Album Other Animals from Janet Brien

Pictures for Pam, Day 154: Young Northwest Forest Scorpion

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Sat, 13 Apr 2019 03:30:03 +0000

(+12 insets!!)

The White Rabbit from "Alice in Wonderland" is reading my mind with this quote: “I’m late, I’m late! For a very important date! No time to say ‘hello, goodbye,’ I’m late, I’m late, I’m late!”

It's long past due to post my picture today, eek! Having a house guest definitely makes schedules more difficult to keep, and so I'm behind but I hope you won't mind! :)

We didn't end up going out today as planned because Steve's sister was under the weather. I was feeling cooped-up though so at about 2pm I popped on my rubber boots and knee pads, grabbed my camera and made a beeline straight up our steep hillside to the ridge line trail. From there I walked the half-mile or so to the trail's end and kept my eyes open as I walked along. I hoped that I might find the white/creamy yellow Oregon Fawn Lily. This little beauty can only be found near the end of the trail, far from our property. I knew I would probably strike out because these flowers are long past their blooming time but I couldn't help myself from trying to find one. Though I did find a few bedraggled Henderson's Fawn Lillies, I didn't find the creamy-colored ones. Boo. Well, when I took the pictures of the purple ones the other day, I knew that I should really to go find the yellow ones too. But it was late and about to rain and after that it didn't stop raining for days. It's ok though because I got some awesome pictures of these in the past. (I'll show my Oregon Fawn Lily pictures as insets!)

I ended up spending a couple of hours up there just enjoying myself. I got pictures of so many things--flowers, a mushroom, huge burls on an oak tree, pine cones, curls of manzanita bark, beetles and a bee on flowers, different species of leaves glowing in the afternoon light, I even got a picture of a frog! It was a lovely, wonderful, peaceful adventure and I felt very much connected to the land. Pure bliss!

There are two logs at the end of the trail which I always look under because they are so lucky for me. I found our California Mountain King Snake under one many years ago. I've found beetles and other insects, and I've found scorpions on many occasions! And so, when I lifted up one of the logs today, I was delighted to find a little scorpion huddled on the dirt and very much unimpressed with the blasting light accosting him.

This darling little guy is a Northwest Forest Scorpion and measures about an inch long--very small! I've seen them more than twice that size but in any case, they are barely poisonous to humans. I think they are totally cool and wonderful! Unfortunately I wasn't able to get really good pictures because of where he was positioned but they are good enough to post. After taking pictures I carefully replaced the log…I think I heard him swearing at me for turning on the lights when he was trying to sleep! I don't blame him! :D (I've also included several insets of other pictures I've taken of these fascinating creatures for you to enjoy!)

Pam, do you have scorpions where you live? I was totally amazed when I found the first one many years ago after lifting a log up to see what was underneath. I also thought all scorpions were really dangerous but they aren't. These guys are a "1" on a scale of 4 for dangerous. Now…once I was in Costa Rica…at about 2am I got up to use the bathroom and saw a shadow on the ground…turned on the light and HOLY EXPLETIVES, BATMAN, it was a 3" black scorpion on the floor, right where I would have walked!!! Can you say totally freaked out? We ushered the unwelcome guest out of our bungalow and checked regularly every night afterwards in the different places we stayed. YIKES!

The only thing I found on your photo stream that looked menacing was a wood wasp
picture you took. I'm glad it wasn't aggressive towards you, it sure looked nice on that lantana! Let us hope all is well for you today and I promise not to put a scorpion on your floor! *BIG HUGS*

297/366: Friendly Bay Horse

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Wed, 26 Oct 2016 04:37:36 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

Steve and I saw a pair of horses at a buddhist shrine we visited a few years ago and one of them was nice enough to come over for a visit. :)

U is for Underaged Ungulate

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Wed, 11 Jun 2014 20:26:48 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

Note: my latest garden article is up! :D
Part 9—Dreams of a Big Flower Garden: We Have A Pumpkin Patch!!

A few years ago, Steve and I went to a nearby county fair and we had a lot of fun taking pictures of the farm animals. One of the sows had an enormous litter of piglets and we spent a long time cooing at their cuteness!

