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| I'm embarrassed to admit that I shrieked when this thing jumped on me. |
You know, I really do my best to live in harmony with the natural world. Yes, I do have to run the air conditioner several hours a day for seven months, but I balanced that out by converting the front yard from a water-guzzling lawn to a wildlife haven filled with native desert trees and shrubs.
I like to work in the garden all day in the company of birds and bees.
I encourage our spiders, large and small, to do their work of pest control.
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| Crab spider? |
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| Black Widow Spider - I've seen them kill scorpions many times their size (below) |
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| I really have no sympathy for these - I keep getting stung! |
I rescue poor confused snakes and lizards from the pool all summer.
I even put up with some of these pests...
But once in a while, something comes along that is too weird!
I was just walking around the back yard yesterday, minding my own business, when this thing flew right into my face. It was scary.
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| WHAT IS IT AND WHY IS IT HERE? |
When I recovered my composure - and when the bug removed itself to a tree - I was able to appreciate its beauty. The body is about 1/2 inch long, and then it has those crazy red legs. It really has the most amazing colors. It likes the mesquite tree. The closest I can get to an ID is that it may be related to the Giant Mesquite Bug,
Thasus neocalifornicus.
I've recovered from the shock, but honestly, I can do without any more surprises hitting me in the face for a while!
Katrina
You have some amazing creepy crawly things about your garden!Don't quite like the sound of the Black widow Spider or the scorpion I must admit.The canine pest looks a sweetie though!
ReplyDelete...also...have not the faintest idea what the other bug might be (obviously) but it certainly looks startling!!
ReplyDeleteEueew - my skin is crawling just looking at them! I have arachnophobia big time. They literally freak me out. So you have much more patience than me. On the flip side - loved the little bird and puppy pictures!
ReplyDeleteOkay, that is one creepy bug!!!! Like you, I would definitely appreciate it from a distance. But on my face? I would scream like a little girl!
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