Issue 14 - May 20, 2010 Canyon Lake Butterflies

Canyon Lake Butterflies

Many, many years ago there was a nomadic band of hunter-gatherers that were foraging through what we now call the Hill Country of Texas.  In fact, they were camped on the north side of a river just above a set of rapids that marked the beginning of a steep canyon to the east.  It was late spring and it was a time of abundance. 

The younger women were wading in the shallows gathering fresh water clams and placing them in the baskets they had woven from reeds the previous evening.  The recent rains made it easy for the older women to dig the roots that they were collecting.  The older boys were spearing eels and fish in the river but mostly they were trying to attract the attention of the girls. The leader of the group, Trupp, left the half dozen men who were making arrowheads and wandered off by himself.  There was not much leisure time in his life but when he could, he took a little time to be off by himself.

Trupp slowly walked fifty feet up the slope to the edge of a small meadow overlooking the river and sat down on a rock outcropping, where he could keep an eye on things.  He noticed that there were imprints of clam shells in the rock and a smooth hole about 8” in diameter had been worn all the way through the rock.  He reasoned that the hole had been created by the action of swirling water and harder, small stones during a flood.  He had seen similar things in the river beds, but, he mused, “That must have been quite a flood to reach this high.”  Some giggling caught his attention and his eyes caught the movement of four little kids scrambling up the hill in his direction.  “Well”, he thought, “so much for peace and quiet this afternoon.”

“Tell us a story Trupp! Please!  Please!  Just one more!”  Trupp gave a little smile, waved the children up and told the kids to gather around him.  He liked to tell the children stories and, after all, he felt it helped pull the clan together.  At times like this, he let his imagination fly…….

“OK kids, listen up.  One day long ago, the Great Spirit decided to make a special present for His human children. He took up his basket and started gathering things:  he picked some green grass after an early spring rain, a yellow ray from the warm summer sun, shimmering blue light from the sky above, orange and purple flowers from the fields just like the ones around us now, and red and gold leaves from the trees in the Harvest Moon.  Then He added the whiteness from cornmeal, the children’s shadows as they were playing, and the black from a beautiful maiden’s hair.  Once he gathered all these beautiful colors, he used them to create butterflies. 

His children were very pleased, and the Creator smiled as He looked out over the fields and watched the human children dance with the beautiful butterflies in the warm summer sun.  Afterwards, he gathered His human children around him; just like you are sitting around me right now. 

The Great Spirit told them that the silence of the butterflies was going to be the most precious gift of all to His children.  Since a butterfly can make no sound, the butterfly can not reveal any secrets to anyone but the Great Spirit, who hears and sees all.

He told His children that if they want a special wish to come true, they must capture a butterfly and whisper their heart’s desire to it.  They must then release the butterfly unharmed.  Since butterflies make no sound, they cannot tell the wish to anyone but Him and they will fly to the heavens.  Since they are so colorful, the butterflies will easily be seen by the Great Spirit and He will be so pleased that the butterfly was given its freedom that the whispered prayers will be quickly granted.”

It was the oldest child who raised his voice and said “Trupp, is that true?  Can butterflies really talk with the Great Spirit?”

“Well,” said Trupp, “I don’t know for sure but why don’t you try it?  Take the younger children with you and see if you can catch a butterfly, whisper it your wish, and let it go unharmed.” 

The day passed; followed by many, many others.

Yesterday afternoon, my grandkids were playing down at the edge of Canyon Lake here in Mystic Shores.  I figured I would check on them so I went out my kitchen door, across the back porch and down my back steps to the edge of a small meadow.  I walked the hundred yards to the water’s edge and sat down on a rock outcropping, where I could keep an eye on things.  I turned off my iPhone and frowned just a little at the jet skis jumping wakes out in the middle of the lake.  I grinned, however, at the young couple in the nearby inlet who were bass fishing near the submerged trees.  Their boat probably cost more than my first home.

 I noticed that there were imprints of clam shells in the rock where I was sitting and a smooth hole about 8” in diameter had been worn all the way through the rock.  I guess that the hole had been created by the action of swirling water and harder, small stones during a flood.  I have seen similar things in the river beds, and I thought “That must have been quite a flood to reach this high.”   Some giggling caught my attention and my eyes caught the movement of my four grandchildren scrambling along the shoreline in my direction.  “Well”, I thought, “so much for peace and quiet this afternoon.”

“Tell us a story Grandpa Clay! Please!  Please!  Just one more!”   I couldn’t help but grin, waved the children over and told the kids to gather around.  I like to tell the children stories and, after all, it helps pull the family together. 

“All right kids, who would like to hear a story about butterflies?”

Clay

(Author’s note:   There are many ways of understanding nature and stories/tradition may be just as important as scientific names.  Besides, to quote a friend, a little whimsy isn’t bad.)

Issue 13 - May 12, 2010 Ironclad Beetle

Issue 13 – May 12, 2010 Ironclad Beetle


The sun won’t be up for a little while, so it is kind of early to be thinking about anything but the coffee perking. That leaves me two options: (1) sodoku, or (2) picking a subject for this month’s “Our Creatures…….”. It is too early to think clearly so I will leave this decision to Mother Nature.

