You love the feeling of opening your sliding glass doors and stepping out into your own private paradise. Ahh, breathe in the fresh air, feel the grass beneath your bare feet. Private paradise you ask? Your own backyard, of course.
Big or small, If you're lucky enough to own your own little slice of eden, you may have captured the excitement of seeing a willow flycatcher, a baby jack rabbit, a red squirrel or a family of quail. It really depends on what part of the good ol' USA you reside in.
Backyard wildlife watching has become a national pastime and millions of dollars are spent annually to bring our furry, feathery, scaly friends closer to our back doors. However, by invitation or not, It's possible some day you may receive an unwanted visitor from the dark side. One that comes with talons, stingers or teeth as sharp as light sabers. Darth Vader move over, because a visit from a scorpion, black widow, even worse, the dreaded Rattlesnake can be an all too real experience.
Human backyard dwellers frequently encounter snakes at close range and approximately 8,000 people in the United States are bitten by snakes every year. Although this information may be scary, I
t's important to understand that snakes typically bite as a defensive reaction only, so it's best to keep back and let them slither away on their own. Most snakes are shy and will do their best to avoid human contact and flee toward the hills. When I need assistance with snake removal, I look for a "kill free" animal rescue. I strongly believe all animals should have the "right to life" without our deciding their final fate. Just recently, a wandering Coyote came right up to our backyard fence. The curious fellow stared at us through the wrought iron bars with a charming curiosity that endeared me. His Jade green eyes were the eyes of wisdom and I truly felt a connection with this lone creature. Fortunately, my cat, Bosco was inside with me, safely behind our sliding glass doors. I suddenly had the feeling like I was the one in the terrarium looking out. 
We can learn so much from our backyard friends if we would only take the time to research them. For example, two huge, black spiders the size of my hands fell into our pool. I pulled them out and photographed them. A kind entomologist from the University of California, Irvine wrote to tell me they were harmless male "trapdoor spiders" which construct ground burrows out of a cork-like trapdoor made of earth, plant material and silk. Fascinating! It is impossible not to garner a deep respect for all creatures great and small who show up in our backyards. They come to teach us something about ourselves, so if we'd just take a moment to listen, we may hear them say, "can't we all just get along?"
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