Don and I took a long ride all around the park this morning to look for any storm damage. Other than the typical palm tree debris in the streets, we only found one sign of damage. This palo verde tree lost a HUGE limb. We reported it to the office so owner will soon be notified. (site 1440)
Our son (Anton) enjoys nature as much as we do so always sends me a quick photo when he spies something new or unusual. Yesterday, he spotted a tarantula hawk....one of the scarier members of the wasp family.
The female tarantula hawk wasp stings and paralyzes a tarantula, then drags the prey to a specially prepared brooding nest, where a single egg is laid on the spider's abdomen, and the entrance is covered. Tarantula hawk wasps are relatively docile and rarely sting without provocation. However, the sting is among the most painful of all insects, though the intense pain only lasts about five minutes.[8]. One researcher described the pain as "...immediate, excruciating, unrelenting pain that simply shuts down one's ability to do anything, except scream.
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Awww.......Kat fell asleep on my arm. Didn't have the heart to wake him so sat a little longer at the computer.
Mouse was being his usual devilish self. He knocked the laundry basket off the bed and proceeded to empty it for me.
When I yelled, he promptly and wisely headed for cover under the bed. Here is his parting view.
