Not So Creepy Critters Newsletter

Issue: #  10

May/June 2011

spider
Greetings!

School is out June 6! What are your plans for the summer? Don't spend one second bored! Check out our Quick Links for fun places to visit in Corpus Christi.       

 

Find us on Facebook 

"Like" us on facebook and get the latest Not So Creepy Critter news,  fun science experiments, critter photos and videos!


 

P.S. We've had friends tell us they can't view our photos on the Not So Creepy Critter newsletters. If you're having trouble, click on the button above that reads, "Having trouble viewing this email? Click here." We personally check out each and every link to make sure all our links are as kid friendly as our newsletter!  

 

Summer Fun 2011
Caterpillar

One of our favorite pastimes is going on nature walks and taking nature photos. We enjoy hiking at our family's farm, the beach, and the Botanical Gardens. Check out the Botanical Gardens and take your camera. 

 

Summer is a perfect time to go on nature walks. Start a journal to write about all your outdoor adventures. Erik and I include photos and drawings in our nature journals. Sometimes I write poems about critters while sitting in a tree.  

 

If you write a poem, take a cool critter photo, or draw a picture, email it to Douglas, our bearded dragon. Include your first name and age, and we'll post it on a new page we've created on our website.  

 

[email protected]  

 

You'll be sure to see many Texas critters along  paths and in gardens on your nature walks. You may even be lucky enough to find interesting critters in your backyard! Summer heat brings out many snakes. It's hard to tell which snakes are venomous and which snakes are non-venomous. It's best to leave snakes and other wildlife alone. Take pictures from a safe distance. Erik and I never approach animals in the wild.    

 

                                                                             ~Courtney 

We'll post information on summer activities and fun science experiments on our facebook page May through August. Don't miss out! 'Like' us and get cool photos and info!  

 

 Find us on Facebook

 

LOCAL CRITTERS


Great Plains Rat Snakes

Rat Snake

 

Meet Rebel, my Great Plains Rat snake. Rebel was found a couple of months ago in a backyard off of Weber. The family called us to identify and remove Rebel, because they were afraid they'd found a venomous snake. While Erik and I aren't in the snake removal business, we gladly drove over to help out. Rebel is a juvenile male Great Plains Rat snake and is naturally non-venomous, as are most snakes in Texas. Rat snakes, milk snakes, corn snakes and king snakes are a few native Texan snakes that are constrictors and therefore non-venomous. We don't advise removing snakes from their natural habitat if it is not necessary, because snakes are helpful to the environment by eating disease carrying rodents like mice and rats.

 

If you find a  snake and think someone may be in danger of being bitten, you can call TruTech, Inc.   

 

 Click here for the TruTech website.

 

Read more about Rebel in our July newsletter.  

 

                                              ~Courtney 

 
Baby Bird
baby sparrow

Click here to contact ARK

My grandparents' poodle, Somer, found this baby sparrow one evening and caught it for them. My grandparents helped Somer put the baby bird in a box with paper towels and kept the sparrow warm with a heating pad set on low  and placed under the box. Once the sparrow was warm, they offered it some water using a dropper. We arranged for Guy Davis, who works for the Animal Rehabilitation Keep, to pick up the sparrow the following morning. Mr. Davis told us this sparrow was a fledgling, and she was getting flying lessons from her mother when Somer interrupted. The sparrow was healthy and should be free to fly soon.  

 

If you find an injured or sick animal in the Corpus Christi area, you can contact Guy Davis or Tony Amos at the Animal Rehabilitation Keep (ARK).  

 

Guy Davis (361) 688-5159 

Tony Amos  (361) 442-7638  

 

                                                   ~Erik 

Events

REPTILE SHOWS

 

There will be a reptile show in San Antonio on June 4th and 5th at the Live Oak Civic Center. Reptile shows are entertaining and educational! Don't miss out!  

 

    

Click here for more information. 

 

 

 

 

 

   

SHIRE OF THE SEAWINDS 

SCA battle practice

Click here for the SCA website.

 

Join Courtney and me on Wednesday nights from 6:30 until 9:00 at the water gardens behind the Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History. We're members of the Shire of the Seawinds, the local SCA group. We participate in medieval fighter practice with many of our friends! Anyone can join and have fun learning all about medieval art, science, geography, battles and so much more! Click on our photo to go to the Shire of the Seawind's website and calendar.  

 

                                             ~Erik 

 

In This Issue
Summer Fun 2011
Texas Rat Snakes
Baby Bird
Reptile Show
SCA
Wolf Spiders
Coming Soon!
Yellow Argiope

Quick Links


C

About Us





wolf spider

Wolf Spiders

Wolf spiders are commonly found in houses, garages, or backyards. Wolf spiders are often mistaken for the brown recluse spider. It's important to know the difference, because some brown recluse spiders carry **flesh eating bacteria in their mouth, while wolf spiders aren't harmful. You can tell them apart a couple of ways. The first clue is, brown recluse spiders have a violin shape on their head, while most wolf spiders have a stripe. The second clue is that wolf spiders tend to have thicker legs than the brown recluse. Courtney and I have always been fascinated by wolf spiders and have  handled them often since we could crawl. Their bite can cause a mild reaction, but we've never been bitten.        

 

**Entomologists are debating what causes the flesh eating reaction from the brown recluse spider bite. While some scientists believe the venom causes problems, others believe it's the bacteria they carry in their mouth.  

Because other critters, like the komodo dragon, carry dangerous bacteria in their mouth, Courtney and I believe this could be the case with brown recluse. What do you think?  

 

We'll keep you updated! 

                ~Erik 

Tx tarantula

Coming Soon! 

    

 

Texas Tarantulas


Watch for our July newsletter where we'll feature more critters you can find on nature hikes in Texas!

    

           ~Courtney 

spider in field

 Black and Yellow Argiope Spider 

Black and Yellow Argiope spiders are more commonly known as garden spiders. Garden spiders are orb weavers and weave large orb webs that can be over 2 feet in diameter!  All spiders are  beneficial to the environment, because they eat insects that can harm plants in your yard or garden. Garden spiders mostly eat flying prey like flies,  mosquitoes, wasps, and grasshoppers. Adult male garden spiders reach a body length of 1/4" - 3/8", while the females can reach 3/4 - 1 1/8 inches.  The leg span of these impressive spiders can be 4" or more. All spiders are venomous, but the Argiope spider's bite is not dangerous to humans at all.


        ~Courtney