Garden Visitors

[Silas_Sancona]

6 minutes ago, Foxpalms said:

If the pain lasted for 3 days it's likely in the buthidae genus.

 

..That would be the Parvorder / Superfamily rather than a specific Genus,  ...though Buthus / Buthacus ( Parts of Europe/ N. Africa ) would be one of those "lethal" Genus in the overall superfamily...

Specific Genus containing " potentially lethal " species would depend on the part of the world they inhabit.

Here in the U.S. Southwest, South, Mexico, and Cen. America, Centruroides  is the primary Genus that you would want to avoid being stung by.   While a few have been studied extensively, there are others where there is very little information regarding how dangerous the venom may -or may not- be. Encounter a Scorp. with long, Thin claws? ...anywhere in the Americas?  Leave em alone..

[Foxpalms]

9 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

..That would be the Parvorder / Superfamily rather than a specific Genus,  ...though Buthus / Buthacus ( Parts of Europe/ N. Africa ) would be one of those "lethal" Genus in the overall superfamily...

Specific Genus containing " potentially lethal " species would depend on the part of the world they inhabit.

Here in the U.S. Southwest, South, Mexico, and Cen. America, Centruroides  is the primary Genus that you would want to avoid being stung by.   While a few have been studied extensively, there are others where there is very little information regarding how dangerous the venom may -or may not- be. Encounter a Scorp. with long, Thin claws? ...anywhere in the Americas?  Leave em alone..

Where he is in Australia there's nothings lethal, however whilst not all of buthidae scorpions (largest family of scoprions) are medically significant, a good amount can still cause a painful sting worse than a bee or wasp ect. I think most Centruroides have painful stings but aren't medically significant other than the Arizona bark scorpion. Long thin claws can definitely be an indication, since most highly venous scoprions have long thin claws, however it's not always the case. Personally if I saw something with long thin claws I would take a closer look since I'm experienced working with scoprions, but obviously most people should keep a safe distance. Buthus can vary in venom strength quite a bit, so not all of them are lethal (and even the ones that are it's only usually lethal to young children or the elderly a healthy adult should be fine, if you take allergic reactions out of the equation). The specific genus's to look out for are would be Androctonus, hottentotta, Leiurus and hemiscorpius. All scoprions belonging to these can potentially kill you, the rest there might be 1 or 2 highly venomous scoprions in the genus but the majority can't cause life threatening injuries (Centruroides) for example.

 

[Silas_Sancona]

8 hours ago, Foxpalms said:

Where he is in Australia there's nothings lethal, however whilst not all of buthidae scorpions (largest family of scoprions) are medically significant, a good amount can still cause a painful sting worse than a bee or wasp ect. I think most Centruroides have painful stings but aren't medically significant other than the Arizona bark scorpion. Long thin claws can definitely be an indication, since most highly venous scoprions have long thin claws, however it's not always the case. Personally if I saw something with long thin claws I would take a closer look since I'm experienced working with scoprions, but obviously most people should keep a safe distance. Buthus can vary in venom strength quite a bit, so not all of them are lethal (and even the ones that are it's only usually lethal to young children or the elderly a healthy adult should be fine, if you take allergic reactions out of the equation). The specific genus's to look out for are would be Androctonus, hottentotta, Leiurus and hemiscorpius. All scoprions belonging to these can potentially kill you, the rest there might be 1 or 2 highly venomous scoprions in the genus but the majority can't cause life threatening injuries (Centruroides) for example.

 

While Bee stings are definitely harmless to most, There are at least a few fairly dangerous Wasp /Hornet sps. ..Ie: Warrior, Pepsis  Wasps, Asian Giant Hornet, ...the real sp., Vespa mandarinia,  not the miss-id'ed species which aren't as dangerous. 

As far as Scorpions, while yes, there are many more species which aren't a real threat to anyone except Cockroaches,  Guarantee there are more than " just 1 or two " sp. of Bark Scorpions that are considered highly venomous / life threatening..  AZ's species, Hentz, which is native to TX and the Plains, C. limpidus of Mexico, which possesses a potent Neurotoxic Venom ..and potentially several others from Mexico.

A study from Mexico: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28847707/

Those are just the ones studied. Since there are close to 100 sp in the Genus, i have no doubt they'll find others that are quite toxic when those are closely studied more.