I learned something today about the word "Ungulate". I always thought it meant "hooved mammal", but that's not entirely correct. Wikipedia gives this definition:

"Ungulates are a diverse group of large mammals, most of which use the tips of their toes, usually hoofed, to sustain their whole body weight while moving. The term means, roughly, "being hoofed" or "hoofed animal". As a descriptive term, "ungulate" normally excludes cetaceans, as they do not possess most of the typical morphological characteristics of ungulates; recent discoveries indicate that they are descended from early artiodactyls, and thus are directly related to other even-toed ungulates such as cattle, with hippopotamuses being their closest living relatives. As a result of these discoveries, the new order Cetartiodactyla has been proposed to include the members of Artiodactyla and Cetacea, to reflect their common ancestry; however, strictly speaking, this is merely a matter of nomenclature, since it is possible simply to recognize Cetacea as a subgroup of Artiodactyla."

I had no idea that whales were considered to be ungulates!!

My apologies for not being around much lately. The garden is keeping me very busy, along with everything else going on right now!

Explored on June 11, 2014, highest placement, #2.

Young Striped Skunk!

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Wed, 06 Nov 2013 04:33:27 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

This is really more of a snapshot and nothing special to look at, but gosh, isn't this doll adorable?!!! :D

I was up on the ridge with the dogs a few days ago when I heard a rustle and saw something under some branches. A couple of things went through my head at the same time:

"A SKUNK!!! HOW CUTE!!"
"OMG GET THE DOGS AWAY!!!"

The dogs heard the noise at the same time but they weren't right there, so as they began to come closer, I told them to stay back, and they did. I kneeled down and observed that the little skunk was not particularly alarmed, so I cooed at it and hoped it would come out so I could get some proper pictures. At about the time it realized I posed no threat and started making moves to come out, It occurred to me that the dogs were a wild card that could turn this wonderful, chance encounter into a week-long disaster. What would happen if that cutie pie came out and one or more of the dogs began to approach? I'd have to yell at the dog(s) to stay back...and if I were that skunk and I heard a loud noise like that, it would be my greatest pleasure to turn around, stand on my front legs, and spray away!

I immediately left the area and avoided the possible disaster. A really cool picture of a skunk is NOT worth getting sprayed or worse, all the dogs and me....so, here's my picture and I'm delighted that I got its adorable face clearly! :) YAY!!! :)

By the way, if you would like to see what a spotted skunk looks like, and see it standing on its front legs to get its bum higher in the air, check this out! :D www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTQc-WEb5h8

And, if you would like to read more about this stinky but cute animals, Wiki has a very good page here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skunk

A Tiny Pseudoscorpion, only 1/4" in Size!!!

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 05:29:38 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

It was so beautiful and warm today that I decided to see if I could find some creatures to photograph since I've seen signs that critters are starting to come to life again.

I didn't have to go far. I carefully turned over a cement block near our house and underneath were many animals! A hunting spider, other tiny spiders, ants, and then I saw this little guy and I couldn't believe my eyes! So tiny I could hardly see him (only 1/4" or smaller in size!), I thought this might be some kind of baby scorpion! He crawled all over the place and finally into a crevice, but I managed to get this picture to share.

I discovered that this is a Pseudoscorpion, and instead of having a venemous tail, its venom is in its pincers. Not that this nearly microscopic cutie pie could hurt us, its favorite prey are dust mites and other miniscule critters!

If you would like to learn more about this cool looking critter, I found this wonderful blog page which wonderful pictures and great information! Seabrooke Leckie's Blog: Pseudoscorpion

By the way, I found a picture of a pseudoscorpion next to a 10-cent coin and on a finger so you can get an idea how small it is: Cabin Blog: Pseudoscorpion

Fishy, Fishy, Fishy!

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 04:43:53 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

One day Steve and I went out to do errands and I brought my camera with me. We went to the pet store to get crickets for our Fire-bellied Toads and I thought it would be fun to take some fishy pictures! I think this cutie pie is a cichlid! WAIT, I'm wrong! Steve Cooke has properly identified this as a Dwarf Guarami! Thanks, Steve! :)

Olé!

