Vegas: Moth friend

Las Vegas, Nevada, is not a city known especially for its bountiful and abundant wildlife. This would be a shame if you consider the beautiful big horned sheep that live among the hills outside the city proper, or the fierce and stealthy mountain lions that feed upon them, or the adorable little quail and kangaroo rats (or chipmunks, or rabbits) who can sometimes be found scurrying and chirping among the brush. These animals, however, tend to reside more on the periphery, not wanting to venture too far into the city for fear of bumping shoulders with the human residents, unless an especially appealing park happens to be located in close enough proximity to a densely populated hill, as is the case in Hemenway Park in Boulder City where the sheep can sometimes be found. On any given day, you're rather unlikely to encounter any of these creatures, though- aside from perhaps the rabbits, who seem to be doing pretty well, even to the point of becoming a menace in some areas, or maybe the coyotes who occasionally snag a smallish pet from an unwatched backyard...but I digress. The general wildlife in the region isn't keen on sharing space with us, so you're far more likely to encounter some form of insect, arachnid, or human specimen. A good example of this would be our encounters with scorpions, who found their way into the small, poorly sealed studio space we spent the better part of 2017 and 2018 inhabiting. Did you know that scorpions can climb? I didn't until I found one in our sink and decided to research the terror that had entered the sanctity of our space. Scorpions do pretty well in Las Vegas, and if you find yourself in the city with access to a handheld blacklight, feel free to do some investigating of outdoor spaces with it. You may be surprised, shocked, or horrified at the sheer number of the creepy crawlers you can find refracting neon-light in the dark of night. To be fair, scorpions can help humans by eating other creepy crawlers you might not want coming around, like spiders or centipedes, but that's not an especially comforting reassurance when you stumble upon a scorpion in your shower late one evening, unprepared. 

While moths aren't typically considered a friendly visitor, due to their habit of gnawing on perfectly good clothing and leaving holes for us to find, I'd gladly find one perched upon my laundry over a scorpion. This friendly little guy posed for some photos, too, allowing me an opportunity to appreciate their beautiful markings. I don't know, is it weird that I got excited at finding him? Maybe.

But you have to admit, he sure is a pretty little thing!

Thanks for stopping by!

💘

XOXO,

NAU