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Hidden Halloween Garden Creatures

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Are there Scary Creatures Hiding in Your Garden?

Is there a witch hiding in your garden? Has the devil walked through? Are there ghosts or death lurking under a tree? Are there creatures of the night roosting in the trees or living under a rock?

If you look around your garden you may find some hidden scary Halloween creatures like I did. For example can you see the owl in this photo?

(Photo by Vicki Sims)

Do you see the two red dots? Those are the eyes of a barred owl that I saw and photographed in my garden one evening at dusk. Pretty spooky, huh?

Perhaps you would like to create a garden that includes some interesting hidden Halloween residents. If you would like to be able to identify some spooky creatures or perhaps encourage or add some to your garden to make Halloween more interesting, enter into a garden of spooky Halloween delights.

Witch Hazel Shrub or Tree

Witch Hazels are an attractive shrub or small tree. There are 3 species that are native to North America and two that are native to Asia.

In addition to the species growing wild as a native plant in many areas of North America, witch hazels have been cultivated and are popular ornamental plants. They have clusters of bright yellow or orange-red flowers which are mildly fragrant. Witch hazels flower in the fall and winter when few other plants are in bloom making them especially treasured by gardeners.

(Photo by VickiSims)

WITCH HAZEL IN BLOOM
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Add a Witch to Your Garden

Grow a Witch Hazel

Witch Hazels can be either started from seed or purchased as a plant started from seed or a cutting. They grow in either sun or partial shade and are hardy and don't require any special care. Species native to your area will be especially easy to grow.

Witch Hazel

Products made with witch hazel

Many uses of witch hazel.

Did a Witch Leave Behind Her Broom?

Witch's Broom

Look up into the trees and you may see where a witch left her broom!

Trees infected with certain types of parasites may form a growth called a "Witches Broom". A witches broom forms when numerous new shoots grow from a single point on a branch. The resulting mass of branches resembles a broom or a bird's nest.. The parasite causing the Witches Broom may be an insect, fungus or plant depending on the species of tree affected. This photo is of a Western Hemlock growing in my backyard that is a host to a dwarf mistletoe parasite.

The formation looks evil, the name is spooky and parasites are creepy! Eventually the dwarf mistletoe will weaken the tree and cause it to die, so this is one spooky Halloween feature that most people would prefer not to find in their garden.

(Photo by VickiSims)

Or Perhaps Some Witch's Butter?

A Fungus Among Us

Witch's Butter is a type of fungus called a jelly fungus. It can be found growing on damp wood on every continent of the world. There are several species that are commonly called witches butter. Some are black, but most people think of witches butter as the traditional yellow species that looks like butter.

According to an Eastern European legend, the appearance of the Witch's Butter fungus upon the gate or door of one's home meant that one's home and family had been targeted by the spell of a witch. The only way to lift the evil spell was to pierce the yellow fungus with something sharp until it died.

(Photo by VickiSims)

Has A Devil Walked Through Your Garden?

Did he Forget His Walking Stick?

I don't remember ever seeing a picture of the Devil with a walking stick, but apparently he uses one. The Devil's Walking stick (Aralia Spinosa) is a member of the ginseng family and is native to parts of the Eastern US. It has tropical looking folliage and berries that are enjoyed by several species of birds. The trunk is often twisted and has some very nasty thorns which were the reason the plant was given its name. It often can be found outside its natural range where it is grown as an ornamental curiosity. I can remember my aunt and uncle having one in their garden in Washington State after my aunt planted some seeds given to her by a friend.

(Photo by Ryan Somma used with a creative commons license)

Want to Grow a Devil's Walking Stick in Your Garden?

Devil's Walking Stick Seeds

Devil's walking stick can be more like a giant perennial than a tree or shrub. It sends up a loose colony of spiny, ash-gray stems from a rhizomatous root system. Mature specimens may grow to 20 ft (6.1 m) or more and develop a few branches, but younger plants have just a single naked stem with all the leaves clustered at the top.

The stems are ringed with distinctive semicircular leaf scars which are lined with sharp, tooth-like spines--think of a cartoon bulldog's collar. The exotic, ferny-looking bi- or tri-pinnate leaves may be 3-6 ft (0.9-1.8 m) long. They are borne on long prickly stems and are themselves spiny along the ribs. The 2-4 in (5-10 cm) oval leaflets have pointed tips and toothed edges. They are dark green on top and whitish underneath, turning burgundy in the fall.

