Advice Please Regarding Arizonas Animals (tax, food, top)

[Searcher521]

1. It is warming up here in Phoenix and after all the rains things are very green. There are wild flowers springing up and yes I am sure the snake activity has started. You needn't worry about them just be observant and give them a wide berth if you come across one. Most people visit never have the pleasure of seeing one.
2. To maximize your enjoyment push yourself to drink more water than may be your habit. Do not rely on thirst. The envrionment (heat of summer) is the most dangerous hazard to visitors.

For a half dozen years I walked my dog everymorning in the desert near home for an hour and a half and would see three to twelve snakes a year and am convinced I was spotting the same one a number of times.

Attached is a photo of a dormant snake waiting out the cool night on the north side of a hill. When the sun comes up he can shake off the lethargy and move on. Also posted, is a snake I scared crossing a fence. He raced off under some cover and coiled up to provide a defense. Staying on trails or walk in places where you will not surprise each other and there will be absolutely no problems with these creatures. The are not aggressive.

It is an amazing year for photography as seasonal streams are running and you can find waterfalls coming off the high rims which are uncommon sights. Have a wonderful visit.

[ArkansasSlim]

british, if you stay on trails or roads, sneakers - tennis shoes will be O.K., but if you wander off those I worry about cactus thorns. Some of them will go through 6 ply truck tires and leather chaps, so you can imagine what they will do to s & t s. When we were out exploring we carried two spares and cans of "flat fixer". And LOTS of water!

[ArkansasSlim]

british, I don't think anyone has mentioned flash floods. There could be rain in the distance but the "dry wash" can fill up rapidly with run-off. There are two problems; one, often you cannot tell how deep it is, and two, I have seen people try to cross the stream and find there has been a rock wash into the road/trail and it knocks a hole in the oil pan. None of are trying to spook you, we are just trying to make you aware of unfamiliar things so you can have a wonderful Arizona experience, as I had for many years.

[ArkansasSlim]

Originally Posted by Searcher521

1. It is warming up here in Phoenix and after all the rains things are very green. There are wild flowers springing up and yes I am sure the snake activity has started. You needn't worry about them just be observant and give them a wide berth if you come across one. Most people visit never have the pleasure of seeing one.
2. To maximize your enjoyment push yourself to drink more water than may be your habit. Do not rely on thirst. The envrionment (heat of summer) is the most dangerous hazard to visitors.

For a half dozen years I walked my dog everymorning in the desert near home for an hour and a half and would see three to twelve snakes a year and am convinced I was spotting the same one a number of times.

Attached is a photo of a dormant snake waiting out the cool night on the north side of a hill. When the sun comes up he can shake off the lethargy and move on. Also posted, is a snake I scared crossing a fence. He raced off under some cover and coiled up to provide a defense. Staying on trails or walk in places where you will not surprise each other and there will be absolutely no problems with these creatures. The are not aggressive.

It is an amazing year for photography as seasonal streams are running and you can find waterfalls coming off the high rims which are uncommon sights. Have a wonderful visit.

Great photos.

[saffordpastor]

Originally Posted by ArkansasSlim

british, I don't think anyone has mentioned flash floods. There could be rain in the distance but the "dry wash" can fill up rapidly with run-off. There are two problems; one, often you cannot tell how deep it is, and two, I have seen people try to cross the stream and find there has been a rock wash into the road/trail and it knocks a hole in the oil pan. None of are trying to spook you, we are just trying to make you aware of unfamiliar things so you can have a wonderful Arizona experience, as I had for many years.

And wild Indian tribes......watch out for them....you can usually get a pretty good heads up when you see smoke signals and hear their wild yells..

For more info on this danger watch several hours of old westerns.

[LordBalfor]

Originally Posted by ArkansasSlim

british, if you stay on trails or roads, sneakers - tennis shoes will be O.K., but if you wander off those I worry about cactus thorns. Some of them will go through 6 ply truck tires and leather chaps, so you can imagine what they will do to s & t s.

