Father's Day with Mother Earth...

...and one big dang spider! It moved so fast it seemed to have far more than eight legs. For the seventy-five percent of adults with some degree of arachniphobia, I apologize for this beginning to my new endeavor. I was already ramped up having spied a click beetle, and this spider was the whipped cream on top.

When I saw it on the Rowlett Creek Trail near the Austin Chalk interpretive sign I thought it might be a tarantula. It was large! The description of a ground spider seems too small, although I didn't have a quarter ready to toss on the ground for a size comparison. Information about trapdoor spiders in the DFW area seems to fit better.

As for the click beetle, its "eyes" seemed to be closed compared to others I've seen around here.

Click* on these links for more info:

• Eastern Eyed Click Beetle 
• Southwestern Eyed Click Beetle
• Texas Click Beetle info from TX A&M extension
• Alaus lusciosus

Location unrecorded.

Spring Creek Trail, Richardson, TX 6/12/2012

Heard Nature Preserve, McKinney, TX 7/15/2012

Oak Point 6/4/2012

*Whenever I spot one of these, I can't help saying, "Here's lookin' at you, kid."

© 2014 Nancy L. Ruder. All photos taken at Oak Point Nature Preserve, Plano, Texas, unless otherwise noted.