I’m going to wait until there is a little light and walk out on my back porch, which is open to a field and Canyon Lake beyond. The first critter I see is going to get the business, meaning I’ll research and write it up. If I don’t see any animal, I’m going back to my sodoku puzzles. (I suspect that I will see some kind of bird, since they are so active at dawn.) Here goes…….

Well, that didn’t turn out as expected. I didn’t get a full step out of my kitchen door when I noticed what looked like bird droppings beside my “Welcome to the Lake” mat. I thought that strange, because there isn’t any place for a bird to perch nearby and I gave it a closer look. Lo and behold, it had six legs. Bird poop with six legs! Will wonders never cease?

There are more than 800,000 different species of insects in the world, which is as much as all other animals and plants combined. Interestingly, almost half of those insect species are different kinds of beetles. Amongst this wondrous diversity of beetles, I just found one that my readers can relate to here at Canyon Lake.

Allow me to introduce the “Ironclad Beetle” to all you fans who prefer Coleoptera to Cleopatra.

(Kingdom; Animalia, Phylum; Arthropoda, Class; Insecta, Order; Coleoptera, Family; Zopheridae, Genus: Zopherus, Species: Z. haldemani Horn)

This little trickster has a number of unique characteristics that make him a standout in the world of beetles, but first let’s talk about his distribution.

One source says that this species of the Ironclad Beetle is found in areas of “south-central Texas” and has been positively identified at Canyon Lake, Texas; Ames, Texas; and Georgetown, Texas. I don’t know where Ames is and Georgetown, of course, doesn’t count so I claim that this is our very own beetle here at Canyon Lake. We must not be selfish, however, so let’s share some information with our jealous neighbors who unfortunately don’t have their own bug.

The Ironclad Beetle is a slow moving insect, and it may be the slowest insect for its size that you will ever encounter. I placed this one in the center of a sheet of paper on my desk and it took the beetle five minutes to untuck its legs and begin to move. It then took eight minutes to reach the edge of the paper, a distance of about five inches. It apparently does not need speed to escape predation. I’m speculating here but I think that this slow motion routine may be an effective defense against some predators. Lizards, for example, often notice their prey because of abrupt movement. Anyway, the Ironclad Beetle has other tricks up his six sleeves.

If disturbed on a tree trunk, it will tuck in its legs and fall to the ground, where it is virtually undetectable due to its camouflage.

Its striking black and creamy white spotted coloration is also the perfect camouflage when sitting on the bark of our Live Oak trees. If, however, some sharp eyed predator does happen to notice it, it looks for all the world like an unappetizing piece of bird poop.

The beetle’s common name of “Ironclad” is appropriate and they are indeed tough. The exoskeleton (integument) is extremely hard and thick and reminds one of a walnut shell. I imagine that many a strong lad has lost a bet that he could crush the beetle between thumb and forefinger.

Ironclad Beetles are also unique in that they don’t fly. Most beetles have a pair of leathery protective wings called elytra that cover their membranous flight wings. During flight, the elytra are spread apart and the two flight wings are unfolded and extended (think of a June bug or a Ladybug). Our Ironclad Beetles are missing the primary flight wings and the elytra are thick, hard and fused together.

These beetles have not been studied real thoroughly so little is known about their biology or habits. They do go through the egg-larvae-pupal-adult routine and it is thought that the adults feed nocturnally on lichens growing on the bark of Oak and Pecan trees. Around here, the adults can be found in the summer on the outer walls of homes in wooded areas. They are long lived and have been known to survive for seven years in captivity.

Our Ironclad Beetle has no medical or economic importance that I can find. However, while most non-economically important insects do not carry a common name, the Entomological Society of America has honored this beetle by officially approving “Southwestern Ironclad Beetle”. It is also the symbol of the Southwestern Entomological Society, a regional society of insect scientists.

I think it is nice that they choose “Our” very own beetle as their symbol.






Clay

Issue 12 - April 8, 2010 Venomous Snakes

Issue 12 - April 8, 2010 Venomous Snakes

Nature at a Distance

Spring is busting out around us right now and many of us are outside a lot, getting the yards ship-shape, spreading the mulch, planting new annuals and enjoying the fresh breeze and warm sunshine. It is a wonderful time of the year, and the promise of Spring is truly the renewal of life. Don’t ruin it by getting bit by a rattlesnake!

We have, living amongst us, some snakes that will bite if provoked and in some cases that bite can be dangerous and even potentially deadly. This time of the year, they are moving out of their dens, basking on warm rocks and searching for food to nurture their own growing families. That increase in activity, coupled with our own increased outdoor activity, sometimes puts us in close proximity. Try to keep them at a distance.

If you are bitten (aka envenomation)
First, even if you are not certain of the species (i.e. poisonous or not), it's better to take the safest route back to your house or car and seek professional medical assistance ASAP. This is especially true when the victim is a child. The smaller the victim the less time it takes for the venom to spread causing serious tissue damage, even death.