There is also Tityus, < 220 sp.  Cen. / S. America,  which contain -at least- a few species that are considered to possess fairly / quite toxic venom. Related article from '09 discussing a new medically significant Tityus sp. from Argentina: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18983868/

 

[Foxpalms]

5 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

While Bee stings are definitely harmless to most, There are at least a few fairly dangerous Wasp /Hornet sps. ..Ie: Warrior, Pepsis  Wasps, Asian Giant Hornet, ...the real sp., Vespa mandarinia,  not the miss-id'ed species which aren't as dangerous. 

As far as Scorpions, while yes, there are many more species which aren't a real threat to anyone except Cockroaches,  Guarantee there are more than " just 1 or two " sp. of Bark Scorpions that are considered highly venomous / life threatening..  AZ's species, Hentz, which is native to TX and the Plains, C. limpidus of Mexico, which possesses a potent Neurotoxic Venom ..and potentially several others from Mexico.

A study from Mexico: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28847707/

Those are just the ones studied. Since there are close to 100 sp in the Genus, i have no doubt they'll find others that are quite toxic when those are closely studied more.

There is also Tityus, < 220 sp.  Cen. / S. America,  which contain -at least- a few species that are considered to possess fairly / quite toxic venom. Related article from '09 discussing a new medically significant Tityus sp. from Argentina: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18983868/

 

Most Tityus aren't highly venomous however there are a couple that are. The issue with "medically significant" is it will be a different answer deping on who you ask. Loxosceles reclusa for example isn't high venomous in my opinion but it doesn't mean it can't give a nasty bite. Centruroides sculpturatus and centruroides limpidus the most venomous of the bark scorpions are the only ones that most people would need need to seek medical attention for, however of course different people react to venom differently so a less venomous Centruroides could still cause bad side effects for some. Hentz can be fairly venomous but I personally would not put them up there with the highly venous scoprions. As for more venomous bees and wasps I wouldn't say any are highly venomous, but again could easily ruin the day and cause pain for a few days after. I was mainly talking about things such as yellowjackets ect.

[Rivera]

Neoscona oaxacensis? 

(Western spotted orb weaver?)

Maybe recently molted, or maybe it's something else. We have western spotted orbweavers around, and they all have different patterning. 

[Silas_Sancona]

14 minutes ago, Rivera said:

Neoscona oaxacensis? 

(Western spotted orb weaver?)

Maybe recently molted, or maybe it's something else. We have western spotted orbweavers around, and they all have different patterning. 

Tough call.. really young Western Black Widow can have similar marbled patterning on the Thorax / Abdomen,  As can Orchard spiders / similar spiders that occur out there which are roughly about the same size. In the first picture, can see what may be Pedipalps, ..the male reproductive / sensory appendage.. near it's mouth  ..so, whatever it is, it may be a male specimen.

Plant it is on an Asarum sp.?

[Rivera]

10 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Plant it is on an Asarum sp.?

Yes, on Asarum cauditum. There are all kinds of little flying things in this corner, so whatever it is, I'm sure it's quite well fed. 

[tropicbreeze]

It's a cliché but here it is: Frog on a Lily Pad.

Now how often do you see that? I can't recall ever having seen that before, until taking this photo just recently.

Litoria rothii, which also goes under a number of aliases, like Roth's Tree Frog and Northern Laughing Frog. The last name is from its call which can best be described as maniacal cackling. It's great when you're out in the bush at night and all the trees are filled with them cackling away like little demons. Some people are freaked out by them but I think they're great.

[amh]

It is time to play guess that garden visitor.

The location is South Texas, inside a gated yard. The diameter is about an inch and a half. I have a good idea, but would like others input on the likely identity of the critter.

 

Edited April 23, 2023 by amh

[Silas_Sancona]

3 hours ago, amh said:

It is time to play guess that garden visitor.

The location is South Texas, inside a gated yard. The diameter is about an inch and a half. I have a good idea, but would like others input on the likely identity of the critter.

 

Chupacabra perhaps?

On a less fanciful note, ..a " Pig-like" creature maybe??  Being within a gated area, i'd think they couldn't get through such a barrier though.. Hmmmm🤔

 

[amh]

35 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Chupacabra perhaps?

