Well, there is defiantly no shortage of bugs in the Big Bend. Insects comprise about 3,500 species. North America alone has over 100,000 insects. Insects have their own class (grouping of animals with similar characteristics) and belong to the larger group of animals known as invertebrates which include spiders, crabs, scorpions, crustaceans, millipedes and centipedes. To be considered a true insect, an animal must have three body sections (head, thorax, and abdomen), six legs, and two antennae. Plus all its internal parts must be covered by a hard exoskeleton.
Some insects are helpful to man and other creatures. They create silk for the clothes we wear, honey to put in our tea and to pollinate beautiful flowers for us to enjoy. Others are harmful and cause damage to trees and crops. Spiders, dragonflies, and others help to keep insect populations under control.
The word bug is applied to a particular order of insects which includes things like bed bugs, chinch bugs, many so called "water bugs", and a few others. These are considered true bugs. The word is also loosely applied to refer to close relatives including cicadas, aphids, mealybugs, and scale bugs. The name also is incorrectly applied to beetles, doodlebugs, and even to animals that are not insects such as the sowbug and pillbug. However, for all intensive purposes for this article, we will be expanding to include beetles, bees, flies, scorpions, spiders, millipedes, etc.
Big Bend National Park lies on the western boundary of the monarch butterflies migration route. More precise, the Rio Grande Wild & Scenic River lies in this migration route. They can be seen flying through the area in April as they migrate north for the summer and then again in September to October as they fly to winter in central Mexico. Their migration entails a journey of over 1,000 miles and they can travel up to 80 miles per day. The life span of these monarchs is short in comparative as they do not make the actual journey round trip. They are usually identified by black and orange coloring.
Ladybugs are also common to the Big Bend
as they are throughout North America. The nine-spotted ladybug beetle (Coccinella
novemnotata) is orange above with black spots. The convergent ladybug beetle is
common to western America and can be seen swarming in large numbers on mountain peaks,
particularly Emory Peak in the Chisos Mountains. Ladybugs are used as a form of
agricultural aphid control. They are not harmful to humans.
A true reminder of the saying that everything either stick, stings, or stinks is true of the Blister Beetle. The striped Blister Beetle (Epicauta vittata) has black and orange stripes while the margined Blister Beetle (Epicauta pestifera) is black with gray margins and is often thought of as an old-fashioned potato beetle. Blister Beetles are named for the caustic chemical cantharidin, that they contain which causes blisters on human skin. They are typically cylindrically shaped. Adult beetles are vegetarian and can sometimes become a pest to local crops. So watch out and make sure that you don't let these guys crawl around on your skin.
To follow in suit of the saying, (everything either sticks, stings, or
stinks), Stinkbugs certainly fulfill the stink part. There are more than 5,000
species of stinkbugs. Stinkbugs emit a persistent unpleasant odor that offers it
protection from enemies. When the bug walks along plants that odor remains as well.
The odor is released from two glands located on its thorax. That are broad,
flat insects with five-jointed antennae. They vary color and usually are brown,
gray, and green.
The Millipede is also a known presence in the Big Bend and is prevalent
after rainfalls. The millipede has a body containing segments and can embody from 9
to over 100 individual segments. Each individual segment bears one pair of
legs. They can range in length from approximately 0.1 to 9 in. Their
diet consists mostly of decaying vegetation and deemed generally harmless. When
alarmed or threatened, they can be seen in curling up into a tight ball. Millipedes
are equipped with stink glands as defense against insect predators. These stink
glands release a noxious chemical substance repelling predators.
The black widow spider (Latrodectue mactans)is
also a member of the Chihuahuan desert. Though most people are familiar with the
name, describing the ritual of a female eating her male after mating, this is not an
uncommon practice amongst the spider population. They can be found in crevices,
under rocks, and other dark, shielded places. They can be found in houses as well
and are typically seen in moist places such as under the cabinets and behind the toilet.
The female is about 0.5 inches long and is black except for an hourglass-shaped red
mark on it's abdomen. The female contains a venom, a neurotoxin, and it is poisonous
to humans. When bitten, pain and swelling around the bite occurs along with nausea
and difficulty in breathing. It has been known to be fatal.
Yet another creature
that gives creed to the saying, the desert sticks, stings..., would be the scorpion.
It has a flat and narrow body with eight legs and a segmented abdominal tail and
comes equipped with two claws similar to a lobsters. Its tail is usually curved
upward and forward over the back and has a venomous stinger at the tip. It contains
a pair of poison glands. Scorpions are typically brown in color locally and another
black scorpion roams the area too! It is about 1 to 8 in in length. It is
nocturnal and dines mostly on spiders and insects. The sting of the scorpions in the
Big Bend, unlike other areas of the world, is not fatal. However, it is painful.
When attacking prey it captures it in its claws and delivers a disabling sting with
its tail. You will find scorpions wide-spread throughout the Big Bend. Be sure
when looking under rocks to be careful as scorpions may be hiding underneath.