Snake size and envenomation
Although it is commonly believed that baby or young poisonous snakes deliver more concentrated venom and are thus more dangerous, this idea is not supported by scientific evidence. However, the size of the biting snake is very important because the volume of the poison injected can go up greatly with larger snakes, and this fact plays an important role in the treatment of, and your health-risk, due to the bite.

There are four species of snakes here at Mystic Shores which are both poisonous and will bite, either you or your pet. That's not to say there aren't plenty of other varieties here which will bite, it's just that these other biters aren't venemous. The three most common types of venomous snakes that we (or our pets) might encounter are collectively called ‘pit vipers’ and this includes the copperhead, the cottonmouth and the rattlesnake. They get their name from the ‘pits’ on each side of the snakes’ face between the nostrils and eyes where heat sensors are located. They also have the common traits of vertically elliptical pupils (Cat’s Eyes) and more or less triangular-shaped heads. The pit vipers have retractable, syringe like fangs that can inject a poison that mainly breaks down tissue and blood.

Copperheads
Copperheads (Agkistrodon contortrix), also called ‘Moccasins’, are stout snakes with an average total length of about 30 inches. They have a pale tan to pinkish tan background color with hourglass shaped crossbands that are darker toward the edges. These hourglass shaped patterns are unique to copperheads and serve as a good indicator of the species being observed.



They are found throughout Texas and here in the Hill Country they occupy a variety of habitats. They are often associated with rock outcroppings in mixed woodlands, but can also be found in swampy areas and in dry arroyos as well. During the spring (and fall) of the year they are commonly active during the day, hunting the mice which is their preferred food. During the hot summer months, they are nocturnal and search out their prey in the cool of the night.

The copperhead is the most common of the pit vipers and is responsible for the most bites to humans in the US. Although venomous, it is generally non-aggressive and bites are almost never fatal. Like most pit vipers, these snakes prefer to avoid people and, if given a chance, will normally leave an area without biting. However, unlike other pit vipers, they will often “freeze” instead of crawling away, and many bites result from people accidentally stepping on or near them. This tendency to “freeze” probably evolved because their coloration and camouflage is so excellent. They are nearly impossible to see if they are lying in dead leaves. They will often stay still when approached very closely and generally strike only if physical contact is made.

They often give a ‘warning bite’ or ‘dry bite’ and inject a small amount of venom, if any at all. “Dry bites” are, in fact, very common with copperheads. Some studies indicate more than half the time there is no venom injected. However, a bite from any venomous snake should be taken very seriously and immediate medical attention sought.

Although anti-venom is available for copperhead bites, it is not normally administered because the risk of complications of an allergic reaction to the treatment is worse than the risk from the snakebite itself.


Cottonmouths
The western cottonmouths (Agkistrodon piscivorus), also sometimes called ‘water moccasins’, are larger relatives of the copperheads. They are normally found along the gulf coast area of Texas down to about Corpus Christi, but they are also found in the lower Hill Country as far west as the San Angelo area. They do well in swampy and marshy areas and, around our neighborhood, would most likely be found around the Guadalupe River and the edges of Canyon Lake. They might also be found near ponds or creeks and can wander a fair distance from water.


When young, the cottonmouth is reddish colored and appears similar to a copperhead. As it matures it gets darker, with lighter coloration near the mouth and lower head. Mature ones have a flat, chunky looking head with a uniform dark brown or nearly charcoal black body. There might be a hint of a darker pattern on its body, which is normally about three feet in length. The underside of its tail has a single row of dark scales, as compared to the double row on the underside of a harmless water snake. (This last bit of info won’t do you much good if you follow my advice about keeping your distance.)


The cottonmouths have a terrible reputation and you often will hear stories about cottonmouths dropping from overhanging branches into boats, and/or nests of cottonmouths chasing fishermen down the shore. These stories are myths because they just aren’t that aggressive toward people. (Only 7% of Texas snakebites are from cottonmouths.) Although they are predominantly nocturnal, it is possible to find one out and about during the daylight hours. A cottonmouth will normally try to crawl or swim away if disturbed. If you come upon one, keep your distance and let it go. Trying to kill the snake may only get it agitated and increase the danger. If agitated, it will rear up and open its mouth and show the write lining as in the picture above. (This is the source of their common name, cottonmouth.) This is a warning from the snake to leave it alone. If sufficiently agitated, it will bite, however, and this should be avoided if at all possible as their bite can cause permanent damage. Bites from cottonmouths are known to bleed a lot too. Their venom is not that much stronger than that of the copperhead, but they inject more of it more often.

Cottonmouths normally swim with their head raised out of the water and their body floating above the waterline, as in the picture above. In contrast, harmless water snakes normally swim underwater or with their heads raised and their bodies submerged.

Rattlesnakes
The Western Diamondback (Crotalus atrox) is the species that most reacts with humans and is the one responsible for most of the serious venom poisonings in the state of Texas. Bites are serious and prompt medical attention is always recommended.