On a less fanciful note, ..a " Pig-like" creature maybe??  Being within a gated area, i'd think they couldn't get through such a barrier though.. Hmmmm🤔

 

With the size and color, my first thought would be black bear, but there shouldn't be any within a hundred miles. My second thought is mountain lion, but whatever it is had been eating bugs. I have found mountain lion scat along the same game trail in the past. It's not quite right for pig and the area would be inaccessible to pigs.  

[Silas_Sancona]

2 minutes ago, amh said:

With the size and color, my first thought would be black bear, but there shouldn't be any within a hundred miles. My second thought is mountain lion, but whatever it is had been eating bugs. I have found mountain lion scat along the same game trail in the past. It's not quite right for pig and the area would be inaccessible to pigs.  

" Pig-Like" = Javalina / Collared Peccary.. Don't think they can get past a fence though, ...so probably not.

Both Bear and Cougar poo would have more hair, maybe some bone fragments / look like "big dog" poo overall.. 

Raccoons ..or maybe Possums? might be another possibility since they could get past a fence / other barrier, and eat bugs/ seeds..

[amh]

7 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

" Pig-Like" = Javalina / Collared Peccary.. Don't think they can get past a fence though, ...so probably not.

Both Bear and Cougar poo would have more hair, maybe some bone fragments / look like "big dog" poo overall.. 

Raccoons ..or maybe Possums? might be another possibility since they could get past a fence / other barrier, and eat bugs/ seeds..

It's not right for raccoons and opossum; I'm accustomed to the fox, raccoon, opossum, ringtail cat, skunk, bobcat, coyote, etc droppings around the yard. The size is just too big and whatever it was had to be able to jump or climb a fence. I'll have to poke it with a stick tomorrow to see what else is in it.

[amh]

On 4/22/2023 at 9:20 PM, amh said:

It is time to play guess that garden visitor.

The location is South Texas, inside a gated yard. The diameter is about an inch and a half. I have a good idea, but would like others input on the likely identity of the critter.

 

I found two newer, bigger piles today, one of the piles had some more normal looking scat mixed in. I'm not seeing a bunch of hair, but whatever it is, it is gorging itself on beetles. It isn't smelly from an arms distance or more.

[Looking Glass]

13 minutes ago, amh said:

I found two newer, bigger piles today, one of the piles had some more normal looking scat mixed in. I'm not seeing a bunch of hair, but whatever it is, it is gorging itself on beetles. It isn't smelly from an arms distance or more.

I’m no poop-aficionado, but possums gorge themselves in my yard on beetles, especially June bugs, when the season fits.  

[amh]

27 minutes ago, Looking Glass said:

I’m no poop-aficionado, but possums gorge themselves in my yard on beetles, especially June bugs, when the season fits.  

I'm open to any possibility at this point. These would be about twice as big around as normal opossum droppings, but whatever it is, its eating bugs by the pound(s) per day. 

[steve99]

Male & female Grey Butcherbird.

[bubba]

Colorful drifter:

[Silas_Sancona]

....Bees
CA. Digger Bee, Anthophora californica.. Urbane Diggers also occur here ( ..and out in CA )







NoID solitary Bee sp.





...And a Wasp..



...Butterflies..

Checkered White





Bordered Patch    ..A little early to be seeing them in the Low Desert, but a sign of 2 good Monsoon summer seasons, and this years wet winter.





...A bird or two..

Gambel's Quail, Male.



White Winged Doves, harbinger of the summer.





Inca Dove



Curve Billed Thrasher, doing some yard-side Grocery shopping..





...And a Mammal

While " Tree" Squirrels are pretty much non existent in the low desert, " Ground- Dwelling " Squirrel sps. are numerous.. Younger, Round Tailed Ground Squirrel in this case.




..........



 

[tropicbreeze]

These are regular visitors during the wet season when my dam has water. A number of them come and go. This one came earlier in the season and then left. Just the other day it was back again. Call it "the comedian". It's bolder than all the others that have been around this year. Going down to the dam it would swim up to me and come up to my feet. All the others keep their distance. One day while standing in the water taking photos it came up behind me and splashed me with its tail, then took off. That's why the label "the comedian".

They've made the best come back of all the goannas since the arrival of cane toads. This one is a bit under 1.5 metres. Varanus mertensi, Merton's Water Goanna or Water Monitor.