Ah yeah - and keep you distance from the Jumping Cholla. As one-time victim of those devious cacti I can attest that it really does seem like they sneakily leap out to you when you are not looking.

I SWEAR I never got close enough to touch it!

Seriously though, keep your distance from them (no matter how interesting they appear) - The little sausage-like sections that break off and fall to their base have a nasty habit of being covered with a light coating of sand and are often pretty well hidden beneath it just waiting for some dumb animal (or sucker) to step on it - and they have SO MANY spines that it's almost impossible to find somewhere to grab it pull it off.

"...the "jumping cholla" name comes from the ease with which the stems detach when brushed, giving the impression that the stem jumped onto you. Often the merest touch will leave a person with bits of cactus hanging on their clothes to be discovered later, when either sitting or leaning on them."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cylindropuntia_fulgida

http://benafia.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/img_3134.jpg

Ken

[saffordpastor]

Originally Posted by LordBalfor

Ah yeah - and keep you distance from the Jumping Cholla. As one-time victim of those devious cacti I can attest that it really does seem like they sneakily leap out to you when you are not looking.

I SWEAR I never got close enough to touch it!

Seriously though, keep your distance from them (no matter how interesting they appear) - The little sausage-like sections that break off and fall to their base have a nasty habit of being covered with a light coating of sand and are often pretty well hidden beneath it just waiting for some dumb animal (or sucker) to step on it - and they have SO MANY spines that it's almost impossible to find somewhere to grab it pull it off.

"...the "jumping cholla" name comes from the ease with which the stems detach when brushed, giving the impression that the stem jumped onto you. Often the merest touch will leave a person with bits of cactus hanging on their clothes to be discovered later, when either sitting or leaning on them."

Cylindropuntia fulgida - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://benafia.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/img_3134.jpg

Ken

That right there will get you a lot quicker than the hyped up dangers of AZ wild animals.

[ArkansasSlim]

LordBalfor, what you wrote is absolutely true and correct. When Dad was range riding he carried a pair of pliers in his saddle bag to pull the Cholla out of his horse and his chaps and boots. After he retired and we were out exploring, he carried pliers in his pocket. His cow dog always went with us and would avoid the standing cactus, but occasionally would step on a sticker. When he did he would "freeze" and lift the injured foot like a bird dog pointing. Dad would go to him, pull out the sticker, and Pepper would be gone again. What memories. Those were the days!!

[LordBalfor]

Originally Posted by saffordpastor

That right there will get you a lot quicker than the hyped up dangers of AZ wild animals.

Oh YEAH!


Ken

[LordBalfor]

Originally Posted by ArkansasSlim

LordBalfor, what you wrote is absolutely true and correct. When Dad was range riding he carried a pair of pliers in his saddle bag to pull the Cholla out of his horse and his chaps and boots. After he retired and we were out exploring, he carried pliers in his pocket. His cow dog always went with us and would avoid the standing cactus, but occasionally would step on a sticker. When he did he would "freeze" and lift the injured foot like a bird dog pointing. Dad would go to him, pull out the sticker, and Pepper would be gone again. What memories. Those were the days!!

Well, I'll tell ya' I SURE could have used those pliers.
I had to resort to stepping on it with the other foot so I could pull it out of the first foot - and then of course the Cholla was then stuck to THAT foot, so I had to step on it AGAIN with the first foot so I could pull it out of the second foot - and of course the Cholla was then once again stuck into the first foot again.

Well, after about dozen and half times of changing the Cholla from one foot to the other I FINALLY got it beaten down enough so that there were some bare spots on the Cholla for me to actually GRAB so that I could FINALLY pull it off my foot for good.

THEN all I had to do was to use my fingers to pull out the many individual spines (one at a time) that had remained behind in each shoe each time I'd separated the Cholla from each foot (my shoes looked like they had been attacked by a porcupine).

Total time spent doing all this: 15-20 minutes.
Fortunately NONE of the spines penetrated very deeping into my tennis shoes (which could VERY EASILY have happened). I had a few small punctures in my toes - but nothing too serious.

It COULD have been a LOT worse.

Ken