Flashback!

   Our weather is all over the place.  Recently, it seemed as if spring had made its appearance and was ready to stay.  All that did was set me into a frenzy of getting gardens ready, planting and...taking down the temporary greenhouse that had done well housing all of the potted plants during our (brief) "ice age".  I pushed a little too hard and it came back to bite me.  Yep, the temperature dropped for a lovely one night but that one night was enough to cause a bit of fretting.  Son and I covered the plants the best we could with some painter's drop cloths and called it a night.  We hoped for the best.  

  The plants did well under their blankets which were gathered back as soon as the sun popped out bright and warm.  Son gathered the huge tarps for me to launder before storing for the next need.  I carefully shook each tarp to make sure no treefrogs or lizards had snuggled in for the night then tossed two at a time in the washing machine.  All went well....until that last load.  Again, I shook the tarp vigorously before loading it into the machine, however, I guess it was not strong enough.  When that tarp was hauled out and thrown in the dryer, I spied a black "stick".  My heart sank.  Surely that was not one of my sweet praying mantids!  It definitely was NOT a frog nor a lizard but some sort of bug.  As I examined the corpse, I realized that it was a what Mom called a Devil's Walking Stick and Dad called a Spit Tobacco Bug.  Those are both names for a Two-striped Walking Stick or Stick Bug.  As much as these are not favorites of mine (they do "spit"), I felt terrible about killing the poor thing.  After all, it was just seeking a bit of warmth from the freezing night temperatures.  

  This all did bring flashbacks of some 40 years ago.  My oldest son was forever taking hikes with my Aunt Marie. He and "Aunt Ri Ri" would often go critter hunting much like my grandson and I do.  The only difference was...my son would pocket most of the critters without Aunt Ri Ri knowing...also...without me knowing.  The critters, along with rocks, leaves, sticks or anything else he found interesting were stashed for good keeping right in those pockets.  Now, I was not in the habit of checking my kiddo's pockets before washing his clothes so you can see where this is going.  Yep, I found many, many waterlogged critters in that washing machine....usually dead.  It was not fun.  The inanimate objects were not a problem but sticking my hand in the machine to grab ahold of a water bloated lizard or earthworm was not the nicest thing.  I literally had to make him start "unloading" his pockets at the front door!

  Finding the dead walking stick in the washer was not fun but it did evoke a giggle about the memories from long ago.  It is probably a good thing that I am not too overly squeamish when it comes to things like this.  Perhaps having a curious little boy who loved to shove things in his pockets for safe keeping got me over a lot of things.  Gotta love him!  He may be grown now but the memories of him being a toddler live on and bring lots of smiles.

No Spitting Allowed!

   Several times in the past, I mentioned the two-striped walking stick bugs.  When I was a curious tyke, I was given plenty of warnings to steer clear of the critters.  "Spit Tobaccos can spit at you and you will be hurt."  Pop let my curiosity be sated with exploration of most critters but not ones that would cause harm.  I was allowed to hold non-venomous snakes and spiders, catch beetles, play with squirrels, rabbits and even baby fox but, at the same time, I was taught to respect all critters and give the harmful ones plenty of space.  In other words, I was encouraged to "view those from a safe distance". The two-striped walking stick can cause severe pain and even a temporary blindness with its "spit".  I still follow Pop's rules...somewhat.

  As I was watering the garden, a slight movement in a potted amaryllis made me take a closer look.  As the leaves were pushed aside, a walking stick came inching out and sat on the outer edge of a leaf.  It moved no further even though I busily watered the other plants for a full twenty minutes.  The bug sat there as if to inform me of its presence in hopes that I would not further disturb its peace.  I did not.  The bug (or in this case, bugs) and I shared the space with  not further ado.  

  Most folks would have been a bit squeamish about having the walking stick nearby.  Just the thought of a 5 inch long,  "tobacco juice" spitting bug can prove to be daunting to some.  I, on the other hand, go by the mantra of live and let live..as much as possible.  With the walking stick, I may come to regret this decision as they do eat plants.  For now, the critter can live in peace as long as it does not spit.  Spitting is disgusting in all forms!

Fall Must Be Critter Time!

  As I am doing a bit of "fall cleaning" in the yard, I find all sorts of critters.  Our supply of firewood for the winter needed to be restacked so more could be added.  It is that time of year where we prepare for whatever may come our way during the winter.  Usually, it is more rain than snow or sleet but that does indeed make for messy woodcutting days.  I merely dumped the whole rack on the ground and started anew. Chunk after chunk of firewood was placed back on the rack.  I was feeling a bit smug as it looked so much better!  Nothing like a nice, neat stack to tidy up the place!  I reached for another piece and felt something crawl on the arm!  Ewww!  A huge Two-striped Walkingstick made a beeline for my shoulder!  Uh....NO!!  That just wasn't happening!  I flipped the critter off with a quick shake!  Ugh!  While I usually do not mind critters of any kind, these give me the heebie-jeebies and she was huge!  This lady was about four inches long without counting those two legs poking out front!

  The Two-striped Walkingstick is one of the large walkingsticks that inhabit the Southeast.  These critters munch on leaves at night and hide most of the day which is exactly what this girl thought she was doing. (Yes, I know this is a female because of her size.  The males are almost tiny in comparison!)  I feel like I must have disturbed her beauty sleep! I was careful not to harass her too very much, though, as I would have caught a hefty dose of her "spit".  Pop always called these things "Spit Tobaccos" as they can, indeed, spit a defensive bit of venom at a predator.  If caught in the eye, this "spit" can cause temporary blindness (up to five days!), excruciating pain and even an ulcerated cornea.  Obviously, they are not cute critters to hold!  I left this one be after photographing her!

 Besides Pop's nickname, the insect also goes by Devil's Horse, Devil's Needle, Witch's Horse, Stickhorse and Prairie Alligator.  Yep, with those lovely names attached to this critter, I do think it is fair warning that it is not a plaything.  Spit Tobaccos are not fun....interesting but not fun!