Last night's noisy visitor

There was a gnawing sound coming from the end of our porch last night.

We took the flashlights and cautiously approached.

We listened.

We finally heard the sound, coming from between us.

In the pile of split bamboo, waiting to become a wall.

Carefully, I pulled pieces of the pile away, wondering if I would reveal the world's largest scorpion or some other creepy-crawly.

Finally, it appeared!

(blue-orange crab in bamboo slats on our porch)

Later, we heard a noise in the back room, a scratching on the plastic 5 gallon barrels we store drygoods in. And sure enough, he'd made his way in there. I chased him out and off the porch, hoping he'll dig a hole away from the house (and hoping our neighbors don't catch him too quickly).

It is odd, the crabs really went away during the summer/dry season (January thru March), but the rain restarted this week, and it seems almost immediately, they've returned. We've found smaller ones walking around the floor and up on the shower walls. I'm not sure why they are so attuned to the rains, but ones like this at least are a colorful addition when the days go grayer, even if they can be a scary addition in the darker nights.