Gone But Not Forgotten in San Antonio! - Part II (El Paso: pharmacist, probation)

[Basse Bud]

Mud,

Great job on the restored planters!

[darrylpearson]

yes. that is it.

[Basse Bud]

While the topic is GBNF, how about these?

Big red ants! Remember those? Or, how about horn toads? Any of them still around?
Or, the green, blue, pink striped lizards that used to occupy almost every vacant lot in town?

Have not seen any of these in years. (admittedly, these were found on the advancing edge of civilization back when
SA was still the somewhat sleepy town so many wish it had remained.)

[Basse Bud]

Ah, yes, the butterfly and the lightning bug. Other seemingly GBNF items. (unless they are still around SA).

Are the previously mentioned ants, Horn Toad and lizards still around?

[outafocus]

Originally Posted by Basse Bud

While the topic is GBNF, how about these?

Big red ants! Remember those? Or, how about horn toads? Any of them still around?
Or, the green, blue, pink striped lizards that used to occupy almost every vacant lot in town?

Have not seen any of these in years. (admittedly, these were found on the advancing edge of civilization back when
SA was still the somewhat sleepy town so many wish it had remained.)

The last time I saw a horny toad (as we called them as kids) was in El Paso around 1991 or so. He was basking in the sun in the middle of a busy street. I caught him, and took him out to the desert and turned him loose. Horny toads were very common while I was growing up in the late 50s and 60s. I was able to catch a few every day on the site where West Avenue Elementary School now stands. There were lots of red ants there too. That was the horny toad's favorite meal. Those striped lizards were common there, too, but they were so fast I rarely could catch one. I always released all the critters I caught as a child. I knew they made lousy pets, and were hard to feed.

I heard that the horny toad's demise is being caused by highways, because they like to bask in the heat on them, they blend with the road, and get run over, and because of fire ants doing away with red ants, and also fire ants killing baby horny toads when they hatch and are young. I know fire ants really prey on hatchling desert box turtles that were prevalent in west Texas and Southern New Mexico.

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

[SnappyBob]

I think the striped lizards are making a comeback. I have seen quite a few this summer. We get lightning bugs every summer in my back yard. Maybe some day the horney toads will return but they have been gone fore some time now.

[ranchodrive]

Originally Posted by outafocus

The last time I saw a horny toad (as we called them as kids) was in El Paso around 1991 or so. He was basking in the sun in the middle of a busy street. I caught him, and took him out to the desert and turned him loose. Horny toads were very common while I was growing up in the late 50s and 60s. I was able to catch a few every day on the site where West Avenue Elementary School now stands. There were lots of red ants there too. That was the horny toad's favorite meal. Those striped lizards were common there, too, but they were so fast I rarely could catch one. I always released all the critters I caught as a child. I knew they made lousy pets, and were hard to feed.

I heard that the horny toad's demise is being caused by highways, because they like to bask in the heat on them, they blend with the road, and get run over, and because of fire ants doing away with red ants, and also fire ants killing baby horny toads when they hatch and are young. I know fire ants really prey on hatchling desert box turtles that were prevalent in west Texas and Southern New Mexico.

Texas horned lizard - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I used to see the horny toads on my way to school on the west side in the
open fields . But no more.
The ones that gave me a pain were "las avispas amarillas"...
....wow could they sting !

And those are still around...

btw: It's too early but I believe around August the "chicharras" come out.
Locusts that make a whirring sound...i guess you might call it that.
They always remind me of Laredo. Another thing is the Laredo roaches
are reddish brown...I'm more used to my SA ones. They are a darker brown.
The big ones scare the beejeevus out of me . Especially at night when I imagine
them crawling on my face. No...I don't have a roach problem like I did when I
lived on the west side. But when it rains or it gets super hot the big ones from
the outside seek cooler temperatures inside the house.

[Basse Bud]

As it appears, the ants, toads and lizards are all but gone, too bad.

However, the observation regarding roaches is not surprising. A neighbor who worked
at the Nevada Test Site during the above-ground test (blast!) says that the only living
creatures within the immediate fallout area to survive were roaches! Somehow, that
does not surprise me.

[txtea]

Originally Posted by Basse Bud

While the topic is GBNF, how about these?

Big red ants! Remember those? Or, how about horn toads? Any of them still around?
Or, the green, blue, pink striped lizards that used to occupy almost every vacant lot in town?

Have not seen any of these in years. (admittedly, these were found on the advancing edge of civilization back when
SA was still the somewhat sleepy town so many wish it had remained.)

Don't forget about the roadrunners!
We used to see them all the time running thru the yard when I was a kid.

[tvlpug]

I was at Wonderland to see Bobby Vee that year!! I was sooo excited! LOL I went to Longfellow at the time...then on to Jefferson thru graduation....Yes, Edge Falls, GARNER State Park, Landa in New Braunfels....fun times, GREAT music!