A Walk on the Wild Side

I have come to accept over the 3 1/2 years that we've lived in Texas that everything is bigger here. Last weekend, I came practically face-to-face with an example of that belief--a Megaphasma dentricus was hanging out by our garden hose reel.

Silly me was reaching over to unwind the hose when I noticed something not quite right on the wall in front of me. A six-inch bug was hanging out, just enjoying the shade in the summer heat. After a squeal or two, I hollered for Jerry to come over to take a photo of the unbelievably big bug with his IPhone. I have seen walking stick bugs before, but nothing like this baby.

It was HUGE. Okay, not Godzilla-type huge, but big enough to freak me out. I am not afraid of bugs; I just don't appreciate them the way they probably want to be appreciated. I know they don't bite. They aren't poisonous and probably don’t want to deal with me as much as I don't want to deal with him. Or her. I wasn't quite sure how to tell the sex of a Megaphasma dentricus or otherwise known as a Walking Stick.

This particular bug is a Texas version that gets up to seven inches long. Ours was pretty darn close. I wasn't going to get a tape measure to find out for sure. I respectfully left it alone to continue on its journey.

I've mentioned before about the bugs here--the freaky big centipedes here are disgusting. Sorry, but those really freak me out. The ones we saw were Texas Redheaded Centipedes. I kid you not.

Texas redheaded centipedes, or Scolopendra heros castaneiceps, are a subspecies of Scolopendra heros. They are one of the world's largest centipede species and can grow to be as long as 12 inches. Their heads are red, with segmented dark blue, purple or black bodies. Each segment bears a pair of yellow legs.

The Texas redheaded centipede can be found throughout much of the Southwestern United States, as well as in Northern Mexico. Texas redheaded centipedes prefer dark, moist environments and will take cover during the day. Rock crevices, leaf litter and rocks provide shelter, although the Texas redheaded centipede can also burrow into the ground. After dark, Texas redheaded centipedes hunt for prey; insects are their chief food source.

The tails of these centipedes resemble their heads. This characteristic serves to confuse predators. In addition, they are equipped with a painful, venomous bite, which can incapacitate and kill small prey and predators.

While the Texas redheaded centipede's bite will not kill humans, it may be extremely painful for up to two days. Individuals with known insect allergies may experience more severe reactions and should contact a medical professional.
http://www.orkin.com/other/centipedes/texas-redheaded-centipede



My son Jared said he saw a huge centipede when he was working at a Home Depot here in San Antonio. He said he heard it before he saw it. If it made him nervous, I can't imagine what I'd do.

I have a healthy respect. And a weekend doesn't go by when I see a critter I've never seen before. Creeping, crawling, slithering and scuttling around my yard--it's rarely dull.

I always wear shoes when outside. I learned my lesson the past Halloween when I stepped on a scorpion out on the driveway. Not an episode I'd like to repeat anytime soon.

Texas is only for the brave--bug wussies need not apply.

Agasga and Crickets

Agasga is the Cherokee name for rain. That's something we desperately need in South Texas. The first year we moved to Texas (2006) there was so much rain I teased that I was looking around for an Ark. It rained 56+ days in a row. The weather was perfect for breeding critters. We had an invasion of crickets. I mean hundreds, thousands, tons of them everywhere. It was most disgusting. There were everywhere--work, the bank and fast food restaurants. Crawling, creeping and crunching--it was almost enough to make a gal scream.



Flash forward to 2009, and we have heat and drought. We've had more than 37 days of 100 degree or higher heat. Now, I'm used to heat and drought. We had that back in California. I can handle it. It sucks, but I can handle it. At least, it's prettier here than where I used to live. It somehow makes it easier to handle.

I've come to learn in Texas is either feast or famine when it comes to the weather. Jerry and I are trying to become more "green." I bought a rain barrel and we are trying to capture all the rain we can to reuse on the plants. We are keeping the air conditioner at 80 degrees and have acclimated to it. My next step is to stick a bucket as I shower. Any water that winds up in it, goes outside in my plants. We are on Stage 2 on water restrictions. We can only turn on the sprinklers once a week, on a certain day for a certain time. That's it. If we go to Stage 3, we will only be able to water our plants once every two weeks. My yard and plants will die.

We need agasga here....I'm thinking of dancing naked in the back yard to tick off the rain gods. I'm thissss close. lol