What is the real story of "critters" in Tucson? (scorpions, subdivisions)

[LordBalfor]

Not really. Was just curious and tooooooooo stoopid to know any better.

I do now.

Ken

PS - Have to admit it's a very interesting plant and I had no idea that all that "white fuzz" on the thing was actually dozens and dozens and dozens of needles - so many, that it almost looks like hair.

[sierraAZ]

Originally Posted by LordBalfor

Not really. Was just curious and tooooooooo stoopid to know any better.

I do now.

Ken

PS - Have to admit it's a very interesting plant and I had no idea that all that "white fuzz" on the thing was actually dozens and dozens and dozens of needles - so many, that it almost looks like hair.

See, curiosity killed the cat! That's why I kind of emphasized that as long as you leave the desert alone, you're pretty much fine.

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by sierraAZ

maybe the scorpions prefer to bite more affluent residents. I'm yet to see one.

Scorpions have never bitten anybody, ever.

[sierraAZ]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

Scorpions have never bitten anybody, ever.

See, I'm not even sure what they do! So, I take it they sting...? If not, just tell me what they do!

[jm83]

I live on the east side of Tucson, in a neighborhood near the broadway and houghton intersection and I've noticed that outside of monsoon season there really aren't any bugs at all. Once in a blue moon I'll find a dead cockroach or a bark scorpion (never been stung, though after nearly stepping on one late at night I've been wearing shoes around the house), but there aren't any other bugs inside the house. Maybe my lack of bugs can be attributed to the amount of Tucson Banded Geckos (so cool, especially when you find the baby ones in the rocks) and lizards in my area.

At night, coyote and javelinas roam the streets. Cougars ARE here, but it's extremely rare to see one outside of actual desert areas.

Gila monsters and rattlesnakes are, like cougars, rarely seen outside of the desert. I've encountered three gopher snakes while living here, though. They aren't venomous, but they can be pretty intimidating due to their size.

Desert Tortoise are also hard to find, but they aren't anything to worry about.

[John Flanagan]

That's it, I've had enough, I don't know if I want to leave NY and move to the desert. I don't want to deal with scorpions, snakes, etc. It simply isn't worth it. I guess I will keep looking for paradise elsewhere.

[Quag7]

Forgot I'd posted here. As I mentioned earlier, I live in Marana now, off of Tangerine Road against the Tortolitas. What we have had issues with here are tarantula hawks; massive wasps from hell.

Fortunately, as excruciatingly painful as their sting reportedly is, they have no interest in humans. They seemed to be fairly obsessed with the "butterfly bushes" in our back yard, preferring their nectar. I watch them swarm for a few hours in the morning, only to disappear by noon or so. I can almost get right up next to them and they pay me no mind. They know they're tough and have an almost instinctual sense that humans are too smart to mess with them.

Look, I'll say this and I think I speak for most of Tucson - if anyone disagrees, speak up:

There may be reasons not to move to Tucson but the unusual wildlife is *not* a valid reason. The number of times you will encounter these things are rare enough that the moments are to be *treasured*, not *feared.* No one I know has ever given "dangerous wildlife" as a reason for leaving Tucson. Encountering a sleepy rattler in the wild is a beautiful moment, one to wonder at, experience at a safe distance, and then move on with your life. If it's different for you, you get way too many of your ideas about the wild from television and movies.

Most of the Tucson areas is - unfortunately in my opinion - suburban. And what we have in rattlesnakes we lack in, say, copperheads. What is off-putting to some is that we do not have very much flora that you can touch. Back east, you can go hiking in a forest and you will feel the high grass and ferns rubbing against your legs in the thick, shady broadleaf forests. Here, you don't want to brush up against anything because it is all armored with sharp needles. At the same time, the visual complexity of the wildlife invites long gazing and inspection from a safe distance.

Almost everyone from out of the area I've talked to says that they would never move here because of scorpions and snakes. And that is simply not valid - many people go years without seeing either. It is such a minor concern; it's like refusing to move to New Jersey because you're afraid of the mafia.

