Short-nosed Vine Snake (Oxybelis brevirostris)
Scary snake? No, singing snake says RTPI President Twan Leenders. Or Short-nosed Vine Snake (Oxybelis brevirostris).
Read MoreLyme Disease Sign
Here is a terrific educational notice that I enjoyed seeing on the wall during a recent veterinarian visit with my dog. Using artwork created by children to help teach the public educates both the visitors and the children who are creating it. We use the same outreach techniques in the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds with signs drawn by hundreds of school children which we then laminate and post on beaches and offshore islands to let beachgoers and boaters know there are endangered birds nesting in the area. We certainly see less damage to them than other more generic, bland and...
Read MoreHarvestman with Mites
This Harvestman had a very large mite problem! Check out all of those parasites…I felt for this creature. It may be why it was hiding in a crevice of the bark of this maple tree. I do not think this ended well for it. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreLyme Disease
I have Lyme disease. Thankfully most people have now heard of Lyme disease, but for those who have not, Lyme borreliosis is an infectious disease caused by bacteria of the Borrelia type and transmitted to humans (or pets!) by a black-legged/deer tick bite and subsequent feeding by the parasite. It typically takes 24 or maybe 36-48 hours of feeding for the disease to be transmitted if the tick is a carrier, though this is not a guarantee either direction. Lyme disease can cause flu-like symptoms nearly immediately, and if untreated they can be followed by severe headaches, joint and muscle...
Read MoreDaddy Longlegs
Those really are some long legs after all…although I believe it is more accurate to call this a harvestman, or opiliones. The story of this being one of the most venormous animals in the world if not for the fact it does not have the requisite fangs to bite humans is a myth on many levels! I did not even notice until posting this photo that it seems to be missing one of those legs… Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
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