 

[bubba]

Got another shot of this elusive fast one. I first saw these several months ago and thought perhaps they were baby iguanas. They do not grow! Pygmy iguanas?
 

[Hillizard]

5 hours ago, bubba said:

Got another shot of this elusive fast one. I first saw these several months ago and thought perhaps they were baby iguanas. They do not grow! Pygmy iguanas?
 

I think this is your answer: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/05/26/african-redhead-agamas-invasive-rainbow-lizards-spread-florida/5260831002/

[bubba]

Last one to know! Thank you!

[Silas_Sancona]

                                                                                                        Grackle on a Roof   ...Thats it.

[Rivera]

One of my least favorite garden visitors, the invasive Steatoda nobilis (noble false widow), hiding in the concave inner petiole of a mule palm. 

Their abdominal markings vary, but sometimes resemble a skull. This one is a female. These moderate sized cobweb weavers, originally from Madeira and the Canary Islands, are now all over the place in my yard.

I was bitten three or four times on the forearm by a male of this species before realizing it. Where I was resting my arm my have pinched one of its legs or else just been too close for comfort, so I would consider it to be an unintentionally provoked bite.

Like our native Latrodectus hesperus (western black widow), which these have reportedly replaced to varying and largely unknown extent in mild parts of California, they are shy and not prone to biting. I've seen these around since I was a kid (putting my hands in many unseen outdoor nooks and crevices) and this was my first bite from one that I'm aware of. That said, I got a triple dose of venom and it was actually pretty gnarly. Steer clear!

[Silas_Sancona]

That time of year again when natives from Pandora return to observe earthlings..








Great article on the subject of state level definition of " wildlife " and why yes, bugs count as wildlife  from the Xerces Society: https://xerces.org/blog/insects-are-wildlife-too

[greysrigging]

  Australian green tree frog ( Litoria caerulea )

[Rivera]

I believe this to be a tipula and not a giant crane fly on one of our cordylines, though I could be mistaken. 

A ladybug in its larval stage.

Just below it, a wolf spider bearing its egg sack.

[Silas_Sancona]

Leptotes sp, Possibly Leptotes marina, Marine Blue though several sp. are common here. Hanging out on Penstemon ambiguus in this case.



Hummingbirds, both probably Calypte anna,  enjoying the last flowers on Penstemon superbus ( Picture #1 ) and Dyckia rariflora, Picture #2.

[greysrigging]

My son's place and the resident golden tree snake ( they predate on green tree frogs )
 

[Rivera]

Lon melane/Poanes melane on the sunburnt remains of an old howea leaf. We get a few different species of skippers here, but the umber skipper is the most common. 

 

[tropicbreeze]

A pleasant surprise the other night, one that I haven't seen around for  while. Came right up to me, one sniff of my feet and it veered off sharply. Well, it was evening and I was still wandering my place doing a toad patrol. So hadn't washed my feet yet, didn't realise snakes could be so uppity about personal cleanliness. A Slatey-grey, Stegonotus australis. Until recently was Stegonotus cucullatus but they decided that was only in West Papua, and in Papua New Guinea and here we have australis. On web information they're reputedly very aggressive but I find them quite docile. I've been bitten by them several times but only when trodden on in the dark. They're non-venomous. I like them, but don't ask frogs their opinion, they're very biased for some reason.

 

 

Another one I found that night was a Chequered Swallowtail, Papilio demoleus, roosting on a flower. Only allowed me one shot then took off into the dark. Ironically, during the day I'd been out doing a bit of wildlife stuff and took a lot of photos of the same species feeding on the same species of flower as this one was roosting on, Gomphrena canescens ssp. canescens. I've added one of the daytime photos (not at my place) which shows the butterfly better.

A few more photos at my place during the following day:

Crafty Fishing Spider, Dolomedes facetus. Fishing spiders are a family quite common around the world. As the name suggests they prey on fish, but also other water creatures. I've seen D. facetus bring down a frog larger than itself. They will ripple up the water with their front legs blurring  the view of themselves and stick their fangs into whatever head comes up. Tadpoles fall for this quite often, but fish also probably think there's an insect fallen into the water.

And these are some of our flying mosquito traps

Blue Skimmer  Orthetrum caledonicum

Red Arrow  Rhodothemis lieftincki

Edited May 9, 2023 by tropicbreeze
Add omitted text

[Silas_Sancona]

House Finch on a Chain Fruit Cholla..   ...That's it..

