September 11, 2014

September 11, 2014

Deserts are famous for having the most terrifying denizens; rattlesnakes, scorpions, Gila Monsters, tarantulas, and centipedes to name only a few. Since moving here we have really seen precious few of them. We thought their existence rare and overblown. So much so I had no qualms whatsoever running around my yard in flip-flops and sticking my hand under bushes to check irrigation lines.

Recently we have begun to realize that these creepy crawlies are really all around us. Only they spend the majority of the year living underground, patiently waiting for Tucson’s summer heat to arrive. Apparently just about the time most of us snowbirds leave for cooler climes, the local residents dig their way out of their burrows and roam the neighborhood. Thankfully most are nocturnal, waiting to come out after we have gone to bed.

If I am going to spend any significant time here during the summer, I need to be a little more diligent when doing maintenance in the yard. I got taught my lesson the other day when I was troubleshooting the irrigation system and I opened the water meter box. Before I leaned my head in to read the meter, I noticed a coiled rattlesnake (albeit very tiny) in one corner and a Giant Hairy Desert Scorpion in the other. Both too big to eat each other; but both not wanting to share this enclosure with me either.

I am making plans to schedule longer trips away next summer.