Pets/Wildlife

Nicole Tuzzolino, of Land O’ Lakes, noticed this ladybug on her crepe myrtle tree. Ladybugs are also called lady beetles or ladybird beetles, and are the natural enemies of many insects, especially aphids and other sap feeders.

Bailey is a 3-year-old Rottweiler that loves food, playing in the hose, swimming and her toddler best friend, Reuben. Bailey also loves playing with her sister Sadie, a King Charles dachshund mix. She loves cuddling and getting belly rubs from her owners, but most of all playing tug-of-war with Reuben. Bailey lives with the Hicks family, of Land O’ Lakes.

Betsy Crisp snapped a group of these ‘birds of a feather’ flocking together (ibises), on a neighbor’s dock on Barcellona Road in Treasure Lake, Land O’ Lakes. These wading birds usually feed as a group, mostly for crustaceans.

Bonkers and Lacy are both pure-bred American Eskimos. Bonkers is a 7-year-old male and Lacy is a 1-year-old female. Most of all, they love going to the park for their daily walks with their proud owner, Lisa Lionetti, of Land O’ Lakes.

Betsy Crisp, of Land O’ Lakes, caught this little cattle egret hanging outside Arby’s, probably hoping for some lunch. The cattle egret is a cosmopolitan species of heron found in the tropics, subtropics and warm temperate zones.

Prince is about a year old and loves water, going outside, playing with his sister, and playing with cat toys. He was found on the side of the road and given to his owner. Prince was very little, but healthy. He has a sister named Duchess, a Maltese-Pomeranian, who is his best friend. Prince’s proud owner is Abigail Wicker and her family, of Lutz.

Randall Grantham, of Lutz, has a cat named Skeeter that has a habit of bringing him captured or deceased ‘prizes.’ If it is a rat, it is usually dead. However, with other species, Skeeter somehow gets them to the doorstep fairly unharmed. He has delivered live lizards, swamp rabbits, flying squirrels, and even the fuzzy critter known as a round-tailed muskrat, a species common to the wetlands in the area.

Lottie is an 8-year-old Labrador Retriever. She is an ‘ambassador of goodwill’ in her neighborhood, as she always greets passersby with a wagging tail and a roll over onto her back to elicit a good belly rub! Lottie likes other dogs, but prefers people company. A little bit sneaky, she enjoys slinking onto her owners’ bed after they have fallen asleep for the night. Lottie owns Gary and Barb Clark, of Land O’ Lakes.