Today it was very cold and windy and those are conditions I really can't stand. But I thought I could just walk up onto our hillside for a bit of exploration and the trees would act as a windbreak. As I was headed that way, I saw some logs and couldn't resist carefully rolling them over to see if there was anything underneath. Log 1: Nothing...and I rolled it carefully back. Log 2: Drat...a little bug that scurried away...and I rolled it back into its original position. And then, Log 3: JACKPOT!!

Standing motionless and in a state of hibernation was this beautiful Northwest Forest Scorpion!! I discovered one last April and since then have found others when looking carefully under logs. Although they are poisonous, they aren't terribly venomous, but I am always extremely respectful of all the animals that I am lucky enough to find on my adventures. This one never moved as I quietly took my pictures and then very carefully replaced the log exactly as I had found it.

Chanakya (c. 370–283 BCE) was an Indian teacher, philosopher and royal advisor. Wikipedia: Chanakya