[bubba]

Mother followed by the little one’s:

[bubba]

[Silas_Sancona]

...Still trying to get crisp shots of that darn Vermillion Flycatcher. Stop moving!  lol..



White-Winged Dove ...Possibly one of a pair nesting in the Ficus this year.

[Silas_Sancona]

The " Potato Chips " of the food chain ...and out in force this year.. Pallid-winged Grasshopper, Trimerotropis pallidipennis  trying to blend into the gravel, and not noticing the Ornate Tree Lizard ( out of view in the picture ) up on the back wall..  While they can be a bit annoying when they nibble on stuff ( ..haven't seen them eating anything in the yards thus far ) as mentioned, a majority of Grasshoppers are the high protein source for pretty much anything bigger than them that eats bugs, esp. during drier times of the year in arid areas ..That includes Humans ..if you're daring enough to fry 'em up. 





While some people think we have them in the U.S.  NO,   there are no " Locust " native to the United States.. Not any more anyway..  The Rocky Mountain Locust, Melanoplus spretus  was the ONLY " locust "  species known to  have live here and it went extinct in the 19th century. ..And no, regular ol' grasshoppers do not / can not transform into Locusts.  An experiment and  DNA analysis was done on some species to demonstrate that this does not occur.  ..As always, Science over fairy tales.


Seems at least some Desert Cottontail have adapted to busy / noisy " Suburban life "  I'll bet the one that i found in the yard / took to the desert to lay to rest  came from over here, ..in front of the Hospital.  Would be interesting to see how this one / any others living on the property handle the constant sounds of regular, day to day traffic, emergency response sirens / Helicopter traffic.








Photo series of two Sonoran Desert icons whose history has been intertwined for thousands of years.. Pretty much anyone learning about the region Ecologically, Botanically, etc quickly learns this significantly important relationship which evolution forged between the Saguaro, and the Gila Woodpecker over millennia.  While they aren't considered the main pollinator, ( Nectar-feeding Long Tongued / Nosed Bats are considered the main pollinator ) these woodpeckers do play a part in helping Saguaro create / spread the next generation. In turn, the Saguaro provides both a high energy food source, and a well secured home. When a pair of Gila decide to leave their nest for something new, other desert icons like Purple Martin and Elf Owls rent out the space.

Whenever i see Saguaro with nest holes in them in a Botanical Garden, residential yard, or Commercial landscape setting, i don't think .." ...Those damn woodpeckers " Ugh, why do those birds have to destroy my " Peerrfect " cactus.  Now it is hideous "  I see an intimate relationship that has existed for far longer than i playing out  -As it should.

A life-history so significant, it is revered by every indigenous culture in the region, ..and beyond.  Would be awesome to walk out my back door and be able to view at least year in the life of how these two beings do -what they do..

While climate-induced range shifts may bring Gila Woodpeckers to new areas where Saguaro don't grow / force them to seek new housing / feeding relationships / options, they will forever be connected to the spiny old spirits that watch over them, ...and are protected by them..

[Hillizard]

On 4/18/2023 at 4:51 AM, tropicbreeze said:

It's a cliché but here it is: Frog on a Lily Pad.

Now how often do you see that? I can't recall ever having seen that before, until taking this photo just recently.

Litoria rothii, which also goes under a number of aliases, like Roth's Tree Frog and Northern Laughing Frog. The last name is from its call which can best be described as maniacal cackling. It's great when you're out in the bush at night and all the trees are filled with them cackling away like little demons. Some people are freaked out by them but I think they're great.

Here's  a recording of its call:
https://youtu.be/1bniK_8jfP4

 

[steve99]

I managed another nice pic of a female Grey Butcherbird yesterday.   The male is more timid but slowly getting use to me.

 

[Rivera]

Neoscona oaxacensis (western spotted orbweaver)

This one is tiny - that's the underside of a narrow chamaedorea leaflet (not more than 1/2" wide).

Scaeva sp. (hoverfly)

Zoomed in and hard to capture with the way they fly around, hence not so crisp.

Some kind of looper on the back door. Autographa californica?

Spider species unknown to me, a hitch-hiker on a little howea brought to my garden from a friend's place. Small and crab-like.