Createscape Wildlife Identification Guide
Members love that Createscape is conveniently close to the airport and downtown. But they also appreciate being surrounded by lots of grass, trees, and plenty of room to roam. In fact, we're in a residential section of East Austin that the Chronicle once called an "inner city paradise." Thanks to the abundance of green space, neighborhood gardens, parks, tree farms and plant nurseries in the area, we get a lot of wildlife visitors. Here are some of the creatures you're likely to spot on a typical day at the office.
Slithering Snakes
Rat snake
It’s not that uncommon to come across shed snake skin while taking a lunch break in the side yard. To someone with ophidiophobia (an extreme, overwhelming fear of snakes), this would likely be the start of a very bad, no good day. But if you know a little bit about slithering reptiles native to Central Texas, especially those that live in dense areas like East Austin, then you know there’s not that much to worry about. Sure, Travis County is home to copperheads, cottonmouths, coral snakes and rattlesnakes, but most of the snakes in this area — about nine out of 10 — are completely harmless, according to Paul Crump, a herpetologist for Texas Parks and Wildlife.
The molted snakeskins typically found around the office are likely from rat snakes. But we can only deduce that much because the shed skins we see most often are not slight and skinny and don't have bold markings, like you'd see with the common garter snake. Since we are in the city, surrounded by train tracks on one side and a large empty field on the other, we imagine the area is home to quite a few rats (known as a mischief!) and mice live around the property, making it prime rat snake territory.
Chihuahua-Hunting Hawks
Broad-winged hawk
A few years ago I just happened to glance into my backyard (less than 30 blocks north of Createscape) and noticed a large bird launch into the air from the ground. I barely caught more than a second or two of the scene, but what I thought I spied at first was my nearly 10-pound chihuahua attempting to catch a hawk mid-flight. Mike the chi can be ornery in that way, so it didn’t surprise me. But then, Mike came inside and looked sad, defeated, and even, in a sense, deflated. When I got closer, I noticed a deep scratch on his head, a hole in his lip, and a puncture over his lung on his back. It turns out the hawk was in the market for a Mike burrito.
In Austin, it’s not that unusual to hear about hawks attacking small dogs (go ahead, Google "hawk attacks dog"). There are some dozen or so predatory hawks that call Central Texas home. After consulting local field guides, I was able to get the list of chihuahua-eating East Austin hawks down to about three possibilities: the red-tailed hawk (wingspan: 45-52.5 inches), broad-winged hawk (wingspan: 32 to 39 inches), or Ferruginous hawk (wingspan: 52 to 60 inches).
We were pretty lucky the predator chose to hunt Mike. At nearly 10 pounds, and legs that are two-to-three-times longer than most chihuahua appendages, Mike is entirely too large and heavy for a bird that’s estimated to weigh anywhere from 15 to 70 ounces. Now, had the bird been a little smarter, she could have easily plucked Ellie, a five-pound chi, off the ground by her razor-sharp talons.
To this day, Mike — again, a chi, and not one of the dozen or so bird-hunting or retrieving dog breeds — keeps one eye on the sky at all times. When he sees a bird with a wide wingspan, he does his best to chase the beast off with his, um, intimidating bark. Only a desperately hungry bird would waste energy fighting that hard for a few bites of muscly, sinewy chi. On the other hand, if you enjoy hawk watching, it is nice to get a notification whenever one is circling overhead.
Leapin' Lizards
Green anole lizard
At the office, our side yard is home to a very large population of green reptiles. These are most likely the green anole lizard, which are often mistaken for chameleons. They grow to be about five to seven inches long and are extremely fast. Not even a chihuahua with the legs of an Italian greyhound can catch one — or a healthy one, at least.
Green anoles are insect predators. Our side yard is a perfect habitat for these lizards, which prefer living on the ground, but will take to trees when the invasive brown anoles move in.
Male green anoles have a red dewlap (loose skin) on their chin. They display this underbody mohawk to impress the ladies, or when defending their territory from other anoles.
Experts say if you have green anoles in your yard or garden, be a friendly host! They help keep pests under control. And during years when green anole populations are down — for reasons experts can only speculate about — it’s possible that they’re being driven out by larger, more aggressive lizards. But the good news is that they usually return after one or two seasons.
Createscape Canines
Part-time canine member, Wiley, enjoys being playful and climbing things.
OK, dogs aren’t wildlife. But that doesn’t mean you won’t see a few wandering the property — indoors and out. Createscape is a dog-friendly co-working space. On any given day, you may see a pair of chihuahuas, a small terrier, a mutt or two, a poodle-mix, and a few other breeds.
New members are welcome to fill out a pet form and take a few days to gauge whether your dog is a good office companion. Not all of them are. And some take a little more work than others.
If you do decide to bring your dog to work, be sure they’re on a leash and have plenty of toys or bones to keep them occupied. Younger dogs are more likely to get excited by all the new people — and new dogs. Mature canines are more likely to snuggle up by their human’s feet and snooze away the day. If you’re not sure how your pet will react to being in a new, bustling space, you should be prepared to let your dog know what behaviors are acceptable and which are not (i.e., barking, demanding attention from co-workers, trying to play with a chihuahua who doesn’t like other dogs). Unfortunately, not every dog is cut out for office life, but the ones who are really help make the day more pleasant.