Driving Home from the Tractor Supply: Part I

Hands

I Am Lion, Hear Me Roar

An homage to Mya and her fabulous blog

Sunset at Highway 71 & Southwest Parkway

Scorpions 2010: #5

Woke up this morning to Hugh standing by the bed, reaching around to his back, saying "Scorpion." It was in his shirt, which he had been wearing but was now on the bed. I took it outside in a hurry.

Benadryl cream & ice.

Lately, Everything is Giant: Texas Sotol

Here is Hugh in front of the not only giant, but also double-bloomed Texas sotol on our front patio. It has had only single blooms until this year. Is it because of age? Because of all the rain this year? Because of our excessive gardening skills? HA!

It's actually taller than it looks here, because Hugh is a bit in front of it. It's maybe 15 feet high? Maybe I'll go measure it now...

The GIANT SPIDER

While Hugh and I were walking up the hill with the dogs this evening, I spied a dark thing suspended high in the air in a clearing among some trees, and realized it was a spider, this spider, from the back side. I had to run down the hill and then back up (getting sidetracked by the encounter with 2010 scorpion #4 on the way) to get these photos before the sun went down. This thing is HUGE. It was sitting in the center of its web about 13 or 15 feet above the ground. Hugh thought it was sitting on an egg sac (but I don't think spiders do that, do they?) and then I thought it must be wrapping up some prey, but once I got the telephoto lens, I could see that its giantness was just all spider. It is gorgeous and huge. It is like a small tank.


The trees this web is attached to are about 25 feet apart, I think. Can't wait to have another look tomorrow in the daytime!


The view from almost directly underneath


It looks most like the Orbweaver Araneus bicentarius in my Texas spider book.


Here is its tank-like posture

Saturday Sunset

In the midst of photographing the giant spider, I noticed the pretty sunset at my back.

Scorpions 2010: #4

Found in the WC this evening; I had dashed in to get the zoom lens so I could run back up the hill take photos of the giant spider we saw on our evening Walk of the Dogs, and there it was. Now it is free! Free! In the wild outdoors!

#2 was one Hugh found a week or so ago just inside the front door; I was not home for photo ops.

#3 was dead, crushed by the back door, possibly crushed by the back door. I meant to go back for a photo, but I forgot, and now it's gone.

Return of the Giant Green Katydids from Outer Space

These katydids fascinate me. This guy is even larger than last year's monstrous specimen. This one appeared on the front door a few nights ago. It was GINORMOUS, as Amber would say. It nearly ate me; that first photo is right before it pounced. I wrestled it to the ground but was almost a goner; only my giant human brain and superior strength allowed me to overcome its wiles and power.

Fuchsia Buds

Butterfly: Gulf Fritillary

Walking Stick on Bedroom Ceiling

I'm guessing it was about 5 inches long, and happily, not directly above the bed. Have I mentioned before that of all insects, the walking stick is the just about the only one (barring cockroaches) that rather gives me the creeps?

Giant Cat from Outer Space Attacks!

Little Hammy Milton & Buttery Tom

Gorey Beetle 2010

The first sighting of the year of the Gorey Beetle, otherwise known as an ironclad beetle. There he was, just right in my very own back yard.

Click here to see all the Gorey Beetles I've seen since starting this blog!

June Sunset

Centipede!

Hugh just messaged this photo of a giant centipede that is in our sink
right now. I hope he takes care of that before I get home.

Hummingbird

Junior Scott's Oriole

She's a Sleepy Elf

Oh, Miss Lo

I love you so

Puffy Mockingbird