Devil's walking stick is happiest in a good deep loam, but it will grow well on rocky, sandy, or clayey soils and is tolerant of a wide pH range. Growth is luxuriant on rich sites, but the plants tend to be sturdier and live longer on relatively poor soil. Occasional mowing, cutting, or prescribed burning will result in vigorous new growth. Devil's walking stick is used in the landscape as an accent plant or for tropical effects.

Devil's Walking Stick 15 Seeds-Aralia spinosa-Perennial

Amazon Price: $3.99 (as of 06/03/2012)

2 to 4 inch, or 5 to 10 centimeter, oval leaflets have pointed tips and toothed edges
Exotic, ferny-looking bi- or tripinnate leaves may be 3 to 6 feet
Common names are devil's walking stick, prickly ash, prickly elder, and angelica tree
Family is Araliaceae, of the ginseng family
15 seeds

Devil's Walking Stick Seeds on eBay

Grow your own Devil's Walking Stick

The Devil Has a Club, too!

A very nasty weapon

If you live in the cool northern forests of North America, you could also find a Devil's Club in your garden.

The scientific name, Oplopanax Horridus even sounds nasty. Devil's Club is found in forests especially near a stream bed, pond or other damp area. Long the bane of hikers, the Devil's Club often grows in tangled thickets armed with long spines that give a painful puncture to anyone who makes the mistake of touching one. The Devil's Club is a relative of Devil's Walking Stick. They both belong to the ginseng plant family.

A Close-up Picture of Devil's Club

Check out the Nasty Spines

(Photo by VickiSims)

The spines of the Devil's Club are very brittle and break off easily leaving pieces in the skin to fester and become infected. Although the plant is reputed to have healing properties, few people who have ever encountered a Devil's Club would choose to plant one in their garden.

Is a Ghost Hiding Under a Tree?

Ghost Plant (Monotropa uniflora)

The Ghost Plant has several common names including Indian Pipe and Corpse Flower. It can be found in temperate regions of North America, South America and Asia usually in dark shady areas under trees in the forest. The plant is not a fungus, but is a parasite of fungus and is white because it contains no chlorophyl. The little white drooping flowers look like little ghosts. Ghost Plants are not poisonous but because of their very specific requirements for deep shade and the presence of certain types of fungus roots it is difficult to transplant them into your garden.

Indian Pipes Lack Chlorophyll to Produce Their Own Food

Ghost Plant also known as Indian Pipe or Corpse Flower

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Is Death Lurking Under a Tree?

Death Cap and Death Angel Mushrooms

There actually could be death lurking under a tree in your garden. Several species in the Amanita genus of mushrooms including ones commonly called the Death Cap and the Death Angel can be quite deadly if eaten. Species of Amanita mushrooms can be found in most places around the world. Many deadly species look nearly identical to edible ones, so it is very important to be certain of the identification before eating any mushroom found in your garden.

Photo: Death Cap Mushroom by Mik Harwell used with a creative commons license

More Death in the Garden!

The Death Camas

Photo: Death Camas by Peter Stevens used with a creative commons license

There are at least two species of lilies that are commonly called a Death Camas, the Meadow Death Camas (Zigadenus elegans) and The Mountain Death Camas (Zigadenus venenosus). These beautiful lillies are native to many parts of North America. They are usually found in meadows and can be quite deadly to either people or lifestock if eaten.

Spooky Plants in Your Garden

Witches, Devils, Ghosts and Death

Many of these plants with spooky names are native plants that you may have never noticed.

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Something Evil May Be living Under a Rock

A toad may be in the Garden

Toads have long been associated with witches and evil spells. Because of their warty skin and noctournal habits they have been associated with evil. Toads do excrete a poisonous liquid on their skin called toad's milk as a defense mechanism, but do not cause warts. Although toads have a creepy reputation, most are totally harmless and are actually beneficial residents of a garden, since their diet consists mostly of insects.

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Toad Houses

Better Than a Rock

To encourage toads to stay in your garden, provide them with a sheltered place that will help them stay cool during the heat of the day or keep them from freezing during the colder months of winter. You can create a brush pile with places to hide under some rotting logs or you can purchase a toad house which can also serve as a yard decoration.

Creatures of the Night Roosting in the Trees

Owls are seldom seen, but are quite common

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There is a species of owl living almost anywhere in the world. Maybe because most owls are active only at night and make eerie noises, owls have long been associated with witches, evil and magic. Although owls are fairly common, most people seldom see them. Owls are very beneficial to have in the garden since most of their diet consists of nocturnal rodents like mice and rats.