These rattlesnakes are widely distributed throughout the southwest, and prefer semi-arid rocky canyons as well as nearby meadows. They are often encountered while climbing on rock outcroppings and cliffs. Sounds like the Devils Hollow Creek area here in Mystic Shores doesn’t it? They are frequently found near out-buildings and/or old lumber piles, as these are favorite hunting grounds for the snakes.

They are comparatively large snakes, ranging in length from 3-feet up to 7-feet. Their coloration ranges from gray to brown with darker “diamond” patterns along the back outlined in white or yellow. The “diamonds” tend to fade toward the tail of the snake. There are two prominent white lines on the face, and the tail is ringed with black and white or light gray bands.

The most distinguishing feature is, of course, their rattle and a new segment is added to the rattle every time the snake sheds. They do wear off however, so the number of segments in a rattle may not be a true indication of the age of the snake. The rattles are vibrated to act as a warning and it is a warning that we should respect. If you hear a rattle (also described as a ‘buzz’) move away and give the snake room to go its way, since the Western Diamondback is a stubborn fellow and has a tendency to stand its ground when agitated.

The Western Diamondback is primarily nocturnal but will be active in the spring during the daytime, and they are known to bask in the sun during the afternoons.

Did you know that the Western Diamondback Rattlesnake helped make culinary history right here in our neighborhood?

About 150 years ago, I think the year was 1855, Pecos Bill was traveling through our area a few miles north of the Guadalupe River along what is now Rt 306. He had been in the area to join the celebration honoring Bob and Pat Ermel for the fine work they had been doing in keeping the trails clear of Comanche arrows. Anyway, Pecos and Mrs. Bill were heading westward in a covered wagon pulled by a fine brace of oxen. Just as they cleared the rise above Devils Hollow Creek, a Diamondback Rattler ten feet long struck the tongue of their wagon. Well, that tongue swelled up so fast that the wheels seized and the oxen couldn’t pull that wagon another foot.

Pecos just strapped on his silver spurs, took his lariat down from the wagon, lassoed himself a tornado that was going west, and rode off into history.

Mrs. Bill muttered something about a “Durn fool!”, walked back to Buddy’s, had a cold longneck, slaughtered the oxen and invented Bar-B-Q.


Coral Snakes
The Texas Coral Snake (Micrurus tener) is secretive and elusive. Although not often seen, they are venomous and definitely found in Mystic Shores. The one pictured on the left was killed by a resident’s pet dog over on Split Ridge Drive on the north side of our neighborhood this past year.

Coral snakes are members of a family of snakes called the “elapids”, and they are significantly different from the pit vipers in many respects. They are not very large snakes, commonly about 24 inches long and relatively slender with small heads.

Texas Coral Snakes are most known for their striking coloration. They have alternating bands of red, yellow and black. In our region, the order of the bands is indicative of whether they are venomous or not, and a common folk rhyme goes “Red on yellow, kill a fellow: red on black, won’t harm Jack”. To be safe, all snakes with this type of coloration need to be avoided.

Relatively few coral snake bites are recorded, probably because of the reclusive nature of this reptile. They are not prone to biting and account for less than one percent of all the US snake bites each year. Most coral snake bites occur because of accidental handling of the snake while engaged in an activity like gardening. When confronted by humans, coral snakes will almost always attempt to flee and they bite only as a last resort.

Like all elapid snakes, coral snakes have a pair of small fangs fixed in front of their top jaw. Although their fangs are short, they have a tendency to hold on to a victim when biting, unlike vipers that prefer to strike and let go immediately. Any skin penetration is a medical emergency, however, and requires immediate attention. Coral snake venom is a powerful neurotoxin that paralyzes the breathing muscles. Mechanically assisted breathing and large doses of anti-venom are often necessary to save a life. There is usually only mild pain associated with the bite but breathing difficulties and ptosis (drooping eyelid) can occur within hours.

Every year there are one or two Texans who die from a snake bite. Many more undergo painful experiences, some with lasting effects, from the four venomous snakes that we have in our region. As you work outside this spring, please be careful and keep your distance so that you don’t add to those statistics.

Clay

Issue 11 - Mockingbird

January 15, 2010                                                            Mockingbird

Good morning to you!   Since I’m just sitting here waiting for my coffee to cool and the sun to come up,  I guess it is a good time to figure out what wildlife to feature in this issue of “Our Creatures”.

Now, I prefer to research and write up some critter that is suggested to me by one of our neighbors here.  This way it kind of ties us together in our mutual interest in the local animals that share our part of the Hill Country.  A couple of possibilities come to mind but one candidate rises to the top of my list pretty quickly.  It started a little while back with a comment by Jackie Kiehm up on Mystic Parkway.  It so happens that on Jackie’s early morning walks, she noted that she heard a series of tweets, warbles, melodies, whistles and songs that was striking in its variety.  If I’m not mistaken, she said that there were probably a dozen or more different sounds coming from the roadside brush and trees as she walked down the steep part of Puzzle Pass road toward Nandina Way.  “What birds around here”, she wondered, “could make such a variety of beautiful sounds?”  She then asked if I could investigate and perhaps write up an article on these creatures if I could figure it out.  Always willing to accept this kind of challenge, I took up the task and launched my investigation.  I’m not Sherlock Holmes, but this one looked too easy.

