Scorpion Surprise

While cleaning out the cabinets at our camp my wife came across something- a live striped bark scorpion. There it sat in the corner of a baking pan revealing the double row of stripes that run down the center of its back that contribute to its name. It was small, measuring only 1 3/4 inches with its tail extended. When discovered it crawled wildly across the pan with pinchers agape while brandishing its stinger-tipped tail upwards in a threatening manner. Most folks think of scorpions as insects, but actually they’re related to spiders- the family Arachnida. Count the legs- they have eight, insects have six. I think of all the times I got up in the middle of the night, when scorpions are active, and walked barefooted into the kitchen for a drink. Its sting is said to be extremely painful, but fatalities are rare, mostly being due to anaphylactic shock than from the venom itself. Even though it is the most frequently encountered scorpion in the U.S., question is…..how did it get inside? And better yet, where is the hole at which it entered, and even more importantly, as my wife stated, is it the only one? If it is a female had she given birth while inside the house? They can have as many as 50 in a brood. Eek! They’re known to crawl into clothing that has been laid on the floor only to sting the wearer when those clothes were put back on. They’re also known to crawl into shoes. After reading all of this I’m sure in the future I’ll be keeping my clothes off of the floor and checking my shoes before putting them on.

I took it out and placed it into a jar until I could get to it for photos. Later I checked on it and found that it had died. Rather than let such a beautiful creature go to waste, and to be able to show it to my grand-daughter, I placed it into a small vial of alcohol.

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Beetles and Scorpions

Each time I go out into the field I never return empty-handed and today was no exception. A rainbow scarab beetle (Phanaeus vindex) appeared hovering low over the ground and landed near where I stood. The colors of this beetle are stunning. Brilliant green and purple hues give it the appearance of a jewel. No wonder the ancient Egyptians fashioned some of their jewlery resembling this beautiful insect. Minutes later another beetle, a black earth-boring dung beetle comes flying along and lands near the other. Both seem to be attracted to a small mound of canine scat (coyote?) that's nearby. Both of these beetles not only consume "dung", but they also excavate tunnels in it where the female lays eggs and upon hatching the larva feed on the dung until fully developed. They both play an important role in not only the degredation of animal wastes, but are also beneficial to the soil.
As I continue my walk down the dirt road I decide to cut off into the woods and hop upon a fallen tree stopping momentarily in the quietness to listen for bird chatter. As I stepped off the end of the rotted log my foot caught its edge and pulled away a piece of it revealing narrow tunnels that had been haphazardly bored into the disintegrating timber. I pulled away some of the porous wood exposing a pair of passalus beetles (Odontotaenius disjunctus). Hmmm.....must be beetle day. Also known as a "Betsy" beetle, one began hissing, which they do by rubbing their wings against their abdomen when accosted. Quite harmless they are also beneficial in that they help by recycling old logs. They live in colonies in these tunnels where they rear their young.
With a stick I probe into another area of the exposed tunnels and see what at first I think are the legs of some type of spider. I continue to gently force the stick and out comes something totally unexpected- a pair of striped bark scorpions (Centruoides vittatus). It is the most common of scorpions found in Texas' deciduous and pine forests and are known to be agile climbers hiding under rocks, logs, and loose debris. Their venom is of low toxicity, but due to the sharp pain, severe discomfort and the not knowing of other ways I might react if stung (some can have severe allergic reactions) I made no attempt to pick it up. Duh....I made a decision awhile back not to pick up poisonous snakes and this also applies to any other animal, insect, or whatever that has a pointy bodypart that injects venom.