Scary Forest Pests
Happy Halloween everyone! I don’t know if anyone will be dressed up like an Emerald Ash Borer for Halloween, like our Project Wild America Youth Ambassadors were for their invasives community outreach event over the summer, but we should be on the lookout for these and other scary pests on this Hallow’s eve. While tonight will be fairly warm, the cooler weather is on its way and the need for firewood will increase. As you cut or buy wood to heat your home for the winter or get that last camping trip in before the snow flies, you should be aware of where your wood is coming from...
Read MoreShort-nosed Vine Snake (Oxybelis brevirostris)
Scary snake? No, singing snake says RTPI President Twan Leenders. Or Short-nosed Vine Snake (Oxybelis brevirostris).
Read MoreGarden Orbweaver (Argiope aurantia)
This looks like a Garden Orbweaver (Argiope aurantia) spider, and you can make it’s appearance into whatever you think it looks like! Eyes…a skull? We will post some more Halloween and October themed sightings throughout the month, while emphasizing they aren’t all scary or creepy, and plenty of the fall foliage as our environment explodes in exquisiteness. What a time to be outdoors!
Read MoreNorthern Mockingbird
This is one small bird with a frightening gaze! Watch out for the Northern Mockingbirds (Mimus polyglottos), folks…even when they are not defending a nest and zooming at your head they certainly give off a scary vibe. I would not turn my back to this one. As long as it has some tasty food like those berries and some unfrozen water it will be content to stick out the winter in a given location. I don’t care what I’m imagining, that is not a happy expression…but I am happy they are such a successful species advancing northward in their territory. Scott Kruitbosch...
Read MoreCreepy critter Halloween
Happy Halloween from these scary critters! A Halloween Snake (Oxyrhopus petola), Common Vampire Bat (Desmodus rotundus), Central American Bark Scorpion (Centruroides margaritatus) and Tarantula, all taken by Twan for the Meet Your Neighbours global diversity project.
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