The two most valid reasons not to move to Tucson are the crucifying, almost inhumanly hot summers - and yeah, this didn't bother me at all for the first 4 years or so, but it is wearing thin now, and the second reason is the less than stellar economy. Also, if watching the growth of suburban monoculture depresses you, this might not be the place to move.

Builders get pretty much what they want, and that means ugly, cookie-cutter, crowded housing developments. There is no reason that growth must be ugly, but for some reason, here, it is. No one seems to have the energy to stand up to developers and tell them that maybe not every town in the United States has to look like central New Jersey.

Remember, I grew up there - central New Jersey, in the suburbs. I am not a born and bred desert rat. Yet I find quite a few things about the landscape here positively beautiful, and I have laid on my back, drowsy on the desert floor at midnight, looking up at an ocean of stars in remote, isolated canyons in the Aravaipa Wilderness, and I can say for certain that this is *for everyone*, if you've got *any soul whatsoever.* I have spent many nights on the desert floor, unprotected, without incident.

The biggest reason to live in town is because of what surrounds it - what is on the edge of, and outside of town. If what matters most to you is convenience, lots of shopping, schools, why would you move here when there are thousands of other towns that offer the same without the heat?

This town, at its best, is about the desert. If you can't see any romance in the desert - and there is a lot - don't move here. You will regret it.

[sierraAZ]

Originally Posted by Quag7

There may be reasons not to move to Tucson but the unusual wildlife is *not* a valid reason.

Second that.

Builders get pretty much what they want, and that means ugly, cookie-cutter, crowded housing developments. There is no reason that growth must be ugly, but for some reason, here, it is.

While I totally agree growth doesn't have to be ugly, IMO the ugliness is not the developers' fault for the most part, with some exceptions. The guidelines about the styles and the indescribably ugly colors come from the city. I don't believe that only because we happen to live in the desert we have to turn into lizards and blend with the environment so much. My personal preference would be white and other lighter colors, which actually make a lot more sense in the heat. OK, forget me... but Tucson has strong Mexican heritage. At least some subdivisions can use bright, cheerful colors as opposed to the various shades of poop. What's wrong with La Placita - http://www.go-arizona.com/AZ/images/...-LaPlacita.jpg ? It lifts my spirits every time I see it. And I'm sure there must've been years-long battles before it was painted like that. I can't say that's my favorite style, but it's still a lot better than the rest of the sea of boredom and ugliness.

[BillyBaroo]

Originally Posted by Quag7

Forgot I'd posted here. As I mentioned earlier, I live in Marana now, off of Tangerine Road against the Tortolitas. What we have had issues with here are tarantula hawks; massive wasps from hell.

Fortunately, as excruciatingly painful as their sting reportedly is, they have no interest in humans. They seemed to be fairly obsessed with the "butterfly bushes" in our back yard, preferring their nectar. I watch them swarm for a few hours in the morning, only to disappear by noon or so. I can almost get right up next to them and they pay me no mind. They know they're tough and have an almost instinctual sense that humans are too smart to mess with them.

You should check out this page with a cool video of a tarantula hawk dragging a tarantula. I actually saw this happen once before I knew what a tarantula hawk is. Like you say, I felt fortunate to have been able to witness it.

Tarantula Hawks - DesertUSA

[Readdict]

Its true....... in our new house in Tucson our neighbor told us that his dog was eaten by a bobcat. Soon to learn that 5 out of the 8 neighbors we have met have built "dog runs" in their yards. They have enclosures built in their yards with roofs so that big "critters" cant get their dogs. Their dogs leave a dog door from their house and go directly into the enclosure and run around outside but protected. It was the most bizarre thing I have ever heard. Somehow I dont see these dog runs holding up to a hungry bobcat, but what do I know?
Our first week here we had scorpions, woodpeckers at 5:00am, Tarantulas, crickets, mice, a gila monster, a pack of javalina and a coyote in our yard. Now we have frogs too.
I was playing in the back yard with my boys (baby, 2yr and 5yr) and I saw our dog jump 3 feet backwards real fast. There was a rattle snake striking at him. He was not struck and I was so thankful that it was not one of my children that found the snake before our dog. My husband got the snake into a tub and took it away from the house to release it.
I always think that we have invaded their world not vice versa and try to be respectful of the wildlife here.