neighborly beasts

It would seem that we've moved from the windscorpion side of town to the windscorpion and scorpion and spider and roach side of town. Mark recapture studies of HUGE wolf spiders in the bathroom gave way to smush and wait a few days until there's another and smush and repeat and WHERE ARE THEY COMING FROM?!? studies. Only one baby windscorpion in the house so far, along with a Bordered Patch; more on that shortly. The house has external features such as exceptionally HUGE wolf spiders, scorpions under rocks, roaches in abundance, a pair of Texas Horned Lizards to keep the red ants in check, and now a Smith's/Southwestern Blackhead Snake, hopefully to snack additional insects. It was found in a neighbor's greenhouse, initially identified as a drowned, bloated earthworm... as that identification was incorrect, as was the second attempt, it came home in a coffee can for further ID and to be released in friendly territory. At last check, it was burrowing nicely under a potted plant at the site of release.

Smith's, or Southwestern Blachead Snake, Tantilla hobartsmithi

As for the Bordered Patch (Chlosyne lacinia), I suspect that it hatched in our bathroom. Not sure how/why else a very fresh adult Bordered Patch would be found standing on the bathroom floor. A few items from our old porch at the Double Bacon are in that bathroom, and that porch was certainly full of Bordered Patch cocoons...

Bordered Patch (Chlosyne lacinia)

And a horribly blurry parting shot - just for the warm, buffy, rusty orange color that contrasts so elegantly with the white spots and black border...

Bordered Patch (Chlosyne lacinia)