Help An Owl Find a Home!

Nesting Boxes for Owls

Some owls nest in tree cavities in dead trees. Since most people cut down trees in their garden that are dead, tree cavity nesting owls can use your help in finding a home. Each species has specific preferences for the size of the nesting box, how far from the ground it should be and the size of the entrance hole. Do a little research to determine what types of owls might be in your area and what they prefer. You can then either build your own box or purchase one.

More Creatures of the Night

Bats - One of the Spookiest Halloween Creatures

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What list of spooky Halloween creatures would be complete without bats? Bats have one of the creepiest reputations of all. There are over 1000 species of bats worldwide and a few species in Central and South America are actually vampires! Most bats in the garden are beneficial by either pollinating night blooming flowers or eating lots of flying insects.

Bats are quite common, but most are small and nocturnal so people don't notice them flying around at night. My husband seems to be a bat magnet. He has been startled while doing some outdoor home maintenance projects on two different occasions by a bat crawling out from a crevice under the siding.

Give a Bat a Home

Bat Houses

Although some bats live in caves, several species of bats prefer to roost, nest and hibernate in dead trees. Since standing dead trees are scarce, bats will try to find other places that suit their needs for shelter - even in the attic of your house! You can help them (and have a better chance of keeping them out of your attic) by placing a bat house in your garden and be rewarded by having each of the residents of your bat house devour hundreds of flying insects every night.

Is there a Spider Hiding in Your Garden?

Spiders Hiding in Their Parlor

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Spiders and their webs have long been associated with witches, spooky old abandoned houses and Halloween. After a spider builds it's web it often hides waiting for an unsuspecting insect to fly into its nearly invisible web. A spider's hiding location is called its parlor.

Although creepy, spiders are another beneficial creature in the garden which eats many insects. To encourage these fascinating animals, don't use pesticides in your garden.

Creepy Halloween Animals

Toads, Owls, Bats and Spiders

Perhaps you have some spooky animals in your garden, too.

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Learn How to Identify the Creatures in Your Garden

Field Guides and Books to Help You

Books and field guides can be very handy references to keep in your permanent personal library. Buy a few to help you identify the plants and animals you find in your garden.

Add Some Haunted Forest Decorations

Vote for Your Favorite

I love these forest faces decorations to add some fun, spooky creatures for Halloween or year round!

Hidden Halloween Garden Creatures

Are there Scary Creatures Hiding in Your Garden?

Contents at a Glance

Contents at a Glance

Is there a Witch in Your Garden?

Witch Hazel Shrub or Tree

Add a Witch to Your Garden

Grow a Witch Hazel

Witch Hazel

Products made with witch hazel

Did a Witch Leave Behind Her Broom?

Witch's Broom

Or Perhaps Some Witch's Butter?

A Fungus Among Us

Has A Devil Walked Through Your Garden?

Did he Forget His Walking Stick?

Want to Grow a Devil's Walking Stick in Your Garden?

Devil's Walking Stick Seeds

Devil's Walking Stick Seeds on eBay

Grow your own Devil's Walking Stick

The Devil Has a Club, too!

A very nasty weapon

A Close-up Picture of Devil's Club

Check out the Nasty Spines

Is a Ghost Hiding Under a Tree?

Ghost Plant (Monotropa uniflora)

Is Death Lurking Under a Tree?

Death Cap and Death Angel Mushrooms

More Death in the Garden!

The Death Camas

Spooky Plants in Your Garden

Witches, Devils, Ghosts and Death

Thanks for voting! Now invite your friends to vote.

Something Evil May Be living Under a Rock

A toad may be in the Garden

Toad Houses

Better Than a Rock

Creatures of the Night Roosting in the Trees

Owls are seldom seen, but are quite common

Help An Owl Find a Home!

Nesting Boxes for Owls

More Creatures of the Night

Bats - One of the Spookiest Halloween Creatures

Give a Bat a Home

Bat Houses

Is there a Spider Hiding in Your Garden?

Spiders Hiding in Their Parlor

Creepy Halloween Animals

Toads, Owls, Bats and Spiders

Thanks for voting! Now invite your friends to vote.

Learn How to Identify the Creatures in Your Garden

Field Guides and Books to Help You

Add Some Haunted Forest Decorations

Vote for Your Favorite

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