A quick walk one morning over Puzzle Pass was all I needed to confirm my suspicion, and John would be the first to agree.  The most likely source for the noisy attention Jackie was receiving is the construction workers building the new Richard Heller home near the windmill.  A medley of WOLF WHISTLES can come in an astounding variety and Jackie is a likely target for this attention.  Clearly, as she was taking her morning walks, the carpenters were eating their breakfast burritos under the nearby oak trees and wanted Jackie to know she was appreciated.  Case closed….  a no-brainer and elementary, you might say.  However, in the interest of being politically correct, couldn’t there be some other answer?  Isn’t there some other possible solution to this puzzle?  Well, it turns out there is.

We have a bird in our neighborhood, which is really quite common, called the Northern Mockingbird.  In fact, it has been our Texas State Bird since 1927.

(Kingdom; Animalia, Phylum; Chordata, Class; Aves, Order; Passeriformes, Family; Mimidae, Genus; Mimus, Species; M. polyglottos)

Most Americans, and certainly most Texans, will tell you that the Mocker has the prettiest song of any bird native to North America.   Its’ song is actually a medley of the calls of many other birds.  Each imitation is repeated two or three times and then immediately followed by other songs in quick succession, and Mockingbirds often have three or even four dozen songs in their repertoire.  If you’re interested, the following link will take you to a website that has some recorded songs.  Just scroll down to the Sounds category.

 http://ibc.lynxeds.com/family/mockingbirds-thrashers-mimidae

Mockingbirds sing constantly during the spring mating season, often even at night (particularly if the male hasn’t found a mate yet), and it has been shown that female Mockingbirds prefer males with large repertoires.  Throughout the summer and fall both sexes will sing to stake out their feeding territories and they have also been known to imitate other sounds that they hear, such as rusty hinges squeaking and dogs barking.   Their imitations are so exact that scientists cannot distinguish them from the real thing with electronic analysis.  They are noisy little critters but what a delightful addition to our neighborhood!

As if their singing wasn’t enough, their territorial displays make them the most noticeable bird in Texas.  Their audacious behavior when an intruder is spotted is almost comical in its intensity.  They will fly slowly around, then circle and dive on and intentionally harass other birds, dogs, cats or anything they deem an intruder on their turf.  They will also land on the ground and prance toward any intruder with legs extended, showing off their bright white wing patches.  They might not have the brightest coloration of our local birds, but they have the brightest personalities!

Their light grayish-brown back fades into a whitish breast and when their wings are folded you can see a touch of the two distinctive white bars that are flashed when they get excited.  There are white feathers along the sides of their tail that can be flared as well.

Mockingbirds are slender bodied, medium sized songbirds about ten inches long.  The wings are short and rounded and this makes the relatively long tail appear even longer in flight.  Their heads are small and their long, thin bill has a hint of a downward curve.

These birds are frequently seen sitting high on poles and overhead utility lines.  You might also spot them running or hopping over a freshly mowed lawn, but you do not often see them at feeders.

Mockingbirds eat a variety of insects, small vertebrates and fresh fruit and vegetables.  (Their taste for the goodies from your hard-won garden is somewhat offset by the amount of insects that they eat, so you gardeners shouldn’t be too hard on them.)

Mockingbirds range throughout the whole of North America and are one of the few birds found in every kind of habitat, from desert to forest to city.  They are found year round throughout Texas, and I’ll bet there are probably a few up on Puzzle Pass right now.

The next time I’m up there at the same time Jackie or one of our other gals are in the area taking a walk, I’ll listen closely.  If the serenade I hear includes sounds like “Oye, Nena!  Que pasa?”, I’ll know the source of the whistles probably wasn’t our wonderful Mockingbird after all.

Clay

Issue 10 - Texas Red Headed Centipede

Issue 10  -  November 12, 2009                Texas Red Headed Centipede

Indulge me here for a moment and let me tell a little story.  I’ll get to the point shortly.

A few months ago at about 1:00 a.m., that time of the night when I’m sleeping the soundest, I was awakened by a loud scream of “Dad!   DAAAAD!”.  Now all you fathers out there will know that this is a worse nightmare than Nancy Pelosi.  Nothing is more disconcerting to a father than having one of your children scream in panic, and when you are woken up from a deep sleep fear launches you into action.  The adrenalin rush clears the cobwebs in about two seconds, and I’m up and rushing through the dark toward the other side of the house.  Mind you that I’m naked as a jaybird and armed to the teeth by this time.

Anyway, just about when I realize that the alarm system didn’t go off, I meet my 20 year old son running toward me from my wife’s office.   He’s half hysterical as I push by him and I pick up on words like ‘Come ……  Look ….. Over there ……..  Foot …… I don’t know what ….’.    The only light in this room is from the glow of the computer screen where my son was sitting, so I flick on the ceiling light and look around.  I caught a glimpse of something quick and dark slither under the door into the adjacent bathroom.   I breathed a sigh of relief, laid the gun down (it’s heavy and I don’t want to blow holes in our new tiles) and eased the bathroom door open.  What I see is a sinister looking creature about eight inches long scrambling along the baseboard.   I had never seen anything like this before, and was a little taken back, but I reached over to grab it…….

