September 4, 2021
September 4, 2021
One of the things Aimee and I love about our Tucson home, is the proximity to nature. We both enjoy watching the owls, roadrunners and lizards, even when they are stalking prey. We are well aware that just below the surface are more menacing creatures, like rattlesnakes, centipedes, and bats. Normally these nocturnal beasts give us a wide berth. Last month I saw my first Gila Monster, and only because a friend called to let me know it was sleeping on their patio.
So imagine my surprise, during my afternoon swim, finding the largest bug I have ever seen, in our pool! Aimee thought it was a frog. I used the skimmer net to pull it out, but it kept jumping off, swimming rapidly across the pool and taking position again just below the surface. After taking a couple photos, I got him out of the pool and tossed him over the fence.
An Internet search, identified it as a Giant Water Bug, one of the largest of all insects. It can fly from pond to pond. A great swimmer, it carries its own air supply underwater. This ferocious hunter waits to ambush passing prey, from shrimp to fish, to even small turtles, snakes, and ducklings. The Internet has some astounding videos! It is also nicknamed the Toe-Biter, for its propensity to attack humans who wade in ponds and lakes.
I can’t wait for our record breaking monsoon season to end and dry weather returns, and all I have to deal with are tarantulas and scorpions. There are no sissies in the desert.
One of the things Aimee and I love about our Tucson home, is the proximity to nature. We both enjoy watching the owls, roadrunners and lizards, even when they are stalking prey. We are well aware that just below the surface are more menacing creatures, like rattlesnakes, centipedes, and bats. Normally these nocturnal beasts give us a wide berth. Last month I saw my first Gila Monster, and only because a friend called to let me know it was sleeping on their patio.
An Internet search, identified it as a Giant Water Bug, one of the largest of all insects. It can fly from pond to pond. A great swimmer, it carries its own air supply underwater. This ferocious hunter waits to ambush passing prey, from shrimp to fish, to even small turtles, snakes, and ducklings. The Internet has some astounding videos! It is also nicknamed the Toe-Biter, for its propensity to attack humans who wade in ponds and lakes.
I can’t wait for our record breaking monsoon season to end and dry weather returns, and all I have to deal with are tarantulas and scorpions. There are no sissies in the desert.
posted by Mike and Aimee at 8:19 AM
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