Podcast: Wild About Utah

Wild About Utah is a Utah Public Radio production featuring contributors who share a love of nature, preservation and education. Contributors include Bridgerland Audubon Society, Utah Public Radio, Stokes Nature Center, the Edith Bowen Laboratory School (EBLS) at USU and many other nature-related individuals and institutions. See WildAboutUtah.org for a list of authors, voices and contributors.

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Tarantula Tales

Harietta the Tarantula
at Stokes Nature Center
Courtesy & Copyright 2010
Andrea Liberatore

Aphonopelma iodius
Courtesy & Copyright 2003
James Pitts

Aphonopelma iodius
Courtesy & Copyright 2003
James Pitts

Burrow of Aphonopelma iodius
Courtesy & Copyright 2004
James Pitts

Burrow of Aphonopelma iodius
Courtesy & Copyright 2004
James Pitts

Tarantula crossing the road, Eagle Mountain, UT, click to view larger image, Photo Courtesy & Copyright 2010 Shawna Olsen


Tarantula on a parking lot
University of Utah
20 August 2013
Salt Lake City, UT
Click to view larger image,
Courtesy & Copyright 2013
Lily Marsden

Tarantula on the East Bench, Ogden, UT, click to view larger image, Photo Courtesy & Copyright 2013 Lauren Fowler

Tarantula on the East Bench, Ogden, UT, click to view larger image, Photo Courtesy & Copyright 2013 Lauren Fowler

Hi, I’m Holly Strand from Stokes Nature Center in beautiful Logan Canyon.

Here at the Nature Center, we have an 8 legged staff member named Harrietta. She is a beautiful Chilean Rose Tarantula. Visitors to the Nature Center often exclaim. “Wow! I’m glad those things don’t live around here!” But they are wrong. Tarantulas DO live here as well as in most areas of Utah.

Depending on your source of information Utah is home to either three or four different tarantula species. They’ve been found in the Mojave region in southwestern Utah as well as in the Great Basin.

For a number of reasons few people actually see the tarantulas in the Utah wilds. First of all, Utah is in the far northern part of the tarantula’s distribution range. This means environmental conditions here are less optimal for the spiders than in locations to the south. Secondly, both males and females spend most of their life in and around their burrows, which are dug into the ground in sparsely vegetated areas. As ambush predators, tarantulas lie motionless at the burrow entrance, waiting for an unsuspecting cricket, centipede or even a mouse to wander by. Only then will they dash out of their burrow to bite their victim and pull it back to the safety of their home for feeding. Lastly, tarantulas are nocturnal creatures, venturing out only after most humans have gone inside for the night.

Your best chance to see a tarantula is in the fall. During the months of September and October, mature males roam away from their burrows in search of a female counterpart. In SW Utah large numbers of males can sometimes be seen wandering in search of tarantula love.

In spite of their fearsome appearance, tarantulas are harmless to humans and large pets (e.g., dogs and cats). Their venom is of no medical significance, and, nobody has ever died from such a bite. Most people compare the bite to that of a bee sting and experience no lasting ill-effects other than mild to moderate pain and slight swelling at the site of the bite.

Special thanks to Andrea Liberatore of Stokes Nature Center and Dr. James Pitts of Utah State University’s Dept of Biology for their help with this Wild About Utah topic.

For sources and pictures go to www.wildaboututah.org.

For Wild About Utah and Stokes Nature Center, I’m Holly Strand.
Credits:
Images:     Courtesy & Copyright 2010 Andrea Liberatore Stokes Nature Center
Courtesy & Copyright 2010 Shawna Olsen
Courtesy & Copyright 2013 Lily Marsden
Courtesy & Copyright 2013 Lauren Fowler
Text:         Andrea Liberatore & Holly Strand,
Stokes Nature Center

Sources & Additional Reading


Allred, Dorald M., B. J. Kaston. 1983. A list of Utah spiders, with their localities. Western North American Naturalist, Vol 43, No 3 https://ojs.lib.byu.edu/ojs/index.php/wnan
/article/view/2591/2938

Hendrixson, Brett. “So You Found A Tarantula” . American Tarantula Society Headquarters. https://atshq.org/articles/found.html [Accessed July 22, 2010]

Prentice, Thomas R. 1997. Theraphosidae of the Mojave Desert West and North of the Colorado River (Araneae, Mygalomorphae, Theraphosideae) The Journal of Arachnology 25:137–176 https://www.americanarachnology.org/JoA_free
/JoA_v25_n2/JoA_v25_p137.pdf [Accessed July 22, 2010]

Sharp, Jay. “About Tarantulas” Desert USA https://www.desertusa.com/july96/du_taran.html [Accessed July 22, 2010]

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Spotted Sandpiper

Spotted Sandpiper
Courtesy US FWS and
Photographer: Dave Menke

An ancient Latin proverb declares that: “Nature abhors a vacuum”. Every naturalist comes to learn that Nature also loves an exception. Sandpipers are a good example. Coastal beaches bring sandpipers to mind, their flocks either loafing about the upper beach or manically advancing and retreating just ahead of the surf line. Every beachcomber can picture the scene.

Imagine, then, hearing this solitary call during your hike past some montane stream, lake or beaver pond.

[Spotted Sandpiper recording, hosted by Western Soundscape Archive, J Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah Copyright 2007 Kevin Colver https://wildstore.wildsanctuary.com/collections/special-collections]

Spotted Sandpiper Habitat
Courtesy & Copyright 2010 Linda Kervin

That sure sounds like a sandpiper, but isn’t the context all wrong? Here you can trust your ears and not your experience. When the bird flushes and flies away on stiff shallow wing beats, you’ll see that the calling bird was indeed a Spotted Sandpiper, easily recognized by the dark spots that speckle its pale breast. This bird is sometimes called a “teeter peep” too, because it bobs its tail incessantly. Its an odd bird, for it is the male Spotted Sandpiper who tends nest and chicks, while the female busily courts other males. That’s polyandry and among birds, its very rare.

Unlike its more coastal kin, the Spotted Sandpiper is right at home in Utah’s high alpine habitats, just so long as it has shallow water and meadows in which to search for its invertebrate meals. Maybe the Spotted Sandpiper is not so exceptional after all, for the upthrust limestones, shales and other sedimentary rocks that compose many of our mountains were deposited under ancient seas that once inundated Utah. Perhaps the Spotted Sandpiper is just exceptional for its late arrival at that prehistoric beach party.

This is Linda Kervin for Bridgerland Audubon Society.
Credits:
Audio: Spotted Sandpiper audio courtesy and Copyright Kevin Colver https://wildstore.wildsanctuary.com/collections/special-collections

Photos: Courtesy US FWS, Photographer Dave Menke
and habitat photo Courtesy & Copyright 2010 Linda Kervin
Text: Jim Cane, Bridgerland Audubon Society

Additional Reading:

Spotted Sandpiper on Utahbirds.org, https://www.utahbirds.org/birdsofutah/ProfilesS-Z/SpottedSandpiper.htm

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Rattlesnakes

Great Basin Rattlesnake
Courtesy & Copyright 2009
Holly Strand
Hi, I’m Holly Strand from Stokes Nature Center in beautiful Logan Canyon.

Its rattlesnake season in Utah, for the warm weather draws them out of their dens. We have 5 species plus 2 subspecies of rattlesnake in the state. The Great basin rattlesnake is the most widespread, living all across Western Utah at elevations up to 9000 feet. This is the fellow you see around Logan. Another subspecies of western rattler–the midget faded rattlesnake –is dominant in the eastern part of the state. The Hopi rattlesnake and the greenish colored prairie rattlesnake are found in southwestern Utah. And the Mojave rattlesnake, speckled rattlesnake, and sidewinder are found only in the extreme southwest corner of Utah.

The rattle itself is a unique biological feature. It’s a loose, but interlocking series of nested segments—actually modified scales– at the end of the tail. When vibrated, the rattle produces a hissing sound. Kevin Colver– an expert in natural sound recordings –provided this clip of a Mojave rattlesnake. Sound from Westernsoundscape.org Hmm. wouldn’t that make a great ringtone?

Aggression and venom in rattlesnakes vary by both species type and by individual. The western diamondback rattlesnake is the archetypal large, aggressive and very dangerous species, responsible for the majority of human fatalities. But its northern range limit is south of the Utah border. However, the Mojave rattler found in southeastern Utah is extremely toxic and excitable. Its venom attacks both the nervous system and circulatory system.

Luckily, rattlesnakes aren’t out to get us—mainly they just want to be left alone. You’ll be fine if you stay aware of what might be lurking in or around rocks. And don’t walk barefoot or in open-toed shoes in their habitat. Also, use a flashlight after dark –most rattlesnakes are active at night too!

Thanks to the Marie Eccles Caine Foundation—the Russell family for supporting Stokes Nature Center programs. And to Kevin Colver for the sound of the rattlesnake. Additional nature sound recordings can be found at 7loons.com and westernsoundscape.org

For Wild About Utah and Stokes Nature Center, I’m Holly Strand.

Credits:

Theme: Courtesy & Copyright Don Anderson Leaping Lulu
Audio:     Courtesy & Copyright 2006 Kevin Colver, https://wildstore.wildsanctuary.com/collections/special-collections & Jeff Rice, https://collections.lib.utah.edu/search?q=rattlesnake&facet_setname_s=uu_wss [Updated January 2024]
Jeff Rice Bio: Ecosystem Sound [Updated February 2026]
Images:     Courtesy & Copyright 2009 Holly Strand
Text:     Holly Strand, Stokes Nature Center
Voice: Holly Strand, Stokes Nature Center

Sources & Additional Reading:

Klauber, Laurence M. 1982. Rattlesnakes. Their Habits, Life Histories, and Influence on Mankind. Berkeley: University of California Press, https://www.amazon.com/Rattlesnakes-Habits-Histories-Influence-Mankind/dp/0520210565 (1997 Version)

Vipers, Species, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, Utah Division of Natural Resources, https://fieldguide.wildlife.utah.gov/?family=viperidae [Updated January 2024]

Tips to stay safe around rattlesnakes, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, Utah Department of Natural Resources, https://wildlife.utah.gov/news/utah-wildlife-news/943-rattlesnakes-safety-tips.html [Updated January 2024]

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Carnivorous Plants in Utah

Carnivorous Plants in Utah: Common Bladderwort Courtesy US Forest Service, Barry Rice Photographer
Common bladderwort
(Utricularia macrorhiza)
Courtesy US Forest Service
Photographer: Barry Rice

Bladders that trap prey for Utricularia macrorhiza, Courtesy US Forest Service, Barry Rice Photographer Bladders that trap prey for Bladderwort
(Utricularia macrorhiza)
Courtesy US Forest Service
Photographer: Barry Rice

Carnivorous plants stoke the imagination and spawn Hollywood films. They have bizarre adaptations to aid in the absorption of nitrogen in the nutrient poor environments in which they live. Venus Fly Traps are perhaps the most famous, their moving lobes snapping shut like a purse around the insect prey to be digested. The far more numerous Pitcher plants produce a simple pit trap. Butterworts and sundews both deploy sticky hairs to ensnare prey. There are other carnivorous plant types, but here in Utah we have only 3 species of Bladderworts in the genus Utricularia.

Our three species are denizens of the water, and as such are scattered among the ponds, lakes and sluggish creeks of the state. Their finely divided leaves efficiently capture sunlight. Bladderworts are often found floating freely on the water surface. Despite their aquatic nature, bladderwort flowers are showy and held above the water surface to attract pollinators with their yellow loveliness.

How can an aquatic plant be carnivorous? The plants produce bladder-like utricles along the underwater stem that look much like cancerous growths. These hollow bladders have tiny hair-like extensions that respond to motion. When stimulated by any wee swimming creature, the hairs cause the flattened bladder to inflate, sucking in both water and prey.

Of all the carnivorous plants, Bladderworts are the easiest to grow … a warm aquarium and some pond mud is all that is needed to keep a Bladderwort happy and healthy. So next time you visit one of our natural ponds or lakes, look for these carnivorous plants. You may even hear the faint crackling sound of the utricles closing as you lift them from the water.

This is Linda Kervin for Bridgerland Audubon Society.

Credits:

Photos: Courtesy US Forest Service, Photographer Barry Rice https://www.sarracenia.com/galleria/g133s.html
Also Plant of the Week, USDA Forest Service, Photographer Barry Rice https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/utricularia_macrorhiza.shtml
Text: Michael Piep, Utah State University: Intermountain Herbarium https://www.herbarium.usu.edu/
Voice: Linda Kervin BridgerlandAudubon.org

Additional Reading:

Southwest Colorado Wildflowers, Photos of Utricularia: Enlarged Photo Pages/utricularia.htm https://www.swcoloradowildflowers.com/Yellow%20Enlarged%20Photo%20Pages/utricularia.htm

Utricularia – The Bladderwort, Carnivorous Plants Online – Botanical Society of America https://www.botany.org/carnivorous_plants/utricularia.php