Things To Watch Out For
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Things To Watch Out For
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Poison ivy usually has three broad, spoon-shaped leaves or leaflets ("Leaves of three? Let it be!"), but
it can have more. It may grow as a climbing or low, spreading vine that sprawls through grass or as a shrub. Poison oak has leaves that look like oak leaves, usually with three leaflets but sometimes up to seven
leaflets per leaf group. It grows as a vine or a shrub. Poison sumac has 7 to 13 leaflets per leaf stem. The leaves have smooth edges and pointed tips. Poison
sumac grows as a shrub or small tree. It is found in wooded, swampy areas, and in wet, wooded areas.
Never step over a log without first seeing what is on the other side. If you must move a log - use a long stick or garden
tool first, to ensure snakes are neither under, on or around. Use a flashlight at night. Check out an animal burrow before reaching in. When you have run across a snake close by, don't move and leave it be. Wait until the snake has retreated.
If you must move, do so slowly and carefully, always backing away from the snake. First Aid:
Texas is home to over 105 different species and subspecies of snakes, but only 15 of those are dangerous.
Pit vipers have an opening on each side of the head between the eye and the nostril(sorta like ears). In Texas, there are 3 groups of these snakes: Copperheads, Cottonmouths, and Rattlesnakes.
These snakes are light gray, with brown oval spots along the middle of the back and smaller spots along each
side. They are usually found in the middle of the state in grasslands, marshy and swampy areas. Brown, diamond-shaped markings along the middle of the back and alternating black and white rings on the tail. This is
the most common and widespread venomous snake in Texas. Timber rattlesnake (not pictured) aka Canebreak rattlesnake is a large, heavy-bodied snake, brown
or tan with wide, dark crossbands. Tail is entirely black. Found in the eastern third of the state in wooded areas in wet
bottomlands. The coral snake is slender with a small indistinctive head and round pupils. Its distinctive pattern is a broad black ring,
a narrow yellow ring and a broad red ring, with the red rings always bordered by the yellow rings. Coral snakes are found
in the southeastern half of Texas in woodlands, canyons and coastal plains. A good way to distinguish venomous from nonvenomous snakes is by the head shape, usually a heart or arrow shaped
head is a venomous snake. Or by color, "Red and yellow, kill a fellow, red and black venom lack."
The southern black widow, Latrodectus mactans, and its relatives live across the entire United States. Other widow
species found in Texas are the western black widow, L. hesperus; the northern black widow, L. variolus; and
probably the brown widow, L. geometricus. Their coloration varies considerably. For proper identification, an expert
may be needed to examine mature specimens. Widow spiders are found in protected cavities outdoors. Around houses, they may live in privies, garages, cellars, furniture,
shrubbery, ventilators, rain spouts, gas and electric meters and other undisturbed places. Widow spiders also may be seen
in cotton fields and occasionally vegetable gardens. Like most spiders, widow spiders are shy and retiring. People are bitten occasionally when they accidentally disturb a
hidden spider or its web. To avoid hidden spiders, take care when putting on seldom-worn shoes or clothing. Tarantula Tarantulas hunt at night and spend the day under rocks, in abandoned mouse burrows or in other sheltered areas. They may
be seen in the evening or late at night along country roads or trails. Migrating male tarantulas can be commonly seen for
a few weeks in early summer. This migration’s purpose is not completely understood, but it may occur as males seek mates.
Tarantulas are sometimes kept as pets and can become quite tame. Although they can be handled, be careful, because they
can quickly become disturbed and pierce the skin with their fangs on the chelicerae. The hair on some tarantulas may irritate
the skin, so take care when handling them. Tarantulas need a constant supply of water in a flat dish into which they can lower their mouths. They eat live crickets,
mealworms, caterpillars or other insects and can go for several weeks without food, sometimes refusing to eat before molting.
Tarantulas can crawl up glass and escape through small openings, so they must be kept in a container with a good lid. Jumping spiders Many jumping spiders are bold, stocky and often brightly colored. They often have conspicuous bands of black and white
on their bodies or legs. Others have velvety red abdomens and some even have metallic colors on the chelicerae. Jumping spiders
have eight eyes, with one large pair in the front. Like most spiders, jumping spiders are not considered hazardous to humans
and are unlikely to bite unless cornered or handled. The bold jumper, Phidippus audax, is one of the most common and conspicuous of the jumping spiders. It is black
with a distinct irregular orange to white spot on the back of the abdomen. It can be found in gardens and around homes. Wolf spiders Wolf spiders hunt at night. Usually brown and black, they may have longitudinal stripes. Wolf spiders are large and often
seen under lights. They can be seen at night when their eyes reflect light from a flashlight, headlamp or car headlight. Members of the genera Rabidosa and Hogna are some of the most conspicuous wolf spiders. They form webbing
only to provide daytime shelter, not to capture prey. Many wolf spider females carry their egg masses below their abdomens
until after the eggs hatch. Young spiderlings cling to the mother’s abdomen for a short time after hatching. Wolf spiders
frequently enter homes and backyards but pose no danger to people. Orbweavers Orb-weaving spiders produce the familiar flat, ornate, circular webs usually associated with spiders. Orbweavers come in
many shapes and sizes, but the brightly colored garden orbweavers, Argiope, are the largest and best-known. The yellow
garden spider, Argiope aurantia, is marked with yellow, black, orange or silver. The female body is more than 1 inch
long with much longer legs. It is also known as the black and yellow garden spider and sometimes the writing spider because
of a thickened interwoven section in the web’s center. Male Argiope, often less than 1/4 The spinybacked orbweaver, Gasteracantha cancriformis, is another distinctive orbweaver common in wooded areas.
The unusual flattened, spiny body shape makes it look like a crab. Abdomen colors include white, yellow, orange or red.
Orbweavers are generally harmless but can be a nuisance when they build large webs in places inconvenient for humans. Relieve local swelling and pain by applying an ice pack, ammonia or alcohol directly to the bite area. In case of severe
reaction, consult a doctor immediately and, if possible, take along the spider for positive identification. Specific antivenin
is available to treat some widow spider bites
Once you have seen a scorpion, you won't forget what it looks like; claws that snatch and a hooked stinger hovering on
a five segment tail. They come in colors ranging from straw to pink to brown to black and in sizes from an inch or less to
five inches. The most common in the southwest is also the largest, the giant hairy scorpion, but its venom is not considered
dangerous. As a rule, specialists say, the thicker the claws, the less dangerous the scorpion; the viciously venomous ones
usually have slim pincers. The bark scorpion is generally straw-colored with elongated tail segments - and slim pincers. It
is only about an inch long at maturity. Bark scorpions are so called because they like to hide in the bark of trees. Unfortunately, they also like to hide in the
drains of your sinks or in your shoes at night. They like any moist, dark, protected place. A sweaty shirt thrown on the floor
might make an inviting hideout, too. The scorpion grips its prey with it's crablike claws and then whips its tail over its back to inflict a sting. (Scorpions
do not bite.) As with snakes, 90 percent of stings are on hands or arms. Some first aid can help. Ice and acetaminophen are
good for pain relief. Apply a single ice cube, 10 minutes on, 10 minutes off. (Don't immerse the wound in ice water.) If the
victim is a child, a visit to the emergency room is in order. Bark scorpion venom contains at least five potent neurotoxins. Its sting is very painful, though the wound may not swell
much at first. It is generally not life-threatening to healthy adults. The classic symptoms of a serious reaction, usually seen only in children, include uncontrollable thrashing of the arms and legs and roving eyes.
Adults may experience mild twitching of the facial muscles, cramps, nausea and anxiety. Infants are especially at risk of
respiratory failure. Though some 8,000 scorpion stings are reported in Arizona alone each year, there have been no fatalities
since 1958. Although antivenom is given for scorpion stings in Mexico, none has been approved by the FDA for use in the U.S.
Centipedes and Millipedes
Centipedes and millipedes do not carry diseases to man or to his animals and plants. They are usually considered nuisances
rather than destructive pests. Centipedes pose an occasional threat to man because they have poison glands and will bite.
Millipedes occasionally damage seedling plants by feeding on stems and leaves
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Copperheads are found in rocky areas and wooded bottomlands and are rare in dry areas. In the spring they can be
found along streams and rivers, as well as in weed-covered vacant lots.
Cottonmouths aka "Water Moccasins"
Rattlesnakes
Diamondback
Coral Snakes
The best-known species, the brown recluse spider inhabits many Southern and Midwestern states. Recluse
spiders are frequently found in garages, firewood piles, cluttered cellars and stored board piles. They often live around
human dwellings, in bathrooms, bedrooms and closets, under furniture, behind baseboards and door facings, or in corners and
crevices. Recluse spiders are most active at night when they hunt. People are sometimes bitten while asleep, apparently when
rolling over on a spider while in bed. Others are bitten when putting on clothes that have hung undisturbed for a long time
and where spiders are hiding. 
Tarantulas in Texas are members of the hairy mygalomorph family in the genus Aphonopelma. These large, hairy spiders
are brown to black and more than 3 inches long when full-grown. Females, larger than males, have abdomens about the size of
a quarter.
Jumping spiders, all of which are in the family Salticidae, are among the most interesting spider groups to watch. Jumping
spiders come in many sizes and color patterns. Active hunters during the day, they have good eyesight, relying primarily on
movement to locate prey. They stalk their prey before attacking in a fast leap. Jumping spiders put out a line of webbing
when they jump and can sometimes be seen dangling from this silken dragline after a leap that fails.
Centipedes and millipedes are distant relatives of lobsters, crayfish and shrimp. Unlike their marine cousins, centipedes
and millipedes are land dwellers, but they do prefer moist habitats or areas of high humidity.