I just had my first encounter with the Texas Red Headed Centipede.

(Kingdom; Animalia, Phylum; Arthropoda, Class; Chilopoda, Order; Scolopendromorpha, Family; Scolopendridae, Genus: Scolopendra, Species: S. Heros)

I love our wildlife here in Mystic Shores, I surely do, but I hate these damn things and I take them as proof positive that God has a sense of humor.   Why else would He create the Texas Red Headed Centipede?  They are scary, creepy, fast, elusive and poisonous, with a fierce and aggressive personality to match.

These little monsters are the largest of the many-legged centipedes and millipedes in the Hill Country, and often reach lengths of 6-8 inches.   The centipedes, incidentally, are distinguished from millipedes by having a single pair of legs per segment and the legs come off the side.  Our Texas Red Headed version has 20 pairs of bright yellow legs followed by a 21st pair of modified legs at the rear end that are black with yellow tips.  (Interestingly, all of the three thousand or so different species of centipedes have an odd number of pairs of legs.  You will find them with 15 pairs of legs, 21 pairs, 23 pairs etc. but never 22 or 24 etc.)  It is also interesting to note that each pair of legs is slightly longer than the set immediately in front of it.  This helps them avoid tripping over their own feet when they move swiftly.  There is no ‘stinger’ at the tail end but the front end is all business.

The head and first two segments are chestnut red and this contrasts sharply with the black body and yellow legs.  The biologists call this coloration ‘aposematic’ and it supposedly serves as a warning to predators that this critter is poisonous and is not to be trifled with.  If you look closely at the picture above, you will see two appendages that curve around the mouth area.  They are red with black tips and are called ‘forcipules’, or venom claws, or venom fangs, or maxillipeds.  These are used to grasp prey (or a finger if you are not careful) and inject venom from poison glands at the base of the fang.  The grip is quite strong and a full grown Texas Red Headed Centipede can pierce work gloves.  (I know this from very recent personal experience!)  The venom, however, is not very powerful and centipede bites are typically more painful for humans than they are dangerous.  The pain normally subsides after about 15 minutes and localized swelling disappears after about three hours.  In the event of a severe reaction or if you have other insect allergies, emergency medical services should be contacted immediately.

The Texas Red Headed Centipede, also known as the Giant Redheaded Centipede, is found in other nearby states and northern Mexico as well as Texas.  It seems fairly common in parts of Arkansas.   Within these habitats, centipedes prefer a moist micro-environment because they lack the waxy cuticle found on insects and spiders that help them to retain moisture.  Damp rotted logs, or thick leaf litter are preferred spots for centipedes to hide and hunt during their nightly forays.

They are ferocious little predators and feed mostly on invertebrates which they locate with their long antennae.  Texas Red Headed Centipedes, because of their size, have also been known to feed on small toads and snakes.  In captivity, they seem to prefer moths.

Sex for a Texas Red Headed Centipede doesn’t involve mating.  The male leaves a spermatophore lying around for the female to take up.  Although this seems a rather unromantic and random method of reproducing, it apparently is effective because centipedes have been around over 400 million years.  Anyway, after laying between 15 and 60 eggs in a hole in a rotted log, the female curls around the egg mass and protects and grooms the eggs from fungi until they hatch.  They are born in late spring/early summer and, except for their color, they look like miniature adults.  There is one downside to being a centipede mother:  some species of Scolopendra are matriphagic, meaning that the offspring eat the mother.  The young molt and shed their exoskeleton as they grow and it may be a year before they become sexually mature.  In general they are long lived creatures, compared to insects for example, and centipedes can live for a few years.

The one that ran over my son’s bare foot late that night while he was sitting at the computer didn’t live for a long time.  I grabbed it and threw it into the commode before he had a chance to bite me.  My last view of the first Texas Red Headed Centipede that I ever encountered, was as he was swirling down the toilet.  Good place for ‘em.

Clay

Issue 9 - Gray Fox

Issue 9  -  October 26, 2009                                      Gray Fox



Good Morning!    The coffee is going down good and it’s nice to be back.   I’ve been up in New England for a few weeks visiting friends (the foliage in Vermont can’t be beat).  Vacation is great but Mystic Shores is where we decided to retire, and where my wife Pat makes our house a home.  I know I’m living in the right place when I walk through the door and the comfort descends around me like a warm blanket.

Here at Mystic Shores, Pat and I enjoy some great neighbors and we are getting more all the time.   If one definition of a great neighbor is that they share with their community, then we have a great neighbor in the Lyons family over on Saga and Spiritual Pass.  Jeff and Katie have sent me some wonderful pictures to share with you all today.  These photos capture the essence of one of the most beautiful and recognizable animals that we have living amongst us here in Mystic Shores:  the Gray Fox!

