The summer of 2019 is going down as one filled with many unique wildlife encounters…and that’s saying a lot for a guy who grew up on the edge of nowhere in rural Michigan.
Last Wednesday I saw a bald eagle flying up over the road as I drove in west Arkansas. I’ve seen that before but those distinguishing features are always a sight to behold.
A few weeks before that, a bit to the north and east, I had a black bear cross the road in front of me. That was a first for me. It was far enough ahead that there wasn’t a chance of me driving into him but there was no mistaking what it was.
In Springfield, Missouri I have a favorite spot for me to spend the night these days. It’s a back corner of a parking lot. Bedding Mart sets on the front corner. They’re usually the last stop on Thursday.
With restaurants and a Walmart in the same shopping area I have all I need. It’s quieter and easier to find a parking spot than any truck stop I can go to so I like it here. There’s an undeveloped area behind the stores filled with some mowed fields and tree lots.
I’ve seen numerous critters there. Woodchucks, or groundhogs, depending on what your preference is; rabbits, squirrels and various birds. I even had a turkey hen stroll out around the corner of the bushes before she walked back under cover last spring.
Well, this past Friday as I walked back to my rig I saw her again. This time she had two babies with her. I must not have appeared too threatening because they took there time walking away from me. I had plenty of time to take a picture of the trio.
Yeah, turkeys were shopping between Kohl’s and Walmart.
I also had two unique encounters extremely close to home, as in my apartment complex.
Last Monday I walked up to the bank a bit over a quarter mile away. As I walked back home I felt something on the left side of my neck. Since I couldn’t see what was there I gently placed my hand on the spot.
I soon felt that distinctive sharp pain you get from a bee sting.
I brushed my right hand across my neck to remove the pesky insect away. I assumed it flew off and I’d never discover what type of bee it was.
That was until I walked to my bathroom to look in a mirror. On the front of my right shoulder sat a pretty red bee with black wings. With my bulging eyes it appeared to be about two inches long. I real life it was about an inch.
I walked back outside, brushed the freeloader off and stomped on it.
We don’t have bees like that in Michigan so I was curious about what it was. When I ventured back out I soon discovered many similar bees flying over the lawn. When one of them landed I recognized it.
I’ve seen documentaries about this bee on TV. It has an ominous name that defies it’s purpose. It’s called a tarantula wasp.
After digging a hole the female looks for a spider. When she finds one she stings it. Her venom paralyzes the bug without killing it. She carries the spider back to her hole and lays one egg on the spider before she buries it.
Her offspring grub will feed on that spider before it sprouts wings and repeats the process.
I always wondered how big that bee must be in order to take on a real life tarantula. In real life they use wolf spiders, not tarantulas for their victims.
Okay, wolf spiders we have in Michigan. Now it makes more sense. But you have to admit that wolf spider wasp doesn’t give it anywhere near as much of a fear factor as tarantula wasp.
The good news is that I now knew what stung me. The bad news is that I now knew I had a paralyzing venom coursing through my veins.
I was pretty sure I brushed my bee off before there was a full dose administered. Whew!
I was planning on going for a run when I got back from the bank. Since my exercise schedule is tight I kept to that commitment…even though I knew I could lock up at any moment. Then I’d probably fall on more of these bees.
They’d probably haul me off in the woods and lay all their eggs on me before they’d all die, but that’s beside the point.
I had a good run in spite of the 100 degree Texas temperature.
When I returned home I checked the mirror. There was a unique red streak running down from the injection spot. It was almost two inches wide, I’m not exaggerating this time. It curled in front of my collarbone before arching away from my heart.
I breathed a sigh of relief.
I sent up a prayer and spread a prescription creme I have for a totally unrelated purpose on the area. The redness didn’t spread. Whew!
The next day the pink area was only slightly tender. I’m happy to know I’m not a wolf spider now.
When I returned home Friday evening my latest wildlife encounter awaited me. I walked over to the peach tree to check on their progress. The peaches are getting bigger but aren’t fully ripe yet.
I picked one anyway and bit into it. It was tasty but still dry. Another week or two and I’ll take my pole out to knock the top fruits off.
When I approached the mailboxes there was a guy standing near them with an extremely rare pet. He said he wanted something unique to give his dad for a Father’s Day present so he purchased a Galapagos Tortoise. He was watching it for his dad.
It’s five years old old is already larger than any turtle I’ve ever seen. He said it’ll live to be over 100 years old, which means it will outlive his dad, him and his children. I suggested they donate it to a zoo at some point.
That tortoise was eating grass as I enjoyed my peach. All of a sudden he stopped eating and walked in my direction. Oh, yeah, he smelled my peach.
I was about half done with it so I laid in on the ground. He enjoyed it more than I did. I told the guy where the peach tree is so my new friend can continue to enjoy some fresh fruit.
Early in the book of Romans Paul points out that God shows Himself in nature. I saw things that fly, run, crawl and eat all sorts of things.
Not all of my encounters were safe, but I lived to tell about them.
I hope to continue to tell about this diverse, beautiful, yet sometimes unsafe God I serve.
I love you, Abba.
I’ll see you later. Wade
