Stinging Commentary

Anyone who saw Honey, I Shrunk the Kids knows scorpions are absolutely terrifying. Eight legs? Check. Giant spiky claws? Check. A long, stabby tail full of venom? Check. You couldn’t design a scarier creature in a laboratory. A dozen of them are probably living in your backyard RIGHT NOW, and...

By Zach Fowle

June 26, 2014

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Anyone who saw Honey, I Shrunk the Kids knows scorpions are absolutely terrifying. Eight legs? Check. Giant spiky claws? Check. A long, stabby tail full of venom? Check. You couldn’t design a scarier creature in a laboratory. A dozen of them are probably living in your backyard RIGHT NOW, and you wouldn’t even know it.

Unless, that is, you attended the Scorpion Hunt hosted by Usery Mountain Regional Park June 28. Using a blacklight -- because scorpions glow under a blacklight, as all demons do -- Usery’s Ranger B will lead you around the park to find these elusive desert dwellers while teaching you about them. The walk takes about an hour; knowing how to avenge poor Anty lasts a lifetime.

The hunt begins at 8 p.m. Saturday, June 28, at the Trail Staging Area of Usery Mountain Regional Park, 3939 North Usery Pass Road in Mesa. Cost to attend is $6 per car. Call 480-984-0032 or visit www.maricopa.gov/parks for more.

Sat., June 28, 8 p.m., 2014

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