(Kingdom; Animalia, Phylum; Chordata, Class; Mammalia, Order; Carnivora, Family; Canidae, Genus: Urocyon, Species: U. cinereoargenteus)

What a beauty!  It looks like this vixen (it is probably a female) has decided to take a short rest from raising her family and pose for us on Jim and Paula Rieker’s stone wall.  This is uncommon behavior because they are normally shy and elusive creatures.

Gray Foxes are found throughout the southern half of North America and throughout Central America.  They can and do live in all four deserts of the American Southwest.  The Gray Fox (also called the Desert Fox) is common here in the Hill Country of Texas and I frequently catch them on my trailcam pictures in Mystic Shores, on both sides of Rt 306.  The reason they aren’t seen more often is because they are nocturnal and hunt primarily at night.  If they do move about during the day, their coloration gives them outstanding camouflage.

Their fur is typically grizzled gray on top, with a white throat patch.  It is rusty red along the sides (which sometimes gets it incorrectly identified as a Red Fox, which also has black stockings) and the tail has a black mane and tip.  The dark muzzle is elongated and they have forward pointing ears.  All of these features can be noted in the picture above.

A Gray Fox is smaller than a coyote, which is the other wild member of the dog family that we have here in Mystic Shores.  A mature fox adult will weigh 9 or 10 pounds, with the females being slightly larger than the males.  They average about 36 inches in length with a bushy tail about 15 inches long.

The Gray Fox is the only member of the dog family that can climb trees!  Their strong, curved claws are adapted for gripping and this allows them to climb confidently.  When they leave the tree, they hop from limb to limb and then slowly descend backwards down the trunk like a house cat.  This unique ability to climb trees is useful when evading threats (domestic dogs or coyotes) and when foraging for roosting birds to eat.

They feed primarily on small mammals and rodents, and cottontail rabbits and mice make up the bulk of their diet.  They are an omnivore, however, and foxes will also eat eggs, insects, fruits, acorns and berries when available.  I have even seen a pair of foxes feeding along side of deer at my corn feeder one night.  Once, early one May morning, I observed a male Gray Fox moving east along the shore of the Guadalupe River behind my house with a large rodent in his jaws.  He had caught a ‘nutria’ that night, which is a marshland animal that resembles a small beaver.   My guess is that this male fox (called a dog fox) had been hunting over on Charles and Denise Pruski’s land at the end of Pacific Place in the Peninsula.  There are extensive marshes behind the Pruski’s lots right now, probably 20 to 30 acres of wetlands, since the water level in the river is so low.  This fox was probably a male heading back to deliver the meal to a vixen and their pups in their den.  It might even have been the mate to Katie’s vixen.

I say that the fox was a male because, at that time of the year, the male provides food for the whole family.  After breeding in January (they are monogamous), the vixen bears from 3 to 7 pups in March, a gestation period of about 50 days.  The baby foxes are blind and completely helpless for about two weeks, but the kits will begin to venture out of their den (under the vixen’s watchful eyes, of course) when they are about five weeks old.  The kits are weaned by 10 weeks.  Throughout this period the male is the provider.  The family stays together until the late fall, by which time the young have their permanent teeth and have reached sexual maturity.  The fox family then separates and the young disperse.

This picture, also by Katie Lyons and taken in April, is of three fox pups (there were actually four in the litter) that were romping around off the end of the deck of the Lyons’ home on Spiritual Pass.   This was probably one of those early exploratory family trips to familiarize them with their new world.  I can just imagine the vixen nearby, thinking that it was time to get the kits back to the den for their afternoon naps.

The den sites for the Gray Fox are often hollow trees, but sometimes they will enlarge the burrow of another animal into a 50 foot long tunnel with multiple exits and side chambers, used for food storage and to transfer the young, once a chamber becomes too soiled to inhabit.

Gray Foxes have been known to live up to 10 years of age in a zoo environment, but their longevity in the wild is certainly much less.

A Gray Fox can reach a speed up to 28 mph for a short distance but they are sprinters, not distance runners.  This brings to mind a sighting Tom Prosch, over on the end of Arthur Ct, had not too long ago of a Jack Rabbit loping along up the hill behind his house.  Now, a Jack Rabbit is about two thirds the size of a fox but can run 30 mph all day and 45 mph in a pinch.  They can really cover ground when they want and the rabbit that Tom saw was moving right along.  A couple of minutes later, Tom saw a Gray Fox on the trail of the Jack Rabbit with nose down and a determined look in his eye.  (A little literary license is being used here).  Anyway, twenty minutes later Tom spots the same fox walking along, on the same path, going in the opposite direction with tongue lolling and head drooping.   I guess the moral of this story is that the fox doesn’t always get the hare.

The fox has a two thousand year old reputation for being a sly and sneaky rascal.  The fables of Aesop and the lessons of Br’er Fox come to mind.   In addition, all of the Native American cultures have ancient stories based on the fox outsmarting something.   Most of us were raised hearing about what happens when the fox gets into the henhouse, and I still recall my mother reading me The Fox and the Hound.

Personally, I think that the fox’s reputation isn’t completely deserved.  To me, our Gray Fox is an exceedingly beautiful and efficient predator that has evolved to be at the top of the food chain.  That evolution has given the fox an instinctive approach to life that is more stealthy than sneaky and more clever than sly.  The Gray Fox is a great neighbor for us to have.

Many thanks to the Foxy Lady from Spiritual Pass in bringing this wonderful creature to our attention.

Clay

Issue 8 - Imperial Moth

Issue 8 -  September 22, 2009                           Imperial Moth


Good Morning to you neighbor!  I’m sitting here with Mr. Folgers (the red one, not the fake green stuff), and we are patiently waiting for the sun to bust out in the east.  I don’t think there will be much ‘busting’ this morning because the clouds that brought the rain last night are probably lingering around up there.  Hope so, because it will cool things off and I, for one, prefer 74 degrees to 104.

It is officially autumn here in Paradise and the recent rains have made it just that more beautiful.   Mystic Shores is pleasing to the eye at any time of the year but right now it has some special attraction.  As the light grabs hold, I can see that there is a hint, just a hint mind you, of the seasonal change but it is masked by the green that follows any rain here in the Hill Country.    Join me as I go out on the porch to take in the scene.

I can see six shades of green plants between my house and the lake.   I see rose colored tuffs of grass and tiny little blue blossoms in the path.  There are yellow flowers sprinkled everywhere, with wide swaths of them down by the water’s edge.  The water itself takes on the color of the sky so it appears light grey right now, with darker streaks where the wind has stirred it up.  It is a pretty picture and I just can’t help but grin when I see such beauty in nature.    However, I’m a wildlife guy and I’m wondering where the meat is.  Where is the beef?  Certainly my fauna can hold its own with all this flashy flora!

I read somewhere that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  I think I get that concept.   Since I can’t see the world from anyone’s perspective but my own, I’m going to write this issue of “Our Creatures” on what I believe is one of the most beautiful creatures we have here in Mystic Shores.  Behold the Imperial Moth.

(Kingdom; Animalia, Phylum; Arthropoda, Class; Insecta, Order; Lepidoptera, Family; Saturniidae, Genus: Eacles, Species: E. imperialis)

The moth above is a male Imperial Moth and the picture is life size.  (The wingspread of this fellow is over four inches!)  I found him last month in our covered pavilion area near the entrance to Mystic Shores on the south side of 306.   He was perched on the side of the mailboxes at 2pm in the afternoon.

This gorgeous creature is a member of the moth family that includes the giant silk moths.  In this species, the females are larger than the males but their coloration is not quite as striking.  The females have more of the ‘sulfur yellow’ and less of the ‘purple-brown’ coloration.  I think that this color combination is fabulous, and I don’t know of anywhere else in the animal world where you find yellow and purple together like this.  They don’t hide it either, because like all moths they open their wings when at rest.  (Butterflies are different, in that they fold their wings back above their bodies when resting.)  The color patterns vary quite a bit from moth to moth but, in general, the forewings have more of the purple color and there is more purple on the males.  This particular Imperial Moth also exhibits other classic features of the moth family in its adult stage, such as its feathery antennae, the eye spots, and heavy body.

Humor me on this…….  Squint at the picture above.  Do you see the owl’s face?  Do you think this might scare off a potential predator?

These insects are single brooded (one generation per year) and spend the winter in the ground as pupae.  The adults emerge once a year and only have a lifespan of about a week.  In fact, they don’t feed during this period and their mouthparts are reduced and non-functional.  The adults emerge between April and October in our part of the country.  They emerge before sunrise and mate after midnight the next day, if they are lucky enough to find a mate.  One way nature has helped them to find one another in this rapid sequence is through the use of pheromones.  These are chemicals emitted by the females that the males can detect up to a mile away.   Think of that……  this little insect can detect a mate a whole mile away.  (I can’t smell my wife’s perfume from a distance of three feet on a good day.)  Anyway, once mated, the female lays her yellow eggs at dusk either singly or in small groups until she has laid approximately 200 eggs total.

The eggs are normally laid on the underside of the host plant leaves.  Here in the Hill Country, the favored food is oak.  After about two weeks, the eggs hatch and the caterpillars begin their solitary feeding.

Interestingly, there are two different color phases of the caterpillars.  They can be either dark brown (and grow to look like a 4” spiny hot dog) or green (and look like a hairy, horned, green purple-people-eater).  Regardless of their fierce and strange looks the caterpillars are harmless, and all go through five molts (called ‘instars’) before finishing this stage of metamorphosis.  After they have completed their last molt they burrow into the ground and pupate over the winter.  There is no cocoon.

They are fairly common throughout the eastern half of the United States and here in central Texas we are at the western edge of their distribution.    You won’t find them in west Texas or the panhandle.  For unknown reasons, they are becoming scarce in parts of New England.

The Imperial Moth is perhaps our only fauna that is featured as a character in a novel.  Gene Stratton Porter’s “Girl Of The Limberlost” features Imperial Moths prominently in the plot.  The girl, Elnora Comstock, chronicles the life cycle of the Imperial Moth and her growing discovery of nature is reflected in her childhood fascination with the beautiful creatures.

I can relate to that.

Clay