Red-diamond Rattlesnake

While helping with a vegetation survey last week one of the biologists let out a cry as he nearly stepped on this beautiful Red-diamond Rattlesnake. Luckily it was very early in the morning and the snake was too cold to react much. I included a pic of the actual vegetation survey.

Tick

I have always been lucky when it comes to ticks. I rarely find them on me while others will have many. Ticks have been known to prefer one person over another. Unfortunately I do find them on occassion. This guy I found in one of my socks. I always check myself carefully before coming home.

Tarantula

I guess watering is not always boring. While checking the irrigation lines I found this male tarantula wandering through our restoration site. It is common for males to wander around this time of the year looking for females. California species are hard to ID but I think its Aphonopelma iodius.

Scorpions

When we are trapping for reptiles we often catch uninvited guests. The two species of scorpions we caught this week are the Arizona Striped Scorpion, and the California Common Scorpion.