common name lepidoptera   pieridae   Eurema nicippe   Sleepy Orange homoptera   kermesidae   Unknown sp.   Gall-like Scale hymenoptera   cynipidae   Unknown sp.   Gall Wasp diptera   limoniidae   Unknown sp.   Crane Fly    culicidae   Unknown sp.   Mosquito    anthomyiidae   Unknown sp.   Root Maggot Fly    cecidomyiidae   Unknown sp.   Gall Midge orthoptera   acrididae   Eritettix abortivus   Texas Short-winged Slant-faced Grasshopper (nymph)       Schistocerca sp.   Bird Grasshopper (nymph) araneae   lycosidae   Unknown sp.   Wolf Spider       Rabidosa rabida   Rabid Wolf Spider (immature)