It’s not even Halloween month yet, and we’ve had a few spooky garden visitors…or should I say, spooky residents? Exhibit A: a coral snake in the swimming pool. I heard my husband’s startled reaction as he reached into the skimmer yesterday afternoon and found himself hand-to-face with the highly venomous serpent. Coral snake! he shouted, and I ran to get my camera.

Little Coral was equally startled and shot across the pool, proving herself an accomplished swimmer. She did two long laps before tiring, giving us a good look. Yup, there’s that “red and yellow, kill a fellow” coloration.

Seeing how tiny she was, however (about 16 inches long), and knowing coral snakes’ mouths are too small to easily pierce human skin (except perhaps the thin webbing between your fingers; whew, close one, David!), we weren’t too worried. David netted her out of the pool, and we set her free against the chain-link fence in the lower garden, nudging her toward the greenbelt on the other side. I doubt we’ll see her again.

But I’ll keep an eye out, just in case.

Exhibit B: spider season. At this time of year, black-and-yellow garden spiders are big enough to give you a scare…if you happen to be scared of spiders. I confess I am, but these ladies are beneficial, and so long as they don’t build their intricate webs across a pathway, I leave them be.

We have two (that I know of) in the back garden: Aragog…

…and Shelob, who was snacking on something big the other day. At first I thought, with dismay, that it was a monarch butterfly. Then I had a moment of horror thinking it was a hummingbird. (Is that even possible?) Hummers do love the Mexican honeysuckle, where the spiders are lurking.

But now I think it’s a cicada. No loss there. What do you think?

And are you seeing any spooky critters in your garden lately?

I welcome your comments; please scroll to the end of this post to leave one. If you’re reading this in a subscription email, click here to visit Digging and find the comment box at the end of each post.
_______________________

Digging Deeper: News and Upcoming Events

Austinites and native-plant shoppers, I’ll be at the member’s day Fall Plant Sale at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center on October 14, and I hope to see you there! I’ll be signing books between 1 and 3 pm in the Wild Ideas gift shop. If you’re not a member, of course you can still come on out and see the gardens and stop in at Wild Ideas. Hope to see you there!

South Texans, come see me at the 2nd annual Planta Nativa festival in McAllen, Texas, on Saturday, October 22. I’ll be delivering the keynote talk, “Local Heroes: Designing with Native Plants for Water-Saving Gardens,” that evening. Tickets are on sale at Quinta Mazatlan. I hope to see you there!

Do you review? Have you read my new book, The Water-Saving Garden? If you found it helpful or inspirational, please consider leaving a review — even just a sentence or two — on Amazon, Goodreads, or other sites. Online reviews are crucial in getting a book noticed. I really appreciate your help!

All material © 2006-2016 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.