“Shuffle your feet!” This is tried-and-true advice for those splashing in the surf. But if you forget—if you feel the searing pain of a
Tag: Creatures Among Us
![](https://rgvctmn.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/1.-Black-and-White-Warbler-on-Mesquite-by-Javier-Gonzalez-640x458-1.jpg)
New to the rigors of warbler identification—an exasperatingly large number of these charmers being yellow, adorned with varying patterns of black—I thrill to spotting, and
![](https://rgvctmn.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/2.-roly-polys-523x640-1.jpg)
Many of us have fond childhood memories of playing with roly-poly bugs (Armadillidium vulgare)—also called pill bugs, woodlice, sow bugs or doodlebugs—those tiny, tough, multi-legged
![](https://rgvctmn.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/3.-Masked-Booby-512x512-1.jpg)
A massive bill, like an oddly-fitting mask, protruded from its face. The large white bird with slender brownish-black wings and a pointed tail—clearly not a
![](https://rgvctmn.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/16.-Bull-Snake-640x569-1.jpg)
Unable to ignore our blue heeler’s fervent barking, I peered outside. A long, plump snake, creamy with dark blotches, glided towards our glass door, its
![](https://rgvctmn.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/IMG_4124-1-800x600.jpg)
Bright blue caps its head, suggesting woodland shadows. Black velvet encircles its eyes, draping cheeks and throat. Olive back feathers and a lemon underbelly wash