You are lost

I added some new pics to the wildlife section, most of which I took today and I’ll talk about… now.

A big motivating factor in my decision to identify the creatures I find in my yard on a daily basis is some of them are poisonous.  Most are not.  Some mimic those which are, but are not.  My task is to know the difference, because staying the fuck away isn’t always an option.

For example today I saw another of those red and black snakes.  I was excited to have the opportunity to show you all what it looks like, so I grabbed my camera and snapped some pics.  I had formerly thought it was a Banded Sand Snake, but as I got closer and studied it, I found it to be a Ground Snake (yes, that’s it’s actual name).  As you’ll see in the pic, the Ground Snake mimics the Sonoran Coral Snake, except it lacks the yellow stripes that mark it as highly venomous (the Sonoran Coral Snake is native to this area as well).  As far as no option to get away, well, this Ground Snake resides in my front yard.  By my front door.  Between the foundation and the slab of concrete that makes my porch, just under the paneling of my house.  Fortunately it’s only a little more dangerous than a Garter Snake; it has a mildly toxic saliva that can cause irritation.  I can deal with that.

As you’ll see I’ve also found a Jumping Spider.  I think it’s simply an Arizona Jumping Spider but I haven’t been able to verify that yet.  I’ve also found the Black Widow.  Not really a new thing to me, but not a wonderful thing to find next to your mailbox.

I can’t wait to get back to work, if for nothing else than to have something else to tell you all about other than my new found nerdy fascination with the various critters I find.