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 05:42:14 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

In April I found a wonderful little Forest Scorpion and was able to take many pictures because this gentle fellow didn't run away. This is one of my favorite pictures because he looks like he's raising his claws and tail to yell, "OLÉ!!" (That would be Scorpion for "GET OUTA HERE KID, YOU'RE BOTHERING ME!!") :D

I've uploaded two other pictures today and I hope you'll visit them too!

Thanks to all of you who have visited and have left comments and favorites! I try to go to all of your pages within a day or two and is a highlight for me to see your beautiful photography! :)

NOTE! I have finally updated my profile and I hope you'll take a look to find out a little more about me and how important all of you are to my experience here on Flickr!
Janet's profile (sfhipchick)

This image was taken in April, 2012.

Dangerous Details!

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 05:39:31 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

[best appreciated at full size against black]

The other day I posted a picture of a scorpion that I found under a log on our hillside, but it wasn't the only image I took! I thought it would be interesting to show closeups of different parts and explain what each one is!

Upper Left: This is a face only a mother could love, and looks like a Predator's mouth to me! That bump on its head are two eyes, and there are two more eyes above its mouth to the left and right! The mouth is called a chelicera and has little finger-like appendages to pull food in and chew it up!

Upper Right: The end of a scorpion's tail is a modified segment called a "telson", which contains the venom gland.

Lower Left: This is one of a scorpion's two claws (chelae), also called pincers. They serve many different purposes, from defense to mating, and some scorpions like this one, prefer to kill their prey by using their pincers.

Lower Right: This is an overall view of the gentle Northwest Forest Scorpion.

If you would like to see a detailed image of scorpion anatomy, you can find one here: Scorpion Anatomy
If you would like more information about scorpions, Wiki has a great page here:: Wiki: Scorpion

This image was taken in April, 2012.

Jackpot! Northwest Forest Scorpion! [EXPLORE #13, TYVM!!]

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 05:51:22 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

Yesterday I posted a collage of creepy crawly critters I've found under rocks and logs I've looked under. Well, the other day I was on our hillside looking around, and I found some old logs. I carefully rolled one over...nothing there. After replacing the log, I went to the next one. Fully expecting to find nothing there, I lifted it onto its end and LOOK WHAT I FOUND!!! A SCORPION!!! *bounces up and down in glee*

This docile little guy was sitting very still on a bed of decaying wood and I was free to take as many pictures as I wanted. I'm not afraid of these amazing creatures because I know they're not interested in hurting me unless I'm unlucky enough to step on one. Even then, I'd be concerned but I know the the odds are the sting would only be something like a bee sting, or at worst, like a very bad hornet sting. Not fun at all, but not deadly either. However, I treat animals like this with great respect, and I felt so lucky to see this awesome predator!

The Northwest Forest Scorpion, also known as the California Scorpion, is native to the Pacific Northwest, and is the most common scorpion in Oregon. These are very unaggressive as scorpions go, and live in rotting logs and other humid places. They eat small insects and prefer to use their pincers to kill their prey, not their stingers. Their venom is considered to be a "1" on a scale of "1-5".

This image was taken in April, 2012. Explored on April 13th, 2012.

Creepy Crawly Critters

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 04:20:51 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

[best appreciated at full size against black]

It's amazing what you can find if you look under rocks and logs! Look at all of these fun friends! The little guy in the upper left is a wood termite larva I believe. On the upper right is a juvenile centipede. On the lower left is a millipede, and on the lower right is a pair of pill bugs! Aren't they all just adorable?! HEY!! I heard that! They're not icky!! Well...ok...maybe they are! :D :D But, they all have important jobs to do to help keep the balance on our property, eating dead and living plants and animals, and becoming food for other animals, helping to aerate and add nutrients to the soil, to give the plants energy!

This image was taken in March, 2012.

Red Devil with 100 Feet

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 04:47:26 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

[best appreciated at full size against black]

Do you know the difference between a centipede and a millipede? The obvious answer is the number of feet it has, but...have you ever COUNTED them? I didn't think so! :D A couple of weeks ago, I posted a picture of what I thought was a centipede, and guess what? I was WRONG!! I am blushing with embarrassment! However, I've corrected my error in that picture, and I PROMISE that THIS red devil is a CENTIPEDE!!

Here are the main differences between centipedes and millipedes:
Centipedes have long antennae and millipedes have short antennae.
Centipedes have one pair of legs per segment* and millipedes have two.
Centipedes have legs that visibly extend from the sides of the body and trail backward behind the body; millipede legs do not extend far out from the body and the last pair of legs are in line with the body.
Centipedes move very fast and millipedes are slow movers.
Centipedes can bite and millipedes do not bite.
Centipedes are mostly predators and millipedes are mostly scavengers.

*except for the first three segments, which have one pair each

This droplet-covered fellow was found under a log and from what I've read, I believe he's a Tiger Centipede. These are very common and found all over the Western U.S. and northern Mexico. They can be many different colors, including striped or solid red. They have a nasty bite, which makes sense, given its bright red warning color! If you'd like to know more about this centipede, Wiki has a page here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scolopendra_polymorpha

This image was taken in March, 2012.

One Thousand Tiny Feet

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 05:02:45 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

[best appreciated at full size against black]

I would like all of you to meet my little friend, who lives down near the Rogue River! I disturbed his slumber when I carefully overturned a rotting log in hopes of making an awesome discovery to capture! Isn't this little guy adorable?!

Millipedes, which are closely related to centipedes, are poisonous, though most aren't much of a threat to humans. It's best to never touch any of them, just in case. There are about 10,000 species of millipedes throughout the world (8,000 centipedes) and they are predominantly scavengers, whereas centipedes are predators. Here's somthing I didn't know: millipedes don't have 1,000 legs and centipedes don't have 100!! Millipedes may have as few as 36 legs or as many as 400, though one species does have 750 legs (Centipedes: 20-300 legs) And, they only have odd-numbered pairs of legs, for instance 15 pairs or 17 pairs, but never 16!! WOW! If you are fascinated and would like to know more, Wiki has a great page right here! :) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millipede

This image was taken in February, 2012.

My Little Buddy, the Clover Mite!

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 05:49:49 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

I would like to introduce you to my little buddy, otherwise known as a Clover Mite! :D Steve and I drove over to the Rogue River yesterday for an hour or two of photography and I was really excited about having a different environment to explore. I am very pleased to report that I got lucky and found all kinds of neat things to photograph!

I was nose-close to the ground, looking around for anything interesting when I saw a tiny flash of red crawling on a leaf. "OOOH!!! A BUG!!!" I squealed happily and carefully maneuvered the itty bitty critter onto a twig so I could get him to a place to take some pictures. Measuring only about 1/16th of an inch in diameter, I knew this mite would be a challenge to photograph. I have tried many times to take pictures of miniscule gnats and other insects that I can hardly see, but I haven't been successful...until now! YES!! I was able to get these four images and I thought a collage would be a fun way to show off my tiny friend!

Clover Mites are related to ticks but are plant eaters and can be a garden pest. Did you know that mites are actually in the spider family?! Like spiders, they have eight legs, and these little guys are distinguisable by their extra long forelegs, which are twice as long as their other legs! If you would like to know more about Clover Mites, you can visit this page: familytreetreeandturf.com/clovermites.html

Submarine Squirrel

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 07:34:59 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

This adorable ground squirrel is drinking water out of one of the trays we keep filled for the birds that visit our feeders every day. This cutie pie looked like he wanted to dive in! :D

Winner of FlickrDuel contest: +10 Wins: Funny

This image was taken from my kitchen window in August, 2011.

Fox at Sunset

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 05:57:42 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

I was looking out our kitchen window and noticed some movement that didn't look like a bird. I looked again...and then I gasped and exclaimed to my husband, "Be very quiet, but look out the window! There's a FOX out there!!!" He then crept upstairs and opened the window to take pictures! You may notice that this fox is blind in its left eye and shows trauma to the surrounding area.