Creepy Crawlies

Well, I'm finally starting to catch up to the massive number of photos I've taken this past two and a half months, and I thought I'd share a shot or two with you...

First up is this Texas Brown Tarantula, a native to the Southern part of Colorado (and most of the rest of the desert Southwest...). This was taken at John Martin Reservoir in early September. I've always been interested in seeing the more famous wildlife of the Southwest, but have been quite unlucky in my attempts until this year. I still haven't seen a live Rattlesnake, but I did get in some sightseeing on Roadrunners and Jackrabbits - more on those as I continue processing.

woah! I never new we had Tarantulas here in Colorado.... Great capture! I actually spotted my first Prairie Rattlesnake near my home a few months back, what a thrill! oh and speaking of firsts.. I saw my first herd of Merriam's Turkeys last week near Boulder....Looking forward to seeing the rest of your recent shots!

Heh - nice shots of your own. Turkeys are actually pretty common if you know where to look. My wife was accosted while in our car by a female Turkey at Bryce Canyon a couple of years back - too many tourists feeding the birds, I guess...

PS - Tarantulas are *fast* when they want to be.

Nice shot. The first (and last) time I saw tarantulas in the field was in Arizona during their migration. There were hundreds everywhere you could see. I still shudder when I think of it!

Ken

Excellent halloween pic, Les. Creepy...very creepy.

Ken, that's a disturbing thought. A former co-worker was in a house in Golden right along the foothills, and a fire broke out on the mountain above; he says zillions of Black Widows came swarming down off the mountain - they were everywhere.

I'll take my spiders in reasonable-numbered doses, thanks.