You just never know what you'll find hanging out where my office is. It's in a former bank building and we have been in the facility for about 2 going on 3 years now. Before that, we were in a building that had rats in the walls and an strange odor on rainy days. It used to be the county jail at one point, so it was called "The Old Jail." We are glad to be in a nicer and much improved work space with lots of light. Our building has a lobby that is locked between the front desk and the rest of the building. The receptionist at the front desk can open the outside front and inside hallway doors by buzzer. You just feel more secure in our facility. Unless you look down.
We are in an area that hasn't had a lot of traffic and the lot next door is overgrown with bushes and fruit trees. We are also near a national forest. There is an abundance of wildlife in the area. Snakes. Moths. Snakes. Rattlesnakes.
When our Finance Department first moved out to the new location, they would sometimes find a snake slithering on the floor of their storage closet. The closet is close to the outside employee entrance so they would gently urge the snake back outside with the tip of an umbrella.
More recently, we had a supervisor who walked into the area where I work. He was the first arrival of the day and as he entered the office, he glanced down and saw something on the rug. As he stepped over it - it moved. You might know it; a rattler.
He made it to the couch and the top of a file cabinet in no time. Someone heard him calling from the hallway and finally came to see what was wrong. They had a sharp instrument. They dispatched the unwelcome visitor. We had another rattlesnake at the driveway entrance to the complex. Another sharp instrument. Another kill. I'm sure we also have non-poison snakes around but the fact is, I haven't seen them and don't want to. I keep a sharp eye out for whatever might turn up looking for shelter but I'm not too concerned because I come in the employee entrance. There is a concrete sidewalk and parking lot - you can see anything that may be lurking.
This morning I saw a large triangular shape on the side wall. As I got closer, it resolved itself into a really big moth. It would have filled my palm if I had picked it up. I wasn't even considering making a move to capture the beauty on anything but film.
6 comments:
Don't you just love living in the Deep South? That is one unusually large bug. Insect. Moth. Wonder what kind?
We had snakes in the building where I used to work, too. I even brought a couple of ring-necked snakes home for BigEd - when he was not so big . . .
Google: Striped Hawk Moth and see if it looks like yours.
Snakes, did you write snakes. Oh no.....Moths are awesome. Snakes, that is another story. Remember what happen to me at the Serpentarium? I'm not to sure about the spelling; however, I remember the tourist attraction. I saw stars and landed on my head. Bump on the concrete floor.
Striped Hawk Moth is in the right direction but the wings are a little different. The thing kind of reminds me of a patch from an astronaut uniform. Instead of Discovery Mission, it might be the Creepy Crawly Mission.... which mine would be - to stay away from.
Now Zeta, I did cushion your head when you went down. Boy did you go down.
You had reason. The deadly Krait came over the side of his plastic case so fast that the keeper barely got him back inside. Not a good first experience for someone who didn't much like snakes, anyway.
Smack it with a shoe. I do NOT like critters that appear to be able to outrun me... Flip flops work too.
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