Now, I'm sorry... but I just couldn't help but elaborate on the topic. Those that know me know that I love anything that creeps or crawls on the earth (except flies). I can't help but pick it up if it has six (or sometimes) eight legs (and I can manage to catch it). So here is the unwritten truth of what you will find on a week long excursion across California, Arizona, Texas, and New Mexico. You will see that Sarah did not exaggerate when she said "insanely large".
Those with weak stomachs and an aversion to invertebrates, avert your eyes....
-Jon
we begin with the humble tarantula. These guys were all over at night. Look how cute and cuddly! They are just like teddy bears with eight legs.
Ellie was the only one who wanted to hold it.
Lots of beetles! This is a blister beetle they bleed a poisonous liquid from their knee joints which can cause blisters if it gets on your skin. Lovely!
Red ants at White Sands. Are they fire ants? I didn't try to find out.
Green June Beetle. I used to see these often on my mission to Mexico. Children would tie thread around a leg and keep them as pets. The beetles would fly and look like little flying dogs on a leash.
Emma likes it.
These are scarab beetles, Megasoma punctulatum to be precise. We found these at a rest stop. They were all over the ground. I think they were dying. Strangely they were all female beetles. How do you know that Jon? Well, the internet told me. After a little research I found out what these were (although I guessed scarab beetle in my search). The males have horns like a rhinoceros.
When we brought cool bugs in the car the kids would fight over who got to hold them. Forget the ipad, forget the dvd player. The bugs were fought over! No bugs did not ride out of their cage while driving! All bugs were temporary captives and were released.
Tobacco Hawk moth. This moth was about the size of a hummingbird. HUGE! Also caught while at a rest stop. Here it is laying eggs in our upholstery before flying out the van door (I'm kidding). My sister refers to moths of this caliber as "meaty"
No this is not Satan's dog, although it does look like something out of a horror movie. This is a whip scorpion. Whip scorpions are not actually scorpions and are not venomous. There are claws on the front and a whip tail on the back. No stinger, no fangs. You can actually hold them and they will quietly walk along your hand. I admit I was not brave enough to hold it. It just looks scary. This arachnid is HUGE. put your hand out flat in front of you. The whip scorpion would reach from the tip of your fingers to your wrist in length. They are also known as Vinagaroons because of an amazing ability they have to shoot vinegar out of their tails. Don't believe me. Watch this: Slow Motion Whip Scorpion
The one in that video is super tiny though. This one was big like in this image: guy holding whip scorpion
To finish off the bugs how about something pretty. Look at this amazing pink spotted flower moth. Although not that large it was very cool looking.
There were many, many, many, more bugs that I did not photograph. We also caught a scorpion which I didn't get a photo of. I knew I would be in trouble if the memory card was completely full of bugs and not people :)
Lots of lizards! I got a few photos of some of the amazing lizards we came across. This is a Spiny Lizard we saw in Texas. It is very big. I would estimate about the size of a Costco hot dog.
The most common lizards were the Whiptails. There are many different kinds but most looked like this.
Catching a Whiptail. He's at the very bottom of the photo near that cactus. In case you are wondering, Yes, I caught him.
Here he is after I let him go.
Sarah included this photo in her post. This lizard is amazing. It is a Greater Earless Lizard. It was way too fast for me to catch so I shot it with my camera. This lizard did something really cool as I approached it which I didn't get on film. It lifts up it's tail which is zebra striped black and white underneath and waves it at you to look scary.
Snakes! Actually we only saw two snakes on the whole trip, which surprised me. We found this guy, a common garter snake in Texas. The other snake we saw was a huge diamond back rattlesnake on the side of the road. We looked at it from the car.
It made me happy to share with the kids all the amazing creatures we found along our trip. I can see myself reflected in their eyes. The world is such an amazing place especially when you are young. I hope to leave my children with a few things in this life. One of them, (although far from the most important) is a love of God's creatures big and small. I am reminded of the scripture:
D&C 59: 16-18
16 Verily I say, that inasmuch as ye do this, the fullness of the earth is yours, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and that which climbeth upon the trees and walketh upon the earth;
17 Yea, and the herb, and the good things which come of the earth, whether for food or for raiment, or for houses, or for barns, or for orchards, or for gardens, or for vineyards;
18 Yea, all things which come of the earth, in the season thereof, are made for the benefit and the use of man, both to please the eye and to gladden the heart;
That pretty much sums up what the creepy crawlies do for me. They are an endless testament of God's love and creativity. Although people often fear them or hate them, most bugs, snakes, and lizards don't do us any harm. They make this world a more interesting place to live in.
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