Fairfax Open Space

05/30/2026

04/19/2026

She was big, brown, and fast. She ran across your garage floor and you reached for the nearest shoe.

But the spider you were picturing and the spider you were looking at are probably not the same animal.

Wolf spiders have eight eyes arranged in three rows — two large ones in the center that reflect light like a cat's. They're hairy, stocky, and covered in camouflage stripes. Brown recluses have six eyes in three pairs, a violin-shaped marking, smooth thin legs, and rarely exceed half an inch. One charges across open ground because it hunts on foot. The other hides in dark undisturbed spaces and avoids the open entirely.

The big brown spider running through your garage is almost certainly the wolf spider. And she's been working your yard every night.

Wolf spiders don't build webs. They're ground hunters that patrol mulch beds, garden borders, and the perimeter of your house after dark — catching mosquitoes, crickets, flies, beetles, and other pest insects on contact.

The detail most people never forget once they learn it: when she reproduces, the mother carries her egg sac attached to her body. When the spiderlings hatch, they climb onto her back and ride there until they're large enough to hunt on their own. The large spider crossing your garage floor may have been carrying her young.

🌿 How to identify her:

- Shine a flashlight across your lawn at night — two bright dots glowing back at you from the grass are her eyes reflecting the light
- Stocky body with visible hair and camouflage pattern means wolf spider. Smooth, thin-legged, and hiding in a box means something else
- She runs from you, not toward you. The speed is how she catches prey
- She has no interest in your house — she entered through a gap following prey or moisture and would rather be outside

She was the biggest spider in your yard because she's been eating the most 🌿

03/10/2026

03/10/2026

There's a massive turtle in the middle of the road with its mouth wide open.

You think it wants to fight.
It doesn't.
It literally has no other option.

That's a Common Snapping Turtle. And it's the most misunderstood animal on every road in America.

THE TRUTH ABOUT ITS SHELL:
→ Most turtles retract their head, legs, and tail inside their shell when threatened
→ A snapper can't. Its shell is too small for its body.
→ Its plastron (bottom shell) is reduced — it barely covers the underside
→ Head, legs, neck, and tail stick out no matter what
→ It's the most exposed turtle in North America

WHY IT BITES:
→ In water, it's calm. It swims away from danger. It wants nothing to do with you.
→ On land, it can't swim away. It can't hide in its shell.
→ Its only defense is its mouth.
→ That strike isn't anger. It's the only option it has.
→ A box turtle hides. A painted turtle hides. A snapper can't. So it fights.

THE BITE:
→ 210 pounds of force — not the strongest, but lightning fast
→ Its neck extends to 2/3 of its shell length — farther than you expect
→ It can strike from what looks like a safe distance
→ It's been doing this for 90 million years. Before T. rex went extinct.

IF YOU FIND ONE CROSSING A ROAD:
✅ Help it. It can't outrun a car.
✅ Pick it up by the BACK of the shell — never the tail (spinal damage)
✅ Move it in the direction it was ALREADY going — it knows where it's headed
✅ Keep your hands at the BACK — its neck reaches farther than you think
✅ Or slide it onto a flat surface (car mat, cardboard) and carry that
❌ Don't put it in water — it might be heading to a nesting site

That scary turtle on the road isn't attacking anyone.
It's a 90-million-year-old animal that can't hide in its own shell.
And it just needs to cross the road.

12/04/2025

https://conta.cc/4ae5DFN
This Saturday! Puma Documentaries by local filmakers with panel discussion afterwards Come and learn about Pumas and how we can live with them

11/14/2025

This Sat! Stewardship of our Natural Spaces
Ever wonder how we can be more responsible stewards of our natural spaces?
Join Us Saturday, November 15th at 7 pm, at the Women’s Club, 46 Park Rd, Fairfax for an informative evening with three preeminent ecologists who will discuss various approaches and issues for such stewardship with special focus on fire mitigation.
Speakers include:
• Rene Voss, executive director for Western Alliance for Nature (WAN)
• Sterling Minter, Program Manager of the Fuels Program for Biswell Forestry
• James Lockman, Principal Restoration ecologist with Tierra Data Inc (TDI)
There will be presentations, talks and a lively discussion afterwards with Q & A.
Refreshments provided, suggested donation $20. No one turned away for lack of funds.
Produced by Fairfax Open Space Committee (FOSC) For info: [email protected]

Photo Credit: 'Mount Tam in Morning Mist' by Martha E. Ture

11/11/2025

https://conta.cc/4nNkji8
photo by Martha E. Ture
This Saturday, 7 pm at the Woman's club, come be a part
of the discussion on stewardship of Natural Spaces!

Email from Pascal Beran Learn from Top Ecologists about Caring for our Nature.   "Mount Tam and Morning Mist" by Martha E Ture Stewardship of our Natural Spaces Ever wonder how we can be more

10/28/2025

https://conta.cc/3X0Livv November 15th, 7 pm ~ Save the date!

Email from Pascal Beran We've got a lot to share with you. Details inside.     November 15th at 7 p.m. Save the Date!   Fairfax Open Space is hosting a special film and speaker event to explore what s

05/27/2025

I'm a tlacuache.
I'm a marsupial, not a rodent.
I am the only American marsupial — cousin of the kangaroo.
I can withstand up to 80 rattlesnake or coral snake bites. Thanks to me, there is an antidote for venomous snake venom.
I don't get rabies. I eat ticks... I am your friend.
Don't kill me. Don't hurt me.
I often carry my babies in my pouch, but you can't see them.
Scare me, and I will leave.
And if you're a better person, give me a fruit — or take me to a mountain, away from humans who might harm me.

05/27/2025

Please be aware that if you pick up snails to move them to safer places, you could unintentionally cause them pain if it's not done properly.

Ripping them away from the ground can cause the mantle to collapse — which can be fatal.

Instead, gently tap on their shells to encourage them to retract into their shells before you move them.

Please become a snail tapper. These little guys are vital to maintaining the wildlife balance in our gardens.