Javelinas
This morning has been pleasant as I caught up on several blogs I enjoy reading. I need to spend some quality time with my own blog, however. There is plenty of "Life in Arizona" news to report, not the least of which is JAVELINAS!!! Nature in this place is wonderful and weird, to say the least. As if it isn't enough to have fascinating (and scary) bugs learn about, we also have to be on the lookout for these big ol' wild boars that roam the neighborhood. LBK and I were enjoying an evening walk last Sunday when we spotted two large four-legged creatures down the road ahead of us. "Odd looking dogs," I thought....and then realized what they really were. Javelinas can be aggressive, so we turned around and headed home another way.
Scorpions
That same night, I spied a small scorpion skittering across our sidewalk. It was curling and uncurling his "tail" (the stinger!), which was how I recognized what he was. This one was small, but PapaShep saw a much bigger one crossing the street near LBK's house last week. They're intriguing creatures - from a distance - but I don't desire to ever have a close encounter with one. KK's secretary was stung by one a couple weeks ago while walking barefoot. Don't forget to slip on those flip-flops if you're going outside in the dark!
Lizards
We have recently been developing techniques to chase lizards out of the house. Last month, on two separate occasions, we had to herd a little critter out of the living room after leaving the patio or laundry room doors propped while making repeated trips in and out of the house. It was hilarious and I think we could have won a prize on America's Funniest Videos, if only someone had been there with a camcorder. Some of you may remember the reputation we earned back in Michigan for our amazing ability to remove bats from our house and camper. In many respects, herding lizards is easier, and not as noisy since I don't scream as much while chasing lizards as I do while dodging bats in a pop-up camper. However you look at it, it's an adventure and now we have a new skill we didn't know we'd need when we packed up headed to the beautiful southwest.
Snakes
"Snakes? Snakes.....I don't know no snakes." Remember that line from Home Alone? I'm not a fan of snakes, though I understand that they have a purpose in this world. We had a lesson in snakes last month that was amazingly interesting. After meeting a pretty little snake (yes, I said "pretty") slithering across the sidewalk at LBK's house, I decided to try to identify it. He was quite small, shiny, and almost "silvery." I found some info which seems to identify the snake I saw: http://pick4.pick.uga.edu/mp/20q?search=Sonora+semiannulata&guide=Snakes
What was so interesting was the number of color variations found in the same snake. Who knew?? I surely didn't, but now you do, too! They are supposedly frequent "visitors" to Phoenix suburban yards, and hey, guess what - they eat scorpions, so LB and I decided we were happy to have them in the 'hood.
