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Night 12 of Halloween: Face Your Fears

10/31/2015

Finally you've found a hiding place, a crevice amidst the bark and leaves. You'll be safe here. No one will find you.

But there's a rustling. Then, suddenly, a monster appears! It's hundreds of times your size. It has only four limbs and only two eyes. Hideous. And now there's a domed lens in your face. Metal tubes, shutter clicks, mechanical whirring ... Is this some freaky robot monster? Oh, that's even worse!

You slowly peek out between your frontmost legs. Is it safe now? Is the annoying photographer gone?

Araneus gemma

, California

I'm gone. And so are the Twelve Nights of Halloween!

Thank you for the portrait, lovely spider. Happy Halloween to you and to all!

Night 11 of Halloween: Haunted Tree

10/30/2015

It's dark and splintered, stretching its gaunt fingers like the bony hands of a wraith. Reaching for you. Blocking your path.

You won't escape those tangled brambles, not before it's too late.

Or you could just walk around it. Maybe we'll find something scarier tomorrow.

Night 10 of Halloween: Alien Invaders

10/29/2015

She came into your house--this bizarre, hunchbacked critter. This intruder's got wild stripes and a nasty-looking spike on her rear. So many spines and appendages! And those eyes ... It's space alien, for sure.

Will she drag you back to the mothership?

Diestrammena asynamora

, Maryland

Relax, no one's about to get probed. This is a camel cricket! It's true her species isn't from around here, but they hail from overseas, not outer space. And she just stepped indoors to escape the autumn chill. Make any quick move, and she'll leap for the corner to hide.

Can we find something scarier next time?

Night 9 of Halloween: A Demon Jewel

10/28/2015

His eyes are bigger than his brain. He can watch you from any direction, analyzing you with perhaps the most sophisticated color vision on the planet.

He knows where you are. He knows where you're going. And he flies faster than you can run.

Pachydiplax longipennis

, Maryland

But how scary can a dragonfly be when he's a living jewel of the sky? Multicolored, brilliantly shimmering, decorating every stem and stone he lands on ...

Well, maybe we'll find something scarier tomorrow.

Night 8 of Halloween: An Icy Chill

10/27/2015

The first snow of the year adds eerie ambiance to the Halloween holiday. Stark contrasts on skeleton trees, clouds to block out the sun. Plus a ghostly haze to ensure you don't know what's lurking just a few steps in front of you.

That chill in your bones, is it fear?

Or maybe the scariest thing is how this first snow comes right in time to make trick-or-treating a cold slushy mess.

Perhaps we'll find something scarier next time.

Night 7 of Halloween: Arachnophobia

10/26/2015

Sticky threads, armored spines, serious fangs. Legs included, she's almost as big as your hand. Plenty of spiders will build their web in a tree. She built her web between trees. And she's not alone. There are dozens of her kind in this cove of trees.

You're surrounded. Step away slowly.

Araneus gemma

, California

Step away, because she's got no time for you. This orb weaver's busy tidying up her web. She's not after you, she's just cleaning house. And housework is way scarier than any spider, if you ask me.

Let's try for something scarier next time, huh?

Night 6 of Halloween: Of Branches and Bones

10/25/2015

The trees themselves seem to take Halloween seriously. They'll turn their leaves blood red or pumpkin orange, and then they'll drop 'em all and dress up like skeletons.

Boo!

It's an overused costume, trees. And why do you insist on wearing it all winter long? You won't get any more candy.

Let's try to find something scarier tomorrow.

Night 5 of Halloween: Zombie Tales

10/24/2015

She's long and sleek, big-jawed and covered in dragon-tough scales. She moves fast and whips like a snake.
She can detach her own tail and leave it twitching far behind her--a zombie in the leaves.

Elgaria multicarinata

, California

But this zombie-spawner is shy, and she won't show her sweet face for long. So see ya later, alligator!

Lizard. Alligator lizard.

Maybe we can find something scarier next time.

Night 4 of Halloween: Get Your Werewolf On

10/23/2015

Even when you can't see it, it's always facing you. Always hovering, always there. Barren, desolate, scarred from eons of impacts.

Stand on it, and no one can hear you scream.

Of course our dear moon also lights up our nights, guides migrations, draws the tides. It's pretty awesome.

Hmmm ... maybe we'll find something scarier tomorrow.

Night 3 of Halloween: So Many Legs

10/22/2015

She lives in your house. She comes out at night. She prowls along your walls and runs at lightning speed.

Do you hear footsteps? Lots and lots of footsteps?

Scutigera coleoptrata

, Maryland

She's got a lotta legs
And a real need for speed.
Big eyes, big claws,
It's the house centipede!

If you find her in the corner, she's going to use those legs for one thing--running away! In the blink of an eye, she'll dart off for the safety of the shadows. So say hello to this adorable sprinter while you can.

Maybe we'll find something